In a day full of upsets, the No. 3 Seeded Oklahoma Sooners failed to break the trend. Facing the Longhorns in the Big 12 Tournament, Texas jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. Forced to play from behind, OU plated four runs but fell short by a final of 8-4.
“Going into the game, we wanted to limit what [Texas does} offensively very well,” said Oklahoma Head Coach Pete Hughes. “We didn’t do a good job of that. Their offensive is predicated off the walk and we walked 10 guys tonight. Too many guys, the leadoff guy of the inning, but that’s what gets their offense going. They got some big hits. We had our opportunities. I liked the way our guys fought back in a 5-0 game. We had plenty of chances to get back in it. Texas played well.”
Falling into the loser’s side of the bracket, the Sooners must take the long road if they hope to win the tournament. Facing the TCU Horned Frogs in an elimination game, Oklahoma has a bit of confidence squaring off against another ranked foe. The confidence comes from taking the series against the Horned Frogs in Norman in walk-off fashion.
“We’re going to come in and attack TCU,” said outfielder Steele Walker. “It’s still a baseball game. As far as I see it, it’s another team. I don’t care what time we play. We’re going to go out there and attack them.
Oklahoma remains 0-3 at Bricktown Ballpark during the 2017 campaign. With a quick turnaround — playing in roughly 12 hours from the close of the first outing — the Sooners must refocus their efforts. Finding their backs against a wall, who shall remain in the hunt for the title?