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Oklahoma baseball had a bit of a disappointing season in 2021 but that was not by the fault of first baseman Tyler Hardman who had a monstrous year from start to finish.
Hardman held a batting average north of .400 for the bulk of the year only dipping down to .397 to end the campaign in the final few weeks of the season. In addition to the remarkable consistency in getting on base with hits, he also drove 12 home runs over the fence and accumulated 49 RBIs.
For his efforts, Hardman was named a first team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on Wednesday. He is the 18th Sooner in program history to be an All-American and the first since Sheldon Neuse in 2016.
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— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) June 16, 2021
It was a truly special year for Hardman from wire-to-wire. The most memorable stretch came when he reached base in a truly astonishing 16 (!) consecutive plate appearances from Mar. 9 to Mar. 15. In an offense that was quite strong throughout the year, Hardman was the leader and most steady bat on the squad.
Hardman’s 2021 season cemented him in the Oklahoma history books in a variety of categories as he became just the 43rd player in program history to cross the threshold of 100 career hits, RBIs and runs scored. His 24 career home runs is good enough for 18th-most all-time in Sooners history as well.