Completed Event: Baseball versus Tennessee on May 16, 2026 , Win , 12, to, 9
Final
Baseball
12
vs Tennessee
9
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Meet with Media Ahead of 2025 Baseball Season
February 06, 2025 | Baseball
NORMAN – Oklahoma head baseball coach Skip Johnson, junior right-handed pitchers Kyson and Malachi Witherspoon and junior catcher Easton Carmichael met with the media on Wednesday ahead of the start of the 2025 season opener on Feb. 14.
Read below for some of the highlights from media day, and watch the full press conference via SoonerSports.com/watch.
The preseason No. 20/25 Sooners return 13 student-athletes from the 2024 team, including NCBWA All-American Easton Carmichael, 2025 Preseason All-SEC honoree Kyson Witherspoon and 2024 All-Big 12 selections Scott Mudler and Jaxon Willits.
Oklahoma won the Big 12 regular season title a season ago, finishing 40-21 overall. The 2024 season was highlighted by a conference-record six series sweeps and No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament. OU hosted an NCAA regional in Norman for the first time since 2010 and won 40 games for the second time in three years.
Season tickets start at $100 per seat for OU's 31-game home slate and inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference, which features home series against Vanderbilt (2019 national champion), Mississippi State (2021 national champion), Ole Miss (2022 national champion), LSU (2023 national champion) and Texas. Single-game ticket prices start at $10 for general admission. Additional seating options in 2025 include lower and upper-reserved seating, Section 405, and suite and loge box premium areas.
All tickets are on sale now. For more information, contact the OU Athletics Ticket Office at 405-325-2424, by email at outickets@ou.edu or by visiting SoonerSports.com/tickets.
"We're excited about being members of the Southeastern Conference. It's the best baseball conference in the country. Four of the last five national champions come from this conference, and we play four of them at L. Dale Mitchell (Park) this year. Our non-conference schedule is going to be really good, we'll play the fifth of the last five national champions (Virginia). Our non-conference will prepare us well for our conference. I'm really excited about our team. The guys came back this spring ready to go, especially our offense.
"Looking forward to this spring, looking forward to the excitement around our updated facilities with right field, the loge boxes, I think it'll add some new fan experiences. Playing in the SEC is like playing in a football environment in a baseball arena, so we're excited about that. We're excited about our fans; our season tickets are up. We set a record last year and we've surpassed that record this year so far, so we're excited about that and looking forward to a good spring."
On the Witherspoon brothers' experience with Team USA the past summer:
"Probably one of the coolest experiences I've ever had was last year when I got the phone call that those guys were going to play on Team USA. I called them both into my office, and I get kind of emotional about it because you see guys get called into the big leagues and I've had guys call me at night saying 'I'm going to the big leagues' so when they [the Witherspoons] heard their name getting called for Team USA and they got that opportunity they were so excited. It was like 'Wow, it means so much getting to play for our country' and it was incredible."
On the freshmen:
"I think Coach (Todd) Butler did a great job of going out and finding the freshmen that fit our culture and how we go about our business. I think they have really good experience, I could just name all of them if I just sit here for a while but those guys (the freshman pitchers) have really grown with Kyson, Malachi, Easton and (Dylan) Crooks' leadership. They've helped those guys understand how you go about your business on a daily basis.
"Being baseball players and just understanding the game, what one pitch means and understanding how important an out is and where they are at on the field and not trying to do too much, I think Jaxon (Willits) fit that really well (last season) and I think some of the freshmen we have right now, especially the ones on the mound, understand that role."
"I was Sooner born, Sooner bred so this place is my home. Not only for me now and the team now, but I want the most success for this program for now and for the future. It's one of those things that if I can get younger guys to understand what Oklahoma Baseball is about then that not only sets up now, but it sets up the future. I try to do the best I can day-in and day-out to instill that in those guys because once I'm gone then those are the guys running the ship. We try to instill that C.O.M.P.E.T.E clause and we try to instill what we stand for offensively and defensively and on the mound. We try to show these guys how we have had success in the past few years so that they can have success in the coming years."
"Like what Coach said about Team USA and that experience, playing with the best people around the world and names that I've seen play the game and those top guys really help with the experience and the confidence coming back. So just really trying to share our experience with the team and our guys coming back and seeing them rise as well."
On playing with his brother:
"It's awesome, he's (Malachi) my built in partner. We play catch every day and we're helping each other out and keep each other in check and try to keep the same standard."
"Piggy backing off of (Kyson), just knowing that my name was called to be on the biggest stage with the biggest names was a big confidence booster, knowing that my name was on that USA jersey. So, coming back here and knowing what I bring to the table for my guys and trying my best to be a leader and show what we can do this year. I have a lot of confidence in this team and the brotherhood this year, we just compete every day. I love it here and I feel like we can be really great this year."
On playing with his brother:
"We play catch every day, and he knows me better than I know myself and it's just the same. If I see a little thing then I am quick to tell him, he takes it well and I take it well. I know he has my best interest in his heart. I grew up playing catch with him and I'm able to do the same here on the big stage. That's more of a blessing than anything. We weren't expected to go to the same college growing up but being here, in the SEC, with my brother is a great feeling and I am blessed to be able to do it."
For updates and more information on Oklahoma baseball, follow the Sooners on Twitter/X and Instagram (@OU_Baseball) and like Oklahoma Baseball on Facebook.
Read below for some of the highlights from media day, and watch the full press conference via SoonerSports.com/watch.
The preseason No. 20/25 Sooners return 13 student-athletes from the 2024 team, including NCBWA All-American Easton Carmichael, 2025 Preseason All-SEC honoree Kyson Witherspoon and 2024 All-Big 12 selections Scott Mudler and Jaxon Willits.
Oklahoma won the Big 12 regular season title a season ago, finishing 40-21 overall. The 2024 season was highlighted by a conference-record six series sweeps and No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament. OU hosted an NCAA regional in Norman for the first time since 2010 and won 40 games for the second time in three years.
Season tickets start at $100 per seat for OU's 31-game home slate and inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference, which features home series against Vanderbilt (2019 national champion), Mississippi State (2021 national champion), Ole Miss (2022 national champion), LSU (2023 national champion) and Texas. Single-game ticket prices start at $10 for general admission. Additional seating options in 2025 include lower and upper-reserved seating, Section 405, and suite and loge box premium areas.
All tickets are on sale now. For more information, contact the OU Athletics Ticket Office at 405-325-2424, by email at outickets@ou.edu or by visiting SoonerSports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH SKIP JOHNSON
Opening statement:"We're excited about being members of the Southeastern Conference. It's the best baseball conference in the country. Four of the last five national champions come from this conference, and we play four of them at L. Dale Mitchell (Park) this year. Our non-conference schedule is going to be really good, we'll play the fifth of the last five national champions (Virginia). Our non-conference will prepare us well for our conference. I'm really excited about our team. The guys came back this spring ready to go, especially our offense.
"Looking forward to this spring, looking forward to the excitement around our updated facilities with right field, the loge boxes, I think it'll add some new fan experiences. Playing in the SEC is like playing in a football environment in a baseball arena, so we're excited about that. We're excited about our fans; our season tickets are up. We set a record last year and we've surpassed that record this year so far, so we're excited about that and looking forward to a good spring."
On the Witherspoon brothers' experience with Team USA the past summer:
"Probably one of the coolest experiences I've ever had was last year when I got the phone call that those guys were going to play on Team USA. I called them both into my office, and I get kind of emotional about it because you see guys get called into the big leagues and I've had guys call me at night saying 'I'm going to the big leagues' so when they [the Witherspoons] heard their name getting called for Team USA and they got that opportunity they were so excited. It was like 'Wow, it means so much getting to play for our country' and it was incredible."
On the freshmen:
"I think Coach (Todd) Butler did a great job of going out and finding the freshmen that fit our culture and how we go about our business. I think they have really good experience, I could just name all of them if I just sit here for a while but those guys (the freshman pitchers) have really grown with Kyson, Malachi, Easton and (Dylan) Crooks' leadership. They've helped those guys understand how you go about your business on a daily basis.
"Being baseball players and just understanding the game, what one pitch means and understanding how important an out is and where they are at on the field and not trying to do too much, I think Jaxon (Willits) fit that really well (last season) and I think some of the freshmen we have right now, especially the ones on the mound, understand that role."
C EASTON CARMICHAEL
On being a leader this season:"I was Sooner born, Sooner bred so this place is my home. Not only for me now and the team now, but I want the most success for this program for now and for the future. It's one of those things that if I can get younger guys to understand what Oklahoma Baseball is about then that not only sets up now, but it sets up the future. I try to do the best I can day-in and day-out to instill that in those guys because once I'm gone then those are the guys running the ship. We try to instill that C.O.M.P.E.T.E clause and we try to instill what we stand for offensively and defensively and on the mound. We try to show these guys how we have had success in the past few years so that they can have success in the coming years."
RHP KYSON WITHERSPOON
On his experience with Team USA helping his leadership:"Like what Coach said about Team USA and that experience, playing with the best people around the world and names that I've seen play the game and those top guys really help with the experience and the confidence coming back. So just really trying to share our experience with the team and our guys coming back and seeing them rise as well."
On playing with his brother:
"It's awesome, he's (Malachi) my built in partner. We play catch every day and we're helping each other out and keep each other in check and try to keep the same standard."
RHP MALACHI WITHERSPOON
On his experience with Team USA helping his leadership:"Piggy backing off of (Kyson), just knowing that my name was called to be on the biggest stage with the biggest names was a big confidence booster, knowing that my name was on that USA jersey. So, coming back here and knowing what I bring to the table for my guys and trying my best to be a leader and show what we can do this year. I have a lot of confidence in this team and the brotherhood this year, we just compete every day. I love it here and I feel like we can be really great this year."
On playing with his brother:
"We play catch every day, and he knows me better than I know myself and it's just the same. If I see a little thing then I am quick to tell him, he takes it well and I take it well. I know he has my best interest in his heart. I grew up playing catch with him and I'm able to do the same here on the big stage. That's more of a blessing than anything. We weren't expected to go to the same college growing up but being here, in the SEC, with my brother is a great feeling and I am blessed to be able to do it."
For updates and more information on Oklahoma baseball, follow the Sooners on Twitter/X and Instagram (@OU_Baseball) and like Oklahoma Baseball on Facebook.
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