Hot hitting Sooners finally get pitching required to claim another relevant win
Topping Shockers could give Skip Johnson's squad the jolt it needs
Not exactly the way it might have happened, but Skip Johnson’s Sooner baseball team got better against Wichita State Tuesday night.
Though nothing close to what the program’s been over the past decade — the Shockers’ last NCAA appearance came in 2013 — Wichita State’s offering signs of coming back this season, its first under head coach Brian Green.
The Shockers entered Norman with seven wins in 10 games, including a run-rule decision over Auburn, a six-run pelting of then-ranked Iowa, a tight fit over Oral Roberts and arrived at L. Dale Mitchell Park after three straight wins over Utah Tech.
That the Sooners (6-5) never trailed on the way to a 5-3 victory means they finally have a relevant win again more than two weeks after knocking off eighth-ranked Tennessee and Nebraska at the season-opening Shriners College Showdown in Arlington, Texas.
That they did it the way they did it, with pitching, makes it more meaningful.
Believe it or not, OU entered the contest hitting .331 and slugging .526 as a team, fantastic offensive numbers for a program that’s specialized in low-scoring terrific-pitching victories.
Entering Tuesday, Sooner wins had come by an average 7.8 runs and losses by an average 5.4.
OU had also scored seven runs at Dallas Baptist and lost, nine runs against Wright State and lost and nine runs against Pittsburgh, in Las Vegas last weekend, and lost, none of which rings too familiar for a Johnson-skippered squad.
Tuesday was a return to sanity behind solid pitching from, count them, eight different Sooners. And, though OU was limited to nine hits rather than 15 or 20, the offense still looks very good.
Will Carsten, who entered with an earned run average of 11.25, tossed three scoreless innings, allowed one hit and faced the minimum nine batters.
Grant Stevens tossed 1 2/3 innings and, despite allowing four hits and a walk, gave up just a run.
Carter Campbell, Ryan Lambert, Jace Miner and Carson Atwood each tossed an inning or less without allowing a run.
Malachi Witherspoon, in a closer’s role, despite allowing a solo shot to Josh Livingston, came right back to quickly retire Jordan Rogers and Camden Johnson to put victory on ice.
“The strength of our pitching staff is our depth and we’ve got to keep throwing them out there,” Johnson said. “… You’re looking at a lineup and you’re looking at matchups.”
In a nine-inning game, it’s hard to imagine Johnson could have created any more matchups than he created.
He even took the rare step of allowing Campbell to start the top of seventh only to pull him in favor of Lambert after Campbell worked into a 2-0 count facing Brayden Luikart.
Luikart reached, but only on shortstop Jaxon Willits’ error.
Green, though, did something even odder managing his pitchers, replacing Hunter Holmes with Caleb Anderson after Homes had worked into a 1-2 count against Anthony Mackenzie.
In between Holmes’ last pitch to Mackenzie and getting pulled, John Spikerman stole second base despite getting picked off first.
Still, pull a guy one pitch from finishing an inning?
Crazy.
Not crazy?
What OU’s doing at the plate.
Tuesday it was nine hits, including two from Spikerman, two from Easton Carmichael, who went deep and drove in three, and two from Carter Frederick out of the eight hole.
Beyond Carmichael, OU’s remaining RBI belonged to Rocco Garza-Gongora, who went 0 for 3, but whose bounce out to second base in the fourth inning plated Frederick.
Not exactly fireworks, but Spikerman exited hitting .476, Carmichael exited hitting .442 and Michael Snyder, Jackson Nicklaus and Frederick all exited hitting north of .350.
Holy cow.
The way Johnson sees it, those kinds of numbers ought to translate into better pitching and fielding, too.
“A good offense always makes a good defense better,” he said, “because you get runs and you play better defense. You give a pitcher a four- or five-run lead, his breaking ball gets better, his fastball command gets better, everything gets better.”
If he’s right, and the Sooner bats keep it up — OU’s slashing .330/.430/.517 11 games into the season — he ought to be coaching an utterly fabulous team soon.
His next assignment is taking advantage of opening conference play at home.
Central Florida’s in for three games beginning 6:30 p.m. Friday.
In a big conference, everything comes faster.
OU appears built for it.
Of course, three more wins like Tuesday’s by Sunday afternoon would be even better evidence than a bunch of terrific numbers.
Nice write up. If they can get things figured out on the mound, this team could be really good. Hopefully with Skip's pitching coach experience they will.