Following the 2021 season, a slew of Oklahoma baseball players flooded the NCAA Transfer Portal. A dozen Sooners left the program in search of greener pastures, in addition to 10 OU players who either exhausted their eligibility or entered the MLB Draft.
Despite the roster turnover, Oklahoma has had its best season in years. With a noticeably younger roster, the Sooners have already surpassed their 2021 win total and are in line to make the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2018.
However, the team is not entirely young. Senior outfielder Tanner Tredaway has served as a veteran leader while simultaneously having a career season.
Tredaway’s path to Oklahoma from Seminole State College was familiar to his family. His father, Chad, nearly took the opposite route, committing to Seminole after the OU coaching staff was fired before he could arrive on campus. Chad then spent eight years in the minor leagues after playing at Seminole State. But for Tanner, from the moment he arrived in Norman, he knew he was where he wanted to be.
“I've put everything into this program and so I'm just very grateful to be here,” Tredaway said. “Coming from a junior college that literally held maybe 10 fans and now we’ve got like 2,500-3,000 fans, so … I remember when I first got here it was like walking into heaven.”
Redshirt senior infielder/outfielder Tanner Tredaway during the game against Baylor on March 27.
The baseball bloodline runs deep in the Tredaway family. Years ago, Tredaway’s grandfather, Reggie, mentored OU coach Skip Johnson when Johnson played at UT-Pan American (now UT-Rio Grande Valley). Now, Johnson is returning the favor.
“I know what he puts in, the hard work and the passion that he has for baseball,” Johnson said. “It's been fun to watch and be around. It's like talking to your own son at times.”
Tredaway’s hard work has led to a breakout season. He’s hitting .342 with 43 RBIs and 18 stolen bases, all career-highs, with seven games to play before the Big 12 Championship.
For just the second time at OU, the Justin, Texas, native has been able to play an entire season. The Sooners played 18 games in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, and he missed the final month of the 2021 season with an injury.
Tredaway expressed gratitude for his health and the ability to play with a roster that he believes is as bought in as he is.
“I think a big part of last year's team compared to this year's team is there were too many guys that were … on their own program,” Tredaway said. “(They were) thinking about themselves and their own futures, which is not a bad thing to do, but for what we're trying to achieve and be a successful baseball team, it wasn't the right mindset to have.
“We just had too many of those guys and this year, it's practically a new team. We were able to start fresh with what Skip and this coaching staff are trying to start with their culture. And so the guys that we're after, that stayed are the guys that were bought in, all ready to go and stuff, and the guys that we got rid of were the guys that weren't,” Tredaway said.
Redshirt senior infielder/outfielder Tanner Tredaway during the game against New Orleans on March 19.
Guided by a healthy Tredaway and a re-invented roster, the Sooners head into their final home series against West Virginia striving for an opportunity to host an NCAA Regional.
“As far as this weekend, I'm very excited, just being a senior and everything. It's my last time playing here. So it means a whole lot to me,” Tredaway said. “I'm looking forward to finishing that out and we’ve put ourselves in a really good position to make the tournament.
“And I feel like if we really show up these next couple of weekends we can put ourselves in a better position. I mean, I don't know as far as maybe hosting something, but that would be pretty cool,” Tredaway said.
