Ex-Knight First Baseman Finds New Home in Florida to His Liking.

Dean Green Leads Barry University to #8 DII National Ranking.

Oklahomans by the thousands left the Dust Bowl and headed to the West Coast during the Great Depression, searching for a fresh start and a better life.

Three generations later, Tulsa native Dean Green (pictured with Knights' skipper Brooke Knight and president Dan Segel) took off in the opposite direction to revive his college baseball career. And, like many of those Sooners of yore, he's thriving in his new environment.

The 21-year old first baseman, a cornerstone of the Corvallis Knights 2008 West Coast League championship club, left Oklahoma State after his junior year when his scholarship wasn't renewed. He landed at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, and has skyrocketed to success; he's hitting .411, with 16 homers, 61 RBIs and an astronomical .841 slugging percentage and .531 on-base percentage in 42 games.

Green was a three-year starter at Oklahoma State. He hit .272 (137-504), with 16 homers and 71 RBIs in 154 career games, but his scholarship wasn't renewed after the 2010 season. However, he bears no ill-will against anyone there.

"I enjoyed my time as a Cowboy and wish them the best of luck," he said. "I made a lot of lifetime friends there and want nothing but the best for them."

But he said he's enjoying himself more at Barry, a private, NCAA Division II school with an enrollment of 8,300, about 1/4 the size of Oklahoma State.

The Buccaneers compete in the Sunshine State Conference, one of the country's premier Division II conferences.

"The guys I'm playing with are like no other I've ever played with before," he said. "We literally are a family here and we get along with each other like brothers.

"As far as hitting .400 goes, I've just been seeing the ball well and trying to put a good swing on every pitch I make an attempt at. God willing, I will continue to do so through the rest of the year, and into the playoffs."

Green's former coaches at Chatham in the Cape Cod League, Jay Grenier and Marc Pavao, directed him to Barry after Oklahoma State dropped his scholarship and asked him to walk-on for his senior year. Pavao is Barry's head coach; he contacted Green about five minutes after Grenier had called him explaining Green's predicament.

"[Pavao] wanted to get me down to Barry on a visit as soon as possible," Green said. "My summer was very hectic with trying to get cleared to visit other possible universities, find schools but once I set foot on Barry's campus I knew it was the place for me.

"I filled out a ton of paperwork so I could get transferred and enrolled, and the rest is history."

Green's in a comfort zone he never found at Oklahoma State. He knows he'll be in the three-hole when he heads over to the Bucs' scenic Feinboon Field, or when he boards the bus for road trips around Florida.

"At Oklahoma State it was always a question mark to everyone who was going to be hitting where, and playing where, until game time," he said. "It was just a worry and a bother to everyone.

"At Barry, we've pretty much had the same lineup all year. It's allowed us to know and grasp our roles and we're better prepared for the games because of it."

Life moves much faster in South Florida than in small-town Stillwater, Oklahoma, but it's a tradeoff he can handle.

"Miami is a city that never sleeps. The way of life is different than Oklahoma," he said. "The people are always moving and they are always in a hurry.

"I sometimes get caught up doing things with my teammates and I have to step back and just remember I'm not in a huge hurry to do whatever it is we're doing, and can take my time.

"I've enjoyed my time in Miami, though, and I wouldn't change anything at all."

Green was a standout for the 2008 Knights, who swept Wenatchee in the WCL Championship Series for their first WCL title. He homered in Game 2, hit .266 overall in 40 games, with two homers and 23 RBIs, and was an honorable-mention All-WCL selection.

"The thing that made (that team) so good was, we just had a good time around each other. We all got along," Green said. "And we battled when we stepped on the field. We didn't like to lose.

"We had too much drive and passion toward the game not to go out and try to win every game. That's what made us the most successful. We had great coaching and great influences around us and that was also an attribute to our success.

"Winning the West Coast League championship was a great memory. Every time I look at that ring, I think of all the people I was with that summer and how great a time I had."

That season also marked the start of the Knights' "host family" program. Green lived with Jeff and Carlyn Roy, and made an outstanding impression.

"Dean was Carlyn's favorite," Jeff Roy said. "He was just a great kid, really down to earth, and he really had the Oklahoma politeness.

"When he was at the house he always asked if there were things he could do. He volunteered to mow the lawn and do those kinds of chores, and with me being up in Portland for much of time with my Air Force responsibilities, it was a great help.

"He and [Concordia pitcher] Ben Rue really fit into our family. He's an awesome, awesome kid, Carlyn still texts or e-mails him weekly. We're thrilled he's having a heck of a year down in Florida."

Green said he had a "blast" living at the Roys, and also stays in touch as much as possible.

"The best times I had in Corvallis were sitting with the Roys, Ben Rue, Ron Northcutt and some of the (Knights' interns) out on the Roy's driveway, listening to some of the stories from the past and all that went on in Corvallis," he said.

"They are great memories I will never forget. I grew up a lot when I went to Corvallis for that summer and I owe a bunch of my success to the lessons I learned while I was up there." he said.

He likewise fondly recalls playing catch after games with Kellen and Kaden Segel, the sons of Knights' president Dan Segel; his long conversations with play-by-play broadcaster Mike Parker on road trips, and his teammates.

"I talk to a few of them every now and then, but not as much as I should," he said of his fellow Knights. "I wish I heard from them and talked with them more; it's more of a Facebook chat here and there when I talk with them.

"But it's always a good talk when we all get together."

His big season at Barry should enhance his draft status. He's dreamed of playing professionally his entire life, and this season should earn him a shot.

"I've dreamed of being a pro ever since I was a little kid playing catch with my little brother and dad," he said. "I would love nothing more than to get drafted and start living out my dream.

"I can't really say how this season has helped my chances to get drafted. I guess we'll all find out after the draft. But I hope my chances are high!"