Chapel Hill Regional Recap And 26′ Sneak Preview
The Oklahoma Sooners saw their season end at the hands of the #5 national seed, the North Carolina Tarheels late into the afternoon on Monday, finishing 38-22 in 2025. Oklahoma battled back through the losers bracket after dropping their second game of the Chapel Hill regional to North Carolina on Saturday night, but simply ran out of gas, and arms in the the Tar Heel State.
The plan, much scrutinized going in, was to rest Friday night ace, and one of the best pitchers in college baseball Kyson Witherspoon in game one against Nebraska. Hotly debated and talked about, the risk/reward factor for Oklahoma, losing game one with a top-ten draft pick on the bench would have been a bit of an egg on face moment. Thanks to Malachi Witherspoon, that was a non starter. Malachi, was masterful against a red hot Nebraska team, going six full innings, scattering three hits and striking out nine. Senior Dylan Crooks would get the save, passing Sooner great Bucky Buckles’ single season mark of fourteen saves in a year. Easton Carmichael and Drew Dickerson would provide the pop each homering, and Oklahoma won 7-4
Game two was a little different than anyone has seen with Kyson Witherspoon on the bump for Oklahoma this year. The Heels’ approach and plate discipline looked like they knew what was coming, and as things came out, they may have. Whatever the reasoning, Kyson was hit pretty hard, but that one thing again that bit Oklahoma baseball all season, defense, did so again in the early stages. A ground ball to second, a throw to first, saw the baseball end up near the North Carolina dugout… spelling doom early on. Errors, Oklahoma finished second to dead last in the SEC in errors, and a fielding percentage in the hundreds nationally. They both would play a big role in Oklahoma’s season coming to a close. North Carolina would get six runs across in the top half of the first, ending the game before it started and Oklahoma would go on to lose 11-1. Kyson was tagged for ten hits, nine runs (three earned) on the evening.
Game 3 saw Oklahoma playing for survival in another battle of the big reds. Cade Crossland did more than enough in this one, as Oklahoma exploded against a Nebraska team down to their last arms in the bullpen, putting up seventeen (17) runs. A touchdown and a field-goal in route to a blowout sending the Huskers back to Lincoln and ending Nebraska’s season.
Game 4 once again saw Oklahoma playing for their life against the host team. They would hand the ball to true freshman Jaden Barfield and let the crooked hat wearing youngster determine their fate against top 5 seed Carolina Tarheels. They were rewarded. Barfield would throw 4 full, striking out three, scattering two hits and one earned run. Drew Dickerson launched one to Cape Hatteras, a towering shot that hit the light pole in left-center, Robert Redford in The Natural style. A Jaxon Willits two run, two out double while shooshing the crowd would add the insurance Oklahoma needed, and give closer Dylan Crooks the run support needed to come in and record the save sending the regional to the max. A game seven winner take all on Monday evening.
The championship game. Do or die. Saw Oklahoma die in the top half of the first. What should have been a scoreless frame worked by starter Reid Hensley, saw yet another error open the floodgates and lead to three unearned runs crossing for Carolina. A tough play off the glove of Hensley that Kyle Branch tried to salvage, turned to disaster. That would set a pretty bad tone for the evening. A Drew Dickerson two-run home run to make the game 3-2 gave a glimmer of hope, but it would be short lived as the Heels would tack on four more in the top half of the third and for all practical purposes end the regional. Regional MVP Gavin Gallaher would homer in back to back innings in the eighth and ninth for good measure, and UNC won going away 14-4.
Defense. Defense will no doubt be an emphasis for this program entering the off-season. Sometimes errors are like the shanks in golf. When ya get em, you got em, and this team had em. Whatever the cause, youth in the field, lack of focus or technique… they will be on the hunt for the cure before 26′.
A few players really stood out for this regional, of course Easton Carmichael, but he stood out all season as the clear-cut best overall player and leader of Oklahoma baseball in 25′. He will be missed.
True freshman Drew Dickerson, after being absent in the lineup much of May, Dickerson played out of his skull and flashed why he was a top 150 national recruit. The 6’4, 220 pound utility man went 7/15 with 9 RBI, scored 6 times and homered 3 times.
Dasan Harris, Dash. Dash went 8/14, knocked in 4 and seemed to be the table setter for everyone else as he would come around to score 5 times on the weekend.
As we begin to look ahead to 2026 for Oklahoma baseball, those two are going to be centerpieces to now be counted on on a lineup that looks to return Jason Walk, Dayton Tockey, Trey Gambill, Dawson Willis, Jaxon Willits and Kyle Branch. A very good and young core for the Oklahoma staff to build around.
As far as pitching, got some bad news Sooner fans: the entire weekend staff is gone from Norman. A few have reached out via DM, asking about possibilities, but Kyson and Malachi both will sign, as will Cade Crossland. As well as a salty veteran out of the bullpen Jaime Hitt, and one of the best closers in the country in Dylan Crooks. Where does that leave Oklahoma on the mound in 26′?
Jaden Barfield. The true freshman was nails late in the season. From a crooked hat ala Fernando Rodney, to wanting the baseball in Hoover against a Kentucky team who had just swept Oklahoma two weeks prior, to starting against a top 5 national seed with Oklahoma’s season on the line. He would respond to that pressure by throwing four full, striking out three while scattering two hits and one run. He is definitely one I have penciled in to a starting rotation spot.
Dylan Tate. Bad luck saw Tate miss the entire regular season due to injury. The junior right handed flame-thrower was thought to be a sure-fire back end relief and possible closer for OU in 25′. He got a chance to showcase what he can do against a very good North Carolina lineup, pitching four full innings, striking out five, scattering four hits and allowing an earned run. With a fastball that runs up to 98, much coveted arm talent will be hard for MLB scouts to pass up.
Michael Catalono. The third ranked right handed pitcher coming out of Texas in his class, the true freshman showed glimpses as to why this season. Spot duty, but looked mighty impressive when on the mound.
Cameron Johnson. Well, the Cameron Johnson experiment didn’t go exactly to plan this season, but he is eligible to return in 26′, and is not old enough to enter the MLB draft. So hope and optimism will always remain around a prospect that is 6’5, 250… is left handed and throws in the upper nineties. Maybe another off-season with Skip Johnson is just what the doctor ordered.
It was a fun season and fun team to cover and follow. Honestly, they surpassed my expectations year one in a very hard baseball conference. And won more games in the post-season than I would have thought after losing last year’s group of the Omaha core. The 24′ team will always be the one I am a little surprised by not making it to super regional action, while hosting a regional in Norman. A weekend staff that was better than this year, with Braden Davis as the Friday night guy and Kyson Witherspoon as the second starter, that was formidable. This, was a rebuilding effort. The bad news, they have to do it again in 26′, at least on the mound.
