O’Hearn, Cowser on Orioles Opening Day Roster
3/28/2024 8:41:00 AM | Baseball
BALTIMORE, Md. – Sam Houston baseball alums Ryan O'Hearn and Colton Cowser will be on the Opening Day roster for the Baltimore Orioles when they open the 2024 season vs the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The pair each spent time with the Orioles in 2023 and are expected to play a big role for Baltimore in 2024 as they attempt to defend their American League East title.
O'Hearn played for the Kats from 2012-14 before being taken in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. He broke into the bigs in 2018 with the Royals and spent four seasons in Kansas City before joining the Orioles in 2023.
He will be looking to build off the 2023 season, his most productive at the MLB level, where he played in 112 games for the Orioles and set career highs in batting average (.289), home runs (14) and RBI (60). He starred at first base for the Kats for three years under former head coach David Pierce and finished as a career .288 hitter with 11 home runs, 99 RBI and 27 doubles over 180 career games.
The Kats won 121 games in his three years, taking the Southland Conference crown each season and advancing to three NCAA Regionals.
Cowser, meanwhile, played for the Kats from 2019 to 2021 and was named the Southland Conference Hitter of the Year in 2019 and Player of the Year in 2021. He led the Kats to Southland titles in each of those seasons before being taken as the No. 5 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Orioles, the highest draft selection in both Bearkat and Southland Conference history.
He then rocketed through the O's system before making his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium on July 5, 2023.
He played in 26 games for Baltimore in 2023 but spent the bulk of the year at AAA Norfolk before pushing his way onto the 2024 Opening Day roster with a stellar spring training where he slashed .304/.418/.717 with a double, six homers, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored in 18 Grapefruit League games.
The Orioles are currently ranked to have the top farm system in baseball by MLB Pipeline, with Cowser ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the system and No. 19 overall in MLB.
