Oakley finds familiarity at Tulane

MISSION — Tucker Oakley said his junior year at Sharyland High School offered him time for reflection and appreciation for the sport of baseball.

That was the good thing.

The bad thing was that was the same year in which he fell off college recruiters’ radars.

Sidelined with a broken right elbow, Oakley missed his junior season — the most important for NCAA Division I recruits — with the Rattlers. The story ends well for the 2009 Sharyland graduate. Although he didn’t take the direct route to Division I baseball, he got there anyway via Weatherford College. Oakley signed with Tulane last fall and on Wednesday, he’ll make the drive to New Orleans to enroll in summer courses and find a place to live.

When Oakley speaks of his baseball development, he mentions the word “maturity” quite a few times. It’s defined his journey in baseball, and it began when he broke his elbow just three weeks before the 2008 season. Oakley sustained his injury trying to brace a fall after he was whipped back while running sprints with a harness and resistance bands.  The injury took four months to heal.

As much as he hated not playing, sitting in the dugout watching his teammates throughout the season helped him realize that he had taken the sport for granted. It also helped him quell a temper that he admitted grew a little fierce at times.

“I’m a lot more mature,” Oakley said. “I became more level-headed. It gave me a new perspective of the game. Baseball is a sport of failure, and in high school, I didn’t always handle that very well.”

Oakley returned for his senior season at Sharyland in 2009. His new outlook on baseball was there, but he wasn’t quite where he wanted to be physically. That led to some frustration at times.

“I expected to be back full strength,” Oakley said. “When I’d make an error, I had to learn to accept that and, instead, sometimes I’d throw a little tantrum. I felt like I was underplaying.”

Things got better for Oakley as his senior season progressed. He was good enough to earn first team all-district and second team all-state honors. But, his goal of playing Division I baseball right out of high school was thwarted. He signed with Weatherford College, a junior college located 40 miles west of Fort Worth.

At Weatherford, Oakley pitched and played first base. He is expected to play the same positions at Tulane. Oakley hit a school-record 16 home runs as a freshman at Weatherford. He was 5-5 with a 4.16 ERA his junior season. That experience prepared him for Division I baseball.

“I grew a lot more mature, mentally and physically,” Oakley said. “I gained a lot more knowledge about the game. … Some people think they are too good to (play junior college), but I felt like I could get better.”

Oakley drew the attention of Tulane assistant, Jake Gautreau, a McAllen Memorial product who was an All-American at Tulane. The fact Gautreau was from the Valley appealed to Oakley and he said that gave the Green Wave a slight advantage in the recruiting process.

“I could relate to him and he could relate to me,” Oakley said. “Tulane was always on my radar, but that did give him an edge from the other assistant coaches.”

Oakley chose Tulane over offers from Oklahoma State, Texas State and Houston. Oakley officially visited Tulane in November followed by trips to Houston and Oklahoma State. He orally committed to the Green Wave 10 days before Signing Day last fall.

Why Tulane?

“I felt they were a little personable than the other colleges,” Oakley said. “It seems the higher up you go, the less personable they become. I’m honored to think that they thought I could play for them.”

David Hinojosa covers sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4442.