Tag: Skip Johnson

Chazz Martinez snags Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week

OU lefty Chazz Martinez racked up 14 strikeouts against Northwestern State to earn the Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week.

Chazz Martinez had himself a big-league day inside a big-league ballpark at Globe Life Field against Northwestern State. Martinez struck out 14 Northwestern State batters in 7.0 shutout innings in the Sooners’ 5-1 Sunday series-clinching victory.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced Tuesday that the 6-foot-3, 210 pound lefty earned the Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week for his performance.

It was the most strikeouts for an OU pitcher since Levi Prater registered 15 strikeouts against Missouri State back in 2019. The San Pedro, Calif., native didn’t allow a runner past second base in the game and struck out six consecutive batters in the second and third innings. The last time a Sooner pitcher struck out six straight was when Jake Irvin did so against Oklahoma State in 2018.

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Martinez was also named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and one of Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week for his work against the Demons.

“Chazz set the tone, and with the two-run homer it made it a little bit easier for him to go out and keep competing pitch to pitch. I thought he was really competitive today. It was really good to get some runs early for him, instead of just grinding it out. We’re going to keep playing offense and keep practicing at it, and it should come around,” Oklahoma head baseball coach Skip Johnson said after the Sunday win.

After two starts this season, Martinez is 1-0, has registered 19 strikeouts against just one walk, has only surrendered seven hits and one unearned run.

OU heads to the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston with a 5-2 record. The Sooners open the event on Friday at 3 p.m. against LSU, play UCLA on Saturday at 11 a.m. and finish off the weekend versus Tennessee at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

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Oklahoma 1B Tyler Hardman named first team All-American

Oklahoma 1B Tyler Hardman was named a first team All-American on Wednesday by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

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Oklahoma baseball had a bit of a disappointing season in 2021 but that was not by the fault of first baseman Tyler Hardman who had a monstrous year from start to finish.

Hardman held a batting average north of .400 for the bulk of the year only dipping down to .397 to end the campaign in the final few weeks of the season. In addition to the remarkable consistency in getting on base with hits, he also drove 12 home runs over the fence and accumulated 49 RBIs.

For his efforts, Hardman was named a first team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on Wednesday. He is the 18th Sooner in program history to be an All-American and the first since Sheldon Neuse in 2016.

It was a truly special year for Hardman from wire-to-wire. The most memorable stretch came when he reached base in a truly astonishing 16 (!) consecutive plate appearances from Mar. 9 to Mar. 15. In an offense that was quite strong throughout the year, Hardman was the leader and most steady bat on the squad.

Hardman’s 2021 season cemented him in the Oklahoma history books in a variety of categories as he became just the 43rd player in program history to cross the threshold of 100 career hits, RBIs and runs scored. His 24 career home runs is good enough for 18th-most all-time in Sooners history as well.

When, where, how to watch and pitching matchup for Bedlam baseball in the Big 12 tournament

Everything you need to know for Oklahoma baseball’s Bedlam Big 12 tournament opener against Oklahoma State on Wednesday night.

No. 5 seed Oklahoma (27-26, 11-13) and No. 4 seed Oklahoma State (32-16-1, 12-12) are meeting once again for a sixth time on Wednesday night in the opening round of the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.

The Sooners have quietly been playing very steady baseball in the past month, suddenly finding themselves back on the NCAA Tournament bubble – something that seemed out of the question only even a few weeks ago. With a couple of wins this week in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma could very well find themselves gaining an at-large berth on Selection Monday.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, look to be comfortably in the tournament but are still certainly looking to improve their positioning with a good week here. They closed out the regular season taking eight of their last ten games – including each of the last two collisions with the Sooners.

For those unfamiliar with the Big 12 tournament format, this is NOT an elimination game with both teams having games on Thursday regardless of what happens in this matchup. But, like with any double elimination tournament, getting a win in the first game is essentially a must-have to want to go on a deep run.

The winner of this game will face the winner of No. 1 seed Texas vs No. 8 seed West Virginia on Thursday night at approximately 7:30 p.m. CT. The loser of this game will face the loser of the Longhorns and the Mountaineers at approximately 12:30 p.m. CT.

For this sixth Bedlam baseball clash in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, here is everything you need to know:

WHEN:ย  ย 7:30 p.m. CT (Approximate)

WHERE:ย  ย Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark)

HOW TO WATCH:ย  ย Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Clay Matvick & Mike Rooney)

HOW TO LISTEN:ย  ย Sooner Sports Radio Network – SportsTalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF; Tune In Radio App; Sportstalk1400.com (Toby Rowland & George Frazier)

When, where, how to watch Oklahoma baseball’s series against Baylor

Everything you need to know for Oklahoma baseball’s final series of the regular season against Baylor starting Thursday night.

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Oklahoma (25-25, 9-12) is finishing up the regular season this week on the road in Waco against conference foe Baylor (30-16, 10-11) in a three-game set opening up Thursday night. Continue reading “When, where, how to watch Oklahoma baseball’s series against Baylor”

Oklahoma run-ruled at home by No. 7/8 Texas Tech, drops series

Oklahoma baseball was run-ruled at home by No. 7/8 Texas Tech on Sunday to drop the series and fall to .500 on the year at 25-25.

Oklahoma baseball finished up their final home series of the year on Sunday with the rubber match of their three game set with No. 7/8 Texas Tech.

Unfortunately for the Sooners, their pitching woes against the Red Raiders continued in a major way allowing 13 runs to come across the plate to help Texas Tech win the game on run-rule in just seven innings.

Luke Taggart (1-6) was given the start and he, like many other Oklahoma pitchers this weekend, had immense struggles allowing four earned runs and only working into the second inning. Carson Carter, Wyatt Olds and Jake Bennett would team up to finish the game after Taggart.

The Red Raiders were held scoreless by Taggart in the first inning but changed that quickly in the second striking for six runs on three home runs. The Sooners would get one of the runs back in the bottom of the third on an RBI hit from right fielder Jace Bohrofen to have the score sitting at 6-1 Texas Tech after three.

Tech would strike for five more runs in the fourth inning on two more long balls off of Carter. Olds would then allow a couple more runs to cross in the sixth to have the Red Raiders lead balloon out to 13-1.

Oklahoma would strike for a run in the bottom of the seventh with shortstop Brandon Zaragoza being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, but weren’t able to add on any more to try and avoid the run-rule. The loss drops the Sooners back down to .500 at 25-25 on the season and 9-12 in conference play.

This series was always going to be an immense challenge for Skip Johnson’s club given what Texas Tech can do offensively as a true national title contender. All in all, Friday’s win was very important but it has to still be disappointing to have the last two games of the set be so lopsided.

Oklahoma will now hit the road for the final week of the season beginning a three-game series against Baylor in Waco starting on Thursday night.

Oklahoma gets rolled at home by No. 7/8 Texas Tech 15-2

Oklahoma baseball was blown out at home 15-2 by No. 7/8 Texas Tech on Saturday.

Oklahoma baseball returned to L. Dale Mitchell Park on Saturday looking to pick up what would arguably be their most impressive series win of the year against No. 7/8 Texas Tech after taking the opener on Friday night.

Unfortunately for the Sooners, game two of the series didn’t go nearly as well as game one as Oklahoma was blown out on their home field by the Red Raiders to the tune of a 15-2 margin.

Getting the start was the normally reliable Braden Carmichael (6-2) who would have massive struggles in this game only working into the third inning and allowing six runs. He earned just his second loss of the year in this one.

After giving up a run in each of the first and second innings to allow Texas Tech to jump out to a 2-0 lead, the third would be where the Red Raiders would make this one a laugher plating six runs to make the score 8-0 highlighted by a grand slam from right fielder Dru Baker. After plating another run in the top of the fifth, Texas Tech held a 9-0 lead at the midway point of the game.

The Sooners would break through on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the frame on an RBI single by first baseman Tyler Hardman to make the score 9-1. The score would remain there until the seventh, when the Red Raiders would put up another big inning.

Catcher Braxton Fulford hit a home run as well as shortstop Cal Conley – his being another grand slam. After Hardman picked up another RBI on a double in the bottom half of the inning, Texas Tech would go on to win by a final score of 15-2.

There isn’t much to say about this one as, obviously, the Red Raiders dominated their way to evening up the series. While Oklahoma (25-24, 9-11) did get a win on Friday, across all three matchups between these two teams this year Texas Tech has simply feasted on the Sooners’ pitching. And now, Oklahoma has burned some of their bigger guns in Jason Ruffcorn and Carmichael – which doesn’t exactly imply good things are ahead in the series finale.

The rubber match of the three-game set will be back at L. Dale Mitchell Park on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. CT.

When, where, how to watch and pitching matchups for Oklahoma baseball’s series against Texas Tech

Everything you need to know for Oklahoma baseball’s final home series with No. 7/8 Texas Tech this weekend in Norman.

Oklahoma (24-23, 8-10) is back at its home ballpark for the final time this season as it hosts No. 7/8 Texas Tech (31-11, 10-8) for a three-game set this weekend.

The Sooners have had as much of an up and down year as you could possibly have. This season has featured some very high high’s and some very low low’s, leaving most unsure of what Oklahoma team they are going to get from game to game. One thing that is undeniable is that when they are playing their best, they can beat some of the best in the country. But when things aren’t on track, it’s not always pretty.

The Red Raiders, meanwhile, are among the elite teams in college baseball and have aspirations of Omaha in their future. Due to COVID-19 issues with Illinois-Chicago, Texas Tech has not taken the field since they matched up with the Sooners in Amarillo a week and a half ago. So they’ll be looking to knock off a little rust and get things rolling again with the postseason nearing.

In a bold move from head coach Skip Johnson, the starting rotation for this weekend has gotten an overhaul. Preseason All-American closer Jason Ruffcorn is stepping into a starting role on Friday night. Normal Sunday-starter Braden Carmichael is going to get the nod on Saturday and the finale is still undetermined at this point, although it can probably be safely assumed Wyatt Olds and Jake Bennett will see innings in that game in some fashion or another.

Center fielder Tanner Tredaway is not expected to return to the team this weekend as he recovers from injury. He has missed the last seven games. Shortstop Brandon Zaragoza was described as being “day to day” by Johnson as he nurses an ankle injury sustained against Oklahoma State.

For the final home series of the year for the Sooners, here is everything you need to know:

Game 1 – Friday

PITCHING MATCHUP: Oklahoma RHP Jason Ruffcorn (4-1, 1.43) vs Texas Tech LHP Patrick Monteverde (6-2, 3.26)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. CT

WHERE: Norman, Oklahoma (L. Dale Mitchell Park)

HOW TO WATCH: SoonerSports.tv (Toby Rowland & George Frazier)

HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network – SportsTalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF; Tune In Radio App; Sportstalk1400.com (Taylor Maples & Blake Brewster)

Game 2 – Saturday

PITCHING MATCHUP: Oklahoma LHP Braden Carmichael (6-1, 3.88) vs Texas Tech RHP Micah Dallas (2-2, 3.30)

WHEN: 2 p.m. CT

HOW TO WATCH: Bally Sports Oklahoma (Toby Rowland & George Frazier)

HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network – SportsTalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF; Tune In Radio App; Sportstalk1400.com (Taylor Maples & Blake Brewster)

Game 3 – Sunday

PITCHING MATCHUP: Oklahoma TBA vs Texas Tech LHP Mason Montgomery (2-3, 4.62)

WHEN: 2 p.m. CT

HOW TO WATCH: SoonerSports.tv (Toby Rowland & George Frazier)

HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network – SportsTalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF; Tune In Radio App; Sportstalk1400.com (Taylor Maples & Blake Brewster)

Oklahoma drops Bedlam regular-season finale 7-3 in Tulsa

Oklahoma baseball dropped the fifth and final game of Bedlam 7-3 on Tuesday night at ONEOK Field in Tulsa.

Oklahoma baseball concluded the Bedlam regular-season series on Tuesday night at ONEOK Field in Tulsa with the rubber match against No. 21 Oklahoma State after the two in-state rivals split the first four games throughout the year.

Unfortunately for the Sooners, the midweek pitching issues continued with a cavalry of Oklahoma pitchers struggling. Skip Johnson was forced to employ nine (!) pitchers to navigate the evening and record the 27 outs. Certainly, very far from ideal.

The Cowboys would strike right away in the opening inning drawing four walks, three off of starting pitcher Dalton Fowler and one off of Ben Abram, to take a quick 1-0 lead. Oklahoma would get that run back in the bottom of the second on a ball thrown away by Oklahoma State third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand on a bunt single by Sooners shortstop Brandon Zaragoza. The game would remain knotted up at 1-1 through three frames.

The fourth inning proved an ugly one for Oklahoma. It allow the Cowboys to strike for four runs on two hits. Command was an issue for Sooners pitching with numerous walks and hit batters. Oklahoma State took a 5-1 lead into the sixth.

There, the Pokes added two onto their lead with knocks from right fielder Cade Cabbiness and designated hitter Justin Campbell.

Oklahoma State made the interesting decision to have shortstop Hueston Morrill take the hill and pitch the eighth. It mostly worked out. He served up a home run to third baseman Peyton Graham and allowed a couple of walks, but limited the damage to just a run.

The Sooners tried to create one final push in the ninth, scoring a two-out run on an RBI single by left fielder Kendall Pettis, but that was all. They fell 7-3.

The loss was another display of Oklahoma’s struggles midweek. With the thin starting rotation, beating good teams without their normal weekend rotation arms has been very difficult.

At this point, the Sooners’ hopes to climb into an at-large NCAA Tournament bid are very slim. The focus now is really largely to button things up and hope to get hot at the right time at the Big 12 Tournament to try and receive an automatic qualification by winning it, which is going to be an obviously very difficult challenge.

Oklahoma (24-23) will take a couple of days away from game action before their final home series of the year, against Texas Tech, which opens Friday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

When, where, how to watch Bedlam baseball in Tulsa

Everything you need to know for Oklahoma baseball’s fifth and final regular season Bedlam matchup with No. 21 Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

Oklahoma (24-22, 8-10) is back in their home state this week after taking two of three from West Virginia over the weekend for the fifth and final regular season matchup of the Bedlam series in 2021 against No. 21 Oklahoma State (27-15-1, 10-11).

The Sooners and Cowboys have split the first four meetings of the season, two in Stillwater and two in Norman, so Tuesday night’s collision will serve as the rubber match between the two in-state rivals. Just like their first meeting back in March, it will go in the books as a non-conference game.

Oklahoma has had a very up and down season overall and the last couple of weeks have been no different. After taking the first two games against Oklahoma State a week and a half ago, they proceeded to drop the finale, get blown out by Texas Tech and then lose the opener to the Mountaineers. But, they bounced back in a major way sweeping the Saturday doubleheader with West Virginia to rally and win the series.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, are fresh off of a series win as well taking two of three games against Kansas over the weekend including a 19-0 thrashing with a no-hitter in the middle game. They have had a bit of an uneven last few weeks themselves, and would certainly appreciate a win here.

This game will mark the 307th all-time Bedlam baseball game with Oklahoma State leading the series 161-144. The Sooners last beat the Cowboys in Tulsa in 2016. Oklahoma State is coached by Josh Holliday in his ninth year with the program.

For this non-conference Bedlam clash, here is everything you need to know:

WHEN:ย  ย 7:00 p.m. CT

WHERE:ย  ย Tulsa, Oklahoma (ONEOK Field)

HOW TO WATCH:ย  ย ESPN2 (Chris Cotter & Mike Rooney)

HOW TO LISTEN:ย  ย Sooner Sports Radio Network – SportsTalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF; Tune In Radio App; Sportstalk1400.com (Toby Rowland & George Frazier)

When, where, how to watch and pitching matchups for Oklahoma baseball’s series against West Virginia

Everything you need to know for Oklahoma baseball’s weekend series against West Virginia in Morgantown.

Oklahoma (22-21, 6-9) is back on the diamond this weekend for another vital Big 12 series against West Virginia (16-21, 6-12) in Morgantown. At this point in the season, every game is precious for the Sooners and they’ll need a good weekend here to hope to keep their NCAA Tournament dreams alive.

The middle portion of the Big 12 standings is very jumbled right now with Oklahoma and West Virginia hanging near the bottom at seventh and eighth place, respectively. Whatever team finishes in ninth does not qualify for the annual conference tournament at month’s end, so both of these teams are scratching and clawing to try and keep that from happening to them. Currently, Kansas is that team with a 4-11 league record.

The Sooners had seemingly built up a lot positive momentum for the first time in quite awhile when they took the first two against rival Oklahoma State last weekend, but after letting a lead slip away in the ninth of the finale and losing there they were pummeled on Tuesday night by Texas Tech. Finding away to get back on track in Morgantown, needless to say, is wildly important.

The Mountaineers, meanwhile, have not had the best season and are on a bit of a tough stretch of their own having lost their last five conference games. They did, however, pick up a very nice win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night that should give them some confidence with Oklahoma coming into town.

This series will provide the 26th, 27th and 28th all-time meetings between Oklahoma and West Virginia, with the Sooners holding the historical edge 14-11. However, the Mountaineers won the last series between the two squads taking two of three games in Morgantown in 2019. West Virginia is coached by Randy Mazey in his ninth year with the program.

For this Big 12 weekend set, here is everything you need to know:

Game 1 – Friday

PITCHING MATCHUP:ย  ย Oklahoma RHP Wyatt Olds (3-4, 5.33) vs West Virginia LHP Jackson Wolf (3-5, 3.69)

WHEN:ย  ย 5:30 p.m. CT

WHERE:ย  ย Morgantown, West Virginia (Monongalia County Ballpark)

HOW TO WATCH:ย  ย Big 12 Now on ESPN+

HOW TO LISTEN:ย  ย Sooner Sports Radio Network – SportsTalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF; Tune In Radio App; Sportstalk1400.com (Toby Rowland)

Game 2 – Saturday

PITCHING MATCHUP:ย  ย Oklahoma LHP Jake Bennett (3-3, 6.46) vs West Virginia LHP Jake Carr (1-4, 10.09)

WHEN:ย  ย 3:00 p.m. CT

WHERE:ย  ย Morgantown, West Virginia (Monongalia County Ballpark)

HOW TO WATCH:ย  ย Big 12 Now on ESPN+

HOW TO LISTEN:ย  ย Sooner Sports Radio Network – SportsTalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF; Tune In Radio App; Sportstalk1400.com (Toby Rowland)

Game 3 – Sunday

PITCHING MATCHUP:ย  ย Oklahoma LHP Braden Carmichael (5-1, 4.41) vs West Virginia LHP Ben Hampton (3-1, 3.72)

WHEN:ย  ย 10:30 a.m. CT

WHERE:ย  ย Morgantown, West Virginia (Monongalia County Ballpark)

HOW TO WATCH:ย  ย Big 12 Now on ESPN+

HOW TO LISTEN:ย  ย Sooner Sports Radio Network – SportsTalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF; Tune In Radio App; Sportstalk1400.com (Toby Rowland)

 

UPDATE:

Due to inclement weather expected in Morgantown on Sunday, the finale of the series was moved up to Saturday as a doubleheader. Oklahoma and West Virginia will still open the series Friday night at 5:30 p.m. CT, and then will play the next two games back-to-back on Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. CT. All television/radio information remains the same.