No. 18 Sooners Host Wichita State Tuesday

Oklahoma

Wichita State

April 23 / Norman / L. Dale Mitchell Park

FIRST PITCH

• No. 18 OU returns home to L. Dale Mitchell Park for a four-game homestand this week starting Tuesday with Wichita State (21-20, 7-8 AAC) at 6:30 p.m. CT.

• The game can be watched via SoonerVision on ESPN+ and heard locally in Oklahoma on SportsTalk 1400 AM/99.3 FM or nationwide on The Varsity app. Chad McKee and Rich Hills will be on the ESPN+ call while Toby Rowland will call the action on OU's radio network. Live stats can be found at OUStats.com.

• The Sooners enter the game on a seven-game win streak, with a 24-14 record and 14-4 record in conference play, sitting atop the Big 12 standings by three games.

LEADING OFF

• Nearing the end of the regular season, the Sooners hold a 24-14 record, highlighted by a top-10 win over then-No. 9 Tennessee, four ranked victories and four Big 12 sweeps for the first time in program history.

• The Sooners started 6-0 in Big 12 play, good for the best start in conference play since 2018, and currently hold a 14-4 record in Big 12 play, good for first place in the conference standings. OU's four sweeps on the year marks the first time in program history that OU has swept four series in a season since the Big 12's inception in 1996.

• 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 213-146 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.
Lead, Davis at BYU

FOR THE FANS

• Tuesday's matchup is another Two's Day, as is every Tuesday throughout the season, where fans can get $2 beer, soda, popcorn and hot dogs.

THE NUMBERS

• The Sooners are batting .311 as a team, good for second in the Big 12, paced by junior Jackson Nicklaus' .378 clip, who also leads the team and Big 12 with his .511 on-base clip.

• Graduate transfer Michael Snyder leads the team with 45 RBIs and 17 doubles while senior Bryce Madron has a team-best nine home runs and 32 walks, also leads the team and Big 12 with 52 runs scored. Sophomore Easton Carmichael paces OU with 55 hits, good for fourth in the conference.

• 11 Sooners have homered for a total of 49 team blasts, led by Madron's nine, while eight other Sooners have three or more.

• 10 Sooners have brought in at least 10 runs, with nine plating at least 20 runs.

• On the mound, the Oklahoma pitching staff has a 5.37 team ERA with 379 strikeouts to 180 walks.

• Junior LHP transfer Braden Davis has been consistent in his Friday night role with 10 starts as a Sooner, leading OU with 67 strikeouts in 52.0 innings pitched.

• Sophomore righty transfer Kyson Witherspoon (5 GS) paces the starting pitchers with a 3.72 ERA in 46.0 IP to go with 53 strikeouts, while grad transfer and new Sunday starter Grant Stevens has 36 strikeouts in 34.1 innings pitched.

• Graduate transfer LHP Grant Stevens leads OU with five wins (5-0 record), good for third in the conference.

• The pitching staff has recorded double-digit strikeouts in 20 of OU's 38 games with a season-high 15 four times (vs. Tennessee [2/17], vs. Wright State [2/24], vs. West Virginia [3/22], at BYU [4/18]).

• The Sooner arms have thrown three shutouts in 38 games played in 2024, already surpassing last season's total of two in 60 games. The three shutouts rank fourth in the Big 12 and 26th nationally.

• The Sooners have had 18 pitchers make appearances so far in 2024, with 13 registering 10-or-more strikeouts and eight surpassing the 20 K mark, led by junior LHP Braden Davis' 67 and sophomore RHP Kyson Witherspoon's 53.

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

MORE NOTES & NUGGETS

• Kendall Pettis currently sits 10th on the the program top-10 list with 54 career stolen bases. Coincidentally, Pettis is tied with OU associate head coach Reggie Willits' career mark of 54 for 10th in program history, and one SB ahead of OU assistant coach Todd Butler who had 53 in his two seasons at OU from 1987-88 (including a program record 46 in '87).

• Senior Bryce Madron has drawn 93 career walks as a Sooner in just two seasons in Norman. His 93 BB currently ranks inside the top 20 in program history and is just 12 shy of the top 10. Madron's 61 walks drawn in 2023 ranked fourth in program single-season history.

• Redshirt senior LHP Carter Campbell is currently tied for fifth in program history with 80 career appearances. Fellow senior Carson Atwood has 76 career appearances, good for 10th in school annals.

• Junior Jackson Nicklaus has hit 24 career home runs in his three years as a Sooner to rank 19th in program history. Nicklaus is just six shy of cracking the program top-10 list.

• 6-4, 226-pound redshirt senior Michael Snyder has stolen six bases on six attempts in 2024 after not registering a stolen base in four seasons at the University of Washington, a testament to OU and associate head coach Reggie Willits' 'CHAOUS' brand of baseball, creating havoc on the base paths.

• Five Sooners hold double digit multi-hit games on the season, led by sophomore Easton Carmichael's 19 games with multiple knocks. Anthony Mackenzie is close behind with 15. Nicklaus holds OU's single-game high of four hits (vs. Lamar, 3/28). Eight Sooners have multi-RBI performances, paced by Snyder's 13. Bryce Madron holds the single-game season high with 7 RBI vs. BYU (4/20), the most by a Sooner since 2010.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT

• The Sooners meet the Shockers for the third and final time this season on Tuesday night, having already won the season series over WSU, two games to none.

• OU beat Wichita State 5-3 on March 5 in Norman before an 11-2 win in Wichita on April 2.

• The Shockers enter the contest at 21-20 and 7-8 in American Conference play, recently getting swept at No. 9 East Carolina.

• Senior OF Dayton Johnson paces WSU in batting with a .325 average, while junior Derek Williams leads the team with 10 HR. On the mound, starting LHP freshman Tyler Dobbs paces the Shockers with a 3.57 ERA. Senior LHP Caden Favors out of Midwest City, Okla., leads the team with 78 strikeouts in 67.2 IP.

LAST TIME OUT

• Oklahoma completed a three-game sweep of BYU in Provo last weekend, putting itself in sole possession of No. 1 in the Big 12 standings at 14-4 in conference play.

• With the three-game takedown, the Sooners have swept four Big 12 opponents for the first time in program history.

• Senior OF Bryce Madron led the team with a three-homer weekend, batting .538 with four doubles and nine RBI.

• Starting LHP Braden Davis struck out 11 in Thursday's Game 1 win to lead the OU arms on the weekend.

MADRON COLLECTS MORE WEEKLY HONORS

• Oklahoma senior Bryce Madron was named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week after an explosive weekend at the plate in OU's three-game sweep of BYU. The conference announced the weekly honors Monday. Madron shared the award with Texas Tech's Austin Green.

• On the weekend, Madron hit .538 (7-for-13) with three home runs, four doubles, nine runs batted in and seven runs scored. The right fielder had a pair of three-hit performances, slugged 1.538 on the weekend and capped the sweep with a two-homer, one double, seven RBI day on Saturday, with the home runs coming in consecutive plate appearances.

• Saturday marked his first game with back-to-back homers and second career multi-home run game. His seven RBI were the most for a Sooner since 2010 as the 2023 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention helped OU to its fourth sweep in 2024, good for the most Big 12 sweeps in a season in program history. The senior outfielder was also exceptional in right field, making a pair of diving catches to maintain OU leads in Games 2 and 3.

• The honor is Madron's second Player of the Week accolade of the season (3/18), marking the first time a Sooner has won two conference POTW awards in one season since Kolbey Carpenter collected three in 2015.

• In Big 12 play, Madron ranks first in the conference in runs scored (26), second in doubles (8) and fourth in RBIs (21).

UP NEXT

• OU continues its home stand at L. Dale Mitchell Park with the Red River Rivalry series coming to Norman, April 26-28. First pitches are set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (all CT).

• For the Fans: Friday will be OU's annual 'Go Mitch Go' game in support of avid OU baseball fan Mitchell Whitaker's fight against Leukemia. Friday will also feature Happy Hour from 4:30 p.m. to first pitch with $4 16oz beer, a cowboy boot beer stein giveaway for students and postgame fireworks. Saturday is a CRIMSON OUT, encouraging fans to wear crimson and pregame will feature photo opportunities with the CWS trophy and Sooner Schooner. Sunday is Sunday Fun Day as is every Sunday home game, featuring postgame autographs and kids can run the bases

• OU-Texas will also serve as alumni weekend with numerous former Sooners set to attend the showdown. Single game tickets and group deals can be purchased via SoonerSports.com/tickets.

LED BY THE VETS

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

• The six combine for 944 career games played and 885 starts. Production at the plate includes a combined 102 home runs, 178 doubles and 568 RBIs.

RANKINGS CHATTER

• The Sooners made their season debut in the polls the week of March 18, earning spots in all five major polls. OU made its return to the ranks in a big way this week (April 22), leaping back into all five polls at: No. 16 (Baseball America), No. 18 (D1 Baseball/USA Today Coaches), No. 20 (NCBWA) and No. 25 (Perfect Game USA)

• The Sooners are 4-1 in ranked contests this season, all four wins being against top-15 opponents.

• Oklahoma holds the No. 10 strength of schedule in the nation, having been as high as No. 1 for a number of weeks.

• OU ranks 22nd in the latest NCAA RPI, having been as high as third this season.

• OU is an undefeated 5-0 in games vs. 2023 Men's College World Series participants, beating No. 9 Tennessee, a three-game sweep of No. 12 TCU and a run-rule win over Oral Roberts.

RECAPPING 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 season-opening Shriners Children's College Classic at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

• Opening the home slate 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.

• The Sooners opened Big 12 play in dominant fashion, sweeping a UCF team that came to Norman at 9-1 and fresh off a win at No. 4 Florida.

• Oklahoma stayed unbeaten in conference play with an impressive three-game sweep of No. 12 TCU in Fort Worth. It marked OU's first sweep of TCU at Lupton Stadium and first sweep over the Horned Frogs since 2013.

• OU dropped home series' to West Virginia and Lamar and was narrowly edged by OSU in Stillwater but have rebounded with a seven-game win streak, including back-to-back Big 12 sweeps of Kansas State in Norman and BYU in Provo.

• Fans have tuned in and showed out for the trending Sooners, with attendance records being set at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman. On home-opening weekend, the fan base set records for: largest opening day attendance, largest student attendance and largest opening series attendance.

• 4,177 fans attended the midweek Bedlam matchup on March 12, ranking second all-time in program single game attendance.

• On April 13 vs. Kansas State, 4,011 fans showed up for OU's win, ranking third all-time in program single game attendance.

THE SKIPPER SURPASSES 200 WINS AT OU

• OU head coach Skip Johnson collected his 200th career victory at Oklahoma on March 15 with OU's 7-3 win at No. 12 TCU.

• Oklahoma is in its seventh season under the direction 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 213-146 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.

• Johnson holds 627 career wins as a head coach, earning 414 at Navarro (TX) College before making the jump to Division I baseball where he's won 213 at OU.

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 more information and to donate to the L. Dale Mitchell project, visit The Sooner Club.

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