Six-foot, two double-O, World Series here we go.
So it doesn’t have the same ring, but Cole Gillespie deserves his own anthem. I’m sure Cee-Lo from Gnarls Barkley will let someone dub “Gillespie” over that track “Crazy.” If not, I’ll give up the rights to the theme song for the “The NickelBlock” to change it to “Cole Gillespie.” Damn.
Regardless, the proverbial “glue that holds the team together” seems to be pouring out of Gillespie like syrup off a pancake at Aunt Jemima’s house. He might not be a chemistry major, but that could change. He has kept this team together all season long. I think he filled his PowerAde bottle with Elmer’s and has been slamming a full 20 oz. between innings. A lot of people let Gillespie go unnoticed for most of the season.
Not me. I have been following his every move since February 10th.
Gillespie must be taking tips from Chris Coffin and Richard Nafshun, because defying the laws of physics and chemistry are his strong points. He is only 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, but he led the team in almost every batting statistic this season.
He has found his niche on this team, and it’s as the leader.
Named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, Gillespie bounced back from an early season injury. He missed three games in February with a shoulder injury, and battled back to be the best batter on the team and eventually the best hitter in the Pac-10. He hit an insane .383 for the season, to go with a slugging percentage of .706. He had 12 home runs with 53 RBIs. Even Cambria Miranda was impressed.
Gillespie has given younger players a guy to look up to and the veterans a guy to rally around as the team heads toward Omaha. Even the pitching staff might have to take the No. 2 seat in popularity behind him.
Statistics don’t lie and neither do results. Gillespie is hunting down Jacoby Ellsbury’s numbers like Mike Tyson for a paycheck. (Or, these days, a dumpster.) His 53 RBIs and 23 doubles surpass Ellsbury’s mark of 48 RBI’s and 19 doubles from last year. Plus, he is slugging about 120 points higher than Ellsbury hit a year ago. And although Gillespie might not match the 99 hits Ellsbury had, he did surpass him in statistical runs by 17.
And people are finally coming around. Gillespie was drafted by the Brewers with the 92nd selection in Tuesday’s MLB draft. Congratulations to Cole, I never thought I would see the day when Oregon State lost a dominant hitter and a dominant IM softball pitcher in the same week. We will miss you, Ryan Black.
Everyone seemed to etch the Beavers’ destiny in stone at the beginning of the season: with the departure of Jacoby Ellsbury, getting to Omaha was going to be a struggle. The doubters were waiting for a chance to take a sip of that bitter Haterade.
But Gillespie has filled in as the team leader this season. In the locker room and on the field, the man is getting it done.
Oregon State has found a batter to get behind for the post-season in Gillespie. He has kept this team focused and centered on the championship by giving them a person to rally around. The Beavers have a good shot at competing in the World Series because of his ability to create run scoring opportunities. Pitchers are aware of his batting abilities and are afraid to pitch to him. He is a hitter that is dominating at the plate and a key ingredient to the success of the Beavers down the stretch. And no amount of nail polish remover or WD-40 can keep him from holding this team together.
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