Oklahoma
OU Baseball: How Oklahoma P Braden Davis Went from the Bullpen to No. 1 Starter
NORMAN — After beginning his career as a relief pitcher at Sam Houston State, junior left hander Braden Davis has become Oklahoma’s ace.
This season, Davis is 6-3 in 12 outings and has developed into OU’s No. 1 option on the mound, earning the honor of being the Sooners coveted “Friday night pitcher”.
The former Bearkat has helped lead Skip Johnson’s team to the No. 18 spot in the country and a three-game lead atop the Big 12. With the postseason less than two weeks away, Davis finding his rhythm is important for Johnson and company.
“I think he’s got a good mentality, he’s very competitive, he’s in control of himself,” Johnson said Thursday. “He just started doing this, it’s not like he’s done it for three years. … Braden has had to learn a lot in a short period of time and that just tells you what his aptitude is like.”
In addition to moving over 360 miles to Norman when he transferred from Sam Houston State, Davis also went from pitching out of the bullpen to a starting role. Despite big changes in his personal life and on the diamond, Davis has become a solid starting pitcher for the Sooners.
The Dallas-area product’s emergence is crucial for Oklahoma as the regular season winds down. While Johnson’s squad has been good in the batter’s box this year, they have struggled to find consistency on the mound.
Recently, Davis has started to find some consistency himself, picking up four consecutive wins. If the Sooners have a solid option on the bump with their impressive offensive ability, they could be primed for a run this summer.
Davis said that his switch from reliever to starting pitcher began over the summer, saying that the transition required a shift in his mindset as well.
“Summer ball, I was kind of transitioning as a starter and was trying to, like, pace myself,” Davis said. “I kind of figured out, there’s no point in pacing yourself. Just kind of, you know, try and blow your motor almost and see how far you can make it, and I mean, it’s kind of been paying off. I’ve been able to go six, seven innings, and I’ll hopefully get to that eight or nine mark at some point in the season.”
Davis has thrown 65 innings for the Sooners, tallying 84 strikeouts and six wins heading into OU’s series against Baylor. The former Bearkat has allowed at least seven runs in each of his three losses, but hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his wins.
The Keller, TX, product has lasted at least six innings in seven different appearances this year after pitching a season-high 4 1/3 innings in 2023 at SHSU. He logged six or more innings in each of his last three outings en route to victories over BYU, Texas and Texas Tech.
Davis said part of his ability go deeper into games is finally getting control of his off-speed pitches after struggling at times earlier in the year.
“The changeup, I think it’s kind of been coming along, and then the breaking balls, for sure,” Davis said. “I kind of struggled with them early in the year, but I’ve kind of found my rhythm with those and it’s helped set up a lot of other stuff.”
With his confidence continuing to grow, Davis could be a key piece of another run to the College World Series if Oklahoma draws a favorable pool at their regional event.
This weekend, the Sooners welcome the Baylor Bears to town for a three-game series that wraps up the regular season home schedule before next week’s finale at Cincinnati. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
Iowa State wrestling’s first commitment of the Brent Metcalf era will be a transfer portal addition.
The Cyclones added Oklahoma State transfer Brayden Thompson, who announced his commitment on April 18 via Instagram. Thompson is a one-time NCAA qualifier at the 2024 NCAA Championships, doing so as a true freshman. He redshirted in 2024-25, but competed in open tournaments at 184 pounds and was 9-0. He did not wrestle a match in 2025-26 and will have at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Out of high school, Thompson was ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound wrestler and No. 1 at 182 pounds in the 2023 recruiting class by Flowrestling. He also won Powerade and Ironman titles, two of the more prestigious high school tournaments in the nation. Assuming Thompson returns to 184 pounds where he last wrestled, he should fill in nicely as a potential replacement for Isaac Dean after his graduation.
Thompson is Iowa State’s first transfer portal addition after several departures, including Anthony Echemendia and Christian Castillo, who also entered the portal.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners liked their wide receiver room a year ago. They want 2026 to be even better.
Isaiah Sategna’s return helps that desire. Earning experienced pass catchers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone via the transfer portal gives you added play makers. But after the Sooners Spring Game on Saturday, an unlikely hero emerged.
When Jahsiear Rogers flipped from Penn State to Oklahoma last December, he drew the usual excitement that comes with a new commitment. But few expected him to climb the depth chart this quickly, even with the injuries that hit Emmett Jones’ room.
Rogers did just that and more on Saturday. He led all pass catchers with five receptions for 70 yards in Oklahoma’s annual Red/White game.
“I knew it was time to showcase,” Rogers said after the game. “It was amazing to see the fans and get used to the OU way. I’m a playmaker. They really want to put the ball in playmakers hands. I pretty much knew I had to lead the white team.”
Rogers got the ball rolling early. On the second offensive play for the white team, backup quarterback Whitt Newbauer rolled to his right wide, then stopped and looked towards the middle of the field where he saw Rogers running open. Newbauer connected with Rogers for a 39-yard gain.
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With Rogers on the white team, he is running against (most of) Oklahoma’s starting defense. As fate would have it, on that 39-yard reception, Rogers beat his favorite teammate to compete against — Reggie Powers.
“He is just a leader, good guy,” Rogers said of Powers. “Me and him go after it every day in practice. Reggie is strong. When I come at him, I have to really come at him.”
Rogers’ big play over Powers was the second-longest catch of the spring game — Sategna’s 50-yard reception that appeared to be a touchdown before coaches pulled it back to set up a red-zone rep. The other four catches weren’t flashy, but they were important in their own way, and Rogers looked like he belonged on the field.
“I love it. As long as I can get the ball, I can be me. I love it,” Rogers said. “When I am on the field, I am ready to go. I am ready to be a playmaker.”
The season is still months away, and Rogers hasn’t earned a spot high on the depth chart yet. A strong spring and an encouraging Red/White Game can only lead to early playing time if he carries that momentum into summer and fall camp.
More experienced players will return from injury and receivers who’ve been in the program for a few years will have an extra leg-up.
But Rogers is taking everything in stride and leaving no stone unturned in his development.
“Just learning from the older guys,” Rogers said. “Manny Choice, Isaiah Sategna, Trell Harris, Mackenzie Alleyne. Really all of them. We lean on each other, learn from each other. That is kind of how our room is.”
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The Oklahoma baseball team is back in the mix and trending upward.
After a rough few weeks in Southeastern Conference play, the 14th-ranked Sooners have won three of their last four games to get to .500 at just beyond the halfway point of the league slate. Friday’s 9-6 win over Missouri allowed Oklahoma to move to 8-8, tied with three other teams for eighth in the standings.
Friday’s win wasn’t truly that close, even. OU took a 9-3 lead into the ninth before Mizzou made it somewhat interesting with three runs in the frame. Two of them came with two outs, though, and Mason Bixby induced a groundout with the bases empty to hold on.
The large edge came via a home run-happy night. The Sooners popped four over the wall at Kimrey Family Stadium, including three in a four-run seventh inning that gave OU a four-run lead.
Jason Walk, who hit one of the four homers, had the best day at the plate. He went 2 for 5 with the shot, three RBIs and a run. Camden Johnson, who also homered, went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and two runs, and Dasan Harris went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs. Trey Gambill hit the Sooners’ other jack.
Oklahoma jumped out to a four-run lead in the second behind four hits and a walk. Missouri helped the Sooners out with an error that resulted in a bases-loaded situation and three unearned runs registered to Tigers starter Josh McDevitt.
The runs were more than enough for Oklahoma’s LJ Mercurius, who pitched six strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
Game 2 in the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday and the finale will be played Sunday at 2 p.m., weather permitting.
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