Tag: Skip Johnson

Oklahoma falls 4-2, Ole Miss secures first baseball national championship

The Oklahoma Sooners got a great performance from Cade Horton but it wasn’t enough as the Sooners fell 4-2 to Ole Miss, who secured their first national championship.

It was a pitchers duel through five innings as Oklahoma’s Cade Horton and Ole Miss’ Hunter Elliott dazzled in game two of the College World Series final.

The Sooners looked to take a 1-0 lead in the sixth, but umpires ruled John Spikerman out after interfering with first baseman Tim Elko. The run that scored was returned to third base and Ole Miss was able to get out of the first and third situation unscathed.

The Rebels struck first off of Horton when Jacob Gonzalez homered to right field. The Sooners answered back in the top of the seventh after a double by Jackson Nicklaus scored Jimmy Crooks from second. After loading the bases, Kendall Pettis drew a four-pitch walk to take a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Cade Horton, who pitched well again this postseason, provided a shutdown inning, retiring the Rebels in order to preserve the one-run lead.

Oklahoma was unable to add to their lead in the top of the eighth and after Cade Horton retired the first batter of the inning with his 13th strikeout of the game, the Sooners turned to closer Trevin Michael. Michael had been fantastic in the postseason, but in this appearance, things didn’t go his way.

Entering the game with runners on first and third and just one out, Michael threw two wild pitches, leading to two Ole Miss runs. That was ultimately the ball game as the Sooners struck out in order in the top of the ninth to end the ball game and their season.

Horton was fantastic in this outing, allowing just four hits, striking out 13 and surrendering a hit by pitch.

It was a fantastic run by the Oklahoma Sooners who were playing inconsistent ball two months ago before they began their stretch of five straight series wins to close out the regular season. They added to that a Big 12 tournament title and were great through the NCAA tournament before running into Ole Miss, who secured their first College World Series national championship.

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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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Skip Johnson, Jimmy Crooks, David Sandlin on Oklahoma’s 5-1 win in the College World Series

What Oklahoma’s Skip Johnson, David Sandlin, and Jimmy Crooks had to say to the media after their 5-1 win over Texas A&M to advance in the CWS.

The Oklahoma Sooners are heading to the College World Series final for the first time in 28 years. The other two times that the Sooners made the final, Oklahoma won the national championship. 3-0 in the CWS, the Sooners now wait for the other semifinal to wrap up.

Arkansas took the first of the semifinal games from Ole Miss, setting up a winner-take-all showdown on Thursday. The winner will join the Sooners on Saturday for game one in the three-game series for the national title.

The Sooners are set up nicely for the final, thanks to David Sandlin’s standout performance. He threw seven innings of one-run ball with a career-high 12 strikeouts.

Jimmy Crooks provided the only offense necessary with a three-run home run with two outs in the first inning. Oklahoma added two more along the way and Trevin Michael pitched two scoreless innings to send the Sooners to the CWS final.

Meeting with the media after the 5-1 win over Texas A&M, Head Coach Skip Johnson, pitcher David Sandlin, and catcher Jimmy Crooks shared their thoughts on the win.

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.

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 2-0 start in the College World Series

With their two wins, the Oklahoma Sooners moved over .500 all-time in the College World Series, beating Texas A&M and Notre Dame and are 1 win away from the CWS championship.

It’s been more than a decade since the Oklahoma Sooners graced the streets of Omaha for the College World Series. Playing as well as any team coming in, the Sooners have taken full advantage of their opportunity to make a run at the national title with wins over Texas A&M and Notre Dame.

The Sooner have gotten standout pitching performances, have put on power displays at the plate, and displayed a versatility that makes them difficult to get out for opposing pitchers.

Skip Johnson has this group of youngsters playing fantastic and the aggressive style of play has put Oklahoma one win away from reaching the College World Series championship series.

While they await the winner of the elimination game between the Fighting Irish and the Aggies, the Sooners get a much-deserved break. They’ll take on the winner on Wednesday in the semifinal matchup.

With a couple days till Oklahoma next takes the field, here are five takeaways from their 2-0 start to the College World Series.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Notre Dame: How to watch, stream, listen and key players of College World Series

The Oklahoma Sooners face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their second game of the men’s College World Series and here’s how you can tune in.

Oklahoma received contributions from just about everyone in its 13-8 win over the Texas A&M Aggies. In the opener, the Sooners had six players with an RBI and nearly every batter reached base.

Jake Bennett was solid on the mound, even if he allowed four earned runs. The runs came on two home runs, which were two of his four hits allowed. Bennett didn’t walk a batter and had three strikeouts.

With David Sandlin’s appearance in the seventh inning, presumably, Cade Horton will get the ball for Oklahoma on Sunday night against the Fighting Irish. In his last three starts, he has allowed five earned runs in 17.2 innings pitched. In those three games against Texas, Florida and Virginia Tech, Horton struck out 25 and walked five.

He’ll need to be good again on Sunday because Notre Dame comes in with some strong pitching of its own.

As we get set for the teams’ second game at the men’s College World Series, here’s where you can catch the action.

  • Date: Sunday, June 19, 2022
  • Time: 6 p.m. CDT
  • TV Channel: ESPN2
  • 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. Notre Dame

Players to watch:

Oklahoma Sooners

[autotag]Tanner Tredaway[/autotag]: .375 batting average with 9 home runs, 62 RBIs, 17 walks and 23 stolen bases.

[autotag]Peyton Graham[/autotag]: .335 batting average with 20 home runs, 71 RBIs, 26 walks and 32 stolen bases.

[autotag]John Spikerman[/autotag]: .333 batting average with 2 home runs, 15 RBIs, 20 walks and 12 stolen bases.

[autotag]Jimmy Crooks[/autotag]: .310 batting average with 8 home runs, 48 RBIs, 43 walks and 10 stolen bases.

[autotag]Blake Robertson[/autotag]: .309 batting average with 5 home runs, 51 RBIs, 66 walks and 12 stolen bases.

[autotag]Kendall Pettis[/autotag]: .274 batting average with 5 home runs, 26 RBIs, 31 walks and 22 stolen bases.

[autotag]Jake Bennett[/autotag]: 10-3 with a 3.63 ERA, 123 strikeouts in 110.2 innings pitched and 22 walks allowed.

[autotag]Trevin Michael[/autotag]: 4-1 with a 2.82 ERA, 93 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched, 10 saves and 19 walks allowed.

[autotag]Cade Horton[/autotag]: 4-2 with a 5.58 ERA, 40 strikeouts in 40.1 innings pitched and 14 walks allowed.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

David LaManna: .352 batting average with 2 home runs and 26 RBIs.

Carter Putz: .333 batting average with 8 home runs, 48 RBIs and 21 walks.

Jack Zyska: .308 batting average with 13 home runs, 38 RBIs, 19 walks and 7 stolen bases.

Ryan Cole: .305 batting average with 9 home runs, 33 RBIs, 23 walks and 22 stolen bases.

Jack Brannigan: .300 batting average with 12 home runs, 46 RBIs, 18 walks and 10 stolen bases.

John Bertrand: 10-3 with a 2.81 ERA, 111 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched and 21 walks allowed.

Austin Temple: 4-1 with a 3.57 ERA, 87 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched and 34 walks allowed.

Jack Findlay: 6-2 with a 1.89 ERA, 53 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched and 15 walks allowed.

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Relive Oklahoma’s 13-8 win over Texas A&M in the Men’s College World Series

Take a look back at the Oklahoma Sooners’ 13-8 win over Texas A&M through some of the best photos from game one of the Men’s College World Series.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a great start in their 13-8 win over Texas A&M in the Men’s College World Series.

They struck first with a run in the top of the first inning and then exploded for seven runs in the second. Oklahoma manufactured runs with great baserunning, patience at the plate, and using the long ball to put away their former Big 12 and future SEC foe.

In order to win the College World Series, you almost have to win the first game in the series. It isn’t often that a team comes out of the loser’s bracket to win the whole thing.

Oklahoma will now face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after they defeated the Texas Longhorns 7-3 in the second game on Friday. But before we begin looking at the Irish, let’s take a look at some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s 13-8 win over the Texas A&M Aggies.

Oklahoma’s Skip Johnson discusses Augie Garrido’s impact ahead of College World Series

“He didn’t talk about winning or losing. He talked about executing.”

Augie Garrido is widely regarded as one of the best to ever fill a lineup card at the college level. Garrido coached a number of great players and assistant coaches during his time at Texas and Cal State Fullerton.

One of Garrido’s assistants, Skip Johnson, is now the manager of the Oklahoma Sooners. He said the following about his experience as Garrido’s pitching coach in the 2009 College World Series:

“We get ready for the first game… he didn’t talk about winning or losing the game. He talked about executing. He talked about getting bunts down. He talked about first pitch strikes. He talked about playing good catch, and we win on a walk off walk. I mean, how does that happen? … It was just about executing your game plan.”

Both the Sooners and Longhorns have overcome adversity with that mindset this season. After a slow start the Sooners are playing as good as anyone. The Longhorns similarly erased what seemed like an insurmountable 7-2 lead against East Carolina last week. They may meet up again at the College World Series.

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Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas A&M: How to watch, stream, listen, and key players of College World Series opener

The Oklahoma Sooners open the College World Series Friday against the Texas A&M Aggies, and here’s how you can check out the action.

The Oklahoma Sooners return to the College World Series for the first time since 2010. Riding the wave as one of the hottest teams in baseball over the last few months, the Sooners have erupted for incredible offensive performances and received timely pitching from their staff.

On Friday, they take on the Texas A&M Aggies in their opener in the College World Series. The Aggies hold a 42-18 record and went 19-11 in the SEC, finishing atop the SEC West.

The Sooners’ former Big 12 foe and future SEC opponent advanced to the College World Series after winning the College State regional and beating Louisville in the Super Regional, which was also in College Station.

Oklahoma’s road to the College World Series was a little more tenuous. First they advanced through the Gainesville Regional after beating regional host Florida twice. They then went on the road again to face No. 4 seed Virginia Tech and took two of three.

Skip Johnson’s crew has been battle-tested and has faced every situation over the last few months. Their run of five straight series wins, a Big 12 tournament title, and advancing to the College World Series reveals a team that’s been playing their best baseball and shouldn’t be counted out against anyone.

If the Sooners can get solid pitching from their staff, the offense should be able to take care of the rest.

As we get set for the return trip to Omaha, here’s how you can tune into Oklahoma Baseball’s opener against Texas A&M.

  • Date: Friday, June 17, 2022
  • Time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
  • TV Channel: ESPN2
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
  • Radio Broadcast: The game can be heard on 99.3 and 1400 KREF in Oklahoma and nationwide on The Varsity app.

Oklahoma vs Texas A&M

Players to watch:

Oklahoma Sooners

[autotag]Tanner Tredaway[/autotag]: .373 batting average with 9 home runs, 61 RBIs, 17 walks, and 23 stolen bases.

[autotag]Peyton Graham[/autotag]: .336 batting average with 20 home runs, 70 RBIs, 24 walks. and 32 stolen bases.

[autotag]Blake Robertson[/autotag]: .311 batting average with 5 home runs, 48 RBIs, 65 walks, and 12 stolen bases.

[autotag]Jimmy Crooks[/autotag]: .311 batting average with 7 home runs, 45 RBIs, 43 walks, and 10 stolen bases.

[autotag]Kendall Pettis[/autotag]: .279 batting average with 5 home runs, 26 RBIs, 30 walks, and 22 stolen bases.

[autotag]Jake Bennett[/autotag]: 9-3 with a 3.53 ERA, 120 strikeouts in 104.2 innings pitched.

[autotag]Trevin Michael[/autotag]: 4-1 with a 2.94 ERA, 90 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched with 10 saves.

Texas A&M Aggies

Jack Moss: .394 batting average with 6 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 27 walks.

Austin Bost: .359 batting average with 9 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 32 walks.

Dylan Rock: .332 batting average with 18 home runs, 61 RBIs, 50 walks. and 16 stolen bases.

Ryan Targac: .298 batting average with 15 home runs, 57 RBIs, 39 walks. and 11 stolen bases.

Nathan Detmer: 5-2 with a 4.75 ERA, 75 strikeouts in 83.1 innings pitched.

Micah Dallas: 6-3 with a 5.40 ERA, 83 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched.

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Oklahoma Baseball falls 8-7 to Oklahoma State to even up the weekend series

Oklahoma State took game two in the Bedlam series in Stillwater on a walk-off wild pitch to set up a pivotal Sunday matchup.

Bedlam baseball has provided the drama in the first two games of their three-game weekend series. After the Sooners took game one on Friday after a comeback from three runs down late in the game, on Saturday, it was Oklahoma State completing the late comeback for the win.

The Cowboys scored first in the bottom of the first and then added two more in the second to jump out to a 3-0 lead on starting pitcher David Sandlin. In the third inning the Oklahoma Sooners would provide some run support, plating three runs to tie the game. Tanner Tredaway brought in two runs on a single, which was followed up by an RBI single from Jimmy Crooks.

Sandlin fought through some ups and downs but had a huge moment in the bottom of the fourth inning. After Oklahoma State loaded the bases, Sandlin worked to an 0-2 count before ending the inning with a huge strikeout.

The game would settle in a bit as neither side could get much going offensively until the Sooners’ four-run seventh inning. Oklahoma jumped out to a 7-3 lead taking advantage of some timely mistakes by the Oklahoma defense and some aggressive baserunning.

Oklahoma State brought in a run to make it 7-4 in the bottom of the seventh and tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the eighth.

The Sooners were shut down in the top of the ninth and the Oklahoma State Cowboys won it on a wild pitch from Trevin Michael to even the series.

After the Sooners bullpen threw four scoreless innings on Friday night, they couldn’t withstand the Oklahoma State hitters on Saturday. In five innings worked, the Sooners allowed seven hits and four earned runs. Some costly errors by the Sooners’ defense didn’t help but ultimately the Cowboys’ lineup was too much on Saturday night.

“I thought the offense battled all night,” Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson told SoonerSports.com. “There were a few unforced errors. Some catcher’s interference led to some runs. We’ve had some things happen to us and we give up big innings. We have to somehow figure out just getting back to the target. We played a (heck) of a game. It’s a game of imperfection. The bullpen was really good. I mean, coming in with runners on first and second and not giving up runs. Those guys battled their butts off.”

The Cowboys left 12 runners on base, which is a testament to what Coach Johnson spoke about. The bullpen battled. They’ve been an important factor in each of the first two games of the series.

With nine innings pitched heading into the deciding Sunday matchup, the Sooners will need a strong effort from left-hander Chazz Martinez (2-2). Oklahoma State will counter with Bryce Osmond (1-1). Both pitchers sport an ERA over four, so the Sunday showdown in Stillwater could provide some more fireworks.

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+. Or you can listen to Toby Rowland on the call on SportsTalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF or on SportsTalk1400.com and the Varsity App.

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