Oklahoma 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament Exit Interview

(The Oklahoman photo)

SEC Tournament Results: W, 5-1 vs. Kentucky; W, 3-2 vs. Georgia; L, 6-1 vs. Vanderbilt

Record: 35-20

Entering their first year in the SEC, the Oklahoma Sooners more than held their own in the toughest conference in college baseball, going 14-16.

Coming into the season, a lot believed the Oklahoma pitching staff might be one of the best in the country and that the team would sink or swim based on their performance, but it was a more balanced approach for the Sooners.

The pitching staff finished the regular season with an ERA of 4.58, which ranked eighth best, while the offense finished with the 10th best batting average.

Offensively, they didn’t possess a ton of power with the fourth-fewest long balls, but made up for that with 107 stolen bases (second-most in the SEC), 273 walks (eighth-most), and just 412 strikeouts (fourth-fewest)

Catcher Easton Carmichael was the clear leader on offense, hitting .321 with 114 home runs, 54 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.

But on the pitching side, Kyson Witherspoon gave Oklahoma a chance to win every Friday night.

The righty, who is expected to go in the first round of the upcoming MLB Draft, finished the regular season with a sparkling 2.48 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 83.1 innings pitched and 112 strikeouts.

Unfortunately, the rest of the pitching staff didn’t live up to expectations, with Malachi Witherspoon having some ups and downs, Cameron Johnson not reaching his potential, and Cade Crossland not being as consistent.

James Hitt and Dylan Crooks were lights out in the bullpen for Oklahoma.

What’s next

Oklahoma couldn’t really gain or lose anything in the SEC Tournament. They’ll make a regional somewhere, and depending on the pitching that weekend, it’s not crazy to think they could make a deep run.

Even if it’s an early exit, it was a great first season for Skip Johnson in the SEC and one that his team can build upon. There will be some huge losses to the roster with Carmichael and Kyson likely heading to the next level, but Johnson has proven he can recruit the talent needed to compete in the SEC.

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