Right-handed pitcher Conor Costello was selected by the Dodgers in the 32nd round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Oklahoma State University.

He had previously been drafted by Pittsburgh Pirates in the 38th of the 2015 draft but chose to return to the Cowboys for his senior year.

Costello is a native of Edmond, Oklahoma, and attended Edmond Santa Fe High School.

Following his graduation from high school he embarked on a rather remarkable journey in his pursuit of an education and a baseball career. He excelled in both pursuits but faced some formidable odds in doing so.

He began his post-secondary education at the University of Arkansas but chose not to return to the Razorbacks for a second season. Instead he transferred to Navarro Junior College for a semester in Corsicana, Texas. In his first game with the Bulldogs Costello’s string of injuries began. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm, requiring the now almost common place Tommy John surgery.

He missed the entire 2013 season but made plans to continue his college education at Oklahoma State University.

Costello returned to action in 2014 with OSU playing primarily as a position player. One description referred to him as a Swiss Army knife because of his versatility playing first base, the outfield and pitching.

The injury bug hit once again for the 6’3”/210-pound right-hander when he was struck in the face by a pitch in a game against West Virginia. He was forced to wear a protective face mask for the rest of the season. He continued to play on and was named to the Stillwater Regional All-Tournament Team after batting .500 in the regional with six hits and two home runs.

On April 11, 2015 of the ensuing season, that same bug hit again in a most unusual way. Following a game with Kansas, the team went to the Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner. Costello ordered a steak, well-done. After a bite and a swallow, he knew something wasn’t quite right. A piece of steak had lodged in and damaged his esophagus. Although he could breathe without too much difficulty, he wound up in the hospital facing possible season ending surgery. However, a cardiovascular surgeon weighed the options and was able to deal with the situation without surgery. Twelve days later, Costello was back on the field.

During the 2015 season Conor Costello was named to the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year watch list.

Connor Costello could be the Dodgers version of John Olerud.
(Photo courtesy of okstatecom)

One would think that by 2016 he had earned the right to have a season without dealing with an injury. However, that was not to be the case. Costello and teammate Colin Simpson both missed 19 games during the season with a broken hamate bone. Costello’s was on his left hand and Simpson’s on his right hand.

Costello had his best season on the mound with the Cowboys in 2015 when he posted a 1.67 ERA over 32.1 innings along with 52 strikeouts and 25 walks.

Offensively his top year was in 2016 when he hit .351 in 37 games with an OBP of .447 and 31 runs batted in.

Conor Costello was a two-way player at Oklahoma State University, both on and off the field.

In his final year, he was selected as a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball. CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. Students nominated for the award are recognized for their achievements in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition.

Costello serves in the Stillwater community by volunteering with the Salvation Army and participating in a variety of programs with Coaches vs. Cancer. He also works helping underprivileged children in his hometown.

Josh Holliday, his head coach with the Cowboys, spoke to the character of Conor Costello.

“I compliment that kid, because he’s had a lot of tough breaks,” Holliday said. “And I’ve never seen him sour on the experience, ever. He just seems to take it in stride and find the positive in it and comes back around again. He’s shown a real unique quality in being able to handle adversity and bounce back. A lot of that goes to his family and the way he was raised and their outlook. I’ve seen a lot of people just throw their hands up in the air and say, ‘Well, it’s not meant to be.’ That’s not been Conor.”

Costello made his professional debut in 2016 pitching in three games with the Arizona League Dodgers and nine with the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League. On the season, he posted a 6.23 ERA over 17.1 innings along with 14 strikeouts.

At age 24 he most likely will start the 2017 season with the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League, looking for a bump up to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League at some point in the season.