CWS Championship Preview: A Look at the Rebels’ Opponent, the Oklahoma Sooners
OMAHA — The College World Series Finals… that has a nice ring to it! Ole Miss (40-23) is set to take on Oklahoma (45-22) this evening at 6:00 p.m. in game one of a best-of-three series for a national title.
Here’s a quick preview of the Sooners.
Sooners in the postseason
Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson’s club finished third in the Big 12 this season but won the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
The Sooners clawed their way through the Gainesville Regional (Florida) as the second seed and took two-of-three in the Blacksburg Super Regional (Virginia Tech).
They arrived in Omaha and took care of their business on their side of the bracket, going 3-0 with two wins over Texas A&M and one over Notre Dame. Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 24-11 thus far in the CWS.
Oklahoma at the plate
Offensively, the Sooners are batting .298 as a team through 67 games. They have 73 home runs, compared to the Rebs’ 103.
They are led by redshirt senior outfielder Tanner Tredaway (.379 BA, team-leading 105 hits, 9 HR and 65 RBI), redshirt sophomore shortstop Peyton Graham (.344 BA, 93 hits, 20 HR and 71 RBI) and redshirt sophomore catcher Jimmy Crooks (.311 BA, 75 hits, 9 HR and 51 RBI).
Tanner Tredaway with his second 💣 in just his second at-bat today!
📺 ESPNU#RoadToOmaha x @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/RuW2yb7Nn3
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 12, 2022
The Sooners have three players with 20+ stolen bases this season (Tredaway, Graham, and Pettis) and have notched a total of 145 stolen bags on the season. Ole Miss, who doesn’t steal much, has 33 total stolen bases.
Sooners on the mound
On the mound, Oklahoma has a team ERA of 5.33. The Sooners have thrown 599 strikeouts on the season to just 99 total walks.
Oklahoma’s starter Saturday in game one against Ole Miss will be ace left-hander Jake Bennett (10-3, 1 save) who has an ERA of 3.66 over 110.2 innings with 123 strikeouts and 22 walks.
Jake Bennett is out here just making the big pitches look easy for @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/5e2DhcSCF5
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) June 10, 2022
David Sandlin (9-4) is another name to remember. He has logged 95 innings this season with a 5.59 ERA to go along with 102 strikeouts and 31 walks.
Last but certainly not least, is Trevin Michael (4-1, 10 saves). Michael has pitched 71 innings this season and leads the Sooners in appearance with 31. He has thrown 6.2 innings of scoreless baseball on just four hits, five strikeouts and one walk in Omaha.
Game info:
Ole Miss and OU are set for first pitch in game one at 6:00 p.m. CT today. The matchup will be televised on ESPN.
(Feature image graphic: Nick Filipich, The Rebel Walk)
Nick Filipich
Nick Filipich was born and raised in Biloxi, MS. He is an Ole Miss alum with a degree in Sports and Recreation Administration. A sports junkie with a great passion for all things Ole Miss, Nick played baseball and football in high school — which is where he discovered his love for sports. He is an avid Braves and Saints fan, and in his free time enjoys spending time with family, friends and his black lab, Dixie.
