Bryce Madron – Syndication Server

Oklahoma’s Bryce Madron named Big 12 Player of the Week

Oklahoma’s Bryce Madron named Big 12 player of the week as he powered Oklahoma to a 4-1 week.

If you’ve been following Oklahoma baseball this season, it’s been an up-and-down roller coaster. Oklahoma is peaking at an extraordinary level and is fresh off its most impressive week of the season.

They went 4-1 and completed a three-game road sweep of a top-25 TCU squad. Oklahoma is hitting, defending, and pitching at a high level right now, and it’s impressive to watch.

Last week, senior leader and outfielder Bryce Madron led the team’s offensive surge. His efforts earned him the Big 12 Player of the Week award. This is the second consecutive week an Oklahoma player has earned player of the week honors. The week before, Easton Carmichael was named Co-Big 12 Player of the Week.

Madron was in a groove, hitting .438 (7-for-16) with a home run and four RBIs. He also showcased elite plate discipline, drawing four walks. When he got on the bases, he was a problem for the opposition, as he stole three bases and came around to score five times.

B-Mad was Ballin' 🔥@Big12Conference POTW ➡️ @Bryce_madron

🔗 https://t.co/MBAGa5QPra // #CHAOUS pic.twitter.com/MemhG3oEAK

— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 18, 2024

This is nothing new for Madron, Oklahoma’s best offensive weapon last year, and is undoubtedly trending that way this year. He is hitting .353 on the season with two homers, eight extra-base hits, and 15 RBIs. He leads the team with 26 runs scored, 17 walks drawn, and a .483 on-base percentage. Simply put, he’s the most complete offensive player on the team.

D E M O L I S H E D 🚀@Bryce_madron // OU 4, TCU 2 pic.twitter.com/S9uKE75bvQ

— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 17, 2024

Oklahoma will look to keep the good times rolling when they seek revenge on No.19 Dallas Baptist for a late February loss in a midweek tilt on Tuesday evening.

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Rough 7th inning dooms Sooners in midweek clash against Dallas Baptist; Sooners lose 11-7

Oklahoma looses midweek matchup against Dallas Baptist 11-7.

Oklahoma was back in action on the diamond Tuesday evening as they made another trip to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. This weekend, the Sooners took two of three games in Arlington. They beat a top 10-ranked Tennessee team on Saturday night and followed that up with a walk-off 7-6 win against their old Big 12 foes, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, on Sunday afternoon.

On Tuesday, they traveled to Dallas to take on the preseason Conference USA team to beat, the Dallas Baptist Patriots.

Nick Wilson started for the Patriots, while redshirt senior Grant Stevens started the contest on the mound for the Sooners. After four seasons at the University of the Pacific, Stevens transferred to OU.

A walk by centerfielder John Spikerman and a wild pitch immediately moved him into scoring position to start the game. Bryce Madron knocked him in with an opposite-field single, and the Sooners were off and running.

Dallas Baptist was not impressed and responded with two runs of their own by way of a Miguel Santos two-run home run. Jackson Nicklaus immediately led the top half of the second off with his first home run of the season—one of two homers on the night.

Things would remain tied until the bottom of the fourth when DBU broke through with three runs on four hits to make the score 5-2. The inning would prove to be Stevens’ last. In his first start as a Sooner, Stevens pitched four innings and gave up five earned runs on seven hits and two walks, while recording five strikeouts.

Will Carsten would take over the fifth for Oklahoma, and the Patriots tacked on another run to make the score 6-2. The Sooners would finally respond with a few runs in the top of the sixth. After Michael Snyder reached third on a triple, he scored on a wild pitch to the deficit to three runs. The Sooners then loaded the bases on a walk, single, and a hit by pitch, but John Spikerman struck out on a 3-2 count.

DBU left fielder Ethan Mann hit a solo home run to push the Patriots’ lead to 7-4.

In the Sooners half of the inning, Easton Carmichael singled to right field with one out in the top of the 7th. After a Rocco Garza-Gongora groundout moved Carmichael to second, Michael Snyder hit a towering home run to bring the Sooners within one run. Jackson Nicklaus hit his second homer of the night two pitches later to tie the game at seven.

From there, things went downhill as Jace Miner recorded two outs and allowing just one walk in the bottom of the seventh. However, Skip Johnson pulled Miner in favor of Jacob Gholston, who couldn’t find the strike zone. A wild pitch advanced the runner from first to second, and then Gholston walked the batter.

Johnson would replace Gholston with righty Dylan Crooks, who gave up an infield single to load the bases. DBU’s Nathan Humphreys drove a 1-0 fastball from Crooks deep into the Dallas night for a grand slam to put DBU up for good, 11-7.

The Sooners couldn’t mount a comeback, as DBU remained undefeated at 4-0, and the Sooners fell to 2-2.

Bryce Madron led the way with three hits in five at-bats, while Michael Snyder’s three RBIs led the way for the Sooners. Humphreys’ five runs batted in led the way for the Patriots.

Oklahoma will head back to Norman for their first home series of the season as they host Wright State for a four-game series this weekend at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

Oklahoma Sooners Baseball falls to Oregon 4-2 in 2024 season opener

Oklahoma Sooners drop their opening day game to the Oregon Ducks 4-2

Friday afternoon marked a wonderful time in the Oklahoma sports calendar as the Sooners baseball team embarked on its final journey as Big 12 members. Oklahoma is back and trying to work themselves into a return to Omaha for the College World Series.

Oklahoma opened their season in Arlington, Texas, against the Pac-12’s Oregon Ducks at Globe Life Field. Oklahoma dropped their opening day matchup with Oregon 4-2. The Ducks’ heralded bullpen locked things down, and their offense pushed across two late runs in the top of the eighth inning to seal the deal for last year’s Pac-12 tournament champions.

The first inning was pretty eventful for Oklahoma pitcher Braden Davis, who started by hitting the game’s first batter, Drew Smith. Smith advanced on a passed ball before a Dominic Hellman single drove him in for the first run of the game.

Oklahoma struggled to mount anything early against Oregon starter RJ Gordon, who tossed 4.1 innings of two-run ball. Braden Davis settled in the next few innings before a wild pitch with a runner on third cost the Sooners yet another run, giving the Ducks a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third, the top of the Sooner’s order woke up as a John Spikerman single, Bryce Madron double, and an Easton Carmichael sacrifice fly helped Oklahoma scratch their first run. Kendall Pettis followed up with a sacrifice fly of his own to tie the ball game.

From then on, the game became a pitching duel as the Sooners and Ducks held each other scoreless over the next five innings. Braden Davis’ day came to an end after five innings of two-run ball. He struck out seven batters and walked just two on 88 pitches.

One of Skip Johnson’s transfer adds, Malachi Witherspoon pitched two innings in relief. Witherspoon was solid primarily until the top of the 8th inning in his third inning in relief. Then things began to unravel for him.

A single, wild pitch and back-to-back walks loaded the bases with no outs.

Johnson made the call to the bullpen, bringing in senior right-hander Carson Atwood, who induced a double play, but the Ducks scored to make it 3-2. With a runner on third, another passed ball gave the Ducks an insurance run to make it 4-2.

Those two runs in the eighth proved to be enough as a terrific showing by the Oregon bullpen kept Oklahoma off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.

Grayson Ginsell and Michael Freund combined for 4.2 innings of relief, with Freund recording the save in the 9th to close the door. The duo allowed zero runs and gave up just one hit.

Offensively, the Sooners had six hits and left five runners on base.

The Sooners will be back at it tomorrow against one of the nation’s best teams as they take on No. 9 Tennessee in the second game of the Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown. The game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday before closing the weekend with a 10:30 a.m. matchup against Nebraska.

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.

Oklahoma’s season ends in Charlottesville in 8-5 loss to ECU

Oklahoma was eliminated by the ECU Pirates 8-5 in the NCAA Tournament to end their season Sunday afternoon.

Oklahoma’s 2023 baseball season has come to an end. Oklahoma lost on Sunday in its second elimination game of the Charlottesville Regional to the East Carolina Pirates, 8-5.

Oklahoma entered the day with a tall task ahead of it to advance to the super regionals. It needed to beat ECU and then regional hosts UVA twice. The first step was beating the Pirates, but Oklahoma failed Sunday just as it did when the programs faced off Friday.

ECU cashed in both games with timely hitting with runners in scoring position, whereas Oklahoma failed to convert across both games against ECU. On Sunday, left-hander James Hitt took the mound for the Sooners. Hitt entered the game 6-1 with a 4.50 ERA.

Oklahoma started great, loading the bases and threatening to put up a crooked number. Yet, the Sooners scored only one run, on a sacrifice fly from Anthony McKenzie in the bottom of the first.

Hitt retired the first six batters he faced. The top of the third inning proved much more problematic. ECU plated three runs on RBI singles from Jacob Starlin and Cam Clonch and a fielder’s choice.

Oklahoma produced nothing in response. The Sooners put two runners on with one out in the bottom of the third, but ECU got out of trouble with an inning-ending double play.

After loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth, Oklahoma lined into a double play. A John Spikerman groundout ended the inning with Oklahoma still down 3-1.

The top of the fifth is when ECU took control. ECU ripped off five runs to build an 8-1 lead. Two of ECU’s best bats, Carter Cunningham and Josh Starling, highlighted the eruptions with an RBI double and an RBI single, respectively.

Oklahoma did its best to answer in the bottom of the fifth. Shortstop Dakota Harris brought in a run with an RBI single. The Sooners made it 8-3 on a balk by Pirates pitcher Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman.

Easton Carmichael had an RBI double in the seventh, and Bryce Madron homered in the bottom of the ninth to draw the Sooners closes, but it wasn’t enough.

Harris and Madron each finished 3-for-4 at the plate for the Sooners, while Carmichael had two hits.

Oklahoma’s lack of success with runners in scoring position kept it from making this game more competitive. The two missed opportunities with the bases loaded and the third-inning double play were absolutely crushing.

ECU (47-18) takes on Virginia in the regional final. It must win twice to move on to the super regionals.

For Oklahoma (32-28), its season ends in Charlottesville. It heads back to Norman as a team that should be proud of all it accomplished. After a magical run to the 2022 College World Series in Omaha, the team was decimated by the MLB draft and graduations.

Oklahoma beats Army 10-1 to stay alive in Charlottesville Regional

The Oklahoma Sooners beat Army 10-1 to stay alive in the Charlottesville Regional of the NCAA tournament.

Oklahoma shrugged off a slow start to beat Army 10-1 and avoid elimination and keep their postseason hopes alive. It was a good way to rebound after Oklahoma lost to East Carolina 14-5 to open the Charlottesville Regional.

Bryce Madron got the scoring started for Oklahoma with a double that sent John Spikerman home to make it 1-0 Sooners in the first inning. OU extended the lead in the third inning with a Madron sac-fly that brought Spikerman to put the Sooners up 2-0 after three innings.

Oklahoma started to really explode on offense in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Kendall Pettis’ single plated a pair of Sooners to make it 4-0 in favor of Oklahoma. Madron added to his RBI total on the day with a two-RBI triple to left that scored Pettis and Spikerman, extending the lead to 6-0. Anthony Mackenzie helped round out the scoring in the inning with an infield single to short, which made it 7-0.

In the sixth inning, an Army sac-fly brought in Derek Berg to make it 7-1, but Oklahoma responded in the bottom of the sixth with a Wallace Clark home run to push the lead back to seven.

Finally, Oklahoma put the exclamation point on the game thanks to a Easton Carmichael two-run home run.

Braxton Douthit threw a complete game for the win, recording seven strikeouts while allowing four hits and four walks. He came up clutch in the Sooners’ elimination game.

Bryce Madron was 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Spikerman was 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored. The two were huge at the top of the order for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma stayed alive with the win, which set up a Sunday battle against the loser of East Carolina and Virginia at 11 a.m.

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 Jake on Twitter @jake_faigus