No. 16 Oklahoma continued its undefeated start to the 2025 season, fending off a late surge from Texas Southern to secure a 5-4 victory Wednesday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park. With the win, the Sooners improved to 8-0, marking their best start since the 2013 season.
Oklahoma took control early, building a 5-0 lead through seven innings, but Texas Southern refused to go quietly. A furious late-game rally saw the Tigers score four runs over the final two frames, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth. However, OU closer Dylan Crooks slammed the door with back-to-back strikeouts, preserving the victory and notching his second save of the season.
Pitching Paves the Way
Freshman right-hander Landon Victorian made his first career start for the Sooners and delivered two scoreless innings, allowing three hits with one strikeout and a walk. Victorian, a highly touted recruit out of Louisiana’s Barbe High School, is still working his way back from injury, but head coach Skip Johnson expressed confidence in his long-term potential.
“He was a highly touted pitcher out of high school, and he gets here and gets an injury,” Johnson said. “He’s really still building back up, and you may not really see his real self until the end of March, April, or even May.”
Following Victorian, Oklahoma turned to its bullpen, deploying six different relievers. Beau Sampson (2.0 IP), Michael Catalano (2.0 IP, 4 K), James Hitt (1.0 IP), Jason Bodin (0.2 IP), Jaden Barfield (0.2 IP), and Crooks (0.2 IP) combined for 11 strikeouts. Catalano earned his first career win after tossing two scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
Small Ball Fuels Oklahoma’s Offense
On a day when the Sooners’ bats weren’t as explosive as Tuesday’s 15-run performance, Oklahoma relied on timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to manufacture runs.
OU broke through in the second inning when Sam Christiansen singled, followed by hits from Dayton Tockey and Drew Dickerson to load the bases. Freshman Kyle Branch scored on a fielder’s choice from Dawson Willis to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead.
After a few scoreless innings, Oklahoma doubled its advantage in the fifth when Branch delivered an RBI single to bring home Jaxon Willits. The Sooners then erupted for three more runs in the seventh. A lead-off walk to Trey Gambill set the stage for Christiansen’s RBI single. Tockey then smashed an RBI double off the center-field wall before scoring on a wild pitch to push the lead to 5-0.
“It was a tough day to hit,” Johnson noted. “Wind’s blowing in 25 miles an hour, but we put some really good at-bats together early.”
Texas Southern’s Late-Game Push
Down to their final six outs, Texas Southern (1-8) mounted a furious comeback attempt, beginning in the eighth inning. The Tigers took advantage of a pair of singles and a double to plate three runs, cutting the deficit to 5-3 and forcing Oklahoma to go to the bullpen again.
With the tying run on base in the ninth, Texas Southern kept the pressure on. Bryce Hughes and Jadon Jones opened the inning with singles before Evan Joubert drove in Hughes to trim the margin to 5-4. With runners on first and second and only one out, Johnson called upon his reliable closer, Crooks.
The right-hander delivered in the clutch, striking out the final two batters to end the threat and secure the victory.
What’s Next for Oklahoma
With the two-game midweek sweep in the books, the Sooners now shift their focus to a three-game weekend series against Cal State Northridge (CSUN) at home. The series kicks off Friday at 4 p.m. CT, with all games available for viewing on SECN+ and radio coverage on 1400 AM/99.3 FM The REF or The Varsity Network app.
Eight games in, the Sooners are 8-0. With confidence high and momentum rolling, Oklahoma looks to keep its perfect season alive as it continues its homestand.
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