Oklahoma kicks-off its 2022 season against Auburn at 11 a.m on Feb. 18 in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
The Sooners wrapped the 2021 season with a 27-28 overall record, going 11-13 in Big 12 play. They bowed out of the Big 12 tournament following consecutive losses to Oklahoma State and Texas and didn’t make the NCAA tournament.
To preview the 2022 slate, head coach Skip Johnson, left-handed pitcher Jake Bennett and infielder Peyton Graham met with reporters on Friday afternoon. Here are five things to know ahead of the Sooners’ spring startup:
Graham sliding to shortstop, Horton returns at third
With longtime OU starting shortstop Brandon Zaragoza now playing for the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the American Association of Professional Baseball, Graham is making the move from third base back to his natural position at shortstop this season.
In two years at third base, Graham boasted a .923 fielding percentage and produced 44 putouts. In 2021, the now-redshirt sophomore led the Sooners in stolen bases with seven while batting .288 and smacking 62 hits and 11 home runs.
“I played here at shortstop pretty much my whole life until I got here, then they moved me to third base” Graham said. “Third base was a harder transition than going back to shortstop.”
Graham has received plenty of attention throughout the preseason, being selected to Baseball America’s preseason All-American team and the preseason All-Big 12 team within the last month.
“Early spring (Graham) didn’t play as well, but the last two weeks he’s really played really well,” Johnson said. “I think if Peyton goes out and focuses on his team and what he can do to help his team win the baseball game, then all those individual accolades will take care of themselves.”
Graham also has help in the infield, with redshirt freshman Norman native Cade Horton coming back from an arm injury that required Tommy John Surgery last season and now playing third base.
Johnson said Horton, who he dubbed one of the best freshman pitchers he has ever seen before his injury, will be slightly slower in returning to the mound as his arm returns to full strength.
Overall, the versatility within the infield will be a strength for the Sooners.
“I think we’re going to be pretty solid,” Graham said. “I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can play every position in the infield.”
Throwing strikes, Bennett looking ace-like, Godman to close
The Sooners struggled on the mound last season, finishing 2021 with a 5.84 ERA and giving up 242 walks. They gave up 353 runs and 473 hits in 482.1 innings pitched. Following the subpar performance last spring, Johnson explained what he’s looking for from his rotation and bullpen in 2022.
“Throwing strikes is a key, and we didn’t do a good job at doing it.,” Johnson said. “There were times when we were brilliant, and there were times when, quite frankly, we were horrible.”
After getting extra work last summer in the Cape Cod league, Bennett feels increasingly confident entering his third season at Norman. In the 2021 summer season, Bennett garnered a 3.00 ERA and struck out 32 opponents in 33 innings pitched.
“Cape Cod was great, there was a lot of good competition,” Bennett said. “I feel like I really learned about myself a lot as a pitcher. One area that I really wanted to improve on was fielding my position.”
Following a promising start to the 2020 collegiate season where Bennett was 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA, the 2021 season did not go as planned. He amassed a 6.34 ERA and gave up 68 hits and seven home runs to finish the season with a 4-3 record. Now he has an opportunity to prove his performance in 2020 was not a fluke.
“Get a picture of him in high school, his delivery in high school and kinda take it from where he started in high school to when he got to the University of Oklahoma and what he’s done in the past years… that's when I’m talking about culture and development,” Johnson said.
“There’s not a lot of people that take plans and stick by a plan. He’s gotten better every year that he's been here. I'm so excited to see that growth in him. How much better that young man has gotten in our program shows you what we’ve done since we’ve been here.”
After going up against Bennett in spring scrimmages, Graham has also noticed his fellow redshirt sophomore teammate’s improvement.
“Him pitching, it's unbelievable, especially this year,” Graham said. “He’s throwing way harder than he did the previous years and his stuff’s good."
As the presumed Friday night starter for the Sooners, the former freshman all-american from Bixby has the chance to set the tone for the rest of the pitching staff.
“We’ve got a ton of depth, everybody has been looking really solid,” Bennett said. “If we can just stick to our plan of going one pitch at a time, we’re gonna do something special.”
In addition to his praise for Bennett, Johnson said Godman will be getting the nod as the Sooners’ closer to begin the season. Last season, Godman made 19 relief appearances and started one game, compiling a 6.49 ERA with a 1-2 record.
Godman replaces former Sooners right-hander Jason Ruffcorn, who held the closer job for three seasons before being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021.
“I think Godman is a guy that does the three things that I think a closer should be able to do,” Johnson said. “One you throw strikes, two he can hold runners and three he can field his position.”
New culture flowing through dugout
The COVID-19 pandemic halted the Sooners’ normal routine last season, as they were only allowed to practice in small groups. This spring marks the first time in two years that the team is back to working together as a whole.
Prior to the cancellation of the 2020 season, the Sooners had amassed a 14-4 record and were ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation. The team batted a combined .279 in those 18 games, good for third in the Big 12.
“My freshman year we had a really great team, and it feels kind of like that (again now),” Bennett said. “Everyone’s on the same page, and the team chemistry has been phenomenal…
"Last year I felt like it was kinda divided a little bit. You had a few cliques here and there, but this year everyone is meshed so well and everyone just gets along really great.”
Johnson said that when a team is player fed instead of coach fed, it’s beneficial, and that attitude has prevailed throughout spring practice. He felt adamant about the genuine culture established prior to the pandemic, and says the Sooners have been working to reestablish that potential.
“That’s a thing our kids really have taken ownership in,” Johnson said. “For example, I look out there the other day, and Jake Bennett’s got (freshman pitcher Aaron Calhoun) doing arm exercises…We had (redshirt junior pitcher Jaret Godman) baptize (redshirt junior pitcher Griffin Miller.) That says enough about culture.”
Willits emphasizing details in return to alma mater
Former Yankees first-base coach Reggie Willits was announced to the Sooners’ 2022 coaching staff as a volunteer assistant on Oct. 21, bringing him back to his alma mater.
Born and raised in Chickasha, Willits played in the outfield for OU from 2002-03. After a six year stint playing with the Los Angeles Angels, he made the transition to coaching, winning two state baseball championships atBinger-Oney High School in Binger.
From 2015-17, Willits was the Yankees’ minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator. He then served as the Yankees first-base coach from 2018-21, before making the transition back to Norman.
“I think he adds a lot from the detail side of it, and he’s really a stickler on details," Johnson said. "He’s been a breath of fresh air. I think that things are going to help with the offense, baserunning and the outfield.”
Opening weekend sets tone for Sooners
After opening against Auburn at the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field, OU will also face Michigan and Arizona. The Wildcats are coming off a College World Series berth last season, while the Wolverines were the national runner-up back in 2019. Opening weekend gives the Sooners a chance to prove themselves against well-established competition.
“It’s going to be a fun environment,” Johnson said. “It's going to be a great opportunity for our team to get out and it's going to be a good barometer to see where we’re at.
“That environment is where we’re going to really tell, if it speeds them up, are they comfortable in that environment… We try to practice game-like, but you can never exactly get it right.”
Oklahoma played two games at Globe Life Field last season, losing 5-9 to Stephen A. Austin and defeating UT Arlington 7-1.
“It’s always fun to play in those nice stadiums, especially when you play some good competition,” Graham said. “It's going to be really fun to get out there and play.”
