No. 10 OU Hosts Mississippi State for SEC Home-Opening Series

NORMAN – No. 10 Oklahoma (18-2, 2-1 SEC) returns to conference play this weekend, hosting its inaugural SEC series at L. Dale Mitchell Park vs. Mississippi State (14-7, 0-3). The series can be seen via SECN+ with Chad McKee and OU alum Rich Hills on the call and heard on the radio in Oklahoma on 99.3 FM/1400 AM The REF or nationwide on The Varsity app with Josh Helmer and alum Blake Brewster calling the action.

THE BASICS

• Oklahoma enters the contest at 18-2 and winners of seven of its last eight games. The Sooners have a pair of top-10 non-conference wins and an SEC series already on their resume. OU started the season 11-0, the program's best start since 2011.

• The Sooners won a back-and-forth series at South Carolina last weekend. After taking game one of the series Friday, the Gamecocks won game two to force a rubber match Sunday which the Sooners rallied in the ninth inning to win 6-5 in the 10th.

• Oklahoma currently sits at No. 6 in the NCAA RPI, the third-highest in the SEC. The Sooners jumped two spots into the top 10 at No. 10 in this week's D1Baseball poll. The team holds its highest rankings in the Perfect Game USA (No. 8), Baseball America (No. 9) and USA TODAY Coaches (No. 9) polls, while ranking No. 12 in the NCBWA top 25 rankings.

• The Sooners hold the all-time advantage vs. Mississippi State 4-3-1. The teams most recently met in 2023 at the Frisco Classic, a 15-9 Sooner win. This weekend's meeting will be the first games played in Norman between the two programs.

#10 Oklahoma vs. Mississippi State
Dates: March 21-23
Times (CT): 6:30 p.m./4 p.m./2 p.m.
Location: Norman
Arena: L. Dale Mitchell Park

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FOR THE FANS

• Tickets for this weekend's SEC home-opening series are available via SoonerSports.com/tickets. New this season in right field is Section 405, tickets for the new seating option are available here.

• This weekend is Military Appreciation Weekend at the ballpark, with a challenge coin giveaway for active and veteran service members. Due to OU's spring break, the left field berm seating will be occupied and available for Student Veteran Affairs.

• Friday features "Happy Hour" from gates open up until first pitch with $4 16oz beers available for purchase. Postgame will be the return of Friday Night Fireworks, every Friday of conference play.

• Sunday is "Sunday Funday" at the ballpark with inflatables, postgame autographs and an opportunity for kids to run the bases postgame. As is every Sunday, fans can purchase the Family Four Pack deal that features four general admission tickets, four hot dogs, four sodas and one popcorn all for $40.

• SooneRVillage, OU's recreational vehicle parking area in the Lloyd Noble Center parking lot, returns for SEC play. Fans bringing their RV for the weekend can purchase parking spots here.

• Fans traveling to Norman for this weekend's series should be advised that parking in the Lloyd Noble Center lot will be on a first-come, first-serve basis with numerous events happening on campus this weekend including the first rounds of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament being held at LNC.

THE NUMBERS

• OU's pitching rotation is headlined by 2025 Preseason All-SEC RHP Kyson Witherspoon, who is 5-0 this season in his five starts with a 47-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List honoree has struck out a career-high 12 batters in two of his five starts.

• Twin brother, Malachi Witherspoon, holds a 2-1 record in five starts with 22 strikeouts. Making his weekend rotation debut Saturday vs. MSU will be left JUCO transfer Cade Crossland. In five appearances this season (2 starts), Crossland has fanned 20 batters and walked nine. Lefty transfer Cameron Johnson is 2-0 in six starts with 21 K's.

• The pitching staff ranks 47th in the country with its 4.06 team ERA. Kyson Witherspoon ranks fifth in the country and third in the SEC in strikeouts with 47 and 10th in the nation in K/9 (14.93). His 0.81 WHIP is good for third in the league and 22nd in Division I.

• The Sooners are outscoring opponents 151-87 and OU's pitchers have struck out 205 batters on the year, holding a 4.06 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. OU has surrendered double-digit runs just twice on the year.

• Oklahoma is an undefeated 13-0 at L. Dale Mitchell Park, outscoring the opposition 116-45 on its home field, including a 16-3 home run advantage in Norman.

• OU's deep bullpen has been impressive early, surrendering 41 runs with a 101-to-37 K/BB ratio. The Sooners have utilized 10 bullpen arms so far in 2025. Senior Dylan Crooks has taken on the closer role, ranking second in the country with six saves in eight appearances, striking out 11 in 13.1 innings of work.

• In the batter's box, sophomore Jaxon Willits leads the team with six homers, including three in his last seven games. Returning NCBWA All-American Easton Carmichael paces OU with 12 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs. Centerfielder Jason Walk has been the table setter in the leadoff spot, with hits in 17 of 19 games played and three homers on the year, already matching his season total from his freshman year a season ago. Freshman second baseman Kyle Branch has impressed in his first season, batting a team-high .366 to go with six XBH and 15 RBIs. Redshirt sophomore Sam Christiansen leads OU with 22 walks drawn, good for 18th in the country and third in the SEC.

• As an offense, the Sooners rank second in the SEC and 20th in the nation with 50 stolen bases.

• The Sooners have utilized the long ball, hitting 24 home runs and the team has homered in eight straight games and 15 of OU's 20 games on the year.

THE BEST BASEBALL CONFERENCE IN AMERICA

• The OU baseball program looks 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 40-31 versus current members of the SEC (including Texas).

• OU won its first conference series as members of the SEC last weekend at South Carolina, taking the rubber match in Columbia by a final of 6-5 in 10 innings. OU erased a two-run deficit with two outs in the ninth to tie the game before sophomore Jason Walk launched his second home run of the season at the top of the 10th to give the Sooners the lead. Closer Dylan Crooks slammed the door in the bottom of the 10th, inducing a popup with two runners on base to seal the series victory.

• 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.

• The Sooners travel to South Carolina, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia and Kentucky in 2025.

RANKINGS CHATTER

• Oklahoma jumped two spots to No. 10 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 prior to their current top-10 rank.

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

NEWCOMERS MAKING NOISE

• Looking to replace 22 lost letterwinners from 2024, the Sooner coaching staff hit the transfer portal and recruiting trail hard to bring in 28 newcomers for 2025.

• Of those 28, 16 are transfer student-athletes, including 11 from junior colleges, a testament to OU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Todd Butler and the OU staff's expertise at the JUCO level.

• The newcomers have made an impact this season, with nine newcomer position players making starts and three freshmen or transfers making starts on the mound already in 2025.

• Freshman Kyle Branch and junior transfer Dawson Willis have started all 20 games at second and third, respectively. Fellow newcomers outfielders Trey Gambill and Sam Christiansen, and first baseman Dayton Tockey, have all recorded over 15 starts. Branch paces the team with a .366 batting average, while Tockey and Willis have each provided power at the plate with a combined 14 extra-base hits.

• On the bump, nine Sooners new to the program in 2025 have made appearances with junior JUCO transfer Cade Crossland pacing the group with 20 strikeouts. Freshman Michael Catalano (14 K) and sophomores Cameron Johnson (21 K), Jason Bodin (13 K) and Gavyn Jones (12 K) have been instrumental to OU's pitching success.

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