Best Photos from the Oklahoma Baseball’s win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers

A look at the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners walk-off win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The Oklahoma Sooners Baseball team opened the season on a high note with a 2-1 weekend in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington, Texas.

After dropping their season opener 4-2 to the Oregon Ducks, Oklahoma knocked off a top 10 ranked Tennessee team 5-1 in extra innings before beating Nebraska in walk-off fashion.

Down 6-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Sooners rallied. Michael Snyder drove in John Spikerman with an RBI double, and with the bases loaded, Jaxson Willits drove in the winning run off Cornhuskers closer Casey Daiss.

Jaxson Willits won the day for the Sooners with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.

After getting eliminated in the regional round of the NCAA tournament in 2023, this was a great start to the 2024 season for Skip Johnson’s crew.

Here are some of the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners’ win over Nebraska.

Kyler Murray encourages Taylor Tatum after commitment to OU football and baseball

Former Sooner and two-sport star Kyler Murray encouraged Taylor Tatum after the five-star running back’s commitment to Oklahoma.

“Two-sport U” has made a couple of splashes in the 2024 recruiting cycle with the commitments of James Nesta and, most recently, Taylor Tatum to Oklahoma football and baseball.

On Friday, Tatum, the No. 1 running back in the nation and a 247Sports composite five-star player, pledged to the Sooners’ 2024 recruiting class, choosing OU over USC.

Sooners baseball coach Skip Johnson’s success working with the football team to manage the schedule of a former two-sport star had to play a big role in earning Tatum’s commitment. It certainly helps that he boasts a recent trip to the College World Series championship.

Oklahoma’s most notable two-sport star, Kyler Murray, took to Twitter on Saturday to encourage Taylor Tatum after his commitment, saying, “Great choice, play both for as long as you can! Boomer!” He also shared a hand emoji representing the sign for “I love you.”

Kyler Murray was the No. 1 pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. Prior to that, the Oakland Athletics took him No. 9 overall in the 2018 MLB draft.

Like Murray, Tatum’s speed kills on the gridiron and is a terror on the basepaths. He’ll certainly be someone that provides ChaOUs for both Brent Venables and Skip Johnson. All that’s left to do is get him signed and on campus and let his athleticism do the rest.

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Twitter reacts: 2024’s No. 1 RB Taylor Tatum chooses Oklahoma over USC

Taylor Tatum, the nation’s No. 1 running back chose the Oklahoma Sooners over the USC Trojans and here’s how social media reacted.

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up a huge commitment on Friday morning with the pledge from the No. 1 running back in the country, Taylor Tatum. A big win for DeMarco Murray comes adds to the impressive run of running backs he’s picked up on the recruiting trail over the last several cycles.

Doing so by getting a win over his former boss provided an extra bit of icing on the cake.

For as long as [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] is at the collegiate level, there will always be an extra bit of satisfaction for any recruiting win the Sooners enjoy over their former head coach.

Though there’s belief in what Brent Venables and his staff are building at Oklahoma, Sooner Nation will not soon forget the way Riley left Norman.

So when a high-profile recruitment between Oklahoma and USC goes the Sooners’ way, you know social media will be buzzing.

Oklahoma’s Carter Campbell named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

After a strong weekend in Austin, Oklahoma’s Carter Campbell earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors.

Carter Campbell had a monster series against Texas over the weekend. The junior was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after registering a win and a save in the three games against the Longhorns in Austin, where the Sooners got the road sweep.

He pitched 8.2 innings in three games last week and allowed just one run on five hits. Campbell had four strikeouts and didn’t allow a single walk across his three appearances.

Campbell entered in relief against Texas on Friday to help the Sooners earn the win in the final three innings, where he held Texas to just two singles. That performance earned Campbell his fifth win of the season.

On Saturday, he came in to preserve the lead in the sixth. Campbell allowed just one single and recorded three strikeouts to earn his first save at Oklahoma.

Campbell has been great in Big 12 play this season. He’s first in appearances in the conference and ranks third nationally. He’s 5-3 on the season with a 4.20 ERA. He’s allowed just one run over his last six appearances spanning 13 innings pitched. He’s allowed an opponent’s batting average of .234, which ranks second among Oklahoma pitchers.

The Sooners get back in action this week with four games at home. They host Oral Roberts on Tuesday night and then face Kansas in a conference series over the weekend.

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Sooners leads Oklahoma universities in MLB Draft picks since 2003

No school in Oklahoma has sent more players to the MLB Draft than the University of Oklahoma since 2003, with players like Kyler Murray, Cade Cavalli, and Cade Horton leading the way.

While baseball isn’t the first sport people think of when they think of the University of Oklahoma, no school in Oklahoma has sent more players to the MLB Draft than the Sooners since 2003. After 11 Sooners were taken in the 2022 draft, Oklahoma leads the state with 121 players selected.

Oklahoma State and Oral Roberts round out the top three with 113 and 66 draft picks.

A full list of every single Sooner draft pick can be found on The Baseball Cube’s website. OU has had three first-round draft picks since 2018, [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag], [autotag]Cade Cavalli[/autotag], and [autotag]Cade Horton[/autotag].

Cavalli is the Washington Nationals No. 4 prospect and made his MLB debut back in August. Cade Horton is the Chicago Cubs No. 4 prospect and signed with the Cubs following the last year’s draft.

While the Oakland Athletics still own Kyler Murray’s MLB rights after drafting him back in 2018, Murray’s contract with the Arizona Cardinals is worth more money per season than the A’s entire payroll.

After OU’s run to the National Championship, Skip Johnson received a contract extension and a hefty raise. The Sooners’ skipper is getting $750,000 per year and is under contract through the 2026 season.

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Oklahoma Athletics set new records for fundraising in 2021-2022 fiscal year

After a fantastic spring for Oklahoma Athletics, the Sooners set several fundraising records in the 2022 fiscal year.

There’s been a huge buy-in from the Oklahoma Sooners fan base since Brent Venables came on board as OU’s head coach in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s departure. Venables’ vision and enthusiasm to take the program good to great, along with his understanding of how to see OU compete alongside the SEC when they join their new conference in the next couple of seasons, has created a sense of urgency for Oklahoma to improve their facilities and resources before making the jump.

The spring game displayed the renewed enthusiasm to an Oklahoma program that had been good under Riley but never able to take the next step into greatness. Fans set an OU spring game record with more than 75,000 fans in attendance to witness a Venables-coached team for the first time. But football isn’t the only sport that saw a tremendous amount of success over the last year.

OU Football recorded a win in the Alamo Bowl. Women’s gymnastics won another national title, while the men finished second in the nation. In her first year, Jennie Baranczyk led the women’s basketball team to the second round of the NCAA tournament. OU Softball won its sixth national title, and baseball went on a historic run to the College World Series before falling short to Ole Miss in the championship series.

OU Athletics’ $109 million raised during the 2022 fiscal year ending June 30 is the first time in program history that they raised more than $100 million and nearly doubles the previous record set in 2021 at $58 million.

According to the official release on SoonerSports.com, “An OU-record 53% of all members invested in key initiatives above and beyond any seating donation requirements. Notable FY22 pledges for facility projects and initiatives included:”

  • $25.2 million towards the Women of Championship Excellence Fund and facility projects for female student-athletes
  • Nearly $25 million for football and special initiatives
  • $19.2 million for Loveā€™s Field (OU Softball).
  • $10.6 million for the Inspiring Champions Fund
  • $3.2 million for L. Dale Mitchell Park and Baseball Performance Center
  • $1.4 million for the Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion at the Headington Family Tennis Center
  • $1.25 million for McCasland Field House
  • $1 million for G.R.I.T. (Growing Resilient, Innovative Thinkers)
  • $900,000 for the Viersen Gymnastics Center

ā€œProviding world-class resources for our student-athletes, coaches and staff is our top priority, and we simply cannot pursue and accomplish this standard of excellence without support from our stakeholders, donors and fans,ā€ said OU Vice President and Athletics Director Castiglione in the University’s release. ā€œOU Athletics and our generous and passionate stakeholders have worked year after year in lockstep to endow scholarships, increase services and resources for student-athletes, as well as help fund state-of-the-art facilities. Weā€™re grateful to receive this record-setting support. This inspires us even more in our ongoing pursuit that only continues to evolve in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.ā€

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Sooners shortstop Peyton Graham taken No. 51 overall by the Detroit Tigers in the MLB draft

Oklahoma Sooners’ star shortstop Peyton Graham was taken 51st overall by the Detroit Tigers in the 2022 MLB draft.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a good night on Sunday during the 2022 MLB draft, with three players selected in the top 51 picks. First, it was Cade Horton who went No. 7 overall to the Chicago Cubs, and Jake Bennett went Nol. 45 overall to the Washington Nationals. Capping off the weekend was the Oklahoma Sooners’ star shortstop Peyton Graham.

Graham was selected No. 51 overall in the second round by the Detroit Tigers.

“Heā€™s got dynamic athleticism,” head coach Skip Johnson said. “Thereā€™s nothing that he canā€™t do on a baseball field. He can run, he can throw, he can hit. Heā€™s got power, heā€™s got instincts to play the game, instincts to run the bases. Heā€™s got every tool that you can imagine. For him, the ceiling is incredible. (The Tigers are getting) an all-star. A superstar thatā€™s going to play a long time. He loves to compete. He wins every competitive thing we do on the field, whether itā€™s outfield, pop-ups, bunting ā€“ heā€™s going to win all of them because heā€™s so competitive.ā€

Graham hit .335 for the Oklahoma Sooners with 20 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 75 runs scored.

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Social media reactions to Oklahoma’s Cade Horton selected No. 7 overall to the Chicago Cubs

Oklahoma Sooners pitcher Cade Horton was selected No. 7 overall to the Chicago Cubs and here are some of the best social media reactions.

The Oklahoma Sooners run to the College World Series final seemed improbable midway through the 2022 college baseball season. One of the big reasons for the Sooners run that included five straight Big 12 series wins, a Big 12 tournament title, and their run through the NCAA tournament to the championship series was Cade Horton.

In the Big 12 tournament and beyond, he was electric, displaying filthy stuff and befuddling hitters at every stop. Though it didn’t turn out the way Sooners fans would have liked with a national championship, Horton was fantastic and one fo the bright spots of the tournament.

For his efforts, Horton was selected No. 7 overall in the 2022 MLB draft. His efforts helped him climb up draft boards just a year removed from Tommy John’s surgery.

Analysts and fans alike loved the pick, that is unless your a St. Louis Cardinal fan. Let’s take a look at some of the best reactions on social media to Cade Horton’s selection.

Oklahoma RHP Cade Horton drafted 7th overall by Chicago Cubs

With the seventh pick in the MLB Draft, the Chicago Cubs selected Oklahoma Sooners RHP Cade Horton

Cade Horton didn’t have to wait long to hear his name get called on Sunday night in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft going No. 7 overall to the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs selected the Oklahoma pitcher just four picks after the Texas Rangers took former Vanderbilt standout Kumar Rocker.

The 20-year-old Horton really got going in the second half of 2022 and was an instrumental piece in OU’s run to the national championship series vs. Ole Miss. For Cubs fans looking at his stats, don’t look at his numbers for the whole season. You won’t see the whole story.

Here are Horton’s game-by-game stats.

Essentially, if you take away Horton’s games against West Virginia and Texas Tech, he’d have much better numbers. Keep an eye out for that. Look at his performances in the Big 12 tournament and in the College World Series.

On a somewhat inconsistent pitching staff, Horton was a stabilizing force.

Horton being drafted this high will surely bring attention to an Oklahoma program on the upswing. With the move to the SEC on the horizon, this is a huge boost for the Crimson and Cream.

Horton will probably sign for under-slot value, allowing the Cubs to draft higher-caliber players in the later rounds of the draft.

Horton could be pitching at one of the most hallowed stadiums in all of baseball very soon. It shouldn’t be long before Sooners fans see one of their own at Wrigley Field.

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Oklahoma’s Cade Horton ranks No. 2 among college RHP draft prospects according to D1 Baseball

After a strong second half of the 2022 season, redshirt freshman Cade Horton has been ranked as the No. 2 college RHP prospect for the 2022 MLB Draft.

While not as much of an event as the NFL Draft, the MLB Draft is still a momentous occasion for high school and college baseball players alike. The MLB Draft begins on July 17 at 6 p.m. C.S.T.

After missing the 2021 season due to injury, redshirt freshman Cade Horton has been ranked as the No. 2 college right handed pitching prospect for the 2022 draft by D1Baseball.

Oklahoma State’s Justin Campbell is right behind Horton at No. 3.

While Horton had a 4.86 ERA for the season, he was phenomenal in the NCAA Tournament, winning three of his final five starts, including the Big 12 Championship against the Longhorns. Two bad games against West Virginia and Texas Tech make his ERA look much worse than how he performed down the stretch.

Horton started the season coming out of the bullpen for the Sooners and finished the season as one of their most reliable starting pitchers. If he stays in Norman next season after being drafted, he will be a valuable part of the rotation as OU tries to make it back to Omaha.

The MLB Draft is much longer than other drafts in North American Sports. It will go for 20 rounds and have compensatory selections. While not nearly as long as it used to be, the MLB Draft has recovered from the five-round draft in 2020.

If Horton gets drafted this weekend, which seems likely, he will have until August 1 to sign.

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