Tag: Peyton Graham

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s big series win over No. 13 TCU

Oklahoma wins a big-time series against conference foes TCU at home to start Big 12 play. Here are our five takeaways.

Oklahoma’s baseball team started the year in a rough spot as they struggled to gain consistency and dropped some games to opponents they knew they should have beaten. While the past is the past, all the Sooners could do moving forward is lock in as Big 12 play starts.

The Sooners started Big 12 play with a weekend series at L. Dale Mitchell Park. They hosted No.11/13 TCU, which was always expected to be a tight series. The three-game set lived up to the hype as Oklahoma lost Friday before doubling up with wins on Saturday and Sunday to take the series. A hard-fought effort brought Oklahoma’s record to 13-7 as they take Monday off before hosting Dallas Baptist midweek.

With the TCU series over, here are five takeaways from the weekend set.

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.

“He’s got dynamic athleticism,” head coach Skip Johnson said. “There’s nothing that he can’t do on a baseball field. He can run, he can throw, he can hit. He’s got power, he’s got instincts to play the game, instincts to run the bases. He’s got every tool that you can imagine. For him, the ceiling is incredible. (The Tigers are getting) an all-star. A superstar that’s going to play a long time. He loves to compete. He wins every competitive thing we do on the field, whether it’s outfield, pop-ups, bunting – he’s going to win all of them because he’s so competitive.”

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

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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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Oklahoma Sooners vs. Ole Miss: How to watch, stream, listen and key players of College World Series championship

The Oklahoma Sooners face the Ole Miss Rebels in the College World Series final, here are the key players and how you can tune in.

After getting snubbed from hosting a regional site in the NCAA tournament, the Oklahoma Sooners went out and proved just how wrong the selection committee was. After winning the Big 12 tournament title, the Sooners went 8-2 in the NCAA tournament, including 3-0 in the College World Series to advance to the championship series for the first time since 1994.

Oklahoma advanced with an incredible offensive display that featured long bombs and clutch two-out hitting. The pitching staff settled in nicely, especially in the College World Series, where Jake Bennett, Cade Horton, and David Sandlin combined to allow just seven runs in their three starts.

Now the Sooners get set to face another unseeded team in the Ole Miss Rebels who finished tied for last place with Vanderbilt and were eliminated in the single-elimination round of the SEC tournament.

The Rebels though turned it around in the NCAA tournament, sweeping the Coral Gables regional and their Super Regional matchup with Ole Miss. In the College World Series, Ole Miss beat Arkansas two out of three times in low-scoring affairs to advance to the championship series of the College World Series against the Oklahoma Sooners.

As we get set for the College World Series final, here’s where you can catch the action.

  • Schedule:
    • Game 1: Saturday, June 25, 2022, at 5 p.m. CT
    • Game 2: Sunday, June 26, 2022, at 1 p.m. CT
    • Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, June 27, 2022 at 5 p.m. CT.
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
  • Radio Broadcast: The game can be heard on 99.3 FM and 1400 AM KREF in Oklahoma and nationwide on The Varsity app.

Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss

Players to watch:

Oklahoma Sooners

[autotag]Tanner Tredaway[/autotag]: .379 batting average with 9 home runs, 65 RBIs, 18 walks, and 24 stolen bases.

[autotag]Peyton Graham[/autotag]: .344 batting average with 20 home runs, 71 RBIs, 28 walks, and 34 stolen bases.

[autotag]John Spikerman[/autotag]: .327 batting average with 2 home runs, 15 RBIs, 21 walks, and 12 stolen bases.

[autotag]Jimmy Crooks[/autotag]: .311 batting average with 9 home runs, 51 RBIs, 43 walks, and 10 stolen bases.

[autotag]Blake Robertson[/autotag]: .304 batting average with 5 home runs, 51 RBIs, 68 walks, and 12 stolen bases.

[autotag]Kendall Pettis[/autotag]: .260 batting average with 5 home runs, 26 RBIs, 31 walks, and 22 stolen bases.

[autotag]Jackson Nicklaus[/autotag]: .288 batting average with 11 home runs, 35 RBIs, 34 walks, and 6 stolen bases.

[autotag]Jake Bennett[/autotag]: 10-3 with a 3.66 ERA, 123 strikeouts, and 22 walks allowed in 110.2 innings pitched.

[autotag]Trevin Michael[/autotag]: 4-1 with a 2.66 ERA, 95 strikeouts, 20 walks allowed, and 10 saves in 67 innings pitched.

[autotag]Cade Horton[/autotag]: 5-2 with a 5.24 ERA, 51 strikeouts, and 15 walks allowed in 46.1 innings pitched.

[autotag]David Sandlin[/autotag]: 9-4 with a 5.59 ERA, 102 strikeouts, and 31 walks in 95 innings pitched.

Ole Miss Rebels

Justin Bench: .316 batting average with 3 home runs, 40 RBIs, 25 walks.

Tim Elko: .294 batting average with 23 home runs, 74 RBIs, 43 walks.

Kemp Alderman: .287 batting average with 11 home runs, 45 RBIs, 29 walks.

Jacob Gonzalez: .269 batting average with 17 home runs, 50 RBIs, 49 walks.

Hunter Elliott: 5-3 with a 2.70 ERA, 96 strikeouts, and 32 walks allowed in 73.1 innings pitched.

Dylan DeLucia: 8-2 with a 3.68 ERA, 105 strikeouts, and 26 walks allowed in 95.1 innings pitched.

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Social Media Reacts to Oklahoma’s 5-1 win over Texas A&M to advance to CWS final

Social Media reacts as the Oklahoma Sooners beat Texas A&M 5-1 to advance to the College World Series.

David Sandlin’s performance was a bounceback for the ages. In game two of the Blacksburg Super Regional, Sandlin lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed five earned runs. He came in for a third of an inning against the Aggies on Friday night in the Sooners’ 13-8 win but didn’t last long before giving way to Trevin Michael.

On a day when the Sooners needed “the Sandman” the most, he showed up ready to dominate and put the Aggies right to sleep by striking out the side in the top of the first inning. He shook off his last two outings to put on a masterpiece, striking out 12 Aggies and throwing seven innings of one-run ball. The only run for Texas A&M, a solo shot to start the sixth inning. Sandlin then retired the next six batters before Michael came in and pitched two innings to finish off Texas A&M.

His effort propelled the Sooners into the College World Series final for the first time in nearly 30 years. It was an outing for the ages for Sandlin who was helped by Jimmy Crooks’ three-run home run in the first inning.

The Oklahoma Sooners are heading to the College World Series final and will face the winner of the other semifinal Arkansas or Ole Miss. But before we enjoy more College World Series baseball, let’s revel in the Sooners 5-1 win with the best reactions from social media.

David Sandlin dazzles, leads Oklahoma to 5-1 win and College World Series final

David Sandlin threw seven innings of one-run ball and struck out 12 Aggies to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to the CWS final for the first time since 1994.

Getting his first start since game two of the Blacksburg Super Regional, David Sandlin was electric in Oklahoma’s 5-1 win over Texas A&M. The redshirt sophomore from Owasso, Okla. threw seven innings and set a new career-high, striking out 12 Aggies.

After Sandlin struck out the side in the top of the first, the Oklahoma Sooners’ bats went to work in the bottom of the first.

With one out, Peyton Graham walked and Blake Robertson followed that up with a single to left. After Tanner Tredway lined out to center field, the Sooners got another big two-out hit from Jimmy Crooks, who took the first offering from Ryan Prager deep to right field for the three-run home run.

With the way Sandlin was pitching, that’s all the run support he would need as he threw five scoreless innings before Dylan Rock’s solo shot to lead off the sixth. After the home run, Sandlin retired the next six Aggies in order before giving way to closer Trevin Michael.

Michael gave the Sooners his trademark two innings to finish off the Aggies, inducing a double play to end the eighth and striking out Brett Minnich to end the game.

Crooks led the way for the Sooners, going 2-for-4 with his home run and three RBIs. John Spikerman continued his strong postseason, collecting another two hits, and Peyton Graham and Robertson each reached base twice.

Oklahoma heads to the College World Series final for the third time in school history and the first time since 1994, which was also the last time they won the national championship.

The Sooners now await the winner of tonight’s matchup between Arkansas and Ole Miss. Ole Miss can advance with a win while the Razorbacks need to win two games to meet the Sooners in the three-game series, which starts on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. CT.

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Peyton Graham ESPN’s No. 2 MLB prospect in the 2022 College World Series

Heading into the College World Series, Peyton Graham was ranked the No. 2 prospect according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been playing as well as anyone over the last two months. Winners of five straight series to close the regular season, the Big 12 tournament title, and now one win away from the College World Series championship, Oklahoma has defied the odds and played like the best team in college baseball.

At the forefront of their incredible run is shortstop Peyton Graham. In the midst of a 16-game hitting streak dating back more than a month, Graham has been the centerpiece of the Sooners’ offense. Over that span, he’s hit seven home runs and collected 22 RBIs.

Heading into the College World Series, Graham was rated the No. 2 prospect by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (ESPN+). Joining Graham on the list were Jake Bennett at No. 7, Jimmy Crooks at No. 8, and Cade Horton at No. 14. Here’s what McDaniel had to say about Graham.

Graham is similar to Tim Anderson of the White Sox. Both are slim-framed shortstops with excellent tools who are limited a bit by swinging too often. Graham has a shot, buoyed by a better approach down the stretch, to sneak in the 20 to 30 range. Bennett is in the second or third round with some reliever questions but above average stuff from the left side. Crooks is also in that mix with a solid approach and sure hands behind the plate. Cade Horton is a round behind them with outstanding stuff, but still needs more refinement given a recent Tommy John surgery, two-way play and a football background. Second baseman Jackson Nicklaus (2024) is another potential early-round prospect. – McDaniel, ESPN

Graham has been on a tear over the last several months. His 20 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases RBIs lead the Oklahoma Sooners. On Sunday night, in Oklahoma’s win over Notre Dame, he accomplished something that hadn’t been done since the 1980s.

Graham is a 20-20 threat at the Major League level. He’s put on display an ability to get on base and hit for average in the NCAA tournament and fighting off the perceived struggles with breaking pitches.

Oklahoma is on the verge of making its historic run into the College World Series championship and Peyton Graham has been a huge part of it. As Oklahoma gets deeper into the tournament, more and more baseball fans are going to become familiar with the Sooners standout before he moves onto what will be a promising Major League Baseball career.

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Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners 6-2 win over Notre Dame

The Oklahoma Sooners pulled one win away from the College World Series championship with a 6-2 win over Notre Dame and social media loved it.

Everything’s been coming up gold for the Oklahoma Sooners in the NCAA tournament. They’re now 6-2 and one win away from a berth in the College World Series championship after their 6-2 win over Notre Dame.

On Sunday night, the Sooner received another fantastic start from Cade Horton, who struck out 11 Fighting Irish in six innings to pick up the win. Horton was the beneficiary of some fantastic defensive plays that started in the first inning when Blake Robertson went over the rail in the Notre Dame dugout to make a catch. Tanner Tredaway added some acrobatics in center field to give Trevin Michael a boost.

For their efforts, the Oklahoma Sooners earned two days off as they await the winner of the elimination game between Notre Dame and Texas A&M. Two teams they’ve beaten in the tournament. Oklahoma holds the advantage heading into the semifinals of the double-elimination tournament as they just have to win one game to advance to the championship series, while their opponent would have to win two.

Notre Dame and Texas A&M will play Tuesday at noon central time and Oklahoma will take the field with one of them at noon on Wednesday.

But before we get to that, let’s take a look at some of the best social media reactions from Oklahoma’s 6-2 win over Notre Dame.

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 6-2 win over Notre Dame in the College World Series

Take a look back at the Oklahoma Sooners’ 6-2 win over Notre Dame in the College World Series through these fantastic photos.

The Oklahoma Sooners continued their incredible run through the postseason with a 6-2 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday night. With the win, Oklahoma is now one win away from advancing to the College World Series championship.

They await the winner of Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M. The two teams that combined to eliminate Texas but face elimination themselves on Tuesday at noon.

The Sooners got an outstanding performance from Cade Horton, who through six strong innings and registered 11 strikeouts. Trevin Michael pitched the eighth and ninth to finish off the Irish and put the Sooners through to the semifinals.

Peyton Graham went 4-for-4 and reached base on a walk and Tanner Tredaway was 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.

Though they didn’t hit a home run in this one, the Sooners executed beautifully, manufacturing the six runs playing small ball. And when it wasn’t the offense, it was the defense that was making plays.

Blake Robertson’s catch falling over the Notre Dame dugout railing, the double-play ball to put two away and Tanner Tredaway’s diving catch to end the eighth inning were each incredible defensive plays in a game where the Sooners needed to play well in all three phases of the game.

Now the Sooners sit and wait for Wednesday at noon for the winner of the Aggies and Fighting Irish elimination game. But before we do that, let’s take a look back at the Sooners thrilling win over Notre Dame with these fantastic photos.

Oklahoma is one win away from the championship series after a wire-to-wire 6-2 victory over Notre Dame

The Oklahoma Sooners inch one win closer to the championship series after defeating Notre Dame by a score of 6-2 on Sunday evening.

Oklahoma is one win away from a spot in the championship series of the College World Series. Sunday night they defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday evening in Omaha by a score of 6-2.

The win takes the Sooners to 2-0 in pool play and sends Notre Dame to play an elimination game against the Sooners’ former Big 12 foes Texas A&M.

Oklahoma was paced by an excellent pitching performance from Cade Horton who threw six innings of two-run ball while striking out 11, walking one, and giving up five hits.

Offensively, star shortstop [autotag]Peyton Graham[/autotag] continued his incredible season with a four-hit night that included a walk and a stolen base. [autotag]Tanner Tredaway[/autotag] chipped in with two massive RBIs to pair with three hits himself.

For the Sooners, it wasn’t the home runs that got the job done offensively as Notre Dame, team that ended the regular season with the nation’s seventh-best ERA, kept Oklahoma in the ballpark. Timely base hits, walks, and aggressive base running came together for some excellent small ball for the Sooners.

Oklahoma jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third after struggling the first two innings, stranding four men on base.

A Peyton Graham single and steal was followed by a Tredaway base hit to score Graham from second. Treadway then scored from second on a Wallace Clark single.

Meanwhile, Cade Horton dominated the Notre Dame lineup using a deadly combination of a slider, fastball, and a curveball to keep Notre Dame off balance all evening.

The bottom of the fifth saw Oklahoma hit the gas and pull away for good. A few singles got the Sooners on first and third with one out before what was essentially a safety squeeze turned into two runs as the Notre Dame pitcher fielding the bunt made an errant throw allowing the runner on first to score as well giving Oklahoma a 4-0 lead. Jackson Nicklaus then added an RBI single that extended their lead to 5-0.

Notre Dame would chip into the Oklahoma lead with a two-run home run in the top of the 6th off the bat of Notre Dame’s David LaManna. Horton, who was at 90-plus pitches would finish the inning before giving way to an Oklahoma bullpen that allowed only a walk and to hits to seal the game for the Sooners. Jaret Godman and super senior Trevin Michael pitched three scoreless innings, pushing Oklahoma one win away from the College World Series championship.

The Sooners will be facing the winner of the Notre Dame and Texas A&M elimination game knowing that whoever their opponent is will have to beat them twice to move past them.

Oklahoma’s next game will be Wednesday at 12 p.m. CT.

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