2022 Oklahoma Sooners Baseball – Syndication Server

Top moments of 2022 for the Oklahoma Sooners

What were the best moments from the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022?

2022 was an incredible year for the Oklahoma Sooners. Several teams competed for national championships along the way.

The women stole the show this year with Oklahoma softball and gymnastics winning national championships. Women’s basketball made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament in Jennie Baranczyk’s first season at the helm.

Not to be outdone, Skip Johnson’s crew rallied at midseason to go on an improbable run to the College World Series.

So as we flip the final page on 2022, what were some of the top moments from Oklahoma Athletics.

Oklahoma Sooners P Jake Bennett selected No. 45 overall by the Washington Nationals

Oklahoma Sooners starting pitcher Jake Bennett taken No. 45 overall by the Washington Nationals in the Major League Baseball draft.

After Cade Horton went to the Chicago Cubs with the No. 7 overall pick, the Oklahoma Sooners No. 1 starter in the rotation Jake Bennett also came off the board in the second round with the No. 45 pick to the Washington Nationals.

Bennett, like Horton, had a great postseason, helping the Sooners advance through the College World Series to the final against Ole Miss.

Bennett went 10-4 with a 3.69 ERA in 20 starts, striking out 133 batters in 117 innings pitched in 2022.

“They’re going to get a professional type of kid that understands what routines are, understands what pitchability is, understands the work that it takes to put in,” head coach Skip Johnson said about Bennett. “He’s like the poster child of our program. Came in as a freshman – body changed, delivery changed, makeup changed, command – everything you can think of from a pitcher, he did well in it. He’s going to be an innings eater in pro ball. He posted up every time, every outing all year long. I think there were maybe one or two guys all year that did that throughout the year. Every week he posted up and pitched once a week. That right there tells you he’s going to eat innings. He’s very routine-oriented, a lot like – I’m not saying he’s ever going to be Clayton Kershaw at all – but there are some similarities between what Clayton does and what Jake does. He’s stuck in his routines and he’s going to make sure he does those things diligently. Making sure he does his arm exercises the right way, making sure he does his running, making sure he does his lifting. He’s going to be really on top of all of those little things as a professional.”

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2022 Women’s College World Series final does better ratings than CWS counterpart

With the Women’s College World Series coming out ahead, both the WCWS and the College World Series saw huge ratings in 2022

Both college softball and college baseball are considered growing entities, but, as of now, one appears to be ahead of the other, and it might not be what you think.

Both the Women’s College World Series and College World Series were broadcast on ESPN. The WCWS produced both a higher peak viewership and a higher average viewership. The WCWS accomplished this while having lower ratings than in 2021.

How streaming figures into this is a bit of a question mark. These are only cable numbers. When including cord-cutters, the numbers are going to be much higher.

This is a very good thing for the future of sports for women’s athletics and college sports in general.

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I’m just going to put this out there: The tournament that had the Oklahoma Sooners win yet another national championship had better ratings. I’m just saying.

After a bit of a down year in 2021, the CWS’ ratings were up 19% to get back to pre-pandemic numbers.

This is definitely something to keep an eye on in the future. Both baseball and softball are going to be getting more interesting at the collegiate level very soon.

More and more high school baseball players are opting to go to college with the MLB draft still shortened following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, in softball, Women’s Professional Fastpitch, a professional softball league is in its first season. The WPF has multiple former Sooners in its ranks, including Collegiate Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo and WCWS Star Hope Trautwein.

ESPN put both the CWS and WCWS on their streaming service ESPN+, making it even easier to follow college sports than ever.

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Peyton Graham, Jake Bennett, Trevin Michael bring home D1Baseball All-American honors

After a tremendous 2022 season, three Oklahoma Sooners were named to D1 Baseball’s All-American teams.

Though the 2022 season didn’t end the way they’d hope, the Oklahoma Sooners were fantastic, going on a two-month run where they were arguably the best team in baseball. That run was halted by Ole Miss in the College World Series championship, but that shouldn’t take away from the tremendous performance they put on in 2022.

And for their efforts this season, three Oklahoma Sooners were awarded All-American honors by D1Baseball. Peyton Graham, who hit .335 with 20 home runs and 71 RBIs was named to the first team. Jake Bennett and Trevin Michael were named second-team All-Americans.

Bennett went 10-3, with a 3.66 ERA, one save, 123 strikeouts, and just 22 walks in 110.2 innings pitched. He also allowed a .236 opponents batting average on the season.

Michael went 4-1 with 10 saves and a 2.66 ERA in 71 innings pitched. He struck out 95 batters, walked 20, and allowed an opponent’s batting average of .206.

Oklahoma was one of two teams to have three All-American selections along with Oregon State. Tennessee led the way with four selections.

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Photos from Oklahoma’s 4-2 loss to Ole Miss in the CWS championship

Take a look back at some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s final game of the season in the College World Series championship.

The dream run for the Oklahoma Sooners became the nightmare scenario on Sunday as Ole Miss won 4-2 to complete the sweep and capture their first College World Series national championship.

Oklahoma played much better on Sunday than they did on Saturday, but a couple of passed balls did them in in the eighth inning and the Ole Miss pitching staff kept the Sooners’ bats at bay the rest of the way to pull off the championship win.

Though there are no moral victories in sports, the Sooners’ magical run should still be appreciated for their effort and their play, which got them to the championship series to begin with. They were arguably the best team in the country heading into the final, combining their excellent offense with some great pitching from their starters Jake Bennett and Cade Horton and reliever Trevin Michael.

It wasn’t the outcome that we expected as the Sooners played fairly clean ball throughout the NCAA tournament and had been great with runners in scoring position and with two outs. It wasn’t to be this weekend as Ole Miss took home their first national championship, but Oklahoma should be proud of the season they had. Could they have played better in the final, absolutely, but that shouldn’t take away from their tremendous run through the postseason.

Cade Horton was electric though. Striking out 13 and allowing just four hits and a hit by pitch. He provided a thrilling performance that had the sports world talking. Though he didn’t end up with the win, he was fantastic and has an incredibly bright future ahead of him.

With the baseball season coming to a close, let’s take a look at some of the best photos from the Sooners final game of 2022.

Sooners Nation reacts to Oklahoma Baseball’s loss in the CWS and their fantastic 2022 season

It didn’t end the way many thought it would, but the Oklahoma Sooners made a remarkable run to the CWS final and Sooner Nation reacted with thanks.

It was a rough way to end the season for a team that had been one of the best in the country over the last two months. Oklahoma rolled off five straight series wins to close the Big 12 regular season, won the Big 12 tournament title, and played great in the NCAA tournament, losing just two games before running into Ole Miss.

Against Ole Miss, the Sooners couldn’t get the bats going and got in their own way at times with costly wild pitches and errors. Their inability to take advantage of runners in scoring position is what was ultimately their downfall as they only earned one run with a bases-loaded one-out situation in the deciding game after getting nothing with the bases loaded and nobody out on Saturday.

While it was an unfortunate end to the season, that shouldn’t take away from the tremendous year that Oklahoma had on the diamond. Sooners Nation was hoping for one more game, but despite the loss, offered their support for the way the ball club fought to get to the championship series.

Let’s take a look at some of the best reactions. There were some thoughts about the interference call, but mostly this is a time to appreciate the moments the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team provided in 2022.

Loss in championship series shouldn’t diminish the remarkable run Oklahoma Baseball had

Although the season ended in a disappointing fashion, OU Baseball has much to be proud of.

To the Oklahoma Sooners Baseball Team,

On April 3, I wrote about OU Baseball for the very first time. The article was a recap of a 12-8 loss to the Longhorns, and that game was one of the first times I had actually sat down and watched an OU Baseball game. Later that month, I went to my first OU Baseball game at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

Not once in April or May did I think to myself, “this team could make it to the national championship.”

But you did.

Out of nowhere, the pitching came together and the bats got hot. You won series after series after series and did something OU Baseball hadn’t done in over a decade.

You made it to Omaha.

Oklahoma is more than just a football school and you’ve done more than your part to help prove that. There’s no doubt in my mind that this program will not only survive but thrive in the big, bad land of SEC Baseball.

Go win the Big 12 again next year. Host NCAA Regionals next year. Make it back to Omaha next year.

Win it all.

And to the Ole Miss Rebels, congratulations.

What a story. Last ones in the tournament to national champions. Enjoy the feeling. See you in the SEC.

And Skip Johnson, you were the captain of this ship that nearly made it all the way to the promised land. You are no doubt the man to bring the national championship back to Norman.

L. Dale Mitchell Park will be getting a massive renovation and the program will be getting more resources as it prepares for the move to the SEC.

It won’t take another 10 years for the Sooners to get back to Omaha.

Oklahoma falls 4-2, Ole Miss secures first baseball national championship

The Oklahoma Sooners got a great performance from Cade Horton but it wasn’t enough as the Sooners fell 4-2 to Ole Miss, who secured their first national championship.

It was a pitchers duel through five innings as Oklahoma’s Cade Horton and Ole Miss’ Hunter Elliott dazzled in game two of the College World Series final.

The Sooners looked to take a 1-0 lead in the sixth, but umpires ruled John Spikerman out after interfering with first baseman Tim Elko. The run that scored was returned to third base and Ole Miss was able to get out of the first and third situation unscathed.

The Rebels struck first off of Horton when Jacob Gonzalez homered to right field. The Sooners answered back in the top of the seventh after a double by Jackson Nicklaus scored Jimmy Crooks from second. After loading the bases, Kendall Pettis drew a four-pitch walk to take a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Cade Horton, who pitched well again this postseason, provided a shutdown inning, retiring the Rebels in order to preserve the one-run lead.

Oklahoma was unable to add to their lead in the top of the eighth and after Cade Horton retired the first batter of the inning with his 13th strikeout of the game, the Sooners turned to closer Trevin Michael. Michael had been fantastic in the postseason, but in this appearance, things didn’t go his way.

Entering the game with runners on first and third and just one out, Michael threw two wild pitches, leading to two Ole Miss runs. That was ultimately the ball game as the Sooners struck out in order in the top of the ninth to end the ball game and their season.

Horton was fantastic in this outing, allowing just four hits, striking out 13 and surrendering a hit by pitch.

It was a fantastic run by the Oklahoma Sooners who were playing inconsistent ball two months ago before they began their stretch of five straight series wins to close out the regular season. They added to that a Big 12 tournament title and were great through the NCAA tournament before running into Ole Miss, who secured their first College World Series national championship.

Photos from Oklahoma’s 10-3 game 1 loss to Ole Miss in the College World Series final

Some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s game one loss to the Ole Miss Rebels in the College World Series final.

Little went right for the Oklahoma Sooners in game one of the College World Series finals against Ole Miss. The Rebels jumped ahead early with the aide of some Sooners’ miscues and a home run by Tim Elko that pushed the lead to 4-0 in the early going.

Oklahoma would cut the lead in half in the sixth inning but squandered an opportunity to do more damage when they came away with just one run with the bases loaded and nobody out.

But credit is due to Ole Miss reliever Mason Nichols who entered with the bases loaded and nobody out and surrendered only the one run on a bases-loaded walk.

Going into game two, the Oklahoma Sooners will turn to Cade Horton to help them pull the series even with Ole Miss and force a deciding game three on Monday.

Early mistakes, late homers sink Oklahoma in CWS championship game 1 loss to Ole Miss

Oklahoma struggled out of the gate with wild pitches and a costly error to fall behind Ole Miss who then erupted late with back-to-back-to-back home runs to take game 1 10-3.

The Oklahoma Sooners had been on a roll coming into this College World Series finals. Undefeated in the CWS, the Sooners had been playing as well as anyone for two months. That didn’t show up in game one of the College World Series finals against Ole Miss. The Sooners drop game one 10-3.

Oklahoma struggled with early jitters in this one as pitcher Jake Bennett’s control was off, leading to three wild pitches to go along with an error in the field that helped Ole Miss jump out to a 3-0 lead. Oklahoma couldn’t get

Though he gave up a home run to fall behind 4-0, Bennett settled in and pitched well to get Oklahoma into the sixth inning, where they finally did some damage at the plate.

Heading into the sixth, Ole Miss pitcher Jack Dougherty had been perfect for the Rebels. But the Sooners started to make things happen with three hits in a row to lead off the inning and scoring their first run off Kendall Pettis’ bunt single. With runners on first and second and nobody out, John Spikerman walked to load the bases for Peyton Graham, who struck out swinging on four pitches. Ole Miss reliever Mason Nichols followed up his strikeout of Graham by striking out Blake Robertson, and after Tanner Tredaway walked in a run, Jimmy Crooks grounded out to the pitcher to end the bases-loaded threat.

A scoreless seventh from Bennett and relief pitcher Chazz Martinez gave the Sooners the shutdown inning they needed to try and further cut into the Ole Miss lead.

But Mason Nichols wouldn’t allow it, striking out the Sooners to keep the Rebels ahead by two. But that two-run lead would balloon to eight when T.J. McCants, Calvin Harris, and Justin Bench hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to put the Sooners in a massive deficit.

Oklahoma added a run in the eighth to make it 8-3, but Ole Miss responded with two more in the ninth to put the game away for the 10-3 win. Now the Sooners turn to Cade Horton, hoping to bounce back to tie the series at one game a piece.