Sooners Head to South Carolina for Inaugural SEC Series

NORMAN – No. 12 Oklahoma (15-1) opens SEC play with a three-game series at South Carolina (15-3). The series can be seen via SECN+ with Dave Weinstein and Grayson Greiner on the call and heard in Oklahoma on 99.3 FM/1400 AM The REF or nationwide on The Varsity app.

THE BASICS

• Oklahoma enters conference play 15-1 with a pair of top-10 nonconference wins already on its resume. OU started the season 11-0, the program's best start since 2011.

• The Sooners pair of top-10 wins came at the Round Rock Classic, as the Sooners' beat No. 2 UVA (2/23) and No. 7 Oregon State (2/22) OU's win over UVA was the program's highest-ranked victory since beating No. 1 Arkansas on March 16, 2021. OU won consecutive top-10 matchups for the first time since beating No. 5 Texas Tech in back-to-back games in 2022.

• Oklahoma currently sits at No. 15 in the NCAA RPI, the fifth-highest in the SEC. The Sooners jumped one spot to No. 12 in this week's D1Baseball poll. The team holds its highest rankings in the Baseball America (No. 8) and Perfect Game USA (No. 9) polls, while ranking No. 12 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 16 in the NCBWA top 25 rankings.

• The Gamecocks hold a 4-1 advantage all-time over the Sooners, with four of the five matchups coming in postseason play including two in Omaha. The most recent meetings were the 2012 Columbia Super Regional where USC swept the Sooners in two games to advance to the CWS.

#12 Oklahoma at South Carolina
Dates: March 14-16
Times (CT): 6 p.m./3 p.m./12:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Founders Park

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THE NUMBERS

• The Sooner pitching staff was heralded throughout the preseason for its talent and potential heading into 2025. OU's weekend rotation of Kyson Witherspoon (Friday), Malachi Witherspoon (Saturday) and Cameron Johnson (Sunday) is off to a hot start, with Kyson collecting four wins in four starts to Malachi and Johnson's two.

• The pitching staff ranks 32nd in the country with its 3.55 team ERA and 43rd with a 1.28 WHIP. Kyson Witherspoon ranks fifth in the country and second in the SEC in strikeouts with 40 and seventh in the nation in K/9 (15.65). His 0.70 WHIP is good for second in the league and 12th in Division I.

• OU's deep bullpen has been impressive early, surrendering 27 runs with a 79-to-29 K/BB ratio. The Sooners have utilized 10 bullpen arms so far in 2025. Senior Dylan Crooks looks to take on the closer role, ranking second in the nation and first in the SEC with five saves in six appearances, striking out nine in 8.2 innings of work.

• In the batter's box, returning NCBWA All-American Easton Carmichael paces OU with five home runs, 11 extra-base hits and 17 RBIs. Centerfielder Jason Walk is off to a hot start to his sophomore campaign, reaching base successfully in 14 of 15 games played. Walk and freshman Kyle Branch are tied for the team leads in batting average (.357) and hits (20). Redshirt sophomore Sam Christiansen leads OU with a .595 on-base clip, drawing 19 walks which ranks fourth in the league and 17th in the country.

• As an offense, the Sooners rank sixth in the country and first in the SEC with 46 stolen bases. The team ranks in the top 40 in the country in batting average (.313, 40th), slugging (.509, 40th) and triples (7, 23rd).

NON CONFERENCE REWIND

• Before suffering its first loss at No. 21 Dallas Baptist (3/4), OU started 11-0 for the first time since 2011. The Sooners opened the season with a three-game sweep of Lehigh before sweeping through the Round Rock Classic, highlighted by a pair of top-10 wins over No. 7 Oregon State (8-4) and No. 2 Virginia (5-4 [12 inn.]).

• The Sooners are outscoring opponents 125-60 and OU's pitchers have struck out 170 batters on the year, holding a 3.55 ERA. 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.

• Oklahoma is an undefeated 12-0 at L. Dale Mitchell Park, outscoring the opposition 109-39 on its home field, including a 13-1 home run advantage in Norman.

• RHP Kyson Witherspoon has lived up to his preseason hype with a 40-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in just 23 innings pitched. The Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List honoree is 4-0 and has struck out a career-high 12 batters in two of his four starts. His 40 K's rank fifth in the country and second in the SEC.

• Wednesday, Oklahoma beat reigning C-USA champion Louisiana Tech by a final of 9-5 at Mitchell Park, OU threw seven pitchers with five registering at least one strikeout.

• Last weekend, OU swept Sam Houston powered by career days from starting pitchers Kyson Witherspoon and Cameron Johnson, while the offense launched five home runs. Witherspoon fanned a career-high tying 12 in the Friday night opener, including striking out 10 consecutive from the first through fifth innings, while Johnson struck out a career-high eight in game two of the series. In the finale, OU erased a four-run deficit to complete the comeback and series sweep, scoring seven runs in the fourth inning of game three.

• At the Round Rock Classic, Kyson Witherspoon stole the show in the opener vs. Minnesota, striking out a career-high 12 batters with no walks and just three hits and one run allowed. After surrendering his only home run of the season to the leadoff batter in the first inning, Witherspoon retired 13 straight Gophers.

• Oklahoma handed No. 7 Oregon State their first loss of the season the following day, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to rattle off eight straight runs before OSU added a pair in the eighth to bring the final to 8-4. The offense was powered by home runs from Scott Mudler and Easton Carmichael.

• The Sooners completed the Round Rock sweep with a top-five win over No. 2 Virginia in 12 innings Sunday evening. After trailing 3-0 through three innings, Oklahoma rallied to take the lead in the seventh before UVA tied it in the eighth to send the game to extras. Junior Dawson Willis laid down a bunt with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the 12th and after an errant throw, OU's Brayden Horton raced home for the walk-off win. In nine innings of relief work, the Oklahoma bullpen surrendered one earned run on one hit with three walks and seven strikeouts.

• OU freshman Kyle Branch second baseman was named tournament MVP. The frosh hit .462 on the weekend (6-for-13) with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored, and made five putouts and three assists in the field, including a pair of pivotal diving stops.

• The Sooners raced past Lehigh on opening weekend, outscoring the Mountain Hawks 36-8 in the three-game sweep.

RANKINGS CHATTER

• Oklahoma jumped one spot to No. 12 in this week's D1Baseball poll. After starting the season unranked, Oklahoma has consistently jumped each week after entering the poll. The Sooners made their debut at No. 16 on Feb. 24 after the Round Rock sweep, and have since been ranked 13th and 12th, currently.

• The Sooners hold their highest rankings in the Baseball America (No. 8) and Perfect Game USA (No. 9) polls, while ranking No. 12 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 16 in the NCBWA top 25 rankings.

• The Sooners are 2-1 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.

THE BEST BASEBALL CONFERENCE IN AMERICA

• Announced in 2021 was Oklahoma and Texas' move to the Southeastern Conference. The transition became official July 1, 2024, and the OU baseball program will look to make a name for itself in the premier baseball conference in the country in its inaugural season in 2025.

• The Sooners are no strangers to competing against their new conference foes. Since head coach Skip Johnson's hiring in 2018, OU is 38-30 versus current members of the SEC (including Texas).

• The Sooners will play 30 conference games this season, highlighted by five home series versus four of the past five national champions (Vanderbilt [2019], Mississippi State [2021], Ole Miss [2022], LSU [2023]), and a home regular season finale vs. rival Texas.

• OU plays its first conference series as SEC members March 14-16 at South Carolina. The Sooners will also travel to Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Missouri in 2025.

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