With the Sooners heading to the Southeastern Conference, it is only appropriate to relive our Top 20 Big 12 moments in Sooner history over the next 20 days.
Before the Big 12 Conference was established, the Southwest Conference consisted of four teams: Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Texas. The Big Eight included Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. Both of those conferences combined created the Big 12 Conference.
Let’s begin with 20! The 1997 Oklahoma Sooners baseball team won the first-ever Big 12 tournament. The tournament was played inside the All Sports Stadium at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.
In their first eight games of the season, the Sooners went 6-2 and averaged about nine runs in that stretch with one of the two losses coming on the road.
Winning nine of their next 13 games puts them at a 15-6 record with about 35 percent of the season completed including a 20-2 win over Missouri Southern in March which was a season-high in runs.
Oklahoma finished the last nine games of March 5-4 including a claimed series over the Texas Longhorns, a 14-8 record in March, and a 20-10 record overall.
In April, the Sooners went 13-3, put together their longest winning streak of the season being 11, averaged around nine runs, and swept Kansas State and Nebraska.
It was a down final patch of the regular season for Oklahoma going 2-4 and ending the regular season with a 35-17 record. The crimson and cream headed into the Big 12 tournament as the fourth seed.
Following a first-round 3-11 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies, the Sooners squeaked by the first-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders 5-3 in the second round.
Sooners blasted the Missouri Tigers in the third round 16-7 setting up a Bedlam matchup in the semifinals.
With Oklahoma defeating Oklahoma State 10-5, the Big 12 tournament championship was set in stone; a rematch between the Sooners and the Red Raiders.
In a high-scoring championship battle, there can only be one first-ever Big 12 tournament champion! That was the Oklahoma Sooners led by head coach Larry Cochell edging out the Red Raiders 19-17.
Outfielder Brian Shackelford was awarded Most Outstanding Player. Shackelford also led the Sooners in hits, RBIs, and homeruns in the 1997 season.
Second baseman Corey Hart, shortstop Derek Wathan, catcher Javier Flores, outfielder Brian Shackelford, and pitcher Jeff Andra were entirely named to the All-Tournament Team for the Sooners.
