By: Dave Myrick
The Oklahoma Sooners are 2-0 in the SEC tournament, all time. Sounds kind of weird to say, but it’s the truth. After dispatching the Kentucky Wildcats 5-1 Tuesday afternoon, and knocking off the #1 team in the nation in terms of R.P.I. in the Georgia Bulldogs 3-2 on Wednesday, Oklahoma has found themselves the talk of Hoover Alabama this week.
Freshman Jaden Barfield, making his first career start against Kentucky in game one, was outstanding. He would throw four innings, allowing one unearned run and striking out three. Barfield would run into trouble in the top of the first with the bases loaded and only one down for the Wildcats. A sharp ground ball back to Barfield to start a 1-2-3 twin killing ended the threat and he would not face much of a threat the rest of the way. Veteran, and fellow left-hander Jamie Hitt, would be just as immaculate throwing four innings of shut out baseball, facing the minimum in his first three innings against a scrappy crew in Kentucky. Hitt, like Barfield, also was aided in Oklahoma playing outstanding defense behind him, as the Sooners would turn two twice with Hitt on the mound to escape trouble. Dylan Crooks would enter and slam the door shut as Oklahoma put up enough offense behind the bat of Jason Walk, who’s two run home-run in the bottom of the third, answered Kentucky’s lone run in the top of the third, and Easton Carmichael,s 2-4 day, scoring a run and driving one in.
That advanced the Sooners to Wednesday facing the five seed Georgia. The Bulldogs would strut in boasting the top home run hitting team in college baseball, and the #1 team in the nation by the metric of R.P.I. All that is glowing and solid, problem for the Dawgs… they were facing Kyson Witherspoon. Speaking with fellow media members in Hoover as the game unfolded, it became clear though much of the SEC had heard about Kyson Witherspoon: “Yea, the guy can shove”, many kind of woke up to the fact he is indeed, one of the top pitchers in all of college baseball seeing it face to face.
Witherspoon would throw seven and two-thirds innings, allow two earned runs, striking out eight. Controlling a potent Georgia lineup four times through. Kyson had it all working, glove side fastball with run, a change-up from out of nowhere, the cutter, and noon to six curve kept the Bulldogs off balance all night long. One of the two runs surrendered came in the eighth with Witherspoon over 100 pitches. Jason Bodin would come in to get the last out in the eighth, and Dylan Crooks would once again slam the door shut in the bottom of the ninth with Oklahoma clinging to a one run lead. Once again, at the forefront of the OU offense, Easton Carmichael, who went 1-3 and scored twice. Trey Gambill had a solid day going 2-4, scoring once. And freshman Brayden had an enormous game. Horton had a critical at bat in the fourth, with Oklahoma having stranded runners at second and third with one out in the top of the third, Horton faced the exact same spot in the top of fourth. On a 2-2 count, Horton did his job and got one elevated to center field, scoring Carmichael who tagged from third. Horton again played big with an R.B.I. single in the sixth to give OU a two run cushion.
A lot of talk about what’s at stake for Oklahoma this week. Losers of six of their last seven rolling into Hoover, they needed to get back to winning baseball and have positive vibes heading to the stuff that counts. They got off the o’fer line against Kentucky, who swept Oklahoma two weeks ago, and evened the season series with Georgia at 2-2. Now anything is a bonus as the Sooners are playing with a bit of house money. They can put themselves back into the hosting *convo by winning today against Vandy, meaning people will start bringing it back up. I think for Oklahoma to realistically have a shot at hosting they have to make at least the finals of the SEC tourney. As of now they have bumped themselves from the three line to the two.
More really than that, it was important for Oklahoma to make a good showing in Hoover. And its really cool hearing from other media members about how good Kyson Witherspoon is, those of us who cover Oklahoma knew this but like I said it was the first eye level for a lot of different SEC fans to get to watch. And of course a lot has been made of “year one, SEC” and what didn’t go well for Oklahoma football, then basketball (though basketball redeemed itself to an extent down the stretch). It was up to baseball, the second biggest sport in the SEC, to show they fit in. And not only fit in, but prove they belong. They have done that in Hoover Alabama this week, so whatever line they end up on, mission accomplished.
