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<\/a>Outfielder J.D. Orr has broken both the Wright State season and career records for stolen bases. (Video by Kris Sproles \/ photos by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n
Talarico said Orr has excelled in base-stealing this year in spite of having a bullseye on his back.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody knows who he is, so they\u2019re just not going to let him steal. \u2026They\u2019re going to try to stop him,\u201d said Talarico. \u201cDoes he have an answer to it? That\u2019s where the chess match starts. That\u2019s what I get excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orr grew up in Mount Vernon, Ohio. His father works for UPS and his mother is a professor at The Ohio State University teaching information technology.<\/p>\n
Orr started playing organized baseball when he was 5 years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the thing I enjoy the most is it is such a challenging sport,\u201d he said. \u201cYou are never going to be perfect in baseball. You never have it completely figured out; and the aspect that every day I have to come in and do something to make myself better, try to be more successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orr also began a love affair with hunting when he was a boy and does it to this day, tracking down deer and turkeys.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s just the fact that I get to be out in the woods and be by myself,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m kind of a quiet, independent person so being out there and just hanging out and relaxing by myself is something I\u2019ve always loved to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduating from Mount Vernon High School in 2015, Orr decided to play baseball at Wright State and pursue a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was close-knit, like a family feeling. There were other schools, but I didn\u2019t have that same feeling,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I wanted to go to a place that I knew I was going to enjoy my time and I felt was the best fit.\u201d<\/p>\n Orr said he has always been blessed with speed, but that\u2019s not the only reason he has been successful. He said it took a lot of practice and help from Talarico. Talarico said Orr wasn\u2019t always so confident. He had to be assured that it was OK to get thrown out once in awhile, to make a mistake.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal was to help build that confidence,\u201d Talarico said. \u201cOnce he was confident, I just got out of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n Orr said the most meaningful base he ever stole came in an NCAA regional tournament game his freshman year against Ohio State.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was when it really clicked for me. It\u2019s when I figured out how to become a really good base stealer,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt that from that point on I had it in my mind I could do this for the rest of my time in baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n Sogard said Orr has improved as a base-stealer each year he\u2019s been with the Raiders.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he got here he had the speed, but he probably didn\u2019t have the technique as much,\u201d Sogard said. \u201cYou\u2019ve seen it come together through the years of work, day in and day out. And it\u2019s a lot of fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Orr has 57 steals this year, breaking the season record of 36 stolen bases by teammate Zach Weatherford in 2017. Orr has 115 career steals, breaking the career record of 101 held by Boll Stosik from 1995 to 1998.<\/p>\n Talarico said Orr has been timed at 3.3 seconds to steal second in a game, a Major League speed. Pro scouts have given Orr a score of 80 out of 80 in his speed from home to first base.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s extremely confident; he\u2019s very smart; he\u2019s also very fast,\u201d said Talarico. \u201cSo you\u2019ve got something I believe is very special.\u201d<\/p>\n J.D. Orr hopes to play professional baseball after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership.<\/p><\/div>\n Orr said his biggest secret to being a good base stealer is just acting on his instincts.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to be able to figure out the pitcher\u2019s tendencies, what they\u2019re going to do,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you take advantage of what they struggle with.\u201d<\/p>\n Talarico said the habits of the opposing pitcher and catcher are scrutinized from the time they start warming up before a game to find habits that can be exploited by base runners.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe it puts pressure on the pitcher. He now has to control the guy at first and make a good pitch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Sogard calls Orr a \u201cgame changer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has so much impact on a game, whether he\u2019s stealing a base or putting tension on a pitcher so that they\u2019re worried about going a little quicker to the plate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Injuries can be a hazard in base-stealing. Orr broke his thumb stealing a base his sophomore year.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd just the wear and tear,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re laying on the ground hard repetitively, you get sore.\u201d<\/p>\n Orr is scheduled to graduate with his bachelor\u2019s degree at the end of the summer term. After that, he hopes to give professional baseball a shot. He says breaking the Wright State stolen-base records has been rewarding because he was not always great at base-stealing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe work that I\u2019ve put in knowing that it\u2019s paid off is a really good feeling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Senior J.D. Orr has stolen 57 bases this year and 115 steals during his NCAA career, both Wright State records. Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2019\/05\/JD-Orr-50355_069-508x339.jpg\")
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