Schedule:
Wed - vs. Abilene Christian (Globe Life Field, Arlington 6p ESPN+)
Fri - Sunday - vs. Rider
Patience, Patience, Patience
The regular season is a process. Oklahoma knew that going in. It can be particularly tough when you're returning just 16 players from a team that reached the pinnacle of the sport.
There are familiar faces still around. Jackson Nicklaus and John Spikerman received preseason accolades. Kendall Pettis and Wallace Clark still have homes in the Oklahoma line up. Diego Muniz and Sebastian Orduno will have roles. However, the memories of yesterday aren't good enough to cash in for a stay at the Bluecollar Boardroom come June.
Gone are mainstays Peyton Graham, Tanner Tredaway and Jimmy Crooks. Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Blake Robertson no longer resides down the first base line. Closer Trevin Michael was in the ballpark over the weekend but only to throw out a first pitch and do some radio time. They're replacing an entire weekend rotation and there's focus on development these days moreso than final outcomes on the scoreboard. A tough pill to swallow, for sure.
There's going to be bumps along the way. Setbacks that might cost you a game early. It's a reality when developing -- across the board. But one Oklahoma fans must accept before they can start dreaming of a return trip to Omaha.
"There's no doubt we learned a lot today about who we are and about understanding what going pitch to pitch is about," said Skip Johnson following his team's come from behind 8-6 victory Monday.
"We're really about developing. That's why we're losing three starting pitchers to Major League Baseball because it's about development."
Nine of the 13 pitchers that threw over the weekend weren't even on the team last season.
Friday starter Kale Davis pitched for Oklahoma State last season. Will Carsten and Gray Harrison were in junior college.
All five pitchers that threw on Monday against Air Force are newcomers. The difference a year makes. But certainly nothing new. Skip Johnson has been here before. Following the COVID shortened season in 2020, Oklahoma lost Cade Cavalli (1st round), Levi Prater (3rd round) and Dane Acker (23rd round).
This past year it was Cade Horton (No.7 overall), Jake Bennett (2nd round) and David Sandlin (11th round).
"You look at Julien Hachem and he's a 6-8 left-hander. A lot like (Jake) Bennett. High three-quarter arm slot. Really competitive," said Johnson at the team's media day prior to the start of the season.
"Pitching has changed so much in baseball period. I saw a stat the other day with Bob Gibson and he threw 335 innings with a 1.12 ERA. You're just not going to see that anymore. I just don't know if you'll see 300 game winners anymore. They're throwing 3,4 and 5 innings and basically that's kind of what we did halfway through the year even though our starters were posting 5-7 innings everytime they walked out there. We're trying to go with match-ups through the bullpen. And you'll see that alot more in college baseball and it's filtered down from major league baseball."
Patience and a strength in numbers. Not the easiest thing to hear when you grow accustomed to seeing what Cade Horton did in the last month of the season.
"I was excited for (Adam) Walker because he scuffled a little bit going into today. And I was excited for (Carson) Pierce in his second time out. Our strength is not who we got. Our strength has got to be our togetherness of all the guys being the same and picking each other up," said Johnson.
Bad outings will come. They're going to happen when you're throwing so-called rookies into the fire. Finding the strike zone early can go a long way for a young hurler.
"The best pitch in baseball is strike one," says Johnson.
"You learn and you get consistent and you teach those kids to develop. It's a hard thing (to do) because you have to win games too."
New faces, instant impact
A drop-off offensively from the shortstop position was to be expected when Peyton Graham declared, but Dakota Harris hopes is not as much as you might think.
"I don't know if you guys realize but I stopped switch hitting. That was a decision that I made over the break and brought it to Reggie (Willits) and Russell (Raley)," said Harris who knocked in the go-ahead runs Monday and exits his first weekend with his new club hitting .333/.412/.667, including six RBIs and home run.
"They were just like, 'yeah do whatever you feel comfortable doing' and in the fall I wasn't doing as well. Just thought I needed to do something different. We always knew I was a better hitter righty so it wasn't tough to give up."
And Harris wasn't alone in making instant contributions. First baseman Anthony Mackenzie leaves his first full weekend in a Sooners uniform leading the team with a .429 average, highlighted by a pair of multi-hit games.
"They're older guys and they've played a lot of baseball. Anthony has got to continue to grow and I think Dakota does too. But I think that's huge," said Johnson.
Adopting a mentality that's preached day in and day out and something of a moniker for those familiar with the Oklahoma program playing a key role.
"I think the coaches do a great job -- Skip does a great job of preaching pitch by pitch -- definitely taking things day by day and executing and focusing on what we're doing. Today was a great example of that," said Harris.
"I mean I struckout on three pitches that weren't even close. Reggie comes up to me and said don't let the moment get too big. Stay pitch by pitch and that's what happened in the last at-bat. Blessed to have a great coaching staff for sure."
Brother to Brother
Should be a cool scene in Arlington on Wednesday night when Braden Carmichael takes the mound for the first time this season with his younger brother Easton on the receiving end as his battery mate.
Also notable,
Wed - vs. Abilene Christian (Globe Life Field, Arlington 6p ESPN+)
Fri - Sunday - vs. Rider
Patience, Patience, Patience
The regular season is a process. Oklahoma knew that going in. It can be particularly tough when you're returning just 16 players from a team that reached the pinnacle of the sport.
There are familiar faces still around. Jackson Nicklaus and John Spikerman received preseason accolades. Kendall Pettis and Wallace Clark still have homes in the Oklahoma line up. Diego Muniz and Sebastian Orduno will have roles. However, the memories of yesterday aren't good enough to cash in for a stay at the Bluecollar Boardroom come June.
Gone are mainstays Peyton Graham, Tanner Tredaway and Jimmy Crooks. Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Blake Robertson no longer resides down the first base line. Closer Trevin Michael was in the ballpark over the weekend but only to throw out a first pitch and do some radio time. They're replacing an entire weekend rotation and there's focus on development these days moreso than final outcomes on the scoreboard. A tough pill to swallow, for sure.
There's going to be bumps along the way. Setbacks that might cost you a game early. It's a reality when developing -- across the board. But one Oklahoma fans must accept before they can start dreaming of a return trip to Omaha.
"There's no doubt we learned a lot today about who we are and about understanding what going pitch to pitch is about," said Skip Johnson following his team's come from behind 8-6 victory Monday.
"We're really about developing. That's why we're losing three starting pitchers to Major League Baseball because it's about development."
Nine of the 13 pitchers that threw over the weekend weren't even on the team last season.
Friday starter Kale Davis pitched for Oklahoma State last season. Will Carsten and Gray Harrison were in junior college.
All five pitchers that threw on Monday against Air Force are newcomers. The difference a year makes. But certainly nothing new. Skip Johnson has been here before. Following the COVID shortened season in 2020, Oklahoma lost Cade Cavalli (1st round), Levi Prater (3rd round) and Dane Acker (23rd round).
This past year it was Cade Horton (No.7 overall), Jake Bennett (2nd round) and David Sandlin (11th round).
"You look at Julien Hachem and he's a 6-8 left-hander. A lot like (Jake) Bennett. High three-quarter arm slot. Really competitive," said Johnson at the team's media day prior to the start of the season.
"Pitching has changed so much in baseball period. I saw a stat the other day with Bob Gibson and he threw 335 innings with a 1.12 ERA. You're just not going to see that anymore. I just don't know if you'll see 300 game winners anymore. They're throwing 3,4 and 5 innings and basically that's kind of what we did halfway through the year even though our starters were posting 5-7 innings everytime they walked out there. We're trying to go with match-ups through the bullpen. And you'll see that alot more in college baseball and it's filtered down from major league baseball."
Patience and a strength in numbers. Not the easiest thing to hear when you grow accustomed to seeing what Cade Horton did in the last month of the season.
"I was excited for (Adam) Walker because he scuffled a little bit going into today. And I was excited for (Carson) Pierce in his second time out. Our strength is not who we got. Our strength has got to be our togetherness of all the guys being the same and picking each other up," said Johnson.
Bad outings will come. They're going to happen when you're throwing so-called rookies into the fire. Finding the strike zone early can go a long way for a young hurler.
"The best pitch in baseball is strike one," says Johnson.
"You learn and you get consistent and you teach those kids to develop. It's a hard thing (to do) because you have to win games too."
New faces, instant impact
A drop-off offensively from the shortstop position was to be expected when Peyton Graham declared, but Dakota Harris hopes is not as much as you might think.
"I don't know if you guys realize but I stopped switch hitting. That was a decision that I made over the break and brought it to Reggie (Willits) and Russell (Raley)," said Harris who knocked in the go-ahead runs Monday and exits his first weekend with his new club hitting .333/.412/.667, including six RBIs and home run.
"They were just like, 'yeah do whatever you feel comfortable doing' and in the fall I wasn't doing as well. Just thought I needed to do something different. We always knew I was a better hitter righty so it wasn't tough to give up."
And Harris wasn't alone in making instant contributions. First baseman Anthony Mackenzie leaves his first full weekend in a Sooners uniform leading the team with a .429 average, highlighted by a pair of multi-hit games.
"They're older guys and they've played a lot of baseball. Anthony has got to continue to grow and I think Dakota does too. But I think that's huge," said Johnson.
Adopting a mentality that's preached day in and day out and something of a moniker for those familiar with the Oklahoma program playing a key role.
"I think the coaches do a great job -- Skip does a great job of preaching pitch by pitch -- definitely taking things day by day and executing and focusing on what we're doing. Today was a great example of that," said Harris.
"I mean I struckout on three pitches that weren't even close. Reggie comes up to me and said don't let the moment get too big. Stay pitch by pitch and that's what happened in the last at-bat. Blessed to have a great coaching staff for sure."
Brother to Brother
Should be a cool scene in Arlington on Wednesday night when Braden Carmichael takes the mound for the first time this season with his younger brother Easton on the receiving end as his battery mate.
Also notable,
