By JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

Great Bend native Tracy Baldwin attended the College Baseball World Series in 2010, the last time it was played at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
“It was one of the best sporting events I’ve attended — it was like a football tailgate every day,” he said.
When Baldwin returns to the 2016 College Baseball World Series, he’ll be part of Oklahoma State’s return to Omaha for the first time since 1999. Baldwin serves as the Cowboys’ strength and conditioning coach for baseball.
The Cowboys beat ACC and SEC teams on the road to earn their trip.
“It’s really rewarding to see our guys qualify for the College World Series,” Baldwin said. “They are truly excited. Next to getting a chance to realize their dream of playing pro baseball, competing in the College World Series is the most rewarding goal they can achieve.”
The No. 12 Cowboys (41-20) play first-time participant California-Santa Barbara at 2 p.m. Saturday in the first game at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.
The Cowboys upset national seed South Carolina 5-1 and 3-1 in the NCAA Super Regionals. The Cowboys defeated Nebraska 6-0 and Clemson 12-2 and 9-2 in the NCAA Regional. Pitcher Thomas Hutch (8-2, 2.04 ERA) and Tyler Buffett (8-3, 3.15 ERA) have anchored the Cowboys staff.
“We’ve got a gritty bunch of players,” Baldwin said. “Our pitching coach Rob Walton has gotten the staff into the right place at the right time. I’ve you’ve got your pitching rolling, you’ve got a chance.”
Baldwin signed with Hutchinson Community College to play football after graduating from Great Bend High School, and pondered his career choice when an injury sidelined him.
Great Bend coach Jeff Lutt was Baldwin’s college roommate. Salina South’s Tom Stucky encouraged Baldwin to pursue a sports training career.
“When I was in high school, I always enjoyed working in the weight room,” he said. “When I found out I could make that a profession, it was an easy decision.”
The strength and conditioning field demands a high level of commitment and responsibility to keep everyone prepared to perform their best.
“It’s a competitive field with lots of candidates. I was fortunate to earn my chance,” he said. “You sometimes sacrifice family time for your responsibility. That’s the hardest part.”
Baldwin said his job is to develop young college athletes into more flexible stronger players as their careers progress. Pitchers and position players are provided with different training regimens. He’s mindful of preparation to avoid injuries from repetitive work.
“We’re working with athletes and developing them into stronger players,” he said. “With pitchers, you work on preserving arm strength and strengthen their lower bodies pretty much seven days a week. Infielders and outfielders and close to the same, and catchers require their specialized weight training.”
Rob Glass, OSU’s head strength and conditioning coach, shifted Baldwin to baseball and women’s golf and away from football responsibilities.
Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday played for the Cowboys’ 1999 World Series team. The Cowboys were the 1959 NCAA baseball champion and are a five-time runner-up.
The Cowboys are the only World Series team with a 5-0 qualifying record. They’ve yielded a low of six runs in five games.
“It’s the best pitching staff we’ve had. Our pitchers; motto is pitch-by-pitch,” he said. “We take it one pitch, one inning and one game at a time.”
The Cowboys were tested by an early-season schedule, which featured three consecutive last-inning losses to North Carolina. A few weeks later, the Cowboys won three consecutive one-run games against Kansas State.
“We get tested on the road and that helps you get prepared,” he said.
Baldwin has worked full-time in the OSU strength and conditioning program after serving as an OSU graduate assistant, student intern at Kansas State University and as student strength coach at Fort Hays State University.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education at Fort Hays State after attending Hutchinson Community College and Barton Community College.