Tom Holliday Named Manager of Drillers TCL Team
The new Tulsa Drillers team that will play in the Texas Collegiate Baseball League this summer now has a manager and a coaching staff. The names will be recognizable to most baseball fans in Oklahoma. The Drillers announced today that longtime Oklahoma State University coach Tom Holliday will be the
The new Tulsa Drillers team that will play in the Texas Collegiate Baseball League this summer now has a manager and a coaching staff. The names will be recognizable to most baseball fans in Oklahoma.
The Drillers announced today that longtime Oklahoma State University coach Tom Holliday will be the team’s manager. Joining Holliday on the coaching staff will be 14-year major league veteran Mickey Tettleton and former Tulsa Drillers and Cincinnati Reds coach Randy Whisler. The fourth member of the staff will be former Tampa Bay Rays minor league player Cody Smeler.
Holliday brings a massive amount of experience to the Drillers dugout, as he was an NCAA baseball coach for four decades, predominantly at OSU. He was the Cowboys pitching coach for 19 years, from 1978 to 1996 and became the school’s head baseball coach in 1997. He remained in that role for seven seasons, with his 1999 Cowboys squad reaching the College World Series.
After leaving Oklahoma State, Holliday served as the pitching coach at the University of Texas (2004-2006), North Carolina State University (2007-2014) and Auburn University (2015). While at UT, the Longhorns won the National Championship in 2005.
In his 40 years as a collegiate coach, his teams made 17 College World Series appearances.
It will not be Holliday’s first experience with a summer, collegiate league. He has managed the Chatham Anglers in the historic Cape Cod League the past two summers. His club qualified for the playoffs in both seasons, reaching the league championship series in 2018.
Holliday is the father of Matt and Josh Holliday. Matt played 15 seasons in the major leagues and was named an MLB All-Star seven times. Josh is the current Head Baseball Coach at Oklahoma State.
Tettleton and Whisler were both players at OSU during Holliday’s time there. Tettleton was a part of the 1981 Cowboys squad that advanced to the title game of the College World Series.
Following that season, he was drafted by the Oakland A’s and eventually spent parts of 14 seasons in the major leagues from 1984-1997. In addition to his time in Oakland, Tettleton also played for Baltimore, Detroit and Texas.
He was a two-time MLB All-Star and won three Silver Slugger Awards.
He is currently a coach at Oklahoma Christian University
As a player at OSU, Whisler’s teams made four straight appearances in the College World Series from 1982-1985.
He was drafted by Toronto following the 1985 season and eventually transitioned into coaching. He was a coach in the Texas Rangers farm system from 1990-1994, and spent three seasons with the Drillers.
He also coached in the Padres and Marlins systems before moving to the majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 2004. He spent two seasons in the big leagues as the first base coach for the Reds.
Whisler currently lives in Broken Arrow and has assisted Holliday in the Cape Cod League the last two summers.
Semler is a native of Allen, Texas and played collegiate baseball at Weatherford College (TX), West Virginia University and Angelo State University. He signed with the Rays after a stellar senior season at Angelo State.
He was also on Holliday’s staff at Chatham last summer.
Holliday and the Drillers will begin this week announcing the players that will be a part of the Drillers TCL squad this season. Tulsa’s first game is scheduled for Tuesday, June 30 when the Drillers host Frisco at ONEOK Field.
The TCL season will consist of 30 games, with the 15 home games all played at ONEOK Field.
Anyone interested in supporting the team’s 2020 season with tickets or a sponsorship can contact the Drillers Office at (918)744-5901.
Drillers and Cards Rained Out Saturday Night in Springfield
Springfield, MO – The Tulsa Drillers and Springfield Cardinals were rained out Saturday night at Hammons Field. The game had started and was tied at 1-1 when rain hit the Springfield area with the Cardinals batting in the bottom of the second inning. A torrential downpour saturated the field and
Tulsa Loses Late Lead as Losing Streak Hits Seven
Springfield, MO – The Tulsa Drillers longest losing streak of the season reached seven games after a tough loss at the hands of the Springfield Cardinals on Friday night. The Drillers entered the seventh inning trailing by three runs before they went in front by rallying for four runs in
Drillers Home Stand to Include “T” Town Clowns Tribute
The Tulsa Drillers will be back at ONEOK Field to host the Midland RockHounds (Athletics) in a six-game series that will begin on Tuesday, June 17. The series will run for six consecutive days, from June 17-22. All but two of the games will begin at 7:00 p.m. The two
Tulsa’s Skid Hits Six with Extra-Innings Loss
Springfield, MO – Offensive production continued to prove elusive for the Tulsa Drillers on Thursday night in an extra-innings loss in Springfield. In a game that took ten innings to decide a winner, the Drillers produced just four hits and three runs and lost 4-3 to the Cardinals at Hammons
Drillers Can’t Overcome Early Homers in Loss to Cards
Springfield, MO – A six-game road trip got off to rocky start for the Tulsa Drillers on Tuesday night. The Drillers never led after two first-inning home runs staked the Springfield Cardinals to an early lead. The Cards eventually scored eight times in the first five innings and handed the
First Inning Again Hurts Drillers in Fifth Straight Loss
Springfield, MO – It is no secret that the Tulsa Drillers have struggled against the Springfield Cardinals this season, with most of Tulsa's hardships occurring in the first inning, and that was again the story on Wednesday. The Cardinals scored two first-inning runs and never trailed in handing the Drillers
Heubeck Again Named Texas League Pitcher of the Week
Peter Heubeck of the Tulsa Drillers has once again been recognized for his outstanding pitching performance. Today, Heubeck was named the Texas League’s Pitcher of the Week based on his two starts against the Amarillo Sod Poodles last week. It is the second time this season that he has won
Drillers Shut Out in Home Stand Finale
Tulsa, OK – In Sunday’s series finale between the Tulsa Drillers and the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the game was decided on one swing of the bat. Unfortunately for the Drillers, that swing came from an Amarillo bat. Kevin Graham’s solo home run in the eighth inning produced the only offense
Drillers Fall to Sod Poodles Again
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers possessed two different leads Saturday night against Amarillo, but both disappeared due to three home runs from the Sod Poodles and five errors from the Drillers. The homers and the errors helped to provide Amarillo with a 6-4 win over the Drillers at ONEOK
Ninth-Inning Homer Drops Drillers
Tulsa, OK – Tulsa and Amarillo waged a tight battle Friday at ONEOK Field with the two teams trading runs throughout the night. The game was tied entering the ninth inning, and the Sod Poodles struck last when Christian Cerda led off the top half of the ninth with a
Newell, Campos Lead Drillers to Victory
Tulsa, OK – Tulsa outfielder Chris Newell had a massive night to help lead the Tulsa Drillers to victory on Thursday. Entering the night with just two hits in his last eight games, Newell broke out of the slump in a big way by smashing two home runs and driving
Bluey to Visit ONEOK Field
The Tulsa Drillers are back home the first week of June for a big six-game home stand at ONEOK Field. The Drillers will host the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Arizona Diamondbacks) for six consecutive days, running from June 3-8. The series will feature Mickey Mantle Night and a special appearance from
Drillers RHP Patrick Copen Named Midwest League Pitcher of the Month
A current Tulsa Drillers player has been honored by Minor League Baseball for his performance during the month of May. Patrick Copen, who was promoted to the Drillers from High-A Great Lakes earlier this week, has been named the Midwest League’s Pitcher of the Month for May. Copen, who will
Drillers Dropped in Extra Innings by Amarillo
Tulsa, OK – After falling behind by three runs in the early innings, strong pitching, timely hitting, and stellar defensive plays allowed the Tulsa Drillers to mount a three-run comeback and tie Wednesday’s game with Amarillo in the seventh inning. It remained deadlocked until the tenth inning when the Sod
Drillers Win Game, but Lose No-Hit Bid
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers and starting pitcher Peter Heubeck had to wait out a two-hour rain delay Tuesday night before finally facing the Amarillo Sod Poodles, but the game proved to be worth the wait for both. Heubeck delivered 5 2/3 no-hit innings before departing the contest. In
Drillers Shut Out in Series Finale
Wichita, KS – For the second time in their six-game series in Wichita, the Tulsa Drillers were unable to overcome a big first inning by the Wind Surge on Sunday afternoon. Six walks in the first helped Wichita score four runs that led to an eventual 6-0 shutout loss in
Pagán Leads Drillers Past Wichita in 10 Innings
Wichita, KS – Baseball is a team game, so seldom is one player solely responsible for a team’s victory, but Tulsa’s Ezequiel Pagán gave it his best shot on Saturday night in Wichita. Pagán homered for one of his three hits and drove in four runs, including the game winner
Big First Inning Downs Drillers
Wichita, KS – The Tulsa Drillers were unable to recover from a five-run first inning from the Wichita Wind Surge in a 7-1 loss on Friday evening at Equity Bank Park. The loss snapped Tulsa's two-game win streak and evened the series at two wins each, with two games remaining
Drillers Score Early, Survive Late in 4-3 Win over Wichita
Wichita, KS – The Tulsa Drillers used four early runs Thursday night to record their second straight win in Wichita. After the Drillers plated four runs in the first two innings, starting pitcher Jackson Ferris kept the lead in place with a quality start through six innings. After Ferris departed,
Drillers Bounce Back with Extra-Innings Win
Wichita, KS – Wednesday afternoon's game between the Tulsa Drillers and Wichita Wind Surge had a vastly different result than Tuesday's series opener. The Drillers quickly took a 6-0 lead through the first three and a half innings before the Wind Surge rallied for seven runs in the bottom of
Drillers Shut Out by Wichita in Resumption of Propeller Series
Wichita, KS – The Tulsa Drillers fell victim to a strong offensive night from the Wichita Wind Surge Tuesday night at Equity Bank Park. Wichita scored 11 runs on ten hits including two home runs from Kyler Fedko. Tulsa pitchers also struggled with their control, issuing 12 walks in an
Tulsa Loses Rain-Shortened Finale
Tulsa, OK – A tough series for the Tulsa Drillers came to a wet and premature end on Sunday night at ONEOK Field. The Drillers fell to the Springfield Cardinals by a score of 5-2 when rain stopped the series finale in the top of the ninth inning. Continued rain
Team Effort from the Drillers Snaps Skid
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers five-game losing streak came to an end Saturday night with nail-biting win over Springfield. The 3-2 victory came thanks to a three-run homer from Chris Newell, a strong outing from starting pitcher Chris Campos and nine difficult outs recorded by the bullpen. It was
Extra-Innings Loss is Fifth Straight for Drillers
Tulsa, OK – Friday night was the Tulsa Drillers fifth straight loss, and it was the most painful of the stretch. The Drillers at one point held a three-run lead over the Springfield Cardinals after four innings and held a lead for most of the game. Tulsa even entered the
Drillers Fall to Springfield Again
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers struggles against the Springfield Cardinals continued on Thursday night as the Redbirds delivered another big offensive game. The result was a 9-3 victory for the Cards, their third straight over the Drillers, at ONEOK Field. In the three games, Springfield has scored a total