OCU Athletics
Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Joe Lytle from Oklahoma City University has turned professional with the Evansville (Ind.) Otters of the Frontier League.
Lytle finished his Stars career with the most doubles (93) and at-bats (906) in program history. Oklahoma City has produced 160 future professionals and 75 alumni taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. OCU owns the most wins in college baseball since 1991 (1,387).
Lytle led the NAIA with 27 doubles while ranking No. 2 with 100 hits this year. Lytle picked up a .392 average, seven homers, 76 RBIs, three triples, 62 runs scored and six steals. Lytle ranked among the top five in the NAIA in at-bats (255), at-bats per game (4.25) and doubles per game (0.45).
In 2018, Lytle drove in seven runs with four hits and two homers at Kansas Wesleyan on March 6. Lytle had another four-hit game at Panhandle State on April 28. Lytle garnered first-team all-Sooner Athletic Conference and second-team NAIA all-American acclaim.
Lytle posted a .386 average, seven triples, 14 homers, 214 RBIs, 350 hits and 193 runs scored as a Star. He became a four-time all-SAC selection, two-time first-team all-SAC and SAC player of the week for March 7-13, 2016.
OCU (51-10) reached the NAIA World Series and posted a 50-win season for the second consecutive year. Oklahoma City owns 16 NAIA World Series appearances and 15 50-win seasons in program history. The Stars took the NAIA Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket and shared the Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season title in 2018.