As the fireworks erupted over L. Dale Mitchell Park on Friday night, fans applauded Oklahoma baseball's 13-0 win against West Virginia.
But the celebration meant just a bit more for the Sooners.
After turning to nine different arms in Tuesday’s loss to Dallas Baptist, Oklahoma would only need two to get the job done on Friday. Juniors Braden Davis and Reid Hensley pitched the first combined no-hitter for OU in 19 years, shutting out the Mountaineers and remaining undefeated in conference play.
Davis and Hensley’s feat was the first since OU faced Arkansas Pine-Bluff on March 9, 2005 when six Sooners combined efforts to shut out the Golden Lions.
“It was fun,” Davis said. “All my pitches felt good. Everything was just rolling.”
Oklahoma’s offense boosted Davis’ confidence as it relieved any pressure he felt with a five-run inning in the third.
“There’s definitely a lot more confidence,” Davis said. “Even just the one run in the first inning and being able to score first, that kind of got things rolling.”
The Sooners defense played well behind Davis, and a crucial play from freshman infielder Isaiah Lane preserved Friday night’s no-hitter. As Davis entered the fifth inning, he continued to deliver eight straight strikeouts to close out his time on the mound.
SCARY HOURS 1️⃣3️⃣@bradenmdavis22 up to 6 K through five 👀M5 | OU 9, WVU 0 // 📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/ocURpZAkbk
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 23, 2024
“I think it was about the fourth inning,” Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said when asked about when he realized Davis had found his groove. “He threw a fastball in to a right-handed hitter … he came off the mound and I was like ‘that’s it man. You just gotta execute the pitch. You can’t make them swing and miss.
The only thing you can do is throw the ball at the target.’ And he did that the rest of the night, which was really good.”
In 2020, Dane Acker pitched a solo no-hitter against Louisiana State, and though Davis was just two innings away from potentially accomplishing the same, Johnson wanted to preserve his arm for the remainder of the season.
Davis, who primarily appeared as a reliever for Sam Houston State last season, finished the night with 12 total strikeouts and just two walks before Hensley entered the game to close it out. He had three strikeouts of his own, as the pair pitched their first career no-hitters.
“Honestly, I had no clue, which was really good,” Hensley said about his entrance into Friday’s no-hitter. “I went in like it was just another game, just keep executing pitches. Then at the end they told me it was a no-hitter and I was like ‘alright, that’s pretty cool.’”
OU’s offense has gotten off to a strong start in conference play with a combined 65 total runs against their Big 12 opponents. However, while the Sooners were dominating on the mound, the same could not be said for their conference opponent, whose starting pitcher eventually exited due to injury, according to Johnson.
The Sooners took advantage of the Mountaineers altered pitching rotation, and the batting lineup would continue to take the pressure off of Davis and Hensley. The offensive effort was led by redshirt seniors Michael Snyder and Kendall Pettis, who recorded a combined seven RBI’s and a pair of doubles.
Score early ☑️@_michaelsnyder_ rips the RBI double to left and the #Sooners are on the boardE1 | OU 1, WVU 0 // 📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/BHCWieVVRf
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 23, 2024
Sophomore Easton Carmichael drew three walks and scored four runs and junior Jackson Nicklaus went 2 for 3 with a pair of runs and walks to cap off OU’s almost flawless night.
“When you score runs like that, it always helps the pitcher,” Johnson said. “He didn’t really have to feel like he’s gotta be perfect. When you don’t feel like you gotta be perfect and just execute pitches, I think that’s a big difference.”
Next, No. 17 Oklahoma (14-7, 7-0 Big 12) continues its home series against West Virginia (12-10, 2-2) in a double header beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman on ESPN+.
This story was edited by Gracie Rawlings.
