Skip Johnson reveals message to team following College World Series loss

What a run for Oklahoma baseball. From unseeded to the championship series in Omaha. Sure, the Sooners came up short but the season as a whole — especially the postseason — has to be considered a rousing success. However, coming up just short of the title stings, and stings forever.

OU skipper Skip Johnson has seen his fair share of near-successes, brutal failures and glorious victories. He’s got a little more perspective than his young players. After the final game, though, he shared some thoughts on how his team ought to look back at the season and the wild run that capped it off.

Here were Johnson’s comments following Oklahoma’s title-clinching loss to Ole Miss:

“First thing is you can accomplish anything you put your mind to it. You can be anybody you want to be, you put your mind to it. Secondly, the game doesn’t care how you feel. That’s why the details of the game are so important, and you’ve got to keep fighting for every inch that you get in baseball. You’ve got to continue to work.

“You did a great job. I love you. Really proud of you. Really proud of the coaches. What they did and what they accomplished was incredible. We’ve got to continue to grow as a team. We’ve got to — I’m just happy in that sense. Mad, pissed off about losing. I’m not happy about that.”

Losing a title is never easy. Bengals fan here. The 2022 Super Bowl loss still stings just as bad as the night it unfolded. Even during an unexpected run like the Sooners have, coming up one win (or two in OU’s case) short is far more painful than flaming out earlier on.

But once you look back with some distance between when it happened, I guess you can learn to appreciate the journey regardless of a sour destination. That seems to be Skip Johnson’s message. Sure, he’s probably just as hurt as his players at not winning, but being an older gentleman with decades worth of ups and downs in his life, framing these experiences in a positive light becomes easier.

Congrats to the Sooners baseball squad on a heck of a run.