Oklahoma baseball headed to Chapel Hill Regional, in NCAA Tournament once again

For the fourth consecutive year, Oklahoma baseball is headed back to the NCAA Tournament, selected as the No. 2 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional. It’s the program’s 42nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tar Heels, winners of the ACC Tournament, are the No. 5 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

The Sooners finished the regular season 35-20 overall, 14-16 in the SEC, winning half of their 10 SEC series in the first season in the conference. OU finished the regular season losing six of its final seven games before winning a pair of games last week at the SEC Tournament. 

“It is a great opportunity,” said OU head coach Skip Johnson. “You don’t take it for granted. It’s something you cherish and remember forever because it’s the investment you make in the kids that matter. It’s about winning and losing, but it’s the investment that they can move on and say they accomplished a goal that we set out at the beginning of the season. We’re extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to be one of the teams in the NCAA tournament.”

The Sooners will open the Chapel Hill Regional on Friday against third-seeded Nebraska (Big Ten Tournament Champions) at 4 p.m. Friday. North Carolina will face Patriot League Champion Holy Cross at 11 a.m. 

Get to know the Chapel Hill Regional 

North Carolina (42-12)

The Tar Heels enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 overall seed after running through the ACC Tournament in Durham last week en route to the program’s ninth tournament title. Its 14-4 win over Clemson in the ACC title game was the largest margin of victory in a tournament game ever. 

The Tar Heels are led on the mound by ACC Pitcher of the Year Jake Knapp. Knapp was dominant in conference play, posting a 10-0 record while leading the league in ERA (2.00), opponent batting average (.173), innings pitched (72) and victories. 

Team captain Jackson Van De Brake led the Tar Heels offensively to the school’s ninth ACC Tournament title, collecting a team high 15 hits and 19 RBIs over the Diamond Heels final 10 games of the season. 

Oklahoma (35-20)

The Sooners head to Chapel Hill after winning a pair of games in Hoover at the SEC Tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to eventual tournament champion Vanderbilt. 

Skip Johnson’s club is led by a deep pitching staff, including Golden Spikes Award semifinalist Kyson Witherspoon. It’s the offense and defense that will be the Sooners points of emphasis, if they are to get out of the Chapel Hill Regional. The Sooners have posted 12 wins against teams in the NCAA Tournament field and are looking to advance out of an ACC hosted regional for the third time in five tries. 

Nebraska (32-27)

The Cornerhuskers began the Big Ten Tournament last week on the outside looking in. Nebraska’s only path to the NCAA Tournament was simple. Win the Tournament for the second time in as many years and find their dancing shoes. And Will Bolt’s club did just that, winning four games and clinching the Big Ten’s automatic bid. 

Sophomore pitcher Ty Horn threw a career-high eight scoreless innings in the Huskers 5-0 championship game win over UCLA. The Huskers, who have won the Big Ten Tournament in back-to-back years, are the first No. 8 seed to win the conference postseason tournament. 

The Cornhuskers head to Chapel Hill as a bit of a wild card coming off an average regular season in which they finished 15-15 in conference play.

Holy Cross (31-25)

The Crusaders head to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 and just the second time since 1978 after winning the Patriot League Championship, earning the conference’s automatic bid. 

The Crusaders are led by a veteran group of seniors. Going from eight conference wins as freshmen to a school-record 17 Patriot League conference wins this season under head coach Ed Kahovec. 

Sophomore Gianni Royer delivered a walk-off RBI double to knock off Army in the Patriot League Championship game, ending Army’s six year run atop the league. Danny Macchiarola earned Patriot League MVP honors after posting a 2-0 record with a 0.53 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts over 17 innings.