Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Players Praise New Staff’s Knowledge, Intensity
STILLWATER — Cowboy fans will need a roster handy when the team takes the field next fall to learn all their new players, but there are also going to be a ton of new guys dressed in polos with headsets on along the OSU sideline.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy just about cleaned house when it came to his coaching staff after last season’s 3-9 finish. He hired two new coordinators (OC Doug Meacham and DC Todd Grantham) and allowed those guys to fill out their position coaches.
Among the 15 guys listed on OSU’s coaching staff page, only three are in the same role this season as they were the last: Gundy himself, specialists coach Sean Snyder, and strength and conditioning coach Rob Glass. Safeties coach Greg Brown was on OSU’s staff last season as a defensive analyst, but outside of that, every one is new.
In talking with players during the first two weeks of spring ball, the word “intensity” has been said in reference to just about everyone. Gundy mentioned Tuesday how there is more colorful language being said around the practice fields this spring, particularly from the defensive coaches.
Returning defensive tackle Iman Oates said new defensive line coach Ryan Osborn, formerly the defensive coordinator at Charlotte, brings that intensity, and it helps bring the intensity out of his guys. But Oates also heaped praise on Osborn’s teaching ability.
“He’s all over the place, man,” Oates said. “He’s relatable, but he also can teach like no coach I’ve had before. The knowledge of the game, the way he gives the information, it makes it hard to not be able to learn it.”
Jules Montinar takes over coaching the Cowboys’ cornerbacks. He was at East Carolina the past two seasons as the Pirates defensive pass game coordinator and corners coach. He’s also been on staffs at Florida, Georgia and Alabama throughout his career.
Corner Cam Smith is entering his fifth year with the program. He’s started in all 26 of the Cowboys’ games the past two seasons. Smith spoke highly of Montinar’s ability to teach and noted that coaches from all over the staff are holding guys accountable.
“Coach Jules is big on technique, knowing what to do and how to do it and knowing why it’s important,” Cam Smith said. “So I feel like that’s definitely big from a corner standpoint. All the coaching staff holds everybody accountable. The D-line coach can yell at the corners if he see they not really doing what they supposed to be doing. So I just love that everybody’s held to the same standard.”
On the offensive side, there probably isn’t a position coach more under a microscope this offseason than quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns. With all the new players, every position coach will have to work through position battles this spring, but Johns’ four-quarterback battle among Garret Rangel, Zane Flores, Maealiuaki Smith and Hauss Hejny will have the most eyeballs on it.
“Coach Johns, he’s very big time with the mental side of the game — the IQ, the game slowing down,” Smith said. “I feel like I’m understanding the game a lot more with Coach Johns.
“Coach Meacham, he’s really fun because the offense is really quarterback friendly. We like to throw the ball down the field, and that’s what he likes to do, get the ball to his receivers.”
OSU brought in three new tight ends from the transfer portal to compete alongside returners Josh Ford and Quinton Stewart. That group’s new coach is DJ Tialavea, who had been at Utah State (his alma mater) since 2020. When speaking about Tialavea, Ford brought up that word again: intensity.
“Man, Coach DJ, I’d say just everything we do, the intensity is up,” Ford said. “I love that. Say it’s a Thursday morning run, we’re in here at 6 a.m. running 200s, that’s basically game day for us. He gets us all in the right mindset, like we’re gonna dominate this. He encourages us to be the first in everything. If there’s a line across the field and we end a drill over here on this corner, he’s expecting us to be the first there, be the first in line in every single line.”
NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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NORMAN — After an up-and down week that saw Oklahoma drop the lone Bedlam match of the season, and then split two tight games with Arkansas before blowing out the Razorbacks on Sunday, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the NFCA/Go Rout coaches’ poll released Tuesday.
But there’s far from a consensus.
Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes — the same total they had last week — but five other teams received first-place votes.
Texas Tech remained No. 2 with four four-place votes and Alabama No. 3 with seven. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 4 with four first-place votes, followed by Florida with two and UCLA with two.
Texas is No. 7, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.
Texas A&M, the Sooners’ opponent for the final regular-season weekend in two weeks, comes in at No. 11.
Other SEC teams include Georgia at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 17 and LSU at No. 20.
OU hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Other Sooners’ opponents this season in the polls include No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington.
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Oklahoma also remained in the top spot in the D1Softball poll, with Alabama No. 2 there followed by Texas Tech, Nebraska at Texas.
The Sooners dropped a spot in the Softball America poll, with Nebraska elevating to No. 1 behind the two-way stardom of former OU standout Jordy Frahm (formerly Jordy Bahl).
Frahm is 13-4 with a 1.36 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in the circle and hitting .440 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. Another former Sooners player, Hannah Coor, is among the Cornhuskers’ regulars as well.
The Sooners have 158 home runs, just three away from tying their own season record in the category, but UCLA has closed the gap in a major way, sitting just four behind Oklahoma.
OU freshman sensation Kendall Wells leads the nation with 34 home runs, three ahead of UCLA’s Megan Grant. Wells tied Jocelyn Alo‘s program record for home runs in a season with her home run in Sunday’s win.
The Sooners host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season before opening the series against Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Love’s FIeld.
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Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
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