Trio of Sooners Named All-SEC

NORMAN — Three Oklahoma Baseball student-athletes were named to All-SEC teams as the SEC announced the all-conference awards Monday afternoon.

Named to the All-SEC First Team as a starting pitcher was junior right-handed pitcher Kyson Witherspoon. Junior catcher Easton Carmichael claimed All-SEC Second Team honors, while freshman Kyle Branch was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team at second base.

Witherspoon, a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, has been dominant on the mound for Oklahoma this season. The righty ranks first in the SEC and 23rd nationally in ERA (2.48), tied for first in the league and 12th in the country in victories (9) and and fourth and seventh in the conference and nation, respectively, with 112 strikeouts.

The OU ace holds a 9-3 record in 14 starts with a 112-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.60) that ranks fourth in the SEC and 19th nationally. His 0.94 WHIP is good for second in the conference and 15th in the NCAA. Witherspoon has four double-digit strikeout outings and seven or more K's in 10 of his 14 starts. The junior has surrendered more than three earned runs in just four appearances and six hits or fewer in all 14 starts.

Carmichael has paced the Sooner offense in 2025, leading OU with 14 home runs, 26 extra-base hits and 54 RBIs. His .593 slugging percentage and .981 OPS are good for first on the team and the junior also paces OU with 14 multi-RBI games and 19 multi-hit games. In SEC play, the Prosper, Texas, product ranked fourth in hits (42), sixth in RBIs (32) and 10th in total bases (73). The junior has been a speedster on the base path as well with 11 stolen bases on 16 attempts.

Carmichael has been a force behind the plate, starting 36 of OU's 52 games behind the dish and holding a .997 fielding percentage. Carmichael has thrown out eight runners stealing and has surrendered just three passed balls. In SEC play, Carmichael ranked second among catchers in runners caught stealing with six.

Making a name for himself as a freshman has been Branch, starting all 52 games for the Sooners at second base. The frosh ranks second on the team in hits (58) and batting average (.304). Branch has batted in 26 runs and hit two home runs and 12 extra-base hits. The Lucas, Texas, native has flashed the leather, helping turn 26 of OU's 39 double plays as the Sooners paced the league in SEC play with 24 double plays. Branch holds a .959 fielding clip, making 118 assists and 90 putouts to nine errors on the year. In league play, Branch's 71 assists ranked fifth and his 16 double plays fielded ranked ninth.

The Sooner trio collect Oklahoma's first SEC baseball annual awards in program history as the Sooners near the completion of their inaugural season in the conference. It marks consecutive all-conference seasons for Carmichael and Witherspoon as the two were first and second team All-Big 12, respectively, a season ago.

The 12-seed Sooners (33-19, 14-16 SEC) meet 13th-seeded Kentucky (29-23, 13-17) Tuesday at 1 p.m. CT in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Ala.

The tournament can be seen on SEC Network with the championship game airing on ESPN2. All games can be heard on 99.3 FM/1400 AM The REF in Oklahoma or nationwide on The Varsity Network app.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma Baseball, follow the Sooners on X/Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Baseball) and like Oklahoma Baseball on Facebook.

Players Mentioned

Kyle Branch

Easton Carmichael

Kyson Witherspoon

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics