Oklahoma's College World Series Preview
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Oklahoma baseball is ready for its time in the limelight.
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The Sooners aren't exactly new to the College World Series. When they play Alabama in both teams' openers on Saturday (3 p.m. on ESPN), OU will make its 12th appearance in the CWS. That's six more than the Crimson Tide. Only 11 schools have played in Omaha more than the Sooners.
The thing is, only three appearances have come this century. All three have come in the era of Oklahoma's softball dominance. Baseball has, mostly, been lower on the pecking order. But with the softball team having fallen short of Oklahoma City and the Women's College World Series for the first time in a decade, all eyeballs are on Skip Johnson's club.
Not that they weren't in 2022 when OU made the national championship final. That run, though, felt more probable than this one. In 2026, the Sooners had to fight through losing their last five Southeastern Conference series, beat the national No. 2-seed Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and finally get past old Big 12 rival, and No. 15-seed, Kansas.
Oklahoma doesn't enter the tournament as a favorite. But they haven't been for most of the last couple months, either, and they made it this far. The Sooners' goal is to get on-base, go first-to-third or steal second, and use the middle of the lineup to knock guys in. That'll be key in Omaha, where Charles Schwab Field plays against the long ball.
Let's look at what to expect when CWS kicks off.
Potential College World Series Schedule
Oklahoma's potential games are bolded, not including the finales.
- Friday, June 12
- Game 1: 2 p.m. | No. 16 West Virginia vs. Troy | ESPN
- Game 2: 7 p.m. | No. 5 North Carolina vs. Ole Miss | ESPN
- Saturday, June 13
- Game 3: 3 p.m. | No. 7 Alabama vs. Oklahoma | ESPN
- Game 4: 8 p.m. | No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Texas | ESPN
- Sunday, June 14
- Game 5: 2 p.m. | Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | ESPN
- Game 6: 7 p.m. | Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2| ESPN
- Monday, June 15
- Game 7: 2 p.m.| Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 | ESPN
- Game 8: 7 p.m. | Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | ESPN
- Tuesday, June 16
- Game 9: 2 p.m. | Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6 | ESPN
- Game 10: 8 p.m. | Winner of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8 |ESPN
- Wednesday, June 17
- Game 11: 2 p.m. | Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 9 | ESPN
- Game 12: 7 p.m. | Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 | ESPN
- Thursday, June 18 (if necessary)
- Bracket 1 | TBD Thursday, June 18 on ESPN (if necessary)
- Bracket 2 | TBD Thursday, June 18 on ESPN (if necessary)
- Men's College World Series championship series: Saturday, June 20 - Sunday/Monday, 21/22
- Game 1: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 20 on ESPN
- Game 2: 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21 on ABC
- Game 3: 7 p.m. Monday, June 22 on ESPN (if necessary)
Season history vs. Alabama, Texas, Georgia
- Alabama won two of three in Norman: 10-7, 2-4, 3-2
- Texas won all three in Austin: 14-0, 4-3, 5-4
- Georgia and Oklahoma did not play in 2026
Oklahoma key pitchers
- Starting pitcher - freshman Cord Rager: 5-3, 1.08 WHIP, 5.20 ERA, 81 K, 19 BB in 64 IP
- Pitcher - Cameron Johnson: 6-1, 1.55 WHIP, 4.36 ERA, 72 K, 43 BB in 53 2/3 IP
- Pitcher - L.J. Mercurius: 6-7, 1.29 WHIP, 4.97 ERA, 92 K, 24 BB, 70 2/3 IP
Mercurius was Oklahoma's No. 1 starter for most of the season but has found even better results pitching out of the bullpen in the postseason. Rager pitched the best game of his young career against Kansas in the Super Regional, giving up just one hit and striking out six in six innings against the Jayhawks. Johnson was a staple in the rotation early in the season, but has struggled in his last three outings, giving up 10 runs over his last four innings, though he remains perhaps the most talented pitcher on the staff.
Oklahoma key hitters
- Catcher Deiten LaChance: .309 average, .406 OBP, .609 SLG, 15 HR, 62 RBI
- Outfielder Trey Gambill: .293 average, .444 OBP, .527 SLG, 10 HR, 35 RBI
- First baseman Dayton Tockey: .259 average, .410 OBP, .593 SLG, 8 HR, 22 RBI
LaChance has been Oklahoma's best hitter all season and leads the team in slugging, home runs, and RBIs, and ranks second in average. He's the key piece in the lineup. Gambill's solid career carried over into 2026, and his .971 OPS ranks third among everyday players. Tockey is the most interesting right now. He struggled for much of the season and started only about half the Sooners' games, but he's been red hot in the postseason, hitting five home runs with nine RBIs in the NCAA Tournament.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Preview of Oklahoma's College World Series