Oklahoma
Oklahoma State wrestling hoping to get ’10K in GIA’ for Missouri dual
Oklahoma State wrestling coach David Taylor recaps Cowboys’ win vs. West Virginia
Oklahoma State wrestling coach David Taylor recaps Cowboys’ win vs. West Virginia
STILLWATER — David Taylor isn’t the type to hide his goals.
One in particular that the first-year Oklahoma State wrestling coach has expressed is attendance — and the pursuit of bringing 10,000 fans to Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys have surpassed 8,200 twice this year, and are well ahead of pace to break the program’s single-season average for attendance since the arena was expanded to its current capacity for the 2001 season.
But the third-ranked Cowboys have one last shot to hit Taylor’s 10,000 mark when they host No. 20 Missouri at 2 p.m. Sunday at GIA. They’ve labeled the goal as “10K in GIA” on social media promotions.
OSU’s season high attendance is 8,257, set a couple weeks ago in the 30-12 rout of West Virginia, and that brought the season average to 7,073.
Last year’s Cowboys set the known record for season average at 5,871. This year, the team has been over 6,000 for every dual.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Taylor said after the West Virginia win. “When we sat down with guys, we were like, ‘Hey, these are our goals for the season.’ They said, ‘You guys aren’t gonna be able to do that unless you get Team X, Y and Z to come in here. I was like, why’s that? You don’t know.
“Oklahoma State wrestling, this is an important thing to people. So I think it’s awesome.”
It’s possible that OSU has had a higher average attendance than whatever this year’s number ends up being.
Before the major renovation for 2000-01, which brought the capacity to 13,611, the previous arena had seated 6,381 since 1986. It was in the 6,700 range for a few years before that.
But the exact attendance numbers from anything before 2001 weren’t as closely tracked as they are today.
So maybe there was a season when the historically legendary program brought more fans through the GIA turnstiles.
But this year remains historical regardless, and signals the excitement Taylor brought to OSU both with his reputation and the product he’s putting on the mat — an aggressive, enthralling style of wrestling that draws fans’ attention.
“I love the amount of fans that we have,” OSU 141-pound sophomore Tagen Jamison said. “Other programs, if you look at their videos, they’re not having the support system that we have here. It’s really awesome to see the amount of fans that we get to show up.
“I think it helps drive what we’re doing already.”
At a point in time when revenue is about to become a much more impactful term in college athletics — with the NCAA antitrust settlement expected to open the door for revenue sharing directly with athletes.
“We’re in a time in college athletics where that stuff matters,” Taylor said. “How many people that come to our matches matters.
“I think we’re continuing to push the limits. It means a lot to our guys, our program, our university. It’s really cool to see that and be a part of a program that can show that type of support for wrestling.”
And it’s been particularly inspiring for the newcomers from other programs that don’t draw the way OSU has this year to see the support Cowboy fans have brought.
“I think it’s really exciting,” said OSU heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson, who wrestled the last four years at Air Force. “Stillwater is a special place. The wrestlers that come here are all special guys. There’s a lot of good stuff going on here and it’s contagious when you’re in that environment and there’s so much passion toward a sport.
“They’re all here to support the Cowboys and see some good wrestling, and we like to deliver that every single time.”
OSU vs. Missouri
2 p.m. Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater (ESPN+)
Oklahoma
Crews respond after fireworks stand catches fire in Broken Arrow, no injuries reported
Crews responded to a fireworks stand after it caught fire in Broken Arrow Saturday night.
Authorities urged people to avoid E. Kanosha Street near S. 236th E. Avenue as the road is closed and fireworks could spread in the area due to the fire.
Broken Arrow Fire Department released a statement confirming no injuries were sustained as a result of the explosions or fire.
Fire crews quickly controlled the fire in about 20 minutes according to Broken Arrow Fire Department.
The initial cause of the fire is under investigation.
Viewer Leslie Maxey, who lives close to the fireworks stand, sent in video of the ongoing fire.
“We were putting our daughter to bed with a book when we heard an explosion that was gradually getting louder and louder,” Maxey said.
This is a developing story.
Oklahoma
Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners ahead of UNC matchup
What you need to know about Oklahoma ahead of the College World Series
North Carolina will face a dangerous Oklahoma team that is on a roll.
Oklahoma (41-22) has been just as dominant. The Sooners, making their 13th College World Series appearance and first since 2022, surged through the postseason as road warriors. They won the Atlanta Regional by upsetting No. 2 seed and ACC champion Georgia Tech in the final, then swept Big 12 champion and No. 15 seed Kansas by a combined score of 21-3 in the Lawrence Regional.
The Sooners, who are 3-0 in Omaha after beating No. 7 seed Alabama and knocking off No. 3 seed and SEC champion Georgia twice, are seeking their third national championship. Oklahoma won titles in 1951 and 1994 and finished as runner-up to Ole Miss in 2022.
Here are a few things to know about Oklahoma:
Best player: Catcher Deiten LaChance
LaChance is Oklahoma’s most powerful hitter. He is batting .333 with 12 doubles, two triples and team highs of 16 home runs and 65 RBIs.
Throughout the postseason, he is hitting .326 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. In Omaha, he is 5-for-14 (.357) with one home run and five RBIs.
Strengths
Like North Carolina, Oklahoma is a balanced team that is good at a little bit of everything and is built to frustrate opponents.
Oklahoma is a balanced hitting team like UNC, but the Sooners have hit a few more homers with 91, compared to the Tar Heels’ 82. That is largely due to the Sooners smashing 26 home runs in their 10 postseason games. In Omaha, OU has homered eight times, including five homers in its win over Georgia in its previous game.
The Sooners have stolen 129 bases this season. That is good for 24th nationally and second in the SEC.
Pitching-wise, OU is 18th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings and leads the SEC in shutouts.
Weaknesses
The most glaring weakness is the pitching staff, despite its ability to strike out opposing batters and record shutouts.
The Sooners have a 4.98 ERA as a staff. Only one pitcher with 10 or more appearances has an ERA under 3.60.
They also allow 4.51 walks per nine innings, which ranks 138th nationally.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Football Target Israel Hammons Commits to Cowboys
It was a Friday Night Lights in June kind of moment for the Oklahoma State Cowboys as Israel “Izzy” Hammons made his commitment announcement.
The Choctaw, Okla., rising senior announced his decision to commit to Oklahoma State on Friday during an Instagram Live session. The Cowboys beat out a roster of schools vying for the linebacker, most notably Texas.
Hammons made just two official visits — one to OSU and one to Texas last week.
His commitment pushed the Cowboys’ 2027 recruiting class back to nine players after the defection of Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL) offensive lineman Chase Clark to Purdue.
Commitments are non-binding. The earliest that Hammons can sign with OSU is in December.
Izzy Hammons to OSU
Hammons is the first four-star player to commit to the Cowboys this cycle. Their previous commitments all came from three-star players. The 6-3, 225-pound linebacker was considered a Top 200 player in the country by both On3/Rivals and 247Sports. Both services had him ranked as a Top 10 player in the state of Oklahoma at any position. He’s also considered the No. 1 linebacker in the state.
He also runs track and field, competing in the high jump and the 100-meter days, with a personal best of 11.30 seconds in the latter.
The Longhorns came in hot at the end but already had linebackers committed to the program this cycle. For the Cowboys getting a pledge from a player like Hammons is key to shore up a position where they didn’t have a commitment and where they plan to use senior transfers as starters in 2026. That means OSU and head coach Eric Morris must start building a pipeline now.
OSU’s Class of 2027
After Clark’s decommitment the Cowboys were down to eight recruits for 2027 entering Friday, most of which were on the offensive side of the ball and starting with Iowa Colony (Texas) quarterback Carson White, who was the cycle’s first commitment in April.
Up front, OSU has two offensive line commitments Jake Baker of Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tenn., and Sonny Mullen of Troy, Texas. When it comes to skill positions players the Cowboys have three commitments as well, including two wide receivers — Cooper Hooker of Pryor (Quapaw, Okla.) High School and Ake O’Neal of Argyle, Texas. Oklahoma State also has a pledge from tight end Talan Scott of Queen City, Ariz.
Defensively, the Cowboys have commitments from safeties Chayce Davis of Euless (Texas) Trinity High School and Bryson Brown of Broken Bow, Okla.
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