OU baseball ready to 'run the marathon' in 2024

Ain’t nobody confusing me for a marathon runner. That we know. But I’d imagine if I was a marathon kinda fella, I’d be interested in setting a pace in each race. A tone for the front part of the 26.2 miles that can be carried throughout. I think I remember something about this in physical education at Will Rogers Elementary or a late-night documentary session on Netflix. 

I bet you’re wondering where this is going. Stay with me. 

Much like a marathon the baseball season is long. And grueling. Unrelenting at times. Playing with an edge and setting the tone for a season is important. 

Oklahoma’s baseball team has done something similar through its first four games. A tone has been set. How they finish the race? That’ll unfold over the next several months. Head coach Skip Johnson was pleased with the Sooners opening week in DFW. 

Said Johnson: “I thought the biggest thing that I took out of it was we played with a big spirit and with an edge. We got after it and never gave up getting after every inning trying to win innings.

“On both sides. Defense and offense. I think we could play catch better but early in the year that’s going to happen.” 

His Sooners return home Friday hosting Wright State in a four-game series opening L. Dale Mitchell Ballpark for the final time under a Big 12 flag. 

It’s no secret. Oklahoma played from behind a lot last season. It wasn’t a strong suit. Oklahoma played from behind in each of its victories over the weekend in Arlington, while also erasing a five-run lead on Tuesday at Dallas Baptist before eventually falling 11-7. 

Sure you don’t necessarily want to make it a habit but that kind of resiliency is a good characteristic of a ballclub in the early part of the season. It can build comfort. It can build confidence. 

“One thing we’re really trying to build off is one thing the 2022 team had: a relentless spirit,” second baseman Jackson Nicklaus said. “We didn’t really have that last year. We’re really trying to find ourselves.

“Being four games (in) and being able to show that we can come back after down four runs, that’s something that we didn’t do at all last year. Having that ability to fight and never be out of it. We want to be able to have every game be a ballgame, whether we win or lose. We want it to be competitive.”

Nicklaus, Spikerman leading Sooners at plate, in dugout

Jackson Nicklaus didn’t bat an eye when asked about his struggles from a season ago. After starring as a freshman on the Sooners national runner-up squad, Nicklaus ended his sophomore campaign … let’s just say a long ways from hitting grandslams in Omaha. 

It’s a subject he doesn’t run from. In fact, it was an experience he embraced and learned from. 

“That was the first time in my life I’ve really ever had to handle adversity like that. Definitely something that I needed to learn how to deal with,” said Nicklaus on Thursday. “Definitely something that I’m happy I’m able to work through.  

“The summer was great for me. I needed to go and figure out myself a little bit. I needed to go and grow up. After having a really good freshman year, thinking that I could just go out and roll the ball out there and that’s something that’s not the case. I had to go and work. I had to go and earn it again. Coaches really helped push me. Coaches really helped me develop as a man and as a leader on this team and it’s something that I’m really happy to happen.” 

A brutal truth that can ruin the trajectory of a career but also one that Nicklaus faced head on. 

“His work ethic speaks for itself and having more of a mental game, understanding what the mental game is, slowing the game down, slowing the ball down. When you slow the game down, you slow the ball down and so you get to see it better,” Johnson said. “That’s the biggest thing. He had a great freshman year.

“He’s hitting in a lineup where there’s a lot of good hitters and last year not to say that we didn’t have any good hitters, but he wanted to be the man instead of just going out there and having good quality at-bats. That’s the only thing you can’t control is having a good quality at-bat and see the ball, hitting the ball hard. You can’t control if you get a hit or not. You just got to go out there and try to have good quality at bats and see the ball.”

Now alongside roommate and best friend John Spikerman, they head into their third home opener together looking to get back to what was expected following magical freshman seasons. Nicklaus leads the team with two home runs. Spikerman leads the team in batting average (.444 – tied with Easton Carmichael). 

If Oklahoma is going to get to where they want to be, it almost goes without saying that Nicklaus and Spikerman will be invaluable pieces. Not just because of their talent but also because of their leadership. Something that was seemingly missing a season ago. 

“We’re roommates, we’re best friends. We go out and we spend a lot of time together,” Nicklaus said. “We went through last year together. He had a better year than I did, but it’s definitely fun to be with him. It’s definitely fun to watch him grow as well as I did. Watching him be able to come out there and compete, kind of flip the script a little bit on what the narrative was on this team a year ago and show that we’re going to come out here and compete and win a lot of games.”

MacKenzie’s return makes for interesting decisions ahead

Skip Johnson confirmed Thursday senior infielder Anthony MacKenzie is set to make his season debut this weekend versus Wright State. MacKenzie hit .306 and started all 60 games last season missing the Sooners opening week slate of games with an injury. 

“He’s good. I mean, he should be able to play this weekend, which is a good sign,” Johnson said. “He had some live at-bats today which is a good sign. He hadn’t seen live pitching in a couple of weeks, so I thought that was good.”

MacKenzie’s return makes for a little bit of a problem for Skip Johnson and his coaching staff. Albeit a good kind of problem. His versatility allows him to play any of the infield positions but who is going to be the odd man out? Michael Snyder played a great third base while leading Oklahoma in total bases. Jackson Nicklaus won’t be heading to the pine. Rocco Garza-Gongora leads the team with four RBIs. And Jaxon Willits will not be given up on just four games into his career despite going just 1-for-14 at the plate. 

Depth on the mound has been discussed in detail. But it’s just as much of a ‘problem’ when putting together the Sooners line-up. Someone’s name is going to have to be left off when the line-up card is written. 

Accordingly, I would imagine the line-up will be toyed with over the course of the weekend – and perhaps even over the next month. Trial and error in a way. But it’s a good problem to have. You’d most certainly rather have too many than too few. 

Weekend Schedule

Friday: LHP Braden Davis (0-0, 1.80) vs RHP Jake Shirk (0-0, 1.29)
Saturday (Game 1): RHP Brendan Girton (0-0, 2.25) vs RHP Ty Roder (0-0, 12.00)
Saturday (Game 2): RHP Kyson Witherspoon (0-0, 0.00) vs RHP Josh Laisure (0-0, 2.08)
Sunday: LHP James Hitt (0-0, 5.40) vs TBA