⚾️ OU's dream ending denied
⚾️ OU's dream ending denied
Oklahoma baseball's improbable journey to the Men's College World Series final concluded without a national championship but plenty of proud moments.
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⚾️ End of the road
Bravo, Oklahoma.
Norman’s passion for college baseball saw a dramatic increase over the last few weeks, and the locals nearly got a storybook ending with the red-hot Sooners advancing to the Men’s College World Series finals this past weekend.
OU’s national championship drought, which dates back to 1994, will extend another season with Ole Miss sweeping the Sooners in two games, winning 10-3 on Saturday and 4-2 on Sunday to win its program’s first title.
Still, what a phenomenal season for an OU program that looked headed nowhere midway through the year and somehow turned it all around.
“We've been doubted all year,” OU pitcher Cade Horton told reporters in Omaha on Sunday. “We were picked to finish sixth in the Big 12.
“I think looking back at the beginning of the year, we didn't know how to win yet, and that's something our team figured out, and we went through struggles with that. … We learned and got through that, learned how to win, started believing in each other, and it kind of just took off from there and set a good clear path for us.”
It didn’t quite end the way OU had hoped, but coach Skip Johnson and crew deserve all the praise being thrown their way. It’s not too often teams like this come around. And the 2022 Sooners won’t soon be forgotten.
📊 Boxscore • 🎥 Highlights • 📸 Photo gallery
What to read
Sooners let late lead slip away, lose CWS finals to Ole Miss (si.com)
College World Series 'what ifs' shouldn't cloud OU baseball's amazing season (oklahoman.com)
Oklahoma pitcher Cade Horton deserved a better fate (si.com)
'It feels like yesterday': OU's trip to MCWS final pulling former national champion Sooners back to 1994 (tulsaworld.com)
Postgame press conference
What they’re saying
Kendall Rogers, D1 Baseball managing editor
Mike Monaco, ESPN play-by-play voice
Eddie Radosevich, SoonerScoop.com
Aaron Fitt, D1 baseball co-editor
🏈 Commits coming soon?
Oklahoma football appears to be closing in on a few highly touted Class of 2023 prospects.
Jacobe Johnson, a 247Sports Composite four-star prospect, drew another Crystal Ball prediction to the Sooners, his second this month from a 247Sports.com recruiting analyst. Johnson is a talented 6-foot-3 athlete from Mustang, Oklahoma.
He holds offers from the likes of Alabama and Michigan, among 15 others. Johnson ranks as a top-100 player nationally and arguably OU’s best instate prospect.
Samuel Omosigho, the 6-foot-1 linebacker from Crandall, Texas, recently picked up a Crystal Ball prediction to commit to Oklahoma as well. The 247Sports composite three-star prospect, holds 26 offers, including the likes of Florida, Auburn and Southern Cal.
💵 Budget approved
The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents approved the proposed $42 million budget to construct OU’s new softball facility, Love’s Field.
A few coaches also received an extension during the meeting last week.
OU women's tennis coach Audra Cohen received a $75,000 raise, increasing her annual base salary to $210,000. Cohen's contract was also extended through 2027.
OU women's gymnastics coach KJ Kindler received a contract extension through 2028.
OU men's gymnastics coach Mark Williams' contract was extended to 2027.
