Tag: Wichita State Shockers

Oklahoma Sooners game vs. Wichita State rescheduled for later in the season

The Sooners will no longer travel to Wichita State for a midweek game this week.

The Oklahoma Sooners will have nearly a week to prepare for their next game. That’s because their midweek contest with the [autotag]Wichita State Shockers[/autotag] slated for Tuesday has been rescheduled.

It is unclear why the game is being rescheduled, but in a release, Oklahoma moved to April 9, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. CT.

That contest will now be sandwiched in between a road series at the Texas Longhorns and a home series vs. the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag]. That also means Oklahoma will now have four days off before they take on the Kansas Jayhawks in a three-game series starting on Thursday.

The first pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT, followed by a 5 p.m. CT start on Friday and a noon CT Saturday finale. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and 1560 AM/103.3 FM The Franchise 2 if you aren’t able to watch on TV.

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5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners win over Wichita State

The first quarter didn’t go as planned, but the Sooners rallied for a 24 point win over Wichita State in their season opener. Here are 5 takeaways.

The Oklahoma Sooners started their 2023-2024 campaign with a 92-68 win over the Wichita State Shockers.

After a sloppy first quarter, the Sooners were down after the first 10 minutes and tied at halftime with the Shockers. But in the second half, it was all Oklahoma.

The bench came up big and the Sooners took better care of the ball after halftime to run away with the win in their season opener.

Here are five takeaways from the Sooners win over Wichita State.

Iowa baseball to take part in inaugural Jax College Baseball Classic

See you in the Sunshine State! Iowa baseball is headed to Florida next February to take part in the inaugural Jax College Baseball Classic.

The Iowa Hawkeyes accepted an invite into an event that just might turn into one of college baseball’s prestigious early-season showcases.

After a terrific 44-16 (15-8 Big Ten) campaign in 2022, Iowa is one of four squads headed to Jacksonville, Fla., for the inaugural Jax College Baseball Classic on Feb. 23-25. Iowa joins Auburn, Virginia and Wichita State in the classic’s initial four-team field.

Every game will be played at 121 Financial Ballpark. It’s the home of the Miami Marlins’ Triple A affiliate, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. The round robin event will help Iowa beef up its nonconference schedule with one game against each of the three teams. Both Auburn and Virginia were NCAA Tournament hosts last season.

Iowa opens up play on Friday, Feb. 23, at 5 p.m. CT against Auburn. The Tigers hosted the Auburn Regional last spring and finished with a 34-23-1 (17-13 SEC) record. The Hawkeyes and Tigers have never met in their programs’ histories.

Then, on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 3 p.m. CT, Iowa will play Virginia. The Cavaliers hosted and advanced out of the Charlottesville Regional. Virginia then dispatched of Duke in the Super Regionals to earn the program’s sixth all-time College World Series berth. UVA lost both of its CWS contests by one run against Florida and TCU to finish 50-15 (19-11 ACC). Iowa and Virginia have also never met in their respective histories.

Finally, Iowa rounds out its stay in the Jax College Baseball Classic with a Sunday, Feb. 25, date at 11 a.m. CT against Wichita State. The Shockers ended last season 30-25 (13-10 American Athletic Conference).

WSU owns a perfect 13-0 all-time mark over Iowa. The two programs last met in 2022 when the Shockers twice rallied from 4-0 deficits, winning 8-7 on Feb. 27, 2022, and 6-4 on March 4, 2022.

Iowa is the visiting team against Auburn and will be the home team versus both Virginia and Wichita State. Streaming and broadcast information will be announced at a later date, though ticket information can be found at the official event website: www.jaxcbc.com.

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Transfer portal is helping fill Oklahoma’s pitching holes

Skip Johnson has wasted little time fortifying his pitching staff after a 2023 season in which Oklahoma ranked No. 151 in team ERA.

Oklahoma’s 2023 season was a rough one. Fresh off their trip to the final of the 2022 College World Series, the Sooners came into the 2023 season looking for similar success. Sure, they lost a lot of guys to the draft and graduation, but it’s hard to imagine that the returning players felt that they couldn’t make a run to the College World Series again.

However, titles aren’t decided on paper. Aside from a mid-season run, Oklahoma started the season flat and fizzled out early in the Big 12 tournament. The Sooners snuck into the NCAA tournament as the second-to-last tournament team. They bowed out after losing two games in the Charlottesville regional.

The constant in almost every loss for the Sooners this year? Pitching.

Oklahoma’s pitching from the beginning of the season to the end never really held up its end of the bargain. Oklahoma finished the season No. 151 nationally in team ERA allowing 5.95 runs per game. Seven of the eight finalists that made it to Omaha this season were in the top 50 in team ERA.

Pitching is the great equalizer; it can fill in many gaps for teams and propel them to new heights.

Skip Johnson and the Sooners coaching staff has made a concerted effort this offseason to add to their pitching staff, landing five transfer pitchers to Oklahoma’s roster for next year.

Oklahoma landed a pair of transfers from Wichita State in Jace Miner and Austin Henry, JUCO transfers Malachi and Kyson Witherspoon, and a recent commitment from Texas Tech transfer righty Brendan Girton.

Oklahoma saw firsthand what Miner and Girton could do as both pitched against Oklahoma this season. Girton pitched four innings of one one-hit ball with four strikeouts in April. Miner faced Oklahoma three times in 5.2 innings of work, allowing zero runs.

Henry may have the highest ceiling. He was a top 75 prospect out of high school. His pedigree is incredibly impressive. He could eventually be a weekend starter at some point next season.

The Witherspoon twins feature nice repertoires and will be essential options for the staff. Both throw low to mid-90 fastballs.

Oklahoma’s only way to continue to push forward as a baseball program, especially as they prepare to move to the SEC, is to construct the caliber of rosters the SEC has.

Three of the eight teams to make it to Omaha this season were from the SEC. The championship series features LSU and Florida. Both teams are potent offensive juggernauts but remain balanced with top 50 pitching and MLB quality arms in the rotation and out of the bullpen. Oklahoma’s blueprint to success is right in front of them.

Skip Johnson sees it. And if this summer is any indication, Johnson is determined to turn a weakness into a strength.

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Oklahoma’s pitching staff gets boost with commitment of James Nesta

In addition to his prowess on the football field, the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team got a gem with the commitment of James Nesta.

Oklahoma found themselves a gem from the Tarheel State when they landed two-sport athlete James Nesta earlier this week.

It’s a win for Oklahoma on the gridiron as they landed their first linebacker of the 2024 class. Nesta has exceptional versatility where he can play in space as an off-ball linebacker or rush the passer off the edge. He stands 6-foot-4 and could be a candidate to play cheetah in Brent Venables’ system.

As a junior last fall, Nesta was credited with 41 tackles, including 13 for loss and nine sacks. He also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The draw of learning from Brent Venables helped the talented four-star linebacker choose OU over UNC and Miami. It wasn’t his only reason for picking Oklahoma, though.

Nesta’s ability on the diamond is special in its own right. Nesta has played baseball virtually his whole life. For his high school and travel ball teams, he pitches and plays in the outfield. Nesta’s value to the Oklahoma baseball program over the next three years will be because of his right arm. Perfect Game named Nesta a preseason underclassman second-team All-American for the summer baseball circuit. The Oklahoma commit plans to battle with his South Charlotte Panthers squad this summer.

Nesta has a fastball that has been clocked as high as 94 MPH. That’s incredibly impressive for a high school pitcher heading into his senior year. It’s something that head baseball coach Skip Johnson and his staff will dream of all summer. His fastball’s velocity will improve with dedicated time in two different strength and conditioning programs, along with his body maturing with age.

Nesta also features promising offspeed offerings that will also continue to improve. Lowering his arm angle would help with his command, which he’s worked on diligently over the last year. Oklahoma’s pitching was a significant thorn in their side in 2023. Johnson has already added to his staff with the transfer commitment of Jace Miner from Wichita State, so adding Nesta feels like a cherry on top.

If Nesta blossoms and shines as a pitcher, Venables may have to have some tough conversations. An arm with the possibility to throw triple digits is a money maker in the MLB and something many scouts will be monitoring going forward as Oklahoma enters the SEC next season. Either way, you slice it, Oklahoma athletics is better after having landed James Nesta. Now we wait and see how and where he shines brightest.

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REPORT: Kansas, Wichita State to renew rivalry for the first time since 1993

The Kansas Jayhawks and Wichita State Shockers are set to renew their rivalry according to a report.

According to a report from ESPN Wichita 92.3 sports director Pat Strathman, the Kansas Jayhawks and Wichita State Shockers will be renewing their rivalry this December.

Strathman reports that the two programs will face off on December 29. It’s unclear where that matchup would take place. The two sides have played each other 15 times in their history with the Jayhawks winning 12 of 15 matchups. The two teams last met in 2015 during the NCAA Tournament where Wichita State shocked the Jayhawks 78-56.

Before that, their last meeting came in 1993 in Lawrence, a 103-54 win for the Jayhawks. Kansas had previously won each of the last five matchups, Wichita State’s last regular season win coming in 1987.

The in-state rivalry dates back nearly 115 years, the two schools first met in 1908, a 65-15 win for Kansas. They would also meet in 1942, 1942, and 1955 before playing 10 times between 1981 and 1993.

Kansas is coming off a second-round exit in this year’s NCAA Tournament after a 28-8 regular season. After defeating Howard in the opening round, the Jayhawks narrowly fell to Arkansas 72-71. Their brief tournament run was overshadowed at the time by the health of Bill Self who missed the end of the Big 12 Tournament and the Jayhawks’ two NCAA Tournament games due to heart-related issues.

This offseason, the Jayhawks reloaded looking to make a run at a national championship this upcoming season by adding the likes of C Hunter Dickinson, PG Arterio Morris, PF Parker Braun, and SG Nicolas Timberlake.

The Shockers after making the NCAA Tournament eight times from 2011 through 2021 have missed the tournament in each of the last two seasons. This past season they were 17-15 under head coach Isaac Brown. The Shockers also had a strong offseason in the transfer portal so far including adding SG Harlond Beverly, PF Ronnie DeGray, and PG Bijan Cortes.

Wichita State hires Paul Mills away from Oral Roberts per multiple reports

The carousel is picking up speed.

The carousel continues to pick up speed with more teams being eliminated from postseason play. This time it impacts Oral Roberts and Wichita State.

There was a buzz on Tuesday afternoon surrounding the Wichita State Shockers and Oral Roberts head coach Paul Mills. College basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported that Mills was the leading candidate and a deal felt imminent at that point.

Kelly Hines of the Tulsa World followed up on the report stating that Mills met with his team to announce he would be leaving for the Shockers’ head coaching vacancy.

The former Baylor assistant took the job with Oral Roberts in 2017 after 15 years with the Bears program as an assistant under Scott Drew. Mills led Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. They were the No. 15 seed and upset No. 2 Ohio State and No. 7 Florida before a two-point loss in the Sweet 16 against Arkansas.

This past season Mills and his squad were bounced in the first round after losing to Duke, 74-51. He led them to a 30-5 record this past season, and Mills finished his Oral Roberts career with a record of 106-84 and 61-36 in Summit League play.

Wichita State fired head coach Isaac Brown after three seasons with the Shockers. He was just 48-34 in three seasons. Brown was on the staff since 2014 and was promoted from assistant to head coach in 2020. Now Mills will look to return the Shockers to their former glory. Wichita State made it to the Final Four in 2013 and most recently made it to the Sweet 16 in 2015.

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Brett Squires named Big 12 co-Player of the Week

Redshirt sophomore Brett Squires shared Big 12 Player of the Week honors after his impressive performance against West Virginia.

For the fifth time this season, Oklahoma Baseball was awarded a Big 12 weekly honor with infielder/outfielder Brett Squires selected as the conference’s co-Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Texas Christian University’s Luke Boyers. This is the second time in his collegiate career that Squires has won a weekly award from the Big 12.

The redshirt sophomore had a good series against West Virginia, going 6 for 8 with seven RBIs, including a home run in the rubber match of the series, a 17-7 win for the Oklahoma Sooners.

No. 12 has appeared in 28 games in 2022, hitting .338 with four home runs and 19 RBIs on the season. Squires is in his second season with OU after transferring from Texas JUCO McLennan College.

After winning the award, Squires went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Wichita State in an 18-0 loss on the road.

The Sooners are going to need their best from Squires and everyone else in the lineup going into their final series of the season against No. 5 Texas Tech Red Raiders. The three-game series begins on Thursday night. Tech just swept the Oklahoma State Cowboys in their three-game series last week in Stillwater.

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All-American Drew Timme to attend pre-draft workout with Hawks

Timme, who was a consensus All-American, averaged 18.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 32 games.

Gonzaga junior Drew Timme will be among the draft prospects to work out with the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, according to Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com.

Timme, who was a consensus All-American, averaged 18.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 58.6% shooting from the field in 32 games. He led the WCC in scoring and ranked 20th in the country in shooting among all Division I players.

The 6-foot-10 forward is projected this year to be a mid-to-late second-round pick by most mock drafts. In addition to working out with the Hawks, Timme is also expected to participate in the draft combine May 18-20 in Chicago, Illinois.

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In addition to Timme, Atlanta will also work out Wisconsin guard Brad Davison, Wichita State guard Tyson Etienne, Kansas forward David McCormack, Boston guard Javante McCoy and Minnesota guard Payton Willis on Thursday.

Atlanta enters the pre-draft process with the 16th and 44th picks, respectively. They have recently hosted several prospects for workouts ahead of the draft combine, including LSU forward Tari Eason and Villanova guard Collin Gillespie among others.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

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Alabama forward James Rojas announces transfer destination

Former Alabama forward James Rojas has found his new home.

Nate Oats is entering his fourth season as the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Alabama. To say that this offseason has been active would be an understatement. The amount of roster turnover that Oats and the Tide have faced has been enormous.

Several players who were eligible to return to Tuscaloosa have either chosen to try their chances at the next level or simply enter into the NCAA’s transfer portal.

One such player was forward James Rojas. Less than a week ago Rojas decided to enter the transfer portal and now the New York native has made his decision on where he will play for his final season at the collegiate level.

On Sunday afternoon Rojas announced his intentions to transfer to Wichita State of The American Conference.

Rojas announced his decision via his Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcdztbcuR4e/?hl=en

Rojas averaged 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game during the 2021-22 season for the Crimson Tide.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for continuous coverage of the Alabama Crimson Tide!

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