OU defeated No. 7 overall seed Alabama 9-0 at Charles Schwab Field to begin the Sooners' first College World Series since 2022.
Despite the Sooners (39-22) being unseeded, they're still one of the hottest teams in the country and continued to show that against the Crimson Tide (42-20). OU has dismantled another ranked team in the NCAA Tournament, with the team now on a six-game winning streak and the team posting the largest shutout in the college world series opener since 2002. This postseason, OU has played six games against ranked opponents, finishing with five wins and one loss and outscoring them 56-27. In 2022, the Sooners also played six postseason games against ranked opponents, resulting in four wins and two losses, in the NCAA Tournament and outscored them just 40-35.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Sooners’ pitching dialed in
Freshman left-handed pitcher Cord Rager dominated on the mound against the Crimson Tide, tying his career-high strikeouts at eight on the day.
"I mean, I'm definitely not the same pitcher I was," Rager noted about his progression since OU's last matchup against Alabama. "It's definitely good that they probably saw the old me, the guy who was still learning during the SEC play. ... I've just really learned so much, especially going into the postseason. And now I'm kind of finding the good mixture and I'm able to keep guys off balance. And I'm not getting ambushed anymore."
Rager has thrown the best he has all season in the postseason as his other eight-strikeout outing came against The Citadel in game one of the Atlanta Regional.
Rager handled most of the work on Saturday, pitching seven innings and allowing just three hits on 88 pitches and claimed his sixth earned win of the season. Junior right-handed pitcher LJ Mercurius appeared in the final two innings and helped the Sooners secure the shutout with two strikeouts and just two hits allowed.
OU’s pitching staff has shifted into another gear since head coach Skip Johnson noted that the Sooners' pitching needed “to continue to try to get better” on May 26. OU has since gone on to strike out 60 batters over the last eight contests in the postseason, which has resulted in a 7-1 record during that span.
"That's what I love about college baseball, and the spirit of it from different schools," Johnson said. "I've never been to a basketball game, March Madness game, but our conference is like a football atmosphere in a baseball arena. And I think that's the thing, you play with passion."
Scoring avalanche continues
Just as the pitching has shifted into another gear, the Sooners’ bats have continued to heat up at a similar rate.
Saturday marks the sixth straight, and seventh overall, game this postseason that OU has posted eight or more runs, with its only low-scoring affair coming in its lone postseason loss to No. 2 Georgia Tech where the Sooners fell 9-3 in game two of regionals.
The Sooners are averaging 9.88 runs per game this postseason and are led by senior infielder Dayton Tockey who has hit five home runs this postseason, followed closely by junior catcher Deiten Lachance, who crushed his fourth home run of the postseason against Alabama.
The only scare OU experienced against the Crimson Tide was when Lachance rolled his left ankle while running the bases in the first inning. But if OU’s gritty and explosive postseason run could be personified, it would be Lachance, as he went on to hit a home run in the sixth inning and tallied two hits and two runs batted in on the day.
"I tripped at second early in the game. My ankle is fine. ... I'll be fine to keep playing," Lachance said. "I'm an aggressive hitter. If you give me something to hit, I'm going to hit it out or at least hit it hard. ... I'm just trying to help the team win."
Tough slate still ahead of OU
While the Sooners have been rolling and made it through the opener unscathed, the path to the championship series still features opponents that OU has struggled to beat over the last two seasons in the Southeastern Conference.
Both No. 3 Georgia (51-12) and No. 6 Texas (45-13) are teams that the Sooners could match up with moving forward and topping the two powerhouses has proved to be anything but easy during OU’s last two SEC campaigns. OU is just 2-2 against Georgia, as they did not face the Bulldogs in 2026 and 1-5 against Texas since the two programs made the jump from the Big 12 two years ago.
Next, the Sooners face the winner between Georgia and Texas at 6 p.m. Monday in Omaha on ESPN.
Here are live updates:
Sooners tack on more in 8th
Highlight: OU picks up a run as junior infielder Jaxon Willits lines a one-out run-batted-in single. Brendan Brock adds another on a two-out run batted in, bringing in junior catcher Deiten Lachance. Junior catcher Dasan Harris hits a two-out, two-run single to right field.
Score: OU 9-0 Alabama
Inning: Top of eighth
Deiten Lachance home run in 6th
Highlight: Lachance blasts a two-run home run. He turned his ankle earlier in the game and kept playing while limping around but still showed his power at the plate.
Score: OU 5-0 Alabama
Inning: Top of sixth
OU increases lead
Highlight: Sooners score another run with junior outfielder Jason Walk crossing home plate. He walks, steals second and goes to third on a junior infielder Camden Johnson single and then scores on a double play ball.
Score: OU 3-0 Alabama
Inning: Top of third
Cord Rager shuts out Alabama in 1st inning
Freshman pitcher Cord Rager records two strikeouts and prevents the Crimson Tide from scoring a run in the first inning.
OU takes early 2-0 lead
Highlight: Senior outfielder Trey Gambill two-run double, bringing home Lachance and Willits.
Score: OU 2-0 Alabama
Inning: Top of first
Read the Daily's stories on OU's pitching and hitting heading into the College World Series:
OU head baseball coach Skip Johnson is known to be a pitching guru.
As OU prepares to take the stage in Omaha, its path to the College World Series has been dri…
