OU Beats Kentucky in First Round of SEC Tournament

Tuesday, May 20

Hoover, Ala.

1 p.m. CT

University of Oklahoma

34-19

Kentucky

29-24

Kentucky

Oklahoma

OU Beats Kentucky in First Round of SEC Tournament

May 20, 2025 | Baseball

Box Score Final Stats Highlights SEC Baseball Tournament Photo Gallery

HOOVER, Ala. — Oklahoma defeated Kentucky in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament Tuesday afternoon, 5-1.

The 12-seed Sooners advance to meet the No. 5 seed Georgia on Wednesday at 1 p.m. CT.

The Sooners (34-19) were powered by a two-run, go-ahead home run from sophomore Jason Walk in the third inning. OU starting left-handed pitcher Jaden Barfield and relievers James Hitt and Dylan Crooks combined to hold the Wildcats (29-24) to just one run on six hits.

Oklahoma gave the ball to the freshman Barfield to start Tuesday's contest and after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, the frosh worked three innings of one-run ball with a trio of strikeouts.

The Wildcats took advantage of a Sooner miscue at the top of the third, scoring on an error at third base to score their first and only run of the game.

In the home half of the third, a leadoff single from sophomore Dasan Harris set the table for the Walk. On a 2-1 pitch, Walk lifted his eighth home run of the season over the right field wall to give OU a 2-1 lead. Two batters later, after junior Trey Gambill drew a walk and stole second, fellow junior Easton Carmichael plated him on an RBI single through the left side to make it 3-1, OU.

The Sooners scratched a pair of insurance runs across with one in the sixth and one in the eighth.

Sophomore Jaxon Willits led off the sixth with a single through the left side and moved to second on a fly out. Two batters later with one out, freshman Kyle Branch ripped a ball to first base which the UK first baseman had no play at home, allowing Willits to score on the groundout.

In the eighth, a leadoff triple from Carmichael allowed Willits to bring him home on a sacrifice fly to center field to bring the final to 5-1, Oklahoma.

Barfield went four innings to start the game, surrendering no earned runs and four hits with two walks and three strikeouts. It was just his second start of the season and his longest outing by two innings.

Hitt (W, 2-0) was exceptional out of the pen, going four innings of scoreless relief while allowing just two hits and one walk to go with one strikeout. Crooks closed the game in the ninth, striking out a pair as he put UK down in order.

At the plate, Carmichael paced OU with his 20th multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. Six Sooners registered a hit in the contest with four bringing in a run, led by Walk's two RBIs via home run.

The 12-seed Sooners meet five-seed Georgia at 1 p.m. CT Wednesday. 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.