Can Oklahoma Baseball Make History in its Final Season in the Big 12?
![John Spikerman is greeted after a score as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) play the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) in Bedlam baseball on May 19, 2023 at L Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla. [Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman]](https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/USATSI_20706064-scaled.jpg)
We are less than a month away from the start of the Big 12 Baseball Tournament in Arlington. It seems like just yesterday opening weekend started and yet we are in late April and there are just four weeks left of the regular season.
While the Big 12 baseball season has been complete chaos all year long, it seems like one team has emerged as the favorite above the rest. No, I am not talking TCU or Texas who were picked as the top two teams in the preseason, I am talking about the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Sooners were picked to finish sixth back in January when the preseason poll came out. Nobody and I mean nobody was talking about them at all. One of the big reasons why is that they were coming off a disappointing 2023 campaign where they finished with a 32-28 record and finished seventh in the Big 12. In fact, the 2023 team ended the year with a losing record in conference play (11-13) yet still made the postseason but ended up getting bounced early. That is a pretty big drop off considering they made it all the way to the College World Series championship game the year before.
Forget about 2023, this 2024 Oklahoma team has the chance to do something that hasn’t been done in almost 30 years: Win a Big 12 regular season title. Right now, the Sooners have a 14-4 record in conference play and are at least three games ahead of everyone else. They have completed four sweeps in conference play against teams such as Kansas State, UCF, BYU, and TCU.
Offensive Domination
One of the big reasons behind Oklahoma’s success this season has been their offense. Right now, the Sooners have a team batting average of .317 in conference play which leads the entire Big 12. They also have scored a whopping 166 runs in their 18 conference games which means they are averaging over nine runs per contest.
You can look up almost any offensive stat for Oklahoma and you will find them in the top three. Whether it’s slugging percentage (.527), home runs (30), RBIs (149), or even strikeouts (147), the Sooners have proven themselves to be an elite team at the plate.
It helps when you have multiple guys in your lineup who are consistently putting the ball in play. Oklahoma currently has five players in their lineup who are batting over the .320 mark with Jackson Nicklaus, Easton Carmichael, Michael Snyder, Bryce Madron, and Anthony Mackenzie. That doesn’t even include John Spikerman who is easing his way back in after having hand surgery a month ago. Prior to his injury, Spikerman got off to a hot start this season batting .389. Once he gets back, this offense will be even more dangerous than it is right now.
Along with the spectacular offense, Oklahoma has the third best fielding percentage (.978) in conference play, and they have two starting pitchers that have played a key role for this team on the mound. Braden Davis has proven himself as the ace of this pitching staff, posting a 3.86 ERA in conference play and opposing Big 12 teams are batting just .180 against him. Davis also has the third most strikeouts (45) in conference play as well.
Of course, I can’t forget about Kyle Witherspoon who has posted a 3-0 in his last three starts and has 35 strikeouts in just 28 innings of work. 12 of his 35 strikeouts were strikeouts looking and despite his numbers not being as good as Braden’s, he is still a solid pitcher for the Sooners.
All of these things I just mentioned are reasons why Oklahoma is a contender and not pretender. They are a well-rounded team and that has been hard to find in all of the chaos this conference has seen this season. The Sooners are the highest ranked team (#18) in the Big 12 in D1Baseball’s top 25 poll and with an RPI of 22, they would be a lock to host a regional if the postseason started today.
But before we start talking too much about the postseason, it is important that this team finishes strong. They have four series left against Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Cincinnati. And in this conference, nobody is a pushover.
If the Sooners can continue their hot streak for the next month or so, who knows what could be in store for this team. A Big 12 title? Being a national seed and hosting a regional? Who knows, maybe they will end up in Omaha like they did two years ago and shock the world. All I know is that this team has what it takes to reach all of their goals and make history in their final season in the Big 12.
