Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson is holding out hope, knowing his team may have played its last game of the 2021 season.
The Sooners (27-28, 11-13 Big 12) lost to No. 2 Texas (41-14, 17-7), 4-1, and were eliminated from the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City on Thursday. Redshirt junior first baseman Tyler Hardman went 2-for-4, redshirt freshman third baseman Peyton Graham scored a run and redshirt senior second baseman Conor McKenna added an RBI. Oklahoma’s offense finished with just five total base hits, uncharacteristic for a team that led the conference in hits during the regular season.
“Hope is something you can’t see, but it’s sure to come,” Johnson said. “We finished fifth place in our league, we beat some good baseball teams … and in a regional setting I think we have a chance to hit somebody in the mouth, and I think if we get that opportunity, we will.”
Despite losing two straight games in the conference tournament, the Sooners ended the regular season winning three of their last four conference series. It’s unclear whether that’ll be enough for OU to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament, as the Sooners were just outside of the 64 tournament teams selected in the latest Baseball America projections entering the week.
Early in the first inning, redshirt sophomore Braden Carmichael was dealing as he struck out three batters. Carmichael seemed ready for the elimination game. However, he walked five and gave up two runs before being relieved by redshirt sophomore Wyatt Olds in the third inning.
Olds was a bright spot for the Sooners on the mound in relief, striking out eleven and throwing 46 of his 76 pitches for strikes. He gave up two runs and walked two batters in five total innings of work.
“He was in control of himself,” Johnson said. “His last three or four outings have been like that. He’s been really smooth and in control of himself, not trying to do too much, just making pitches.”
The Sooners battled through a tough year on the diamond with the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries. OU lost former Gatorade Player of the Year freshman pitcher Cade Horton to injury before the season started and played the second half of the season without starting outfielder Tanner Tredaway due to injury.
“They’ve dealt with a lot of things,” Johnson said “They’ve dealt with COVID, they’ve dealt with practice, they’ve dealt with ways to travel that were so unique to any other time we travel. I can remember leaving at 4 a.m. from our baseball field and playing a night game, you just don’t see kids do that in college.”
Oklahoma will now wait and see if its earned a spot in the tournament as the NCAA will announce its tournament teams during its selection show at 12 p.m. CT on Monday, May 31 on ESPN 2.
