Baseball Back on Road for Las Vegas Classic

Oklahoma

Las Vegas College Baseball Classic

March 1-3 / Las Vegas, Nev. / Las Vegas Ballpark

D1Baseball / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

FIRST PITCH

• The Sooners return to the diamond this weekend in Las Vegas for the inaugural Las Vegas College Baseball Classic at Las Vegas Ballpark. Oklahoma matches up against Pittsburgh (Fri., 4 p.m. CT), California (Sat., 6 p.m.) and Ohio State (Sun., 1 p.m.).

• The weekend action can be seen via subscription on D1Baseball.com and heard locally in Oklahoma on SportsTalk 1400 AM/99.3 FM or nationwide on The Varsity app. Live stats can be found at OUStats.com.

• Mike Ferrin and Mike Rooney will be on the D1Baseball call, while Josh Helmer will call the action on OU's radio affiliate, KREF.

• For those making the trip to Vegas, tickets and more information can be accessed via LasVegasBaseballClassic.com.

LEADING OFF

• The Sooners have opened the season with a 5-3 record, highlighted by a top-10 win over then-No. 9 Tennessee, a walk-off victory over former conference foe Nebraska and a series win over Wright State on home-opening weekend last week at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman.

• Oklahoma is in its seventh season under the direction of head coach Skip Johnson (including the 2020 season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Johnson, who spent the 2017 season on staff as an assistant coach, has led the Sooners to a 194-135 record, three NCAA Tournament appearances, the 2022 Big 12 tournament championship and the 2022 College World Series finals since taking over as head coach prior to the 2018 season.

• The Sooners returned 13 letterwinners from the 2023 squad and brought in 26 newcomers for the 2024 season.

• Oklahoma finished the 2023 season by making its 40th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, playing in the NCAA Charlottesville Regional.

• The Sooners ended the 2023 season with a 32-28 record and an 11-13 mark in Big 12 Conference play.
Lead, Spikerman WSU

SERIES HISTORY

• Pittsburgh: Friday's matchup will be the first in program history vs. the Panthers.

• Cal: The Sooners lead the overall series vs. the Golden Bears, 4-1. The teams last met in 2011 in San Diego, a 5-3 Sooners win. The other four meetings spanned from 1990 to 2009 with all four games in Norman.

• Ohio State: The all-time series with the Buckeyes goes all the way back to 1951 when the Sooners defeated the Bucks en route to the program's first national title. OU leads the matchup history, 3-2 with the most recent meeting going to OSU, 12-9, last season in Frisco, Texas.

RECAPPING THE START TO THE SEASON

• After dropping the season opener to Oregon, the Sooners bounced back in a big way with a pair of wins vs. No. 9 Tennessee and Nebraska in dramatic fashion at the Shriners Children's College Classic at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

• Opening the home slate last weekend vs. Wright State, the Sooners came sprinting out of the gates on offense, putting up a combined 46 runs on the weekend, highlighted by a 20-0 home-opening day win on Friday.

• On the season, the Sooners are batting .343 as a team, paced by junior John Spikerman's .517 average. Graduate transfer Michael Snyder leads the team with 10 RBIs, while Snyder and junior Jackson Nicklaus have each homered twice in the early season to lead OU.

• On the mound, the Oklahoma pitching staff has been exceptional with 92 strikeouts to 37 walks. Their strikeout number ranks in the top 10 in the country heading into the Vegas weekend.

~ARM~AGEDDON

• Oklahoma's pitching staff is off to a hot start with 92 strikeouts and a 4.75 team ERA, surrendering 38 runs and 37 walks. Opponents are batting .253 against the OU arms.

• The pitching staff has recorded double-digit strikeouts in five of OU's first eight games with a season-high 15 twice (vs. Tennessee, vs. Wright State [Fri.]).

• The Sooners have had 17 pitchers make appearances so far in 2024, with six registering seven-or-more strikeouts, led by junior LHP Braden Davis' 15 and senior LHP James Hitt's 13. Davis also leads the bunch with a 0.82 ERA in 11.0 innings, surrendering just one earned run and three walks in his two appearances, combining on one shutout.

• Head coach and pitching coach Skip Johnson and the Sooners have 22 pitchers on the roster in 2024.

LED BY THE VETS

• Veteran leadership in the field highlights the 2024 Oklahoma squad, paced by redshirt seniors Kendall Pettis and Michael Snyder, senior Anthony Mackenzie and juniors Jackson Nicklaus and John Spikerman.

• The five combine for 719 career games played and 662 starts. Production at the plate includes a combined 65 home runs, 119 doubles and 384 RBIs.

MADRON RECEIVES PRESEASON HONORS

• Senior outfielder Bryce Madron was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 baseball team

• Madron, who earned honorable mention All-Big 12 last season, played in all 60 games and batted .320 with team highs of 12 home runs, 15 doubles, 51 RBIs, 58 runs scored and 61 walks. The former junior college transfer also led the squad with his .580 slugging percentage and .476 on-base percentage. He added three triples and 16 stolen bases while notching 70 hits.

• The Blanchard, Okla., product paced the Sooners with 21 multiple-hit games and registered multiple RBIs in 10 contests. In his last 40 games of the 2023 campaign, Madron hit .379 while recording 58 hits, 43 RBIs, 10 home runs, 12 doubles and 41 runs. He ended the season by reaching base in 20 consecutive contests.

#CHAOUS

• The Sooners registered 114 stolen bases in 148 attempts (77%) last season. In 2022, OU registered 145 steals, the most by an Oklahoma club since 1989 (168 steals). 2023 marked the first time since the 1985 through '89 seasons OU has totaled at least 100 steals in consecutive campaigns.

• John Spikerman and Anthony Mackenzie led OU and ranked in the top 10 in the Big 12 with their 27 and 21 steals, respectively. Kendall Pettis (17 steals) and Bryce Madron (15 steals) also had double-digit bags. Twelve players stole at least one base last season, five players had at least nine steals and nine players notched at least four stolen bases.

• On 12 occasions, an OU player stole at least two bases in a game. Oklahoma registered a season-high eight steals against Rider on Feb. 25 and stole at least three bases in 17 games last season.

• OU's recent mantra '#CHAOUS' is not only about just stealing bases, but also about being aggressive on offense and putting pressure on the defense. While Oklahoma ranked 19th nationally in steals (114) and 26th in steals per game (1.9), it also ranked 11th nationally in walks (350) and batters have been hit by a pitch 74 times. The Sooners also have 24 sacrifice bunts and 39 sacrifice flies (which ranked T6th in the country). OU opponents committed 65 errors (.971 fielding percentage).

ROSTER OUTLOOK

• The Sooners return plenty of production, including key pieces in Jackson Nicklaus (INF, Jr.), Kendall Pettis (OF, R-Sr.) and John Spikerman (OF, Jr.) that were a part of the team's 2022 CWS run, along with 2023 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention outfielder Bryce Madron.

• In addition to the veteran leadership, Oklahoma returns Anthony Mackenzie (INF, Sr.) Easton Carmichael (C, So.), Rocco Garza-Gongora (INF/OF, So.) and Patrick Engskov (IF, So.) who all have starting experience from a season ago.

• HC Skip Johnson and staff hit the portal hard this offseason to add a plethora of talent across the field and in the bullpen for 2024.

• There is significant buzz around true freshman Jaxon Willits, son of assistant coach and OU alum Reggie Willits, who looks to bring power at the plate and take over at shortstop for the Sooners following the departure of Dakota Harris to the MLB Draft in 2023.

• Big-hitter transfers in 6-4, 227 pound Carter Frederick (Snead State College) and fifth-year senior Michael Snyder (Washington) are primed to add more power numbers to the Sooners already dynamic lineup.

• OU's starting rotation will feature plenty of fresh faces in 2024 as the only returning weekend starter from a season ago is senior LHP James Hitt. Transfer lefty from Sam Houston State, Braden Davis, got the opening day nod prior to transfer righty Brendan Girton from Texas Tech getting the ball on Saturday.

• Plenty other names will look to rise to the occasion including JUCO second-year right-handed senior Will Carsten, true freshman righty Jacob Gholston, a pair of Wichita State transfers in LHP Jace Miner and RHP Austin Henry, as well as transfer sophomore twins from NW Florida State College, Kyson and Malachi Witherspoon.

• Left-hander Carter Campbell returns to lead the bullpen arms, as well as Carson Atwood and Jett Lodes, among others.

L. DALE MITCHELL PARK EXPANSION PROJECT

• The Oklahoma baseball facility enhancement project will transform the look of the ballpark from both the interior bowl and the exterior of the stadium. New locker rooms, training areas, coaches offices and team meeting areas combined with chairback seating, terraced berms and additional awnings and concourses will provide a first-class facility for fans and student-athletes. In addition, a new, state-of-the-art performance and player development center will be added. A new entry to the team areas will include a Champions Lobby, displaying the success and tradition of the Oklahoma baseball program.

• More than 35,000 in square-foot-space of new areas benefiting student-athlete performance and recovery including a robust medical services area, weight room and sports science to centralize student-athlete training at the baseball field.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma baseball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Baseball) and like Oklahoma Baseball on Facebook.