Buzz has emerged surrounding OU baseball as it begins its season on Friday at 4 p.m. against Lehigh in Norman.
A year ago, the Sooners capped off their final season in the Big 12 with their first Big 12 regular season title and finished with 23 conference wins – the most in program history.
Now heading into the strongest baseball conference in the country, head coach Skip Johnson will aim to continue to stack on strong seasons as he heads into his eighth year leading the Sooners. Johnson is 229-153 in his tenure, but the last three seasons include three NCAA Tournament appearances, and a trip to the College World Series finals in 2022.
Such momentum has resulted in upgrades to L. Dale Mitchell Park and enhanced fan experience for the 2025 season. A new right field patio has been added, as well as left field student seating, four new loge boxes and two renovated suites.
“You go to some of the SEC schools, it looks like (Lloyd Noble Center) out in the parking lot,” Johnson said at local media availability on February 5. “...It’s really exciting. I think they’ll elevate their game and it’ll help prepare them for the next level.”
Here is everything you need to know about the Sooners as await the 2025 season:
The Pitching
Oklahoma replaces 11 pitchers from a year ago with a revamped and rebuilt pitching staff heading into year one in the SEC.
Leading the returners are expected to be junior right-handed pitchers Kyson and Malachi Witherspoon. Kyson had an 8-3 record in 2024 and led OU with a 3.71 earned run average, while Malachi spent most of last season as the team’s closer – leading the team with five saves while posting a 5.64 earned run average across 22.1 innings.
Kyson was named to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team, and competed alongside Malachi on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and the Cape Cod League in the summer.
“When I sit in that dugout and watch those guys pitch, they’re going to give you effort,” Johnson said. “They’ve just got to go out and be themselves, and themselves are good enough for us.”
Also returning for the Sooners is redshirt freshman right-hander James Nesta, sophomore right-hander Jacob Gholston, senior right-handers Reid Hensley and Dylan Crooks, senior left-hander James Hitt and graduate left-hander Grant Stevens.
Amongst the newcomers, Johnson brought in seven transfers and seven true freshmen on the pitching side.
Sophomore transfers Cameron Johnson and Jason Bodin have SEC experience after transferring from LSU and Texas A&M. Sophomores Gayn Jones and Beau Sampson, as well as juniors Cade Crossland, Dylan Tate and Nate Smithburg will provide depth for the pitching staff.
Rounding out the pitching staff are freshmen Jackson Kircher, Landon Victorian, Jaden Barfield, Michael Catalano, Berkeley Roddy, Mitch Haythorn and Jordan Stribling.
While no roles are guaranteed just yet, Johnson will likely give many opportunities to many pitchers early in the season.
The Lineup
OU only brings back three everyday starters and five players total from last year’s offense.
Junior catcher Easton Carmichael is back after posting a .366 batting average with seven home runs and 64 runs batted in across 61 games a year ago. Carmichael was named to the 2025 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.
After the departure of 10 position players from a year ago, Carmichael has taken on a larger leadership role in the fall, something he looks forward to with his family connections to the program.
“This place is my home,” Carmichael said. “Obviously I want the most success for this program now, and for the future.”
Alongside Carmichael, senior catcher Scott Mulder and sophomore infielder Jaxon Willits round out the returning starters.
Mulder made 40 starts at catcher last season, and sported a .291 batting average with four home runs and 28 runs batted in. Willits hit .268 with 10 home runs and 39 runs batted in across 57 games last season primarily at shortstop.
Other returners include sophomore infielder/outfielder Jason Walk and sophomore outfielder Dasan Harris. Walk and Harris combined to play in 48 games last season, but are expected to be contributors to the offense in 2025.
Seven transfers and six true freshmen come in offensively for the Sooners.
Among the transfers, Christian Hoffman and Trey Gambill will fill in outfield spots, with Mason Hamlin, Dawson Willis and Dayton Tockey expected to fill in holes in the infield. Brandon Cain and Sam Christiansen can play all over the field, giving the Sooners some extra versatility.
“I can talk a lot about him,” Carmichael said about Willis. “He’s been really good and I think he’ll be a good piece in the middle of the order this year.”
Freshmen Kyle Branch, Taylor Tatum, Ryley Leininger, Drew Dickerson, Cole Hansen and Reid Graham all provide depth throughout the group, and could find themselves getting opportunities in the non-conference slate.
The Schedule
Now in a conference featuring the last five national champions, there is plenty of talent coming the Sooners’ way this season.
Before that, the Sooners will open the season with 17 consecutive non-conference games, including a trip to Round Rock, Texas from Feb. 21-23 to take on Minnesota, No. 7 Oregon State and No. 2 Virginia.
There are also midweek games against UT Arlington, No. 20 Dallas Baptist, Louisiana Tech, Oral Roberts, Texas Tech, No. 17 Oklahoma State and Wichita State.
Conference play for the Sooners begins on March 14 against South Carolina in Columbia. OU ends SEC play May 15-17 at L. Dale Mitchell Park against No. 19 Texas.
SEC schools coming to Norman this season include No. 18 Mississippi State (March 21-23), No. 3 LSU (April 3-5), No. 16 Vanderbilt (April 11-13), Mississippi (May 2-4) and No. 19 Texas (May 15-17).
Oklahoma was picked to finish 11th out of 16 teams in the SEC preseason media poll. They avoid having to face four of the top five teams in the SEC – Texas A&M, Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida.
Oklahoma will kick off its season on Friday at 4 p.m. on Friday against Lehigh at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman.
This article was edited by Hannah Bryant and Josh McDaniel.
