Tag: Oral Roberts

Photos from Oklahoma Sooners 14-0 win over Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 14-0 win over Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a roaring start in their NCAA Tournament opener in the Norman Regional against Oral Roberts. Kyson Witherspoon and Carter Campbell combined for a shutout and the Sooners offense put up 14 runs behind three home runs.

It was a magnificent return to the starting lineup for [autotag]Bryce Madron[/autotag], who went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. The top three of the order, [autotag]John Spikerman[/autotag], Madron, and [autotag]Easton Carmichael[/autotag], combined to go 9-for-13 with two home runs, eight RBIs, and seven runs scored. It was a dominant performance for the top of the lineup.

“It was a confidence booster,” Madron said of his return. “Just going to try to keep it going throughout the regional, and I know our guys are going to be pretty good. I’m just going to do what I can.”

Witherspoon showed resiliency, working around trouble multiple times to keep Oral Roberts off the scoreboard. He threw six shutout innings with nine strikeouts. He allowed just one hit and was able to work around five walks on the evening. Campbell allowed just two hits and no walks during his three innings of work.

Now the Sooners will take on the UConn Huskies in the winner’s bracket on Saturday evening. A win there will take them to the Norman Regional final on Sunday with a shot to move on to the Super Regionals next weekend.

Tennessee outfielder announces transfer destination

Tennessee outfielder announces transfer destination.

Former Tennessee outfielder Kyle Booker announced his transfer destination on Sunday.

“Excited to announce that I will be finishing my academic and athletic career at Oral Roberts University,” Booker announced. “Can’t wait to see what the future holds. Let’s do it!”

Booker appeared in 84 games, including 30 starts, from 2021-23 at Tennessee.

He recorded three home runs, 24 RBIs, 37 runs, 20 walks, four stolen bases and a .259 batting average for the Vols.

Booker came to Tennessee from DeSoto Central High School in Southaven, Mississippi. He ranked as the No. 224 Perfect Game Top 500 Player in high school.

Booker and the Vols advanced to the College World Series in 2021 and 2023.

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Oral Roberts denies Oregon its trip to Omaha with Game 3 victory

Oral Roberts took full advantage of Oregon miscues, both forced and unforced, to win 11-6 and punch its ticket to Omaha and the CWS.

Oregon can’t say it didn’t have its chances.

Unfortunately, the Ducks had too many unforced mistakes and Oral Roberts didn’t make hardly any and it’s the Golden Eagles who will be going to Omaha for the College World Series with an 11-6 win in Game 3 of the Eugene Super Regional.

At the end of the day, the Ducks will look at the 11 walks, an error, and baserunning blunders and see those are what cost them a ticket to the CWS. The Ducks used a grand total of nine pitchers, four in the ninth inning alone, trying to piecemeal the entire game and it didn’t work.

They can even go back to the night before when a potential double-play grounder to win the game that wasn’t made. At this level and at this point in the NCAA tournament, teams will take advantage and Oral Roberts took full advantage.

Everything looked to be going Oregon’s way in the first inning with Tanner Smith’s three-run homer to put the Ducks up 3-1 early. But Oral Roberts cut into that lead with one in the third and three more in the fourth, chasing Oregon starter Jackson Pace from the ballgame

Logan Mercado, pitching on one day’s rest, held down the fort as best he could. He went three innings and gave up just one run.

Sabin Ceballos made it a one-run game in the sixth with a homer to center to make it 5-4. But that was when the wheels started to come off.

Oregon went to the bullpen and brought in Grayson Grinsell and after just two batters, he went down with what looked like a serious arm injury and couldn’t continue. Matt Dallas came in and thanks to a walk, a wild pitch, a hit and an error, Oral Roberts extended its lead to 8-5.

Heading into the ninth, with their offense, the Ducks still had a reasonable belief that they could still pull this one out. But the top of the frame turned into a complete disaster. Ian Umlandt began the inning harmlessly enough and he got two outs and there was a runner on second. Just one more out to let the bats get to work.

The decision was made to bring in Dylan McShane, a freshman that struggled mightily on Friday and it was the same story here. With his first pitch, he plunked a batter and proceeded to walk the next hitter. The Baes were loaded and Oregon had to go to two more freshmen who hadn’t pitched in more than a month. By the time Jacob Hughes restored order, it was 11-5 Eagles and those rally hopes were dashed.

So were the hopes of going to Omaha for the first time since 1954. The Ducks will have to wait for another season to make that happen.

Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski discusses upcoming super regional vs. Oral Roberts

Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski discusses upcoming super regional vs. Oral Roberts

The last time Oregon baseball was in this spot, it didn’t end well for the Ducks.

Kent State came to Eugene and hit a walk-off double that was barely fair down the left field line to upset Oregon 3-2 in Game 3 of the 2012 Super Regional.

Oregon hopes this series ends on a much better note.

The Ducks host Oral Roberts for a best-of-three beginning Friday with the winner moving on to the College World Series for the first time in either program’s history.

“It’s special. I know they have a lot of things planned,” Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski said. “I think they sold this thing out in less than an hour. The fan interest and the community and what that means for us. It’s awesome.”

There is going to be a fanfest event before Games 1 and 2 for sure as well as possible bleacher seating in the outfield if it’s been approved. In other words, hosting a Super Regional is a big deal and doesn’t happen very often.

Ironically, Wasikowski has been at Oregon to experience the only two times this has happened for the Ducks. He was an assistant under George Horton back in 2012. Coach Waz has seen what it takes to build up a program to reach this point.

“It’s hard,” he said on Wednesday during a press conference. “It’s not easy to get to Omaha and it’s not easy to get to Super Regionals or even the Regionals. To be able to do that on a consistent basis here in Year 3, we’re going in the right direction.”

The ultimate direction the Ducks want to go is, according to the sign just outside PK Park, is east, or more specifically, 1,687 miles. Oregon is just two wins away from making that historic journey.

But Oral Roberts isn’t coming to Eugene just to be cannon fodder. The Golden Eagles are for real and they’ll be a tough opponent.

According to Wasikowski, the Ducks will need to go out and win this. ORU won’t hand it to them.

“Statistically on paper, they have the best defense in the country and they rolled through a really difficult regional,” he said. “We’re very familiar with that team and they’re good.”

The Eugene Super Regional will get underway Friday with first pitch scheduled for 5 pm PST. Games 1 and 2 will be televised on ESPNU.

Oregon vs. Oral Roberts billed among most intriguing Super Regional matchups in 2023

Oregon vs. Oral Roberts is quickly picking up steam as one of the most intriguing Super Regional matchups in the nation this weekend.

When looking at the slate of Super Regional series coming from the world of college baseball, there are a number of high-powered and electric teams that will take the stage. From No. 1 ranked Wake Forest, No. 2 ranked Florida, and No. 5 LSU to some of the unranked but dangerous teams like Tennessee or TCU, there will certainly not be a lacking for talent on the diamond.

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The Oregon Ducks and Oral Roberts Golden Eagles may not be among the most glamorous programs left standing in the super regionals, but the matchup between them is being billed as one of the most entertaining set to take place.

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When previewing the upcoming super regionals, The Athletic had this to say about the showdown between the Ducks and Golden Eagles:

The Golden Eagles didn’t look like a No. 4 seed as they began Regional play. And after sweeping through Stillwater, they’ve won 21 consecutive games and 28 of 29. The Ducks, meanwhile, haven’t lost in their past nine times out after dropping eight of nine before the hot streak.

Oregon is the unlikely host, bidding for its first trip to the College World Series since 1954. The school did not play baseball for almost 30 years. In 2009, the program was revived. Oregon is playing in its eighth postseason since 2010, but it has made it this far just once — losing at home in a Super Regional against Kent in 2012.

ORU, too, has been here once before. Despite 29 Regional bids before this year, it won just one, in 2006, but lost to Clemson with a trip to Omaha at stake.

While many casual baseball fans may look at a series against a small school like Oral Roberts — hailing from the Summit League — as an opponent that Oregon will be able to cruise past, think again.

This will be a tough series, and the winner will certainly earn their trip to Omaha.

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Staying Alive: The 16 teams competing for a spot in the College World Series

These are the 16 teams still alive fighting for a spot in the College World Series.

The weekend of regional action in the world of college baseball has now been completed, and the field of 64 teams to receive an invite to the NCAA Tournament has been whittled down to just 16 remaining schools.

Fortunately for Oregon fans, the Ducks are one of those 16 remaining teams. After sweeping their way through the Nashville regional and beating both Xavier and host Vanderbilt, Mark Wasikawski and his team will be hosting a Super Regional for the first time since 2012. This weekend, they will play a three-game series against Oral Roberts with the winner securing a spot in the College World Series.

The same goes for all 16 teams across the nation who are fighting for a chance to make it to Omaha, Nebraska. As the next weekend gets underway, these are the school still alive and playing for trip to the College World Series:

Dates and times announced for Oregon’s super regional vs. Oral Roberts

Dates and times announced for Oregon’s super regional vs. Oral Roberts

After sweeping the Nashville Regional over the weekend and earning the right to host a super regional ahead of the College World Series, the Oregon Ducks will have one more chance to play at home inside PK Park this coming weekend as they host Oral Roberts.

The dates and times for that three-game series have finally been announced.

Friday, June 9
⏰ 8:00 PM ET
📺 ESPNU

Saturday, June 10
⏰ 9:00 PM ET
📺 ESPNU

Sunday, June 11 (if necessary)
⏰ TBD
📺 TBD

The winner of the series will be one of 8 teams to advance to the CWS in Omaha, Nebraska and have a chance to play for the NCAA championship.

Ducks defeat Xavier and will host a Super Regional vs Oral Roberts

Oregon blows out Xavier to win the Nashville Regional and will now host Oral Roberts with a trip to Omaha on the line.

Xavier may not want to schedule Oregon in any sport ever again.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team began this season with a four-game sweep over the Musketeers and just ended the Nashville Regional with an 11-2 win over that same Xavier team.

Now the Ducks will come home and host Oral Roberts in their first Super Regional since 2012. The Golden Eagles were a 4-seed in the Stillwater Regional and upset Dallas Baptist 6-5 to advance. The weekend series will be a Best of 2-of-3 with the winner going on to Omaha for the College World Series.

Playing and defeating Xavier for the sixth time this season was probably the last thing on anyone’s mind when this weekend started. Vanderbilt, a national 6-seed, was the overwhelming favorite to win this regional, but the Ducks beat the Commodores Saturday night and Xavier ousted the host team 2-1 Sunday afternoon.

Although they upset Vandy, Xavier was still in a tough spot. The Musketeers had to beat the Ducks twice in order to advance.

The game was scoreless through three innings until Oregon finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on Sabin Ceballos’ 442-foot solo home run to left-center field that left the entire stadium.

The Ducks added to their 1-0 lead in the fifth thanks to some old-time small ball. Rikuu Nishida stole second and the ball went into center field to score Bennett Thompson.

Nishida went to third on the play and two pitches later, he scored on a balk to make it 3-0. Drew Cowley’s double to right-center scored Bryce Boettcher to increase the lead to 4-0.

Boettcher started the game in center as he replaced Colby Shade, who was hit on the wrist by a pitch Saturday night. Thankfully for the Ducks, Boettcher is as good of an outfielder as Shade, so there wasn’t any loss of defense in such a crucial spot.

Xavier managed to score an unearned run in the sixth and then the Ducks absolutely blew the door off in the bottom half with six runs to make it 10-1.

The big blow came off the wooden bat of Nishida with a bases-clearing double to extend their lead to 7-1. Just for good measure, Drew Cowley hit a three-run homer to left-center to put double digits on the scoreboard to erase any doubt.

Perhaps lost in the offensive exploits is the effort on the mound. Oregon used Grayson Grinsell, Ian Umlandt, and Logan Mercado to hold the Musketeers to just two runs, one unearned, and nine hits.

Oregon’s late-season run has been something else. This victory was the Ducks’ ninth straight and if that streak reaches 11 next weekend, they’ll be going to Omaha for the first time in the program’s history.

BOOM: Texas basketball lands Oral Roberts transfer G Max Abmas

Rodney Terry and Texas basketball make a splash in the transfer portal.

One of the top transfers available in college basketball is heading to Austin, Texas. Continue reading “BOOM: Texas basketball lands Oral Roberts transfer G Max Abmas”

Opinion: The beauty of March Madness is defined by underdogs

What is it about March Madness that gets fans hooked?

Every year in March, millions of fans are glued to their televisions and find themselves rooting for teams they have never heard of. Rooting for those teams as if they had followed them their whole lives.

This year, there were 20,056,273 brackets made on ESPN despite a 1-in-120 billion chance of a perfect bracket. What is it about March Madness that gets fans hooked?

The truth is that we all love an underdog story. People pull for Cinderella every tournament as they hope and pray the clock doesn’t strike midnight for those schools. Let me throw some teams at you: [autotag]Lehigh[/autotag], [autotag]Saint Peter’s[/autotag], [autotag]Oral Roberts[/autotag], [autotag]Florida Gulf Coast[/autotag], [autotag]UMBC[/autotag], and this year [autotag]Princeton[/autotag] and [autotag]Fairleigh Dickinson[/autotag].

These teams are a combined 15-15 in the NCAA Tournament since 2010. That doesn’t sound bad, but since 2010, there have been 868 tournament games in total. These seven teams make up only 0.03% of games in that time. The closest any of these teams have gotten to a national championship was Saint Peter’s, who went all the way to the Elite Eight last year. Princeton has a chance to tie that feat if it can beat Creighton this week.

What is it about the March Madness format that makes it so special? Why doesn’t that format work in other sports? I think it’s because the games are one-offs. The format doesn’t work in baseball and softball because the underdogs have to win a three-game series. It doesn’t work in football because there is too much parity.

This would be like lining Akron up against Georgia in college football. It wouldn’t work even in a one-off. It would be a cupcake game. They would lose by at least 28.

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. The “one shining moment” that endures the test of time. You may not know who these teams are when they enter the tournament, but you’ll never forget their magical run in March.

That is the beauty of March Madness.

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