Tag: Brendan Girton

Oklahoma Sooners pull off doubleheader sweep

Oklahoma swept an elimination doubleheader to keep their season alive.

Sunday was a long day at the ballpark for the Oklahoma Sooners. However, it was worth every single second of it as the Sooners won not once but twice to keep their season alive and force a do-or-die Game 7 for the opportunity to advance to the Super Regionals where the ACC Tournament runner-ups, Florida State, await them.

The Sooners had no margin for error, as a loss would end their season. After a short rain delay, they took on Duke, the ACC Tournament champs.

Duke drew first blood on an A.J. Garcia single to score Zac Morris and make it a 1-0 Blue Devils lead in the first inning. After getting caught stealing twice, the Sooners managed nothing in their half of their first.

Later, Rocco Garza-Gongora scored Jaxon Willits on an RBI single in the third off Fran Oschell before freshman Jason Walk got in on the action and lined a two-run triple to give OU a 3-1 lead.

Grant Stevens, a senior left-hander, put forth one of the best performances of his career as he held down an elite Duke offense for seven innings. He had seven strikeouts while giving up just one earned run on six hits and two walks, giving Oklahoma a legitimate chance to win.

The Sooners added another run in the bottom of the seventh inning when Michael Snyder slapped a double off the wall in left field, scoring Easton Carmichael to push Oklahoma’s lead to 4-1. Carson Atwood entered in relief and was promptly met with resistance as a double and home run brought Duke closer at 4-3.

Malachi Witherspoon shut down the eighth-inning rally and kept Duke quiet in the ninth as Oklahoma knocked out Duke to set up a rematch with UConn.

After a short break, the Sooners hopped right back into action, knowing they would have to beat UConn not once but twice to reach the Super Regionals.

The Huskies sent Garrett Coe to the bump while Oklahoma rolled with Brendan Girton. Girton didn’t have it today, and Skip Johnson wasted no time giving him the hook. In the first inning, UConn’s leadoff hitter Caleb Shpur cracked a solo home run to left field to open the scoring. Luke Broadhurst singled in Paul Tammaro to make it a 2-0 Huskies lead.

OU responded immediately in the top half of the second on a Scott Mudler RBI single to drive in Jackson Nicklaus.

Out of the bullpen came Jett Lodes, who relieved Girton after a walk to start the bottom of the second. Lodes gave up a run-scoring single to Korey Morton as the Huskies took a 3-1 lead. From that point on, Lodes was nails for the Sooners.

He twirled seven scoreless innings and allowed three hits while walking just two batters. He also racked up seven strikeouts during his outing.

In the top of the third, Oklahoma responded in a big way, with Michael Snyder slamming a two-run homer off Coe to tie the game. The teams remained in a deadlock until the top of the eighth.

In the eighth, the Sooners used patient approaches against the Huskies’ Kieran Finnegan, which paid off. A Jaxon Willits single and a walk by Nicklaus set the scene for Scott Mudler to deliver another RBI Single, giving OU a 4-3 lead. Isaiah Lane walked to load the bases, and the lineup turned over to the top. John Spikerman flew out, but on the very first pitch of his at-bat, OU’s Bryce Madron ripped Braden Quinn’s breaking pitch into the left-center field gap for a 2-run double and a 6-3 Oklahoma lead.

UConn designated hitter Tyler Minick hit a home run in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 6-4, but that was it as junior Ryan Lambert came on in the ninth for the save and locked up the win.

With the win, the stage is set for Monday. There will be one final game between UConn and OU. The winner will face FSU in the Super Regionals, and the loser’s season will end.

The game will be at 8 p.m. local time and can be seen on ESPN+.

 

 

Oklahoma Sooners complete comeback to beat Kansas in walk-off fashion

Oklahoma completes dramatic comeback to beat Kansas and advance to Big 12 Title game.

Friday in Arlington was a blast for those who donned the Crimson and Cream. Oklahoma, one of the nation’s best baseball teams, entered the day as the Big 12’s number one seed, looking for a win to reach its final Big 12 Tournament championship game.

They had to wait for their opponent as Kansas and TCU, teams OU defeated earlier in the week, duked it out in an elimination game. Kansas jumped out to a 9-0 lead after just the first inning before TCU roared back to tie the game at 9. The Jayhawks won 10-9, setting up one-half of the Big 12 semifinals.

Oklahoma started the game poorly, and Kansas looked like a team that had already been awake for three hours. Brendan Girton started the game for the Sooners, but he didn’t have it out there. He only completed one inning, allowing four runs in the first and two in the second before being lifted for Grant Stevens. He walked two batters as well.

With the Sooners in a 6-0 hole, Stevens came in and immediately cemented himself as one of the stars of the day. He twirled 5.1 scoreless innings with six strike outs, scattering seven hits and no walks.

The Sooners bats began to come to life in the fifth inning. Backup catcher Scott Mudler singled to start the fifth for the Sooners. With two outs in the frame, freshman shortstop Jaxon Willits, smoked a first-pitch slider from Kansas’ J’Briell Easley to right field for a two-run homer.

Easley had dominated the Sooners to that point, amassing double-digit strikeouts. Easton Carmichael singled and forced Kansas to swap Easley for Kolby Dougan. Carmichael immediately stole second before Michael Snyder and Anthony Mackenzie drew walks to load the bases.

Jackson Nicklaus, another one of the stars of the day, delivered a two-out knock to right, scoring two and closing the gap to 6-4. Lefty Gavin Brasosky was brought in to face Kendall Pettis, who then delivered another two-out hit, scoring Mackenzie. Nicklaus was thrown out trying to reach third base to end the inning. But the Sooners were down just 6-5 heading to the sixth.

Stevens shut down the Jayhawks in his last full inning of work, and Oklahoma got right back to work trying to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth.

A Jason Walk single and two wild pitches put Oklahoma in a prime spot. Centerfielder John Spikerman earned a walk before another big hit by Jaxon Willits tied the game. This time, it was a double to right center field. Oklahoma failed to scratch another run across despite runners on second and third with less than two outs.

Carson Atwood, James Hitt, Jett Lode, and Ryan Lambert continued Stevens’ work and put up zeros for the remainder of the game, leading to the ninth and final frame.

Mackenzie singled to right field for his second hit of the game, and Jackson Nicklaus wrote his name in Oklahoma baseball history. Facing a 2-2 count, Nicklaus sent Oklahoma to the Big 12 championship series with a loud blast of a home run to right field.

Nicklaus went 2-for-5 with four RBI. Willits was 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs. Carmichael and Walk each had two hits in the win.

After an awful first inning, Oklahoma’s bullpen kept the Jayhawks off the board for the remainder of the game.

It was a strong performance and provides the opportunity for the tournament’s No. 1 seed to win the title for the first time since 2014. Oklahoma still has a chance to lock up a top eight seed, which would give OU the right to host both regional and super regional rounds of the NCAA tournament.

The championship game will take place Saturday at 6:00 p.m. CT at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. The game can be seen on ESPNU.

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One last ride: Oklahoma baseball set to embark on final season in the Big 12

Taking a brief look at Oklahoma baseball as they get set to start their season on Friday afternoon against Oregon.

As the calendar switched to 2024, the clock ticks faster and faster on the remaining winter and spring sports to wrap up their final days in the Big 12. The baseball program is the last Oklahoma team to start its final campaign in the conference. That changes Friday as the Sooners travel to Arlington, Texas, for three days to kick off their season in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.

More: How to watch Oklahoma Baseball in the Shriner’s Children’s College Showdown.

Globe Life Field is home to the defending World Series champion, Texas Rangers, and the Sooners themselves will be trying to focus on getting back to the College World Series.

An offseason rebuild focused on pitching. The return of some crucial players from last year’s NCAA Tournament team sets the stage for what Oklahoma will look like in 2024.

Pitching was far and away the biggest weakness in 2023, so it only made sense that head coach Skip Johnson, one of the nation’s best pitching coaches in his own right, attempted to plug the gaping holes in his rotation and bullpen.

The Sooners hit the transfer portal and brought in newcomers Braden Davis (Sam Houston State), Brendan Girton (Texas Tech), Kyson Witherspoon (Northwest Florida State College), and freshman Jacob Gholston to add some talent and power to the staff.

Witherspoon also has a twin named Malachi who could see action during the season, likely during the midweek affairs. The lone returning weekend rotation guy is James Hitt, who’ll probably be in that role this year.

Austin Henry, a transfer from Wichita State, has an abundance of talent and is also someone who may come along as the season goes on. Carter Campbell and Carson Atwood, alongside Jett Lodes, are the immediate names that stand out as trusted arms from the bullpen. That won’t be enough for an entire season, so developing the rest of the bullpen is among the early season priorities.

Simply put, the pitching is the number one thing to watch, especially early on.

On the other hand, Oklahoma should be a versatile offense equipped with power and speed. Center fielder John Spikerman, right field Bryce Madron, third baseman/first baseman Anthony Mackenzie, second baseman Jackson Nicklaus, catcher Easton Carmichael, and outfielder Kendall Pettis return to give Oklahoma an experienced nucleus. Replacing Dakota Harris, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, will be no easy task, but that job will fall on the shoulders of Jaxon Willits, son of OU associate head coach Reggie Willits.

Willits was rated as the No. 2 prospect in Oklahoma before he committed to the Sooners.

One of the significant additions from the transfer portal to Oklahoma’s lineup is that of the 6-foot-4 Carter Frederick, a transfer from Snead State College. He hit .463 with 14 home runs in 53 games last season.

Oklahoma’s season will come down to how their revamped pitching performs. Offensively, the Sooners are well-rounded with power, speed, situational hitting. They have a nice blend of veteran leadership who has been to the NCAA Tournament and even a few on the team that made it to the championship series in 2022.

Can Oklahoma find its way and somehow push Texas, TCU, and Texas Tech for a final Big 12 title? OU was picked to finish tied for sixth in the Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll.

It all starts in Arlington on Friday afternoon against the Oregon Ducks. The Sooners hope their season ends in Omaha, Nebraska.

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Transfer portal is helping fill Oklahoma’s pitching holes

Skip Johnson has wasted little time fortifying his pitching staff after a 2023 season in which Oklahoma ranked No. 151 in team ERA.

Oklahoma’s 2023 season was a rough one. Fresh off their trip to the final of the 2022 College World Series, the Sooners came into the 2023 season looking for similar success. Sure, they lost a lot of guys to the draft and graduation, but it’s hard to imagine that the returning players felt that they couldn’t make a run to the College World Series again.

However, titles aren’t decided on paper. Aside from a mid-season run, Oklahoma started the season flat and fizzled out early in the Big 12 tournament. The Sooners snuck into the NCAA tournament as the second-to-last tournament team. They bowed out after losing two games in the Charlottesville regional.

The constant in almost every loss for the Sooners this year? Pitching.

Oklahoma’s pitching from the beginning of the season to the end never really held up its end of the bargain. Oklahoma finished the season No. 151 nationally in team ERA allowing 5.95 runs per game. Seven of the eight finalists that made it to Omaha this season were in the top 50 in team ERA.

Pitching is the great equalizer; it can fill in many gaps for teams and propel them to new heights.

Skip Johnson and the Sooners coaching staff has made a concerted effort this offseason to add to their pitching staff, landing five transfer pitchers to Oklahoma’s roster for next year.

Oklahoma landed a pair of transfers from Wichita State in Jace Miner and Austin Henry, JUCO transfers Malachi and Kyson Witherspoon, and a recent commitment from Texas Tech transfer righty Brendan Girton.

Oklahoma saw firsthand what Miner and Girton could do as both pitched against Oklahoma this season. Girton pitched four innings of one one-hit ball with four strikeouts in April. Miner faced Oklahoma three times in 5.2 innings of work, allowing zero runs.

Henry may have the highest ceiling. He was a top 75 prospect out of high school. His pedigree is incredibly impressive. He could eventually be a weekend starter at some point next season.

The Witherspoon twins feature nice repertoires and will be essential options for the staff. Both throw low to mid-90 fastballs.

Oklahoma’s only way to continue to push forward as a baseball program, especially as they prepare to move to the SEC, is to construct the caliber of rosters the SEC has.

Three of the eight teams to make it to Omaha this season were from the SEC. The championship series features LSU and Florida. Both teams are potent offensive juggernauts but remain balanced with top 50 pitching and MLB quality arms in the rotation and out of the bullpen. Oklahoma’s blueprint to success is right in front of them.

Skip Johnson sees it. And if this summer is any indication, Johnson is determined to turn a weakness into a strength.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.