Oklahoma Sooners

The last time South Carolina lost a postseason baseball game?

Go back to the opener of the 2010 College World Series, when Oklahoma prevailed over South Carolina 4-3. The Gamecocks bounced back to eliminate OU in extra innings, and haven’t looked back. South Carolina went on to win back-to-back national championships, and last weekend ran its unprecedented NCAA tournament-winning streak to 19 games by sweeping the Columbia Regional.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, OU will get another crack at the Gamecocks in Game 1 of the Super Regional, which will be televised on ESPNU. Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. on Sunday on ESPNU, and the if-necessary game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday and would be televised by ESPN2.

“I think that streak is outstanding,” said OU coach Sunny Golloway. “It’s long and I think that we need to have something to say about it.”

The winner of the USC-Oklahoma super regional will earn a trip to Omaha for the College World Series, which get started June 15, and will face the winner of the Florida-N.C. State super regional.

First, OU will have to get past arguably the most dominant program of the last decade. The good news, however, is that the Sooners are red-hot after going through the loser’s bracket to capture the Charlottesville Regional. After dropping the opener to Appalachian State after a rain delay, OU came back to beat Army, host Virginia and Appalachian State twice.

To end the conference season, the Sooners also swept national seed Baylor and advanced to the Big 12 tournament championship game before losing by a run to Missouri.

“Oklahoma has been hot down the stretch,” South Carolina associate head coach Chad Holbrook told a local radio station this week. “They’ve always pitched extremely well. I don’t think they swing the ball from an offensive-numbers standpoint like Appalachian State, but that doesn’t mean they can’t hit. They have some guys that we played against in Omaha a couple of years ago still on the team. They’re going to have some experience.”

One of those guys is outfielder Cody Reine, who propelled the Sooners to Omaha in 2010 with four home runs in the super regional series victory at Virginia. He had six RBIs last weekend in the first win over Appalachian State. Reine, Max White and the still-surging Matt Oberste give OU some pop in the middle of the lineup. But if the Sooners are going to be the ones that finally take down South Carolina, it will be because of what they are capable of on the mound. Starters Jordan John (8-7, 2.29 ERA), Dillon Overton (6-3, 3.16 ERA) and Jonathan Gray (8-4, 3.32 ERA) were all stellar in Charlottesville, and left-handed closer Steven Okert (drafted in the fourth round by the Giants last week) has been virtually unhittable the last month of the season.

“Like coach says, somebody has to beat us twice in a weekend,” John said before the postseason. “With our pitching staff and how we’re going, I feel like that gives us a great chance.”

After losing the opener, OU reeled off four straight, including Monday night’s 5-2 win over Appalachian State, to capture the Charlottesville Regional:

How the game was won: The Sooners got a gutsy pitching effort from Drew Harrison in just his second start of the season. Harrison went six innings, giving up only three hits, three walks and two earned runs. Jordan John and Steven Okert did the rest, shutting down the Mountaineers offense the rest of the way.

Player of the game: Jack Mayfield, who had a base-clearing triple Sunday against Virginia, batted in three more runs with a double and a sacrifice fly.

Stat of the game: Eight of OU’s nine hitters got at least one hit, as the Sooners finally got their offense going Monday after two days of dormant bats. Only Erik Ross failed to get a hit, but he scored a run and stole a base.

Unsung hero: John, who came back after throwing 115 pitches Saturday and tossed two scoreless innings in relief to get the ball to Okert. John, who took the loss to Appalachian State in the opener, gave up only two hits and a walk.

What it means: The Sooners will face back-to-back national champion South Carolina in Columbia. OU beat the Gamecocks in the 2010 College World Series, but South Carolina bounced back to beat the Sooners then win its first of two straight titles.

Oklahoma stayed alive in the Charlottesville Regional by outlasting Army 2-1 Sunday in 10 innings:

How the game was won: Max White drove in Caleb Bushyhead with an RBI single in the 10th inning, and closer Steven Okert held the lead with his third straight scoreless inning.

Player of the game: Okert, who was dominant again in relief. He tossed three innings while giving up only one hit, while striking out three. In the 10th, Army got a runner to second following an error by second baseman Jack Mayfield and a sacrifice bunt. But Okert coaxed back-to-back groundouts to the shortstop to end the game.

Stat of the game: OU needed 53 pitches from Okert to get through the game. For that reason, it’s unlikely he’ll be available to throw again the rest of the regional, which is bad news for the Sooners.

Unsung hero: Even though the OU bats remained dormant for a second straight game, starter Jonathan Gray kept the Sooners in it. He went seven innings, giving up five hits and one earned run while striking out six.

What it means: With three of its top four pitchers used up, OU will have to get the bats going to come back from the loser’s bracket and make it out of the regional. The Sooners will get the loser of Virginia-Appalachian State at 6 p.m. tonight.

In 2010, outfielder Cody Reine caught fire at the right time, slugging Oklahoma past Virginia and all the way to Omaha. This time around, the Sooners are hoping another hot bat can do similar damage in Charlottesville.

OU will open up the Charlottesville Regional with Appalachian State at 1:30 p.m. CT Friday.

Two years ago in the three-game Super Regional there, Reine came virtually out of nowhere to blast four home runs and collect 11 RBIs while propelling the Sooners to Omaha.

Two years later, just like Reine, Matt Oberste has emerged with a white-hot bat just in time for the postseason. Last week in the Big 12 Tournament, Oberste belted three home runs, including two in the semifinal win over national seed Baylor. Oberste has raised his average all the way to .311 and is now tied with Reine for second on team in homers.

“There's another guy named Oberste, that they are saying, ‘Wow, there might be a pretty good punch right there,'” head coach Sunny Golloway said of Oberste, who’s been hitting eighth in the lineup. “It's like a second cleanup hitter coming up next time around. I kind of like the way he's coming around.”

Three reasons the Sooners could win the Charlottesville Regional:

• Starting pitching. The Sooners closed out the Big 12 season pitching as well as anyone in the league. Left-handers Jordan John and Dillon Overton were dominant down the stretch, and right-hander Jonathan Gray also tossed a gem in the second win over Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament. With those three starters pitching like that, the Sooners figure to be a tough out.

• Clutch hitting. This isn’t the best hitting team Golloway has fielded as OU. Far from it in fact. But the last three weeks of the season, OU has gotten timely hit after timely hit up and down the lineup. The Sooners won’t outscore anyone, but if the game is close in the latter innings, this can be a dangers offense. Just ask Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Andrew Heaney.

• Reliable closer. When OU made its run to the 1994 national championship, it had a stifling closer in Bucky Buckles. These Sooners also have a stifling closer in left-hander Steven Okert, who has been nails during OU’s late-season surge, picking up two wins in the Big 12 Tournament. The blueprint for a regional title will be getting the ball to Okert in the final three innings with a lead.

Three reasons the Sooners could lose:

• Virginia. These Cavaliers aren’t quite as prolific as the team the Sooners defeated in a Super Regional in 2010. But they’re still one of the better teams in the country. Cavs slugger Stephen Bruno will be as a tough an out as the OU pitching staff has seen all season.

• Defense. Golloway has had to concede something on defense to get his best lineup at the plate. Jack Mayfield is a tremendous defensive second baseman, but there are holes elsewhere. An error here or there could be the difference in advancing and being eliminated.

• Scoring. This team is not equipped to outscore opponents. Oberste has shown tremendous power the last week with three home runs in the Big 12 Tournament, and Reine has some pop, too. But with only two regular batters hitting above .300 in Max White and now Oberste, the Sooners can’t afford for their starting pitching to struggle early in games.

Quotable:

“This is the most balance we’ve ever had. Jordan John is really good, and he gives our team a tremendous amount of confidence. I don’t think our confidence drops off while Gray or Overton are on the mound. It clearly doesn’t drop off when we have Okert in the game.” -- Golloway

Oklahoma’s remarkable ride through the Big 12 baseball tournament ended in dramatic fashion Sunday, with Missouri coming out on top 8-7 to capture the title.

How the game was won: In the bottom of the ninth with two outs and two on, pinch-hitter Chase Simpson singled to right field. But before the ball reached the outfield, it touched OU’s Caleb Bushyhead foot as he headed from first to second, resulting in an automatic – and final – out. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, as Erik Ross was easily thrown out trying to score from second.

Stat of the game: Matt Oberste hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, his fifth of the season. Four of those came in Bricktown, including three this week during the Big 12 tournament.

Player of the game: Steven Okert left the eighth inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. But left-handed reliever Jake Fisher minimized the damage by forcing a double play, then getting a strikeout as the Tigers came away with only one run. That one run proved to be the difference, but Missouri could have opened up a huge lead in the inning had it not been for Fisher.

Unsung hero of the game: After starter Damien Magnifico lasted only one-third of an inning, Dillon Overton came in and kept the Sooners in the game. Overton, who beat Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament opener, threw four 1/3 innings. He did give up three runs, but was able to get the game to Okert with the Sooners still in striking distance.

What it means: The question now is, did the Sooners do enough this week to play their way into a No. 2 regional seed? They likely did, and will enter regional play with a ton of momentum after such a successful tournament week.

Three weeks ago, the Sooners were on the outside looking in at an NCAA regional berth. Now, not only is Oklahoma a lock to make a regional, the Sooners are playing for the Big 12 tournament title after eliminating Baylor 7-2 Saturday morning.

How the game was won: Matt Oberste cranked his third and fourth home runs of the season on his first two at-bats, and Jonathan Gray gave the Sooners another quality start on the mound, allowing just one earned run while striking out six.

Stat of the game: The Sooners have been kryptonite for the Bears. Baylor is 0-5 against OU this season, and 22-1 against the rest of the Big 12.

Player of the game: The Sooners have gotten offense up and down the lineup this week. Saturday it was Oberste’s turn. The designated hitter’s three-run homer in the second inning set the tone early. On top of the two home run bombs, Oberste added a stolen base after drawing a walk.

Unsung hero of the game: Coach Sunny Golloway wanted to give Steven Okert, who pitched Wednesday and Thursday, another day off so he’d be fresh for the championship game. Reliever Kindle Ladd allowed Golloway to do that. Ladd pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit while finishing off the Bears.

What it means: Thanks to the quality starting pitching, the Sooners have only had to use five different pitchers in their three tournament games. OU will have flamethrower Damien Magnifico, who hasn’t pitched in the tournament yet, and Okert available for the championship game.

Call these Sooners clutch. One day after taking out Oklahoma State with a walk-off home run, Oklahoma knocked off top-seeded Baylor 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City:

How the game was won: On a bang-bang play, Evan Mistich beat out Jake Miller’s throw from shortstop allowing Erik Ross to score the game-winning run from third. Ross doubled to left field to get the inning going. The Sooners have won both games of the Big 12 tournament in their final at-bats. Wednesday, Garrett Carey beat OSU with a home run to left field in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Stat of the game: Baylor has lost only five games to Big 12 teams this season. Four of those losses have come against the Sooners.

Player of the game: Cody Reine, whose solo blast over the right-field wall in the seventh inning tied the game. Reine battled back from an 0-2 count for his fifth homer of the season.

Unsung hero of the game: For the second straight day, Steven Okert entered the game and shut down the opponent. Okert threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts to keep the game tied until Mistich’s game-winner.

What it means: The Sooners now are in great shape to make Sunday’s Big 12 championship game. The winner of Baylor-Kansas State will have to beat OU twice on Saturday.

The fourth-seeded Sooners opened the Big 12 baseball tournament with a dramatic 1-0 win over fifth-seeded Oklahoma State at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City:

How the game was won: Third baseman Garrett Carey cranked a walk-off home run over the left field wall in bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Sooners to the 1-0 victory over Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Andrew Heaney.

Stat of the game: Carey’s blast was OU’s first extra-base hit against Heaney in 18 innings this season.

Player of the game: Who else? Carey entered the game batting just .210 with no home runs. But the Hutto, Texas, native came through when the Sooners needed him.

Unsung hero of the game: Carey had the game-winning hit, but Steven Okert was just as huge. Okert relieved starter Dillon Overton in the eighth inning with OSU runners at first and second and only one out. But Okert struck out OSU leadoff man Saulyer Saxon, then got Hunter Bailey to ground out to end the threat.

What it means: If there was any doubt before about OU’s postseason fate, there’s none now. The Sooners solidified a regional berth with the win over the Cowboys, who won three of four against OU during the regular season. OU advances to the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament and will play the winner of Baylor-Kansas State at 4 p.m. Thursday.

With the tiebreaking run on third and the series on the line in the eighth inning, Oklahoma State’s Randy McCurry punched a shallow fly ball down the right-field line. Oklahoma's Cody Reine came barreling in to make a basket catch for the second out, then fired the ball toward home. The throw reached the plate before tagging runner Robbie Rea did. But a collision with OU catcher Dylan Neal popped the ball loose.

Oklahoma State 3, Oklahoma 2.

The Cowboys emerged out of Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City with a critical series-clinching victory Sunday to buoy their postseason hopes while severely damaging the Sooners’.

"Our whole season just got summarized right there in that ballgame," OU coach Sunny Golloway said. "That’s been our whole season. A break here, a break there. A play here, a play there."

When it counted, the Cowboys made the plays. The Sooners did not.

Thanks to a pair of brilliant relief outings by OSU’s Blake Barnes and OU’s Steven Okert, the game remained knotted 2-2 into the eighth inning.

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