How OU baseball could secure top-eight NCAA seed with a Big 12 Tournament title - Yahoo Sports
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How OU baseball could secure top-eight NCAA seed with a Big 12 Tournament title

colton sulley, the oklahoman
·4 min read

NORMAN — OU baseball enters the Big 12 tournament Wednesday as the No. 1 seed and fresh off its regular season conference title.

Head coach Skip Johnson was named the 2024 Big 12 baseball Coach of the Year Monday after leading the Sooners to a 23-7 conference record with six sweeps of Big 12 opponents. OU’s 23 conference wins this season is the most in program history.

OU infielder Michael Snyder, designated hitter Easton Carmichael and starting pitcher Braden Davis were selected to the conference’s first team, while OU outfielder Bryce Madron and starting pitcher Kyson Witherspoon made the Big 12’s second team.

The Sooners' first game of the Big 12 baseball tournament is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on ESPN+. OU received a first-round bye and will take on No. 9 seed TCU, which beat No. 4 seed West Virginia 5-2 on Tuesday.

The Sooners have won the Big 12 tournament three times, clinching the title in 1997, 2013 and 2022.

Here are five things to know ahead of the Big 12 tournament:

OU's Michael Snyder (5) runs home after hitting a home run in the second inning of a Bedlam baseball game at OSU on April 6.
OU's Michael Snyder (5) runs home after hitting a home run in the second inning of a Bedlam baseball game at OSU on April 6.

Sooners seek starting pitching consistency

OU found its Game 1 and Game 2 starters during the regular season.

Davis (8-3), a lefty reliever transfer from Sam Houston State who transitioned to the Sooners’ ace and Friday night starter, boasts a 4.81 ERA. He struck out 98 batters and walked 38 across 14 starts (76 2/3 innings).

Witherspoon (7-3) emerged as the Saturday starter in the middle of the season and holds a 4.24 ERA with 75 strikeouts. The Northwest Florida State College transfer started nine games for OU and will play a key role this postseason.

Opposing hitters are batting a combined .230 against Davis and Witherspoon this season. But outside of the two transfers, Johnson’s team struggled to find consistency throughout the regular season.

Carter Campbell has shown signs of being a dominant bullpen arm, including during a stretch of five innings from April 30 to May 11 where he allowed one run. Last week against Cincinnati on the road, Ryan Lambert and Malachi Witherspoon helped the Sooners close out a series win.

OU has shown the ability to keep up offensively with most teams, but if it wants to make a run in the Big 12 tournament, pitching will be vital.

More: OU baseball's Skip Johnson named Big 12 Coach of the Year

Where does OU stand in NCAA tournament projections?

The Sooners have most likely solidified an NCAA Regional host spot.

In Baseball America’s field of 64 update Tuesday, OU would be the No. 7 overall seed hosting Dallas Baptist, Georgia Tech and Arkansas-Little Rock in Norman. D1Baseball’s projections Monday also show the Sooners as the No. 7 overall seed, but hosting Nebraska, Alabama and Little Rock.

If OU goes on a run and wins the Big 12 tournament, Skip Johnson’s crew has a chance to secure a top-eight national seed.

Sooners’ bats could do damage in postseason

The Sooners’ offense has quickly become one of the most dangerous in the country.

OU scored 32 runs in three games against the Bearcats and has scored 79 runs in its last six games. The Sooners’ offense is led by Carmichael and Snyder, who are hitting .363 and .354, respectively.

Jaxon Willits, named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team Monday, has also been on a heater of late, hitting eight home runs since April 7. The shortstop collected three hits, including two doubles in the regular-season finale.

Veterans John Spikerman and Jackson Nicklaus — who were significant contributors during OU’s 2022 national championship series run — are healthy and could heat up during the postseason. Spikerman missed nearly a month after undergoing hamate surgery, but is hitting .414 in 128 at bats.

While pitching questions remain, the Sooners’ bats are hot at the right time.

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Oklahoma's Easton Carmichael (2) celebrates a steal next to Oklahoma State's Avery Ortiz (15) during the college Bedlam baseball game between Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the University of Oklahoma Sooners at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Friday, April 5, 2024.
Oklahoma's Easton Carmichael (2) celebrates a steal next to Oklahoma State's Avery Ortiz (15) during the college Bedlam baseball game between Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the University of Oklahoma Sooners at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Friday, April 5, 2024.

Cincinnati series by the numbers

OU clinched its seventh Big 12 series win last week, sweeping the Bearcats in a doubleheader by a combined score of 26-14.

In the two wins, the Sooners recorded 29 hits, including nine extra-base hits. In Game 1, Carmichael finished 4 for 5 with three RBIs, while Snyder went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a home run.

Eight Sooners notched a hit and seven plated a run in Game 1. In Game 2, Spikerman finished 4 for 5 with two RBIs, while Rocco Garza-Gongora was 3 for 3 with two RBIs.

In the series finale loss, OU rested most of its starters and started five underclassmen.

Top 15 ranking

OU was ranked No. 11 Monday in the USA Today baseball coaches poll.

The Sooners are one of the hottest teams in the country, having won 17 of their last 21 games. Before OU’s 10-6 loss to Cincinnati on the road last Friday, it was on an eight-game win streak.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU baseball seeking Big 12 title, top-eight NCAA Tournament seed