2019 Oklahoma Sooner Baseball

[Sooner04]

Looking like we'll end up with a losing conference record. This team does just enough against the good teams to get beat.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Looking like we'll end up with a losing conference record. This team does just enough against the good teams to get beat.

Yep. Texas Tech sweeps the Sooners in Norman.

2019 Oklahoma Baseball (30-18; 8-10)

> Fri; May 3 ... Texas Tech beat OU 10-6
> Sat; May 4 .. Texas Tech beat OU 7-3
> Sun; May 5 .. Texas Tech beat OU 8-4

Baseball Drops Series Finale to No. 10 Texas Tech
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211802620


In other news, Kansas swept Texas. The Longhorns (25-25; 6-14) are currently in last pace in the conference. The last place team does NOT go to the Big-12 Tournament in OKC.

Big-12 Conference Standings
http://www.big12sports.com/standings/Standings.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&SPID=13131

 

[TulsaWorld]

From Eric Bailey: Bixby's Cade Cavalli's big week includes becoming a first-time uncle and returning to the mound in time for Bedlam

The most exciting news Cade Cavalli received this week hasn’t been a green light to return to the mound.

The Oklahoma pitcher met his niece, Quinley Layne, the newborn daughter of his sister Meagan.

“It’s just a different feeling,” Cavalli said. “I held her and my heart sank. This is awesome. It’s cool knowing that she’s in my life forever.”

Quinley’s uncle will join his OU teammates in an important three-game Bedlam series that begins at 7 p.m. Friday at ONEOK Field.

The series continues Saturday at Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Ballpark, which is where Cavalli will make his return after a two-week hiatus following stress to his forearm. Typically a Friday starter, Cavalli will throw about 60 pitches on Saturday, according to OU coach Skip Johnson.

“I’m pumped to get there again,” Cavalli said. “I’m just ready to throw in a game. I don’t care if it was a T-ball field. I just want to get out there and throw.”

 

[SoonerTraveler]

(Friday; May 10) OU Drops Bedlam Opener 5-1
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211803159

TULSA, Okla. – The Oklahoma baseball team fell to No. 16 Oklahoma State 5-1 in the Bedlam series opener Friday evening at ONEOK Field.

The Sooners (30-19, 8-11 Big 12) scored a run in the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Tyler Hardman, who was 2-for-3 at the plate. The Cowboys (29-16, 11-8 Big 12) hit four solo home runs, including three in the first inning. OU starter Nathan Wiles (7-3) struck out seven batters and allowed three earned runs over 7.0 innings while Jensen Elliott (7-3) allowed five hits in the complete-game win for OSU.

Oklahoma tied a school record in turning five double plays Friday. The defense spun twin killings in each of the third through sixth innings, then ended the top of the ninth with a line drive double play.

The Sooners and Cowboys continue the Bedlam series Saturday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

:OU-logo:

 

[SoonerTraveler]

(Sat; May 11, 2019) Sooners Walk Off Cowboys, Even Bedlam Series
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211803214

OKLAHOMA CITY – Justin Mitchell drove a base hit to left field and Tanner Tredaway raced home from second base to score the winning run in the 10th inning as the Oklahoma baseball team evened the Bedlam series with a 3-2 win over No. 16 Oklahoma State Saturday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

The Sooners (31-19, 9-11 Big 12) snapped a four-game skid and won against the Cowboys (29-17, 11-9 Big 12) for the first time in 10 tries, setting up a rubber game at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman at 2 p.m. Sunday.

“You grow up wanting to be in that moment and whenever you’re in it you just try to take everything in and do the best you can to help your team win,” Mitchell said.

Sophomore Cade Cavalli was excellent in his first start since April 19, totaling five strikeouts in 3.0 hitless innings. Freshman Jaret Godman relieved him to start the fourth and proceeded to strike out seven batters and allow one run on two hits over 4.2 frames. Junior Jason Ruffcorn added a pair of punchouts as the Sooners staff totaled 14 strikeouts in the game. Sophomore Ledgend Smith earned the victory and improved to 1-1 on the season while Ben Leeper fell to 3-2 in the loss for OSU.

Tredaway reached on an error to start the bottom of the 10th and designated hitter Brady Lindsly was hit by a pitch. Two strikeouts sent Mitchell to the plate and the OU catcher delivered the game-winning single on the first pitch he saw. Tredaway stumbled rounding third, but regained his feet and crossed the plate as the throw from left field bounced away from the catcher.

“Godman was outstanding tonight,” Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said. “Mitchell was calm in that last at bat. He was calm all night long. He had some good at bats tonight, and that might have been one of the best games he’s caught all year long. His attention to detail tonight was at a high level.”

After a solo home run by OSU center fielder Trevor Boone in the fourth inning, Oklahoma tied it in the fifth when center fielder Milan Walla scurried home on a wild pitch. The Sooners took a 2-1 lead in the firth on a sacrifice fly by second baseman Conor McKenna. OU held the lead until the eighth inning when designated hitter Colin Simpson tied it with a solo home run.

OU and OSU played extra innings for the first time since an 18-inning 12-9 Oklahoma win in 2014 in Stillwater. It was the first Bedlam conference game to go to extra innings since 2005 when OU won 5-4 in 11 innings at Bricktown.

The Sooners will celebrate their three seniors – Blake Brewster, Ryan Madden and Brylie Ware – in a ceremony prior to Sunday’s 2 p.m. rubber game at Mitchell Park. It will be the first Bedlam conference game played in Norman since 1992.

Video Highlights
http://www.soonersports.com/mediaPo...M_ID=31000&clip=5913311&cid=1&db_oem_id=31000

:OU-logo:

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Sooners Lose Bedlam Final; 10-7
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211803271

Sooners had a 6-5 lead going into the 8th inning, but give up 4 runs to OSU in the top of the 8th.

The Sooners finish the regular season with 3 games at Texas (Thurs-Fri-Sat).

> Oklahoma (31-20; 9-12) .. #43 in RPI
> Texas (25-25; 6-14) ....... #61 in RPI

Big-12 Conference Standings
http://warrennolan.com/baseball/2019/conference/Big-12

:OU-logo:

 

[TulsaWorld]

Here's our Game 3 recap, as well as Game 2 and Game 1. Here's more from game 2 since OU won that one...

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Bedlam series is still in doubt. Oklahoma’s Justin Mitchell laced a two-out single to left field, scoring Tanner Tredway and giving the Sooners a 3-2, 10-inning victory over the Cowboys Saturday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

The win gave the Sooners (31-19, 9-11 Big 12) their first victory over the Cowboys (29-16, 11-9) in 10 tries and evened the series after OSU won Friday at ONEOK Field.

The Bedlam series wraps up at 2 p.m. Sunday at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Cowboys will play a conference game on the Sooners’ home field for the first time since 1992.

It was polar opposite approaches at the plate. The Cowboys, who are 22-7 against the Sooners since Josh Holliday took over the program in 2013, relied on the long ball.

The Sooners relied on pitching, some OSU errors and some timely hits.

OU picked up three scoreless innings from sophomore Cade Cavalli. The right-hander from Bixby made his first appearance since April 19 against Minnesota. He was on a limited pitch count, throwing just 57 pitches.

We also took photos of the ONEOK Field game, which can be viewed here.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

> Oklahoma (31-20; 9-12) .. #43 in RPI

Toby Rowland was discussing OU baseball on his radio program this morning. He thinks that OU must get to 35 wins to get into the NCAA Tournament. That may be a tall order. OU has 3 regular season games remaining, all on the road at Texas, plus games in the Big-12 Tournament in OKC.

Texas is in last place in the conference, so 2 wins in Austin is doable for OU. But will OU get it done? Then, getting 2 wins in the Big-12 Tournament will be tough for this OU team which has difficulty scoring runs.

The conference tournament is a double-elimination format
http://www.big12sports.com//attachments1/files/10410/641438.pdf

:OU-logo:

 

[Sooner04]

Then, getting 2 wins in the Big-12 Tournament will be tough for this OU team which has difficulty scoring runs.

And holding leads.

 

[TulsaWorld]

Weekend preview from Eric Bailey...

Oklahoma

Record: 31-20, 9-12 Big 12

Looking ahead: The Sooners wrap up the regular season with a three-game series at Texas.

Looking back: Oklahoma lost two of three games to Oklahoma State. OU did pick up a Saturday night win to snap a nine-game losing streak to the Cowboys.

Notable: The Sooners need one win this weekend to clinch a berth in the Big 12 Tournament, while Texas needs a sweep to advance to the postseason. … Jason Ruffcorn has a Big 12-best 10 saves. … OU has hit 23 home runs. Opponents have hit 43. … Tyler Hardman has a team-high 38 RBIs.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

(5/16/2019) Thursday Night: Game 1 @ Texas .. OU wins 4-2

Box Score: Oklahoma 4; Texas 2
http://www.soonersports.com/pdf9/5487967.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=31000

Wiles Pitches Sooners Past Texas
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211803643

Video Highlights
http://www.soonersports.com/mediaPo...M_ID=31000&clip=5913420&cid=1&db_oem_id=31000


Change in Schedule: AUSTIN, Texas – Due to the weather forecast for Saturday, Texas Baseball and Oklahoma will play a doubleheader Friday starting at 1 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The series finale between the Longhorns and Sooners will get underway Friday at 6:30 p.m.

:OU-logo:

 

[Eielson]

I'm always stoked to get a win against UT, even if they're not very good. Those have been hard to come by, regardless of who has the better team, for quite some time.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

I'm always stoked to get a win against UT, even if they're not very good. Those have been hard to come by, regardless of who has the better team, for quite some time.

No doubt OU has a hard time winning against Texas in baseball. That makes the following even better news.

(Sat; 5/17/2019) Sooners Clinch Series / Win 1st Game of Doubleheader
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211803713

Box Score -- Oklahoma 13; Texas 0
http://www.soonersports.com/pdf9/5487985.pdf

Video Highlights
http://www.soonersports.com/mediaPo...D=127257&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=31000&id=6319588

:OU-logo:

 

[SoonerTraveler]

2019 Regular season is over for OU (33-21; 11-13). Sooners win 2 out of 3 at Texas.

Game 1: OU wins 4-2
Game 2: OU wins 13-0
Game 3: OU loses 4-6

There are still a few games left to play this weekend, but here are the conference standings:

Big-12 Conference Standings
http://www.big12sports.com/standings/Standings.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&SPID=13131

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Texas Tech Collects Fourth Big 12 Regular Season Title
http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=211803827

May 18, 2019: Texas Tech earned the 2019 Big 12 baseball regular-season title after securing an 8-4 victory over TCU on Saturday evening.

Texas Tech (36-15) finished Big 12 play with a 16-8 record. The Red Raiders claimed the program’s fourth Big 12 regular-season title (1997, 2016, 2017 and 2019) and the third in the last four years.

TTU will be the No. 1 seed in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, May 22-26, at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. A full bracket and matchups will be announced on Sunday, May 19.

Prior to the season, No. 10-ranked Texas Tech was projected to win the league in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Red Raiders were the No. 3-seed in the Big 12 Championship last season and went on to reach the program’s third College World Series.

:OU-logo:

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Bracket Set for 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=211803862

Seeds and game times have been determined for the 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, May 22-26, at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

With an 8-4 win over TCU on Saturday, Texas Tech claimed its fourth overall Big 12 regular-season title and the third in the last four seasons. The top-seeded Red Raiders will face No. 8-seed K-State in a 12:30 p.m. CT contest on Wednesday, May 22. In the championship opener, No. 4-seeded West Virginia will play No. 5-seeded Kansas at 9 a.m. CT.

Division two of the bracket features second-seeded Baylor facing seventh-seeded Oklahoma in the 4:00 p.m. CT time slot on Wednesday. In the nightcap, No. 3 Oklahoma State contests No. 6 TCU at 7:30 p.m. CT.

All-session tickets for the Championship start as low as $69 and total 15 games, including the if necessary games on Saturday. The championship will feature a total of eight sessions, all of which include two games except for Sunday's championship finale at 1 p.m. CT. Single-session tickets go on sale Monday for as low as $15 per person.

Bracket
http://www.big12sports.com/pdf9/5488040.pdf

:OU-logo:

 

[TulsaWorld]

Here's our Big 12 preview.

Also, I asked your Dirt Burglar counterparts if they wanted Cody Thomas updates (he's with the Tulsa Drillers) and they said yes, so if you are all interested...

Cody Thomas’ hitting streak ended at 10 games as he went 0-for-4. He is tied with Logan Landon for the Drillers’ top hitting streak this season.

Link

Let's see if I can add an image from our site of Cody without going through another image hosting site...

 

[TulsaWorld]

Preview from Eric Bailey...

While Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson thinks his team has done enough to earn an at-large bid to the 64-team field, the Sooners could add to their resume with a strong showing at Bricktown Ballpark.

...

Third-seeded Oklahoma State will face No. 6 TCU at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, following the No. 7 Sooners’ 4 p.m. game against No. 2 Baylor. Wins by both state schools or losses by both would set up a Bedlam rematch Thursday.

...

Johnson spoke during the Big 12 Tournament luncheon at Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse in downtown Oklahoma City on Tuesday. He talked about the strength of the league as much as his own team.

Five teams are inside the RPI top 40. They are OSU, No. 9 Texas Tech, No. 15 West Virginia, No. 27 Baylor and No. 39 OU. The Big 12 Conference is ranked No. 2 in RPI.

So with those numbers, Johnson asked, why are only four teams — minus Oklahoma — being projected for the NCAA Tournament field?

“I would hope we wouldn’t have to win any (tournament games),” Johnson said when asked about winning games this week to get into the NCAA Tournament. “If we are really the No. 2 conference in the country, we wouldn’t have to win any. We would just play baseball. When you talk about a result, we’re 33-21.

“We can match up with anyone in the country. That’s not an issue,” Johnson later added. “The issue is getting in. We made the mistake of giving it to somebody else and letting those guys make the decision. When you do that, you have to take the brunt of the decision that they make.”

The Sooners are coming off a big weekend that included taking two of three games at Texas, locking the Longhorns out of the eight-team league tournament.

“Hopefully we have done a lot to get in the NCAA Tournament,” Johnson said. “We’ve won every Friday night except for two nights in this league. That ought to say something. I’m excited about that as much as anything.

“Our first season’s over with. Now it’s time for our second season.”

 

[TulsaWorld]

Big 12 Tournament: Baylor jumps on OU quickly, rolls to 8-2 victory

The Bears pounced on their opportunities. The Sooners did not. OU catcher Brady Lindsly went 3-for-4 and had an RBI double in the eighth inning.

But OU went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, including runners on second and third with one out in the fourth. Baylor starter Paul Dickens (5-2) struck out Justin Mitchell and Brandon Zaragoza to end the threat.

“It was a big momentum swing for us,” OU coach Skip Johnson said. “When you don’t take the momentum — because they had the momentum — it really separates. Good teams do that to you. The guy made some quality pitches.”

Dickens held OU to one run on six hits over 6⅓ innings. He struck out six and walked two.

The Sooners had eight hits, but they could have used them in a timelier manner. They stranded 10 baserunners.

OU managed to salvage its bullpen. Aaron Brook, Legend Smith, Jaret Goodman and Ryan Madden closed out the final four innings. Each threw 21 pitches or fewer.

Johnson said Nathan Wiles, who is 8-3 with a 3.67 ERA, will take the mound Thursday.

 

[Eielson]

Well that was a brutal tournament.