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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Oklahoma head baseball coach gives UNC the ultimate compliment in postgame presser
Oklahoma head baseball coach gives UNC the ultimate compliment in postgame presser When another head coach calls you a team capable of winning a championship, you listen. With its 14-4 victory over Oklahoma in Monday's winner-take-all matchup to close out the Chapel Hill Regional, the UNC (45-13) baseball team solidified one thing: it's one of the country's best. Not only did the Diamond Heels dominate Monday, but they did so against a Sooners squad from arguably the best conference across college baseball. North Carolina lost 9-5 against Oklahoma a day earlier, but responded with its best offensive outburst of the 2025 postseason. UNC also won 11-5 against the Sooners on Saturday evening. Beating a team twice in three days is extremely tough to do in any sport, particularly during the baseball postseason, in which only the best teams and players remain. The Diamond Heels' latest obliteration of Oklahoma prompted the Sooners' head coach, Skip Johnson, to deliver the ultimate compliment. "You guys have a team here that can win the national championship, I can tell you that," Johnson said during his postgame press conference. "They're good. They're really good. They can run, they can do a lot of things. You guys should be proud of that." This message sound familiar? LSU's College World Series-winning head coach, Jay Johnson (no relation), also called North Carolina a National Championship-caliber team after the 2024 Chapel Hill Regional. If you recall that exciting ending, UNC downed the 2023 CWS champion Tigers, 4-3, in the 10th inning. You thought Oklahoma was a difficult opponent? Next up for the Diamond Heels is a Super Regional date with the Arizona Wildcats, who are 4-time College World Series winners. Arizona is winners of its last eight games. North Carolina has Jake Knapp, Gavin Gallaher and a team full of talented guys ready to counter – and hungry for a CWS title of their own. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
No. 5 North Carolina advances to Super Regionals with win over Oklahoma
No. 5 North Carolina advances to Super Regionals with win over Oklahoma Baseball season at Oklahoma is over. The Sooners saw their season come to an end Monday evening in a winner-take-all game against national No. 5 seed North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, 14-4. OU had beaten the Tar Heels on Sunday to force one of the favorites for the national championship to Monday's brink. But UNC showed why it earned that fifth seed when it had to. North Carolina scored those 14 runs by pounding out 17 hits and drawing six walks against a depleted Oklahoma pitching staff. Coach Skip Johnson used seven pitchers Monday as he couldn't to go any of his usual weekend starters nor closer Dylan Crooks as the weekend's previous four games had left them exhausted. Reid Hensley, OU's starter, gave up the first five runs of the game, three of which came in the first inning. All three were unearned as a throwing on error on Kyle Branch extended North Carolina's initial time at the plate. Cleanup hitter Gavin Gallher reached and Luke Stevenson, who walked in the plate appearance before, advanced to second. The next two Tar Heels batters hit a double and a single to bring them home. OU responded with two runs in the second inning, but North Carolina tacked on four in the third and another in the fifth to take a commanding lead into the late innings. Easton Carmichael was the only Oklahoma player to collect two hits. His ninth-inning single provided an RBI and Jason Walk's seventh-inning home run scored OU's third run. Every OU pitcher but one allowed at least one run. North Carolina advanced to the Super Regionals for the second straight year and third time in the last four seasons. The Sooners finished the season with a record of 38-22 overall, having made the NCAA Tournament for a fourth year in a row.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Nebraska Baseball vs Oklahoma NCAA Regional Game Thread
NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Nebraska Cornhuskers (32-27) vs Oklahoma Sooners (35-20) Location: Boshamer Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC Date/Time: May 30 @ 4 pm CDT Head Coaches: Will Bolt (6th season, 169-124-1) & Skip Johnson (8th season, 264-173) Stream: ESPN+ Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers App Advertisement Pitching Probables: LHP Jackson Brockett (4-3, 3.41 ERA) vs. RHP Malachi Witherspoon (3-8, 5.53 ERA) Check out the Corn Nation Chapel Hill Regional Preview! Nebraska begins its 19th regional in team history, and first back to back regionals since 2016 and 2017. The start against their most familiar opponent in history with the Oklahoma Sooners, now members of the SEC. The Huskers send out their hottest pitcher over the past 6 weeks, while Oklahoma sits their ace and send out his brother who has had a rough end to the 2025 season. Series History Oklahoma leads the all time series 147-102-2. This includes a 7-6 walk-off win over Nebraska a in the opening weekend of the 2024 season at Globe Life Field. Advertisement More from
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
SEC Baseball Tournament Schedule
SEC Baseball Tournament Schedule The Oklahoma baseball team heads into its first-ever Southeastern Baseball Tournament, likely ready to discover what the league's old-timers have long known. It doesn't really matter. The SEC, long the best conference in college baseball, is nearing 25 years of dominance now. This year, the SEC is expected to get 13, perhaps 14, teams into the NCAA Tournament. Regardless of what happens this week in Hoover, Alabama, Oklahoma is one of them. The Sooners finished 12th in the 16-team league. They'll play a recent foe, Kentucky, less than two weeks after meeting the Wildcats in the penultimate series of the regular season. Kentucky swept that series en route to firmly entrenching itself as an NCAA Tournament team, too. Another win against Oklahoma all but assures it. The Sooners need not worry. They're not even really a bubble team. The latest NCAA Tournament projections have OU no worse than a two-seed in whichever regional they land in. A loss to Kentucky, coupled with the down-the-stretch struggles during the regular season, could drop them to a regional three-seed, but that's the worst-case scenario for Oklahoma this week. Meanwhile, beating Kentucky, then Georgia - the waiting opponent for the winner of Sooners/Wildcats - then Vanderbilt, then whatever teams show up in the semifinals and final is moot for Oklahoma's seeding purposes. The Sooners aren't hosting a regional in Norman, and they're certainly not capturing a national seed. So, off they go to Hoover wanting to win, but not needing to. Don't surprised if coach Skip Johnson plays a bit looser this week, especially if OU beats Kentucky. At that point, the Sooners have no worries. Here's what the weekly schedule looks like. All times central. First round - Tuesday, May 20 Game 1: No. 16 Missouri vs. No. 9 Alabama - 9:30 a.m. - SEC Network Game 2: No. 13 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Oklahoma - 1 p.m. - SEC Network Game 3: No. 15 South Carolina vs. No. 10 Florida - 4:30 p.m. - SEC Network Game 4: No. 14 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Mississippi State - 8 p.m. - SEC Network Round 2 - Wednesday, May 22 Game 5: Winner of Game 1 vs. No. 8 Tennessee - 9:30 a.m. - SEC Network Game 6: Winner of Game 2 vs. No. 5 Georgia - 1 p.m. - SEC Network Game 7: Winner of Game 3 vs. No. 6 Ole Miss - 4:30 p.m. - SEC Network Game 8: WInner of Game 4 vs. No. 6 Auburn - 8 p.m. - SEC Network Quarterfinal Round - Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23 Game 9: Winner of Game 5 vs. No. 1 Texas - 3 p.m. - SEC Network (Thursday) Game 10: Winner of Game 6 vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt - 6:30 p.m. - SEC Network (Thursday) Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. No. 2 Arkansas - 3 p.m. - SEC Network (Friday) Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. No. 3 LSU - 6:30 p.m. - SEC Network (Friday) Semifinal Round - Saturday, May 24 Game 13: Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10 - Noon- SEC Network Game 14: Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 12 - 3:30 p.m. - SEC Network SEC Baseball Tournament Championship - Sunday, May 25
USA Today
27-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama Baseball 2025 Opponent Preview: Oklahoma Sooners
Alabama Baseball 2025 Opponent Preview: Oklahoma Sooners After suffering their first series' loss of the 2025 SEC baseball season last weekend, the Alabama Crimson Tide are now set to resume conference play this Friday night in Tuscaloosa by hosting one of the SEC's newest teams, the Oklahoma Sooners, for a three-game set. A ranked opponent, the Sooners will certainly provide yet another test for an Alabama team that had enjoyed a solid start to the season, and are a program that the Crimson Tide are not necessarily as familiar with as others. That is due to the fact that Alabama and Oklahoma have met only seven times before ever, the most recent of which was a three-game series in Norman back in 2018. Set to renew their matchup this weekend however in Tuscaloosa, what are some things you should know about this year's Sooners team, one that is led by one of the top pitchers in college baseball? Let's answer that question by previewing Alabama's next SEC opponent, the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma Sooners 2025 Team Overview Conference: SEC SEC Stadium: L. Dale Mitchell Park, Norman, Oklahoma L. Dale Mitchell Park, Norman, Oklahoma 2025 Record: 21-3 overall (4-2 in SEC) 21-3 overall (4-2 in SEC) Ranking: No. 9 in USA TODAY Sports' Coaches Poll, No. 9 in D1Baseball Top 25 One of the SEC's newest members, Oklahoma is currently holding a 21-3 overall record for the 2025 season, as well as a 4-2 mark in conference play where they have won both series' so far, coming on the road at South Carolina, as well as at home against Mississippi State. The Sooners also come to Tuscaloosa ranked as the nation's No. 9 team according to the latest USA TODAY Sports College Baseball Coaches Poll, their highest ranking so far this season. Oklahoma Sooners 2025 Coaching Staff Head Coach: Skip Johnson Skip Johnson Associate Head Coach: Reggie Willits Reggie Willits Assistant Coach: Todd Butler Todd Butler Assistant Coach: Russell Raley Leading the Oklahoma baseball program is head coach Skip Johnson, who is currently in his eight season with the Sooners. Under the leadership of Johnson, the Sooners have made four NCAA Tournament appearances, a 2022 College World Series finals appearance, and recently won the 2024 Big 12 regular season title. Oklahoma Sooners 2025 Hitting Stats AVG: .300 (.261 in SEC) .300 (.261 in SEC) OBP: .411 (.389 in SEC) .411 (.389 in SEC) SLG: .494 (.419 in SEC) .494 (.419 in SEC) OPS: .905 (.808 in SEC) .905 (.808 in SEC) HR: 28 (9 in SEC) 28 (9 in SEC) RBI: 166 (46 in SEC) 166 (46 in SEC) SB: 67-of-79 (19-of-24 in SEC) Offensively, the Sooners come to Tuscaloosa owning a combined .300 AVG for the season, but are batting only .261 in six SEC games. The Sooners also own a .905 OPS for the season, as well as an .808 OPS in SEC play. Oklahoma Sooners 2025 Pitching Stats ERA: 4.00 (4.71 in SEC) 4.00 (4.71 in SEC) WHIP: 1.36 (1.52 in SEC) 1.36 (1.52 in SEC) K: 244 (62 in SEC) 244 (62 in SEC) BB: 94 (24 in SEC) 94 (24 in SEC) AVG: .243 (.291 in SEC) Oklahoma's pitching staff enters this weekend owning a combined 4.00 ERA so far this year, as well as a 4.71 ERA across six SEC games. The Sooners altogether are also holding opponents to a combined .243 AVG this season, as well as .291 in SEC play. Oklahoma Sooners 2025 Hitters to Know Jaxon Willits, Infielder - Sophomore - Sophomore Trey Gambill, Outfielder - Junior - Junior Easton Carmichael, Catcher - Junior - Junior Kyle Branch, Infielder - Freshman - Freshman Jason Walk, Infielder/Outfielder - Sophomore Oklahoma currently has two players who own a OPS north of 1.000+ so far this season in Trey Gambill and Jaxon Willits, the latter of which also leads the Sooners with seven home runs, while the former is Oklahoma's leader in batting average at .371. Another notable name to know for Oklahoma offensively is Easton Carmichael, a catcher who is hitting for a .353 AVG with eight RBI during SEC play. Oklahoma Sooners 2025 Pitchers to Know Kyson Witherspoon, Right-Handed Pitcher - Junior - Junior Dylan Crooks, Right-Handed Pitcher - Senior - Senior Reid Hensley, Right-Handed Pitcher - Senior - Senior Gavyn Jones, Left-Handed Pitcher/Outfielder - Sophomore - Sophomore Malachi Witherspoon, Right-Handed Pitcher - Junior In conclusion, as mentioned at the start, Oklahoma has one of the top pitchers in college baseball on their roster in right-hander Kyson Witherspoon, who currently owns a 1.80 ERA with a 58:7 K:BB ratio across 35 innings pitched, while also holding opponents to a combined .175 AVG against. The Sooners also have a few relievers to know also, two of which own an ERA below 2.00 in right-hander's Dylan Crooks and Reid Hensley.
