Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships
Denney Crabaugh

Baseball

Crabaugh, Hunt match wits in Stars' weekend series

OCU squares off with Cumberland at 3 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday

LEBANON, Tenn. – Oklahoma City University's two-game series against Cumberland (Tenn.) this weekend will match the NAIA's two active winningest baseball coaches.
Oklahoma City coach Denney Crabaugh and Cumberland coach Woody Hunt have combined for 3,103 victories. Those two bring 70 years of college head-coaching experience, having coached 4,311 games over the years.
The Stars, ranked 10th in the NAIA, face Cumberland at 3 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Ernest L. Stockton Field-Woody Hunt Stadium. OCU also takes on Madonna (Mich.) at 3 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday in Lebanon, Tenn. Watch the games live here.
Two coaches who rank among the top five in wins among NAIA baseball will be in the dugouts this weekend. Hunt stands third behind Ed Cheff from Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) and the late Gordie Gillespie of Lewis (Ill.), Ripon (Wis.) and St. Francis (Ill.) on that list. Crabaugh holds fifth, but could surpass Larry Hays of Lubbock Christian (Texas) and Texas Tech for fourth soon.
Hunt leads active NAIA baseball coaches with 1,538 victories, while Crabaugh has led OCU to 1,504 wins. Hunt's overall record stands at 1,599-743-5 (.682 winning percentage) in his 39th year as head coach including Cumberland's time as a junior college. Hunt recently garnered the 2020 Robert E. Smith Achievement Award, given annually to a coach or administrator who has given oneself in an unselfish manner to the promotion of NAIA baseball.
Crabaugh owns a 1,504-460-2 mark in his 32nd year guiding Oklahoma City. OCU leads college baseball in victories since 1991 (1,438) under Crabaugh, who has directed his teams to 14 NAIA World Series appearances, 14 50-win seasons, three national runner-up finishes and the 2005 national championship.
The Stars (5-2) handed Crabaugh career win No. 1,500 in their season-opening victory 11-3 over York (Neb.) on Feb. 1.
"Woody and I have known each other since 1988," Crabaugh said. "I met him in Lewiston the first year I went out to the World Series so we've had that friendship for all that time. He's made several trips out here. We're finally going that way. I've been telling him for 20 years that we'll return the trip one of these days. It's always fun playing Woody. He's a friend. His teams are always competitive. They're always fundamentally sound."
The last time the Stars met Cumberland, OCU prevailed 4-3 on Feb. 8, 2019 at Jim Wade Stadium in Oklahoma City. Caleb Davis drove in the winning run with an eighth-inning base hit.
Most notably, Cumberland came out on top against OCU 10-3 on June 3, 2004 in Lewiston, Idaho in the national title game. Cumberland came through for its first national crown after finishing as national runner-up in 1995. Meanwhile, the Stars finished as runner-up for the third year in a row in 2004.
"We've had a lot of memorable games against them, a couple I would like to forget in the World Series," Crabaugh said. "It's going to be great getting out there to go see him and play at his place. I'm really excited about making that trip."
So far this year, Peyton Crispin and preseason-all-American Tyler Williams lead the Stars with a .476 batting average. Williams, a senior outfielder from Peoria, Ariz., has three doubles, three homers, nine RBIs and a team-best 1.048 slugging percentage. Williams collected Sooner Athletic Conference player of the week as well as NAIA National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association player of the week for Jan. 27-Feb. 2.
Cross Factor, a junior outfielder from Yukon, Okla., tops OCU with five homers and 14 RBIs, ranking fourth in homers. Aaron McGeorge, a senior right-hander from Lexington, Ky., paces the OCU pitching staff with two wins and 14 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched.
As a team, Oklahoma City ranks fourth in batting average (.369) and runs batted in per game (10.14), fifth in runs scored per game (11.0), sixth in slugging percentage (.631) and average hits (11.43) and eighth in homers per game (1.71) among the NAIA.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Peyton Crispin

#4 Peyton Crispin

INF
6' 0"
Junior
L/L
Caleb Davis

#14 Caleb Davis

OF
5' 9"
Senior
R/R
Tyler Williams

#21 Tyler Williams

OF
6' 3"
Senior
R/R
Cross Factor

#9 Cross Factor

OF
6' 0"
Junior
L/R
Aaron McGeorge

#7 Aaron McGeorge

RHP
5' 11"
Senior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Peyton Crispin

#4 Peyton Crispin

6' 0"
Junior
L/L
INF
Caleb Davis

#14 Caleb Davis

5' 9"
Senior
R/R
OF
Tyler Williams

#21 Tyler Williams

6' 3"
Senior
R/R
OF
Cross Factor

#9 Cross Factor

6' 0"
Junior
L/R
OF
Aaron McGeorge

#7 Aaron McGeorge

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
RHP