Mark Ginther - Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Mark Ginther

Title:
Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator

     Mark Ginther returned to Oklahoma State as an assistant coach and the Cowboys’ recruiting coordinator in July 2023.

     A former player and staff member for the Cowboys, Ginther spent five seasons as an assistant coach at West Virginia from 2019-2023. The Tulsa native was a standout infielder for the Pokes from 2009-12 before serving four seasons on the OSU staff from 2015-18.

     “Mark is coming back home after being part of a very successful West Virginia program that has put together some of the best teams in school history in recent years,” Holliday said. “He has an outstanding understanding of the game and a passion for all phases of the game. He will lead our defensive efforts and his expertise in infield play will be a big part of building a championship team. In addition, he will provide daily instruction as we build our team offensive concepts. The experience he has gained on the recruiting side has been invaluable, and he will help organize our efforts to bring top-notch talent to campus and develop those players upon arrival.

     “During Mark’s time here on staff, he was a valuable part of a College World Series team and a Big 12 championship club. It couldn’t have been clearer to me in the process of putting the staff together that Oklahoma State Baseball is what he is all about, and he is prepared to put the work in to help the program continue to grow.”

     In his first season back in Stillwater as an assistant, Ginther coached All-Americans Carson Benge and Nolan Schubart and helped develop Benge into a MLB Draft first-round pick.

     The ’24 season saw the Cowboys belt 118 home runs, the seventh most in program history and their highest total since 1999. OSU led the Big 12 in homers, runs, RBIs and walks.

     In his time at West Virginia, Ginther was instrumental in helping sign some of the top recruiting classes in program history while serving as the infield coach and assisting with the Mountaineers’ hitters.

    With Ginther on staff, WVU made NCAA Regional appearances in 2019 and 2023 and earned the first Big 12 championship in program history with a shared regular-season title in 2023.

     In Ginther’s first season in 2019, the Mountaineers hosted an NCAA Regional and finished the season ranked No. 19 while also setting a program record with eight Major League Baseball Draft picks and 11 All-Big 12 honorees.

     The 2022 season saw WVU set a program mark for Big 12 wins and rank second nationally in stolen bases with 156, and in 2023, the Mountaineers counted 15 conference wins and 13 All-Big 12 honorees, including the league’s player of the year.

     Ginther helped coach 17 MLB Draft picks at WVU and under his tutelage, seven position players earned All-Big 12 status while J.J. Wetherholt became a consensus All-American second baseman in 2023.

    A standout third baseman for the Cowboys, Ginther was a two-time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention performer. In 209 career games, he hit .296 with 32 home runs, 140 RBIs and 50 doubles, and he ranks in the top 10 in program history in career at-bats, doubles and sacrifice flies.

     Ginther was a three-time Major League Baseball Draft pick, the first time out of Jenks High School in 2008 and then again in 2011 and 2012.

     Following his senior season with the Cowboys, he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks after being selected in the 24th round and played one professional season at the Class-A level.

     Ginther joined the OSU staff in 2014 as a graduate manager before serving as the program’s player development coordinator in 2015.

     In his first season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Cowboys in 2016, he served as first base coach on OSU’s College World Series team. He was also the volunteer assistant for the 2017 Big 12 championship team and again in 2018.

     Ginther and his wife, Taylor, have two children, Blair and Tripp.