OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 1, 2022) – Former Major League Baseball pitcher
David Walsh has returned to the Oklahoma Christian baseball coaching staff for the 2022 season, OC head coach
Lonny Cobble said Tuesday.
Cobble also said
Tom Whiteman will serve as a volunteer assistant coach and
Tyler Henning (head coach) and Matthew Frappier (assistant) will lead the program's junior varsity squad.
Walsh previously served as an OC assistant coach for three seasons, from 2014 to 2016. A former pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he spent 15 years as the pitching coach at Edmond Santa Fe High School, 14 of those working alongside Cobble when Cobble was the Wolves' head coach.
Walsh, who now teaches at Harding Charter Prep High School in Oklahoma City, grew up in southern California and played collegiately for NCAA Division I California-Santa Barbara. He was a ninth-round draft choice by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1982.
After eight years in the minor leagues, the Dodgers called him up to the major leagues in 1990 and he played in 20 games, going 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. Injuries ended Walsh's playing career after the 1992 season.
Whiteman, who lives in Midwest City, has previous experience as an assistant coach at OC's crosstown rival, Oklahoma City University, which is a longtime NAIA powerhouse. With Whiteman coaching OCU's defense, the Stars led the NAIA in fielding percentage during the 2011 season at .975.
Henning, from Bradenton, Fla., finished his playing career this spring with Colorado Christian, a NCAA Division II school that competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. During his five seasons with the Cougars, he pitched 133 innings and recorded 104 strikeouts.
Frappier, from Coppell, Texas, saw his playing career at OC limited by injuries, but he's remained deeply involved with the program, serving the program in a variety of areas, including gameday operations at Dobson Field during the Eagles' home games. He spent the 2020-21 academic year as a graduate assistant coach for the Eagles.
