OSU baseball adds Ginther, Romero to coaching staff

STILLWATER — Two former Oklahoma State teammates are now members of the Cowboys’ coaching staff as Mark Ginther is back as the program’s recruiting coordinator and assistant coach and Victor Romero has moved into an assistant coaching role.

Ginther returns to Stillwater after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach at West Virginia. The Tulsa native was a standout infielder for the Cowboys from 2009-12 before serving four seasons on the OSU staff from 2015-18.

Romero played two seasons for the Cowboys in 2012 and 2013 and has served in a variety of roles within the program over the last decade, including the last seven as a full-time staff member.

“We are very excited to have two of our own joining the coaching staff,” OSU coach Josh Holliday said. “Oklahoma State Baseball is unique — it is a program built by the players with strong guidance from coaches who over the years have poured their hearts into this place. Mark and Victor are cut from that same cloth. This place means a great deal to them, and they have the expertise, passion and energy it takes on a daily basis to help grow our players and program. We have a staff built to provide our players a true college experience, people who care about them both on-and-off the field, and I’m very excited about the energy and relationships that the entire program will share moving forward.”

During his time in Morgantown, 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 last season.

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 Major League Baseball 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.

“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.”

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 runs batted in 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 MLB 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.

“I’m very excited to rejoin Coach Holliday and the Oklahoma State baseball family,” Ginther said. “OSU is a special place to me and my family. I’m an Oklahoma kid born and raised, and it’s always been a dream to come back to OSU and coach at my alma mater. With the history and tradition of the program and the expectations of the best fan base in college baseball, I can’t wait to get back to Stillwater and get to work!”

Romero has been a part of the OSU program for over a decade, first as a standout catcher for the Pokes then through serving in numerous capacities within the program.

“Victor was a leader on our first team here the year I got hired — he had a team-first attitude and ran the team from behind the plate on an NCAA Regional team,” Holliday said. “He was also a member of our coaching staff on the 2019 NCAA Super Regional club and mentored All-Big 12 catcher Colin Simpson along the way, and he has been integral part of our program’s success during my tenure here. The catching position will be in great hands with him leading our guys. Victor has worked with me side-by-side the past several years in all phases of the program and will thrive in his new role on the field, working with the catchers and helping develop our offensive skills while taking on a major role in the recruiting process.”

Following his playing career in Stillwater, which saw him earn All-Big 12 and Academic All-Big 12 accolades while also being a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award given to the top catcher in Division I baseball, Romero spent three years as a graduate manager with the Cowboys.

In 2017, Romero joined OSU’s full-time staff as the director of player development where he assisted the coaching staff with practice plans and scouting reports and helped the program set a number of academic records for their performance in the classroom.

Following a stint as the Cowboys’ volunteer assistant coach on the 2019 NCAA Super Regional team, Romero served as the program’s director of baseball operations for the last four years.

“I’m extremely excited for this opportunity that Josh has given me to join the coaching staff at Oklahoma State,” Romero said. “This is something I have been working so hard to do, and I cannot wait for these new opportunities. My wife and I are beyond grateful for Oklahoma State, and this place is special to both of us. To get to coach with some of my dearest friends is the biggest blessing and honor of them all, and I can’t wait to bleed orange with this crew. Go Pokes!”