Baseball is almost here for Skip Johnson’s crew. As he gets ready to coach his sixth year as the head man in charge of the Oklahoma Sooners, he will do so with his squad unranked to start the season.
The USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll was released on Tuesday, and Oklahoma is noticeably absent from the mix. The Sooners weren’t even receiving votes.
Wake Forest opens the season at No. 1 with a loaded roster headlined by first baseman Nick Kurtz, a projected top 10 pick in June’s 2024 MLB Draft.
TCU, Texas, and Texas Tech are the only three Big 12 schools in the initial top 25. Kansas State is receiving the most votes of anyone not in the top 25. With a hot start, the Wildcats are poised to enter the mix early.
Oklahoma will look to return to the NCAA Tournament after they were ousted by the No.12 team in the preseason poll, East Carolina, to end their 2023 season.
The St. Louis Cardinals drafted shortstop Dakota Harris in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft and he will be missed. Harris started 46 games last year and led the Sooners with a .328 batting average and clubbed seven home runs, 12 doubles, and 48 RBIs. He also scored 27 runs, drew 19 walks, and was 6 for 9 in stolen bases while posting a .516 slugging percentage and a .403 OBP.
Pitching was a significant problem for Oklahoma last year. Skip Johnson and his staff went into the transfer portal to rectify it. They added multiple talented arms from programs across the country, headlined by redshirt freshman Austin Henry, who has the talent to be a weekend starter and future MLB draft pick.
Oklahoma will start its season on February 16 in Arlington, Texas, against Oregon. That weekend, they’ll also play No. 8 Tennessee and Nebraska as part of the Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown.
A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1 | Wake Forest | 751 (15) |
| 2 | LSU | 731 (11) |
| 3 | Florida | 727 (5) |
| 4 | Arkansas | 672 |
| 5 | TCU | 643 |
| 6 | Vanderbilt | 576 |
| 7 | Oregon State | 543 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 529 |
| 9 | Clemson | 484 |
| 10 | Texas A&M | 468 |
| 11 | Virginia | 431 |
| 12 | East Carolina | 391 |
| 13 | Texas | 381 |
| 14 | Duke | 351 |
| 15 | North Carolina | 342 |
| 16 | North Carolina State | 289 |
| 17 | Alabama | 197 |
| 18 | UC-Santa Barbara | 187 |
| 18 | Coastal Carolina | 187 |
| 20 | Iowa | 186 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 169 |
| 22 | Texas Tech | 157 |
| 23 | Stanford | 121 |
| 24 | UCLA | 80 |
| 25 | Northeastern | 71 |
Others Receiving Votes
Kansas State 65; UC Irvine 51; Oregon 42; Oklahoma State 41; Auburn 35; Southern Miss 21; Dallas Baptist 21; Troy 19; Ole Miss 16; Florida State 13; UNCW 12; Arizona 10; Oral Roberts 9; Indiana State 8; Connecticut 7; USC 6; Georgia 6; Campbell 6; Kentucky 5; West Virginia 4; Indiana 4; Georgia Tech 4; Maryland 3; Hawaii 3
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