Postseason at the Dale, Sooners ready for Norman Regional

There were a number of firsts this season for the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team. The first regular season title in school history. The most conference wins (23) in school history. Six (!) regular season conference sweeps.

This weekend Skip Johnson’s club reaps the rewards for those regular season efforts by playing postseason baseball in its own backyard for the first time since 2010. 

It’s been too long. 

“It’s super special. Something me and my teammates have been talking about since I got here to school. To have the opportunity to play here at home is really special. I know Sooner Nation is going to show out. We have high expectations for them,” said junior centerfielder John Spikerman. 

It means something. The likes of John Spikerman have experienced a number of highs since arriving in Norman. He’s been to the pinnacle of the sport, starting as a freshman on the 2022 national runner-up squad. There’s not necessarily a blueprint to a return trip, but Spikerman knows what it looks like. He’s lived it. 

“It means a lot to the players and the staff to play in our home ballpark in the postseason for the first time in 14 years,” said Spikerman. 

This weekend marks the fourth time in school history Oklahoma will host a regional in Norman. 

FEELING LIKE ’22? 

As for similarities between this year and 2022? Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson says there are some. Much like the 2022 squad, Oklahoma heads into the NCAA Tournament playing well, winning 11 of its last 13. 

“I think the mentality is a lot alike. How they care about each other is a lot alike. I think there’s a lot of similarities that are a lot alike, but this year is a different team. (John) Spikerman is three years older, Jackson Nicklaus is three years older, Kendall Pettis is three years older. Those guys have been our leaders for most of the year.

“Even some of the guys that were here that are in the bullpen — Carter Campbell, Carson Atwood and Jett Lodes — those guys have been around it a lot. I think those guys will help the other guys experience it and understand what it means to be a team,” said Skip Johnson. 

John Spikerman sees it too. 

“The expectation every year is to win the national championship whether we’re playing a regional on the road like in Florida or Virignia last year or whether we’re here at home,” Spikerman said. “I don’t think the expectation changes. 

“I think you got a group that loves to play the game and loves to play with each other again. It makes it easier to perform well when guys are playing for the guy next to him and not for themselves. Skip always talks about playing with an edge, and I think that’s something that the ‘22 team brought. And that’s something this team is continuing to bring. We’re similar in that aspect, and we’re obviously pretty talented as well.” 

WINNING IN DIFFERENT WAYS

Most importantly they’ve won in different ways. Something that’s important this time of the year. Grinding out wins in the postseason is taxing. Need a little bit from everyone. High leverage situations aren’t just for the late innings in games of importance. Last weekend in Arlington it was far from academic in an opening round 4-0 shutout, seven error-filled second game and a dramatic walk-off semifinal win. 

“Huge. I think that’s huge. When you look at it, that’s a part of who we are and what we do day in and day out. We want to try and find different ways to win. There’ll be days you have to hit home runs. Days you have to take your walks. Days you have to pitch better. That’s kind of been the fun in it,” said Johnson. 

GETTING BACK TO OMAHA

How Oklahoma marries its pitching and hitting will be the difference in moving onto next weekend’s Super Regional or seeing the season come to an end in its own backyard. That’s what the Sooners 2022 team did so well. Cade Horton. Trevin Michael. Peyton Graham. Jimmy Crooks. Tanner Tredaway. Blake Robertson. They all had postseason moments. 

Skip Johnson joked on Thursday at media day he has some magic dust hidden in his office, but it’s obviously not that easy. Particularly, in the unpredictable world of college baseball. Togetherness is still a thing. 

“When you have a lot of guys pulling for one thing, that’s when it gets powerful. That’s been the biggest thing going into the postseason. You have a lot of guys going in different directions, and we do a good job trying to keep those guys together and understanding what it really takes to move forward,” said Johnson. 

CINDERELLA RETURNS TO THE BALL

Referring to Oral Roberts’ run to Omaha a season ago, a Cinderella story fits. In a way. One of the smallest schools in the Tournament making a run to the biggest stage in the sport garners that kind of moniker and storyline. But what Ryan Folmar has done in terms of consistency while at the helm in his 12 seasons at ORU is far from a Cinderella-esque run. It’s consistent. 

“It shows you what kind of leadership they have. Ryan does a great job and their staff. We know them well, see them on the recruiting trail. We have a good relationship with them. They do it the right way, and they’ll continue to do it the right way because he’s a good coach,” said Johnson.

They’ve been something of a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament under Folmar, making a late-season charge this year for the school’s seventh trip under his direction. He’s two wins shy of joining former Sooners head coach Larry Cochell as the only coaches in school history to win 400 games. 

TURNPIKE NEIGHBORS

Oklahoma and Oral Roberts are more than just friendly foes. There’s a familiarity in the Sooners’ opening opponent, splitting the regular season home-and-home with their Turnpike neighbors. 

“Their Friday night guy is good. There is no doubt about that. They wouldn’t have gotten through their Tournament if he wasn’t. In baseball, you can’t really hide somebody or trick somebody. You’ve got media, got videos. You’ve got all kinds of things that you have at your disposal. Going forward that really helps both teams,” said Johnson. 

The Friday night guy Skip Johnson refers to is junior right-hander Jakob Hall. He’s won his last six starts. He threw 6.1 innings last Wednesday in the opening round of The Summit league conference tournament, posting a 10-2 record on the year with a 105 strikeouts to just 19 walks.

Oklahoma heads into this weekend’s regional averaging a Big 12-best 8.3 runs per game. 

WEEKEND PITCHING OUTLOOK 

The suspense lasted for just a few days. Oklahoma will give the ball to Kyson Witherspoon on Friday night in the regional opener. After starting the year in the bullpen, the sophomore right-hander settled nicely into the Saturday role. He made 10 starts and posted a 4.01 ERA in 74 innings. He struck out 81 (second on team) batters and walked 35. 

Braden Davis will work Saturday, having won his last seven starts after throwing a complete game shutout last weekend against TCU. 

A positive development from last weekend’s Big 12 Tournament was the re-emergence of Grant Stevens for the Sooners. It was Stevens who held things together in replace of Witherspoon during the myriad of errors that nearly cost the Sooners a game last week against Kansas. 

“Grant can pitch out the bullpen. He can start. He can do just about anything. And he thinks he can too that’s what is even better about it,” Johnson said.

Carter Campbell, Carson Atwood, Dylan Crooks, Reid Hensely, Ryan Lambert, Malachi Witherspoon and, yes, even Jaime Hitt and Brendan Girton will be available out of the Sooners bullpen this weekend. 

REGIONAL SCHEDULE

Friday
Game 1: UConn vs. Duke (Noon)
Game 2: Oral Roberts vs. Oklahoma (6 p.m.)

Saturday

Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (Elimination, 2 p.m.)
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (8 p.m.)

Sunday
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser (Elimination, 2 p.m.)
Game 6: Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 winner (Regional Championship, 8 p.m.)

Monday
If necessary, to be determined