Top-15 Matchup on Deck for Sooners at Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. – No. 14 Oklahoma (29-11, 10-8 SEC) meets another top-15 opponent this weekend as the Sooners head to Athens, Ga., to face No. 10 Georgia (33-10, 10-8) at Foley Field.

The series opener Thursday at 6 p.m. CT will be shown to a national audience on ESPNU with Keith Moreland and Lance Cormier on the call. Friday's noon matchup can be seen via SECN+ with Matt Stewart and Jason Jacobs calling the action before Moreland and Cormier return for Saturday's 11 a.m. finale on SEC Network.

All games this weekend can be heard on the radio in Oklahoma on 99.3 FM/1400 AM The REF or nationwide on The Varsity app with Toby Rowland and OU alum Kendall Pettis calling the action.

THE BASICS

• Oklahoma enters the game at 29-11 with a pair of top-10 non-conference wins and four SEC series on its resume. OU started the season 11-0, the program's best start since 2011. The Sooners are 4-2 in SEC series on the season, with both series losses coming to top-15 opponents.

• Before falling in a midweek matchup 5-3 to Oral Roberts Tuesday night, OU was on a four-game win streak where the team beat rival Oklahoma State 11-1 (8 inn.) last Tuesday before a three-game SEC sweep of Missouri in Columbia where all three contests were run-rules.

• The Sooners head into the series as a consensus top-20 team in the nation, ranking No. 14 in this week's D1 Baseball poll. The team holds its highest rank in the Baseball America poll at No. 11 and hold No. 12 in the NCBWA top 25, No. 13 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 16 in Perfect Game's rankings. Oklahoma currently sits at No. 19 in the NCAA RPI.

• The Sooners and Bulldogs meet for the first time on the baseball diamond this weekend in the history of the two programs. UGA has six CWS appearances to OU's 11 and one national title to the Sooners' two.

• Probable Pitching Matchups: TH: OU RHP Kyson Witherspoon (7-2, 2.48 ERA) vs. UGA RHP Brian Curley (2-1, 3.40 ERA); FRI: OU LHP Cade Crossland (3-2, 5.62 ERA) vs. UGA TBA; SAT: OU RHP Malachi Witherspoon (3-4, 5.32 ERA) vs. UGA RHP Leighton Finley (2-1, 5.63 ERA).

#14 Oklahoma at #10 Georgia
Dates: April 24-26
Times (CT): 6 p.m./12 p.m./11 a.m.
Location: Athens, Ga.
Ballpark: Foley Field

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Game Notes

LAST TIME OUT

• OU fell in just its third midweek game in 10 contests on Tuesday, dropping a home game to in-state foe Oral Roberts, 5-3. Prior to Tuesday's loss, the Sooners were on a four-game win streak with an 11-1 midweek win at Oklahoma State in eight innings last week. The run-rule victory was the first time OU has run-ruled the Cowboys since 2006.

• OU completed the weekend conference sweep of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. The Sooners took all three games of the series in run-rule fashion, beating Mizzou 17-4 (8), 17-7 (8) and 12-1 (7). It was OU's first conference sweep as members of the SEC and the first conference sweep since a three-game set at Texas Tech last season (5/3-5/24)

• Oklahoma used the long ball early and often vs. the Tigers, hitting 10 home runs on the weekend including eight in a Friday twinbill. Junior catcher Easton Carmichael paced OU with three home runs and 10 RBIs in the series, while junior Trey Gambill and redshirt sophomore Sam Christiansen each hit a pair. Freshman Drew Dickerson, back in his home state, provided the pop as well, hitting one home run, three extra-base hits and batting in five runs.

• On the weekend, Oklahoma put up 46 runs on 46 hits with 23 extra-base knocks and 10 home runs. The Sooners outscored Missouri 46-12 and OU pitching surrendered just four extra-base hits.

GEORGIA WAYS

• Two Sooners are from The Peach State in senior Scott Mudler and sophomore Jason Walk.

• Mudler is from Johns Creek, Ga., and Chattahoochee High School while Walk comes out of Acworth, Ga., and Harrison High in Kennesaw.

• Another Georgia tie in this weekend's series is freshman Kyle Branch's brother, Kolby, who is UGA's starting shortstop. The series will be the first time the brothers have faced each other in college as Kyle plays his first year at the collegiate level.

• Kolby is a junior and formerly played at Baylor before transferring. Kyle has started all 40 games for the Sooners at second base while Kolby has started all 43 games for the Bulldogs at shortstop.

• Kolby faced the Sooners in 2023 as a frosh at Baylor and had an impressive weekend, going 6-for-10 with 5 RBI and 3 XBH.

DICKERSON NAMED SEC CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

• Oklahoma freshman Drew Dickerson was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for his performance during OU's 4-0 week at Oklahoma State and Missouri last week. The SEC announced the weekly honors Monday.

• Dickerson helped OU to an undefeated week with a Tuesday win over rival Oklahoma State and three-game SEC sweep at Missouri. The Lee's Summit, Mo., product went 7-for-14 (.500) with three extra-base hits, including his second career home run, and five runs batted in. Dickerson also drew three walks for a .588 on-base clip, and scored seven runs on the week.

• The frosh designated hitter recorded a career best three hits in each of the first two games of the series at Missouri, also putting up career highs for RBIs (3) and runs scored (3) in game two.

AT THE PLATE

• The Sooners are outscoring opponents 299-179. Four starters are batting above .300 on the season in junior Trey Gambill (.336), sophomore Jaxon Willits (.333), junior Easton Carmichael (.325) and freshman Kyle Branch (.302).

• OU has utilized the long ball, hitting 50 home runs on the year. The Sooners have homered in 28 of OU's 40 games, including 21 of the last 28 and have 14 multi-homer games. Carmichael paces OU with 10 long balls on the year, followed closely by Willits' nine.

• Oklahoma ranks first in the SEC with 14 triples on the year (21st nationally). Carmichael and Willits are tied for the team lead with three each, good for a tie of third in the SEC.

GOOD EYE

• OU ranks sixth in the SEC and 35th in the country in walks drawn, averaging 5.6 BB per game.

• Sam Christiansen ranks third in the conference and 17th in the country with 40 walks drawn. Trey Gambill ranks third in the league and 16th nationally in BB/game, drawing 1.03 BB per contest. Christiansen (1.0 BB/G) is close behind, ranking fourth and 23rd in the league and country, respectively.

• In league play, OU ranks first with 103 walks drawn. No other team has drawn more than 100.

• A direct correlation, OU ranks second in SEC play in on-base percentage (.399) and a pair of Sooners top the league charts in the category in Trey Gambill (1st, .507) and Jaxon Willits (2nd, .506),

• Number to note: When Oklahoma draws five or more walks this season, the team's record is 24-4.

ON THE MOUND

• The pitching staff ranks 28th in the country with a 4.28 team ERA. Kyson Witherspoon's 2.48 ERA ranks second in the conference and 36th nationally.

• OU's pitchers have struck out 399 batters on the year and have 18 double-digit strikeout games on the season. Kyson Witherspoon paces all Sooners with four double-digit K games individually.

• OU has surrendered double-digit runs just five times on the year. This season marked the first time in program history the Sooners have started a season 11-0 and held each opponent to five runs or less.

• As a team, OU ranks 18th in the country in strikeouts per nine innings (10.5) and 18th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.71), striking out 399 batters to 147 walks.

RANKINGS CHATTER

• Oklahoma jumped to No. 14 in this week's D1Baseball poll after its sweep of Missouri last weekend. After starting the season unranked, Oklahoma has vaulted into the polls, including spending weeks in the top 10. The Sooners made their debut at No. 16 on Feb. 24 after the Round Rock sweep, and have since been ranked 13th, 12th and 10th, 9th , 10th, 19th,18th and 14th this week.

• The Sooners are a consensus top-20 squad across the board, holding their highest ranking in the Baseball America poll (No. 11).

• The remaining schedule for the Sooners features three weekend series versus teams currently in the D1Baseball top 25 (at No. 10 Georgia [4/24-26], vs. No. 23 Ole Miss [5/2-4] , vs. No. 1 Texas [5/15-17])

• The SEC leads all conferences with 10 of this week's D1Baseball top 25 teams, including two of the top five, six of the top 10 and nine of the top 20.

• The Sooners are 5-7 in ranked matchups in 2025 after going 4-1 in such games throughout the regular season in 2024, with all four wins coming against top-15 opponents.

UP NEXT

• OU plays its final midweek game of the season next Tuesday vs. Wichita State at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman. The game is slated for a 6:30 p.m. CT start and can be seen via SECN+.

• The Sooners return to SEC play with another ranked series next weekend at home, welcoming No. 23 Ole Miss to Norman for a rematch of the 2022 CWS Championship Series where the Rebels bested the Sooners.

ALL THE ACCOLADES

• Junior right-handed pitcher Kyson Witherspoon recently collected a plethora of midseason accolades. The OU ace was named D1 Baseball's Midseason Top Pitcher and Perfect Game Midseason Pitcher of the Year. Witherspoon was also a unanimous midseason first team All-American by Perfect Game and midseason first team All-American by D1 Baseball.

• Witherspoon collected OU's first SEC weekly honor in program history on Feb. 24, being named SEC Pitcher of the Week following a career-high 12 strikeouts vs. Minnesota at the Round Rock Classic. Most recently, the OU ace earned SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors last week for his complete-game shutout performance vs. Vanderbilt last Saturday.

• Preseason honors heading into the 2025 season for Witherspoon included preseason All-America nods from four different outlets: Baseball America (second team), D1 Baseball (second team), NCBWA (second team) and Perfect Game (first team).

• Witherspoon was also named to the Preseason All-SEC Team as a second team selection. He was one of nine starting pitchers named to the first or second teams.

• Witherspoon and junior catcher Easton Carmichael were both named to the 2025 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. The award, given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the nation, announced the 55-player watch list last week. Oklahoma was tied for second with two players on the list.

• The Sooners were picked to finish 11th in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll by the conference's 16 head coaches. Texas A&M was predicted to win the 2025 conference crown, while five different schools received first place votes.

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