The No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners continued their dominant start to the 2025 season with a commanding 9-0 victory over Cal State Northridge (CSUN) on Friday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The series-opening win marks Oklahoma’s first shutout of the season and extends its record to 9-0, the program’s best start since beginning the 2013 campaign 10-0.
Witherspoon Shines Again
Junior right-hander Kyson Witherspoon delivered another stellar outing, reaffirming his status as one of the most reliable arms in the Sooners’ rotation. The reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week tossed six scoreless innings, striking out seven while allowing just five hits and one walk. Witherspoon’s dominance was evident throughout the night as he improved his season strikeout-to-walk ratio to an impressive 28-to-3.
“He had to battle tonight, but when he found his curveball, that really changed things,” Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said postgame. “They had a good plan against him early, but he adjusted and kept us in control.”
Early Power, Late Surge
Sophomore Jason Walk wasted no time setting the tone for the Sooners’ offense, leading off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to right field—his first of the season and fourth of his career. However, Oklahoma’s bats remained relatively quiet until the fourth inning, when a Trey Gambill single set up an RBI triple by Easton Carmichael. Moments later, Carmichael scored on a double play, pushing the Sooners’ lead to 3-0.
Oklahoma broke the game open in the sixth and seventh innings, plating six runs to put the contest out of reach. In the sixth, redshirt sophomore Sam Christiansen and junior Dayton Tockey delivered back-to-back RBI singles to extend the lead to 5-0.
The floodgates opened in the seventh, as the Sooners capitalized on CSUN mistakes and timely hitting. Walk and sophomore Jaxon Willits drew walks and stole a pair of bases, leading to Walk scoring on a wild pitch. Freshman Kyle Branch then delivered the knockout blow, lacing a bases-clearing double to left field, giving Oklahoma a comfortable 9-0 advantage.
Lockdown Bullpen Performance
Following Witherspoon’s strong start, Oklahoma’s bullpen was equally dominant. James Hitt struck out the side in the seventh, Gavyn Jones worked around a hit in the eighth, and senior Reid Hensley sealed the victory with a perfect ninth inning.
“Our bullpen was outstanding,” Johnson added. “They came in, attacked the zone, and kept the pressure on.”
Looking Ahead
The Sooners will look to secure the series win on Saturday afternoon in Game 2 of the three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SECN+ and The REF (99.3 FM/1400 AM) in Oklahoma, with nationwide coverage on The Varsity Network app.
With momentum firmly on their side, Oklahoma aims to continue its unbeaten run and inch closer to matching its best start in over a decade.
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