David Sandlin, Skip Johnson put to words significance of visiting Old Rosenblatt field

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium was the site of the 1994 Oklahoma Sooners‘ College World Series victory, and current OU head coach Skip Johnson took his team on an impromptu field trip to the place where their predecessors reached the promised land.

“As Coach [Skip] Johnson said to us, it’s a part of us,” pitcher Dylan Sandlin said. “The history and everybody that’s played at the University of Oklahoma before us is just as important as the team we have now. They laid the groundwork for us, and we just need to keep going.”

The visit to the title site seemed to motivate Sandlin, who went on strike out a career-high 12 Texas A&M batters, only drawing one walk and allowing five hits en route to clenching their CWS Finals berth.

Since Oklahoma’s 1994 title, only three Sooners squads have made the trek the Omaha for the CWS. None have been able to capture the same magic, and this year’s team is the closest yet – so going back to the site of the only national championship in modern Sooners’ history was a no-brainer.

The idea came from Ryan Gaines, the Oklahoma baseball director of operations, who asked Johnson is his team would be interested. Johnson, who didn’t know what the Rosenblatt was, agreed in the hopes his Sooners could use it as motivation.

“I said, ‘That’s cool,'” Johnson said. “Let’s go over there and show those guys where this place has been, what the College World Series is about, where the Oklahoma Sooners won the last national championship in 1994 on. It was really big.

“Just explained to them when they got off the – before they got off the bus, you know, this is what college baseball is about. I remember it was like an airport, balls leaving that yard. I got to play in 2009 in Rosenblatt, and it was really special. Didn’t get to come back in 2010, but got to open up 2011 here. It’s a great place.”

The Sooners are now set to take on Ole Miss in the College World Series final after taking down Arkansas in the national semifinal thanks in part to star pitcher Dylan DeLucia’s complete game shutout – something Johnson and the rest of the Sooners are certainly aware of heading into Game 1 on Saturday, where first pitch between the Sooners and Rebels is set for 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN.