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5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 2-0 start in the College World Series

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It’s been more than a decade since the Oklahoma Sooners graced the streets of Omaha for the College World Series. Playing as well as any team coming in, the Sooners have taken full advantage of their opportunity to make a run at the national title with wins over Texas A&M and Notre Dame.

The Sooner have gotten standout pitching performances, have put on power displays at the plate, and displayed a versatility that makes them difficult to get out for opposing pitchers.

Skip Johnson has this group of youngsters playing fantastic and the aggressive style of play has put Oklahoma one win away from reaching the College World Series championship series.

While they await the winner of the elimination game between the Fighting Irish and the Aggies, the Sooners get a much-deserved break. They’ll take on the winner on Wednesday in the semifinal matchup.

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With a couple days till Oklahoma next takes the field, here are five takeaways from their 2-0 start to the College World Series.

1-2 Punch

Jun 17, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners pitcher Jake Bennett (54) pitches in the first inning against the Texas A&M Aggies at Charles Schwab Field. Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve known Oklahoma could score runs. They’ve been doing it an incredible clip for the last two months. What’s helped them reach this point in the postseason is their pitching.

Jake Bennett and Cade Horton have been fantastic since the Big 12 tournament and that’s carried over through the NCAA tournament to the first two games of the College World Series. Sure they’ve allowed a combined six runs in the CWS, but it’s come on just three home runs.

Other than those three home runs, Bennett and Horton have done a great job limiting base runners and working through adversity when multiple runners get aboard.

In their 12 combined innings they’ve given up just 10 hits and one walk. That’s a sub 1.00 WHIP. That’s good.

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With Oklahoma’s offense performing the way it has, the Sooners don’t need their pitching staff to be perfect. But the combination of Jake Bennett and Cade Horton have been great and give the Sooners a shot at winning the national championship.

And a Haymaker

Jun 19, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners pitcher Trevin Michael (99) pitches against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the ninth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Not to be outdone, Trevin Michael’s been fantastic closing out games. He’s thrown 4.2 innings in the first two games of the College World Series, allowing just three hits, a walk, while striking out four batters.

His ability to throw multiple innings to finish off a game is huge for Oklahoma. When they get to the eighth inning with a lead, Michael provides the confidence that the ball game is over. And like in the win against the Aggies, Michael coming in in the seventh to close the door on Texas A&M’s rally was a key to winning the ball game.

Versatile Offense

Jun 19, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners center fielder Tanner Tredaway (10) singles in a run against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the third inning at Charles Schwab Field. Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday against Texas A&M, a three-run homer from Jimmy Crooks and a grand slam from Jackson Nicklaus provided the fireworks in the Sooners’ 13-8 win. On Sunday, the Sooners manufactured runs with six walks and timely hitting. They ran the bases well and took advantage of a Notre Dame throwing error to score an extra run on the safety squeeze.

Oklahoma’s offense has shown they can beat you in multiple ways. Their patience and discipline at the plate have been the difference. They draw walks at an incredible clip and are fantastic at moving runners along the basepaths.

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Clutch Hitting

Jun 17, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners second baseman Jackson Nicklaus (15) hits a grand slam home run against the Texas A&M Aggies in the fourth inning at Charles Schwab Field.  Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Against Texas A&M on Friday, the Oklahoma Sooners exploded for seven runs in the second. All of which came with two outs. They added two RBIs with two outs against Notre Dame on Sunday. This team isn’t slowed by two outs. They keep the pressure on.

It would be remarkable except this team has been really good with two outs for some time now. They’ve been great with runners in scoring position as well. With runners in scoring position over the first two games of the College World Series, the Oklahoma Sooners are 10-for-32, hitting .313.

Youth Movement

Jun 19, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners first baseman Blake Robertson (26) dives into the dugout to catch a ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first inning at Charles Schwab Field. Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday night, the only upperclassmen starting for Oklahoma was Tanner Tredaway. Fellow senior Trevin Michael came in to close the door on the Fighting Irish. Other than, the rest of Oklahoma’s lineup was comprised of freshmen and sophomores.

While experience matters, the Sooners haven’t let it slow them down one bit. They’re playing aggressive baseball, looking to take it to every team they face. Oklahoma is playing to put pressure on their opponents and like we saw with the safety squeeze that led to a throwing error by Notre Dame, that pressure can lead to unforced errors like a bad throw or a missed pitch that leads to a home run.

The Sooners are playing like the team to beat in the College World Series and at this point, they have just as good a chance to win the national title as any team still standing.

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OKLAHOMA STANDARD: Neighbors help clear driveways and streets after snowstorm

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OKLAHOMA STANDARD: Neighbors help clear driveways and streets after snowstorm


TULSA, Okla — Ryder Tackett is a lifelong resident of Tulsa, and he’s happy to enjoy a little snow—but he also doesn’t mind clearing it up for drivers.

“I don’t want my parents slipping out onto the road,” he said.

He told 2News Oklahoma’s Isabel Flores about how he plows his driveway to make sure his parents stay safe after every snowfall.

This year, he said he’d ask his neighbors if they’d like their driveways plowed, too.

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FLORES: “Have you seen anyone or have you yourself gone to other houses?”
TACKETT: “Uh no, I think I’m gonna do that actually. I just started.”
FLORES: “Oh wow! So you’re gonna go around?”
TACKETT: “Yeah, I think so, yeah.”

PJ Turner was also outside salting and plowing driveways.

He’s the Land Service Manager with Rancho Flores, a company that specializes in all kinds of yard work.

After all the fallen snow, Turner said it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation.

“We need a community of people, it takes a herd,” he said. “I think the more we help each other out, the better it is for our community. Plus, we can get out here in this fresh air.”

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Turner said Rancho Flores plows and sands between one and two hundred driveways in midtown Tulsa and is happy to lend a helping hand.

“It’s a good feeling to be able to help people out, to be able to bring some peace of mind to them,” he said.

Sharing the same sentiment, Ryder said he wants to make sure to keep people safe too.

“I think the importance of cleaning after the snow is probably to make sure no one slides into the road probably, no one gets hit by a car,” he said.


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Oklahoma State LB Jeff Roberson Headed to Big 10 School

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Oklahoma State LB Jeff Roberson Headed to Big 10 School


Oklahoma State’s most recent transfer portal departure has already found a new home.

On Monday, OSU linebacker Jeff Roberson announced he was entering the transfer portal and looking to close his career elsewhere. Roberson wasted no time finding his next school, as he committed to Minnesota on Thursday.

Roberson began his career at OSU in 2020 and mostly played on special teams and as a backup throughout the first few years of his career. After missing the entire 2022 season with an injury, he came back in 2023 to play largely the same role.

However, his luck changed in 2024. With so many injuries throughout the OSU defense, the Cowboys needed players to step up at every position, and Roberson took advantage. In 2024, Roberson played in every game and finished with 58 tackles, nine tackles for loss and an interception. Before entering the transfer portal, Roberson’s numbers from 2024 would have made him OSU’s leading returning tackler.

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Roberson’s departure was about as surprising as any move at OSU this offseason. Considering he had spent the first five seasons of his career in Stillwater and finally carved out a sizeable role last season, it appeared Roberson would carry that momentum into 2025 as a leader of the OSU defense.

Instead, he used his extra opportunity and leap to find a better situation as OSU overhauled its coaching staff and continues to bring in various defensive players through the transfer portal. However, going to Minnesota was the second surprising part of his decision. Early predictions were for Roberson, a Choctaw native, to stay in his home state and play at Oklahoma next season. As he makes his way north to play for PJ Fleck’s team next season, there is no doubt Roberson can have an impact to finish his career.

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Gophers help fill need on defense with Oklahoma State linebacker

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Gophers help fill need on defense with Oklahoma State linebacker


The Gophers football program addressed a need in the middle of its defense for the 2025 season with Oklahoma State linebacker Jeff Roberson on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound graduate transfer from Choctaw, Okla., totaled 58 tackles, including 8.5 for lost yards, three sacks and one interception in 12 games in 2024. He had a middling 57.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, along with 19 pressures, but also 11 missed tackles last season.

Roberson played 670 snaps last season, but only 107 across 2021 and 2023. He played special teams as a freshman in 2020 and missed the 2022 season with injury.

Roberson will help fill the void left by leading tackler Cody Lindenberg; the Anoka native declared for the NFL draft after the regular season and skipped the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams top the U’s depth chart at linebacker going into next season.

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The Gophers have added 15 total players via the NCAA transfer portal since early December and are still looking for help at cornerback and possibly defensive line.

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