Oklahoma
Oklahoma Crushes OSU 10-1 At 2026 College Baseball Series In Texas – FloBaseball
The Oklahoma baseball team combined spectacular pitching with explosive offense Saturday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, to improve to 2-0 on the season and pick up another memorable win against in-state rival Oklahoma State.
The Sooners routed the Cowboys for the second consecutive year, this time, with a 10-1 performance in the midday game at the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown.
The Shriners Children’s College Showdown is the first of three events at the 2026 College Baseball Series, which will bring 18 top-tier teams to GLF between now and March 1, and all of the action will unfold live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.
UNLV transfer LJ Mercurius was dominant in his Oklahoma pitching debut, tying a career-high with 12 strikeouts in just 5 1/3 innings of work. He gave up one run on three hits and left the game after 99 pitches.
Offensively, the Sooners reached the 10-run plateau for the second straight day, and it was senior outfielder Trey Gambill leading the way with three of Oklahoma’s 12 hits, including a three-run homer with two outs in OU’s four-run fifth inning.
Over the first two games of the season, the Sooners have outscored their opponents 20-4 and combined for 30 strikeouts (23 by the starters). Junior left-hander Cameron Johnson fanned 11 in Oklahoma’s 10-3 win over Texas Tech in Friday’s season opener.
Oklahoma State’s lone run Saturday came on a fifth-inning double from junior Kollin Ritchie, which followed a base hit up the middle from junior shortstop Avery Ortiz.
The pitching duties against OU were shared by four Oklahoma State pitchers, three of whom tossed more than two innings.
The Cowboys were held to four hits on the day and stranded eight runners on base. They’re now 0-2 in 2026, which includes a 12-2 run-rule loss to No. 7 Arkansas on Friday night.
Despite their proximity and long history, Oklahoma and OSU only played one time in 2025, due in part to the Sooners’ move to the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference, while the Cowboys remained in the Big 12.
Oklahoma won that meeting 11-1 in eight innings on OSU’s home turf, and it ended a two-game winning streak in the series for the Cowboys.
In the final Big 12 conference baseball game between the two schools, Oklahoma State defeated Oklahoma 9–3 to win the 2024 Big 12 Championship, also held at Globe Life Field.
Saturday’s showdown at GLF, home of the 2023 World Series-winning Texas Rangers, was a milestone game in the OU-OSU rivalry, as it was their 350th all-time meeting in Division I play and 386 clash all-time. And the first at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.
Since their first official faceoff in 1935, Oklahoma State leads the series 189-161. If you count all the times they met at the club level, it’s a 204-183 OSU advantage.
It’s actually the most-played game in Oklahoma State baseball history and part of an even bigger and deeper rivalry between the two schools.
It is known as the Bedlam Series, and the moniker spans beyond just the baseball diamond. It encompasses all athletic competition between the in-state rivals.
Whether they’ve played in the same conference or not over the years, the Bedlam Series has been alive and well since being established in track and field in 1900.
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State both will be back in action Sunday for the final day of the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown.
Oklahoma State will kick off the day against 1-1 Vanderbilt, a big winner over Texas Tech on Saturday. The Cowboys and Commodores will get underway at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
Oklahoma will help close out the event with a 7:30 p.m. EST nightcap against TCU. The Horned Frogs defeated Vanderbilt on Friday and are taking on Arkansas on Saturday night.
The 2026 season marks the sixth consecutive year of college baseball at Globe Life Field and the third straight year the action spans three weekends.
The schedule includes the Shriners Children’s College Showdown (Feb. 13-15), Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – Weekend 2 (Feb. 20-22) and Amegy Bank College Baseball Series presented – Weekend 3 (Feb. 27-March 1), all of which will bring 18 teams to Arlington.
How To Watch The Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma Baseball Replay From The College Baseball Showdown
The Bedlam game was the middle game of the 2026 Shriners Children’s Showdown on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14).
Replays, highlights and breaking news from the event will be on both platforms.
Box Score: Oklahoma 10, Oklahoma St. 1
Here are all the details:
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | L |
| OSU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 10 | 12 | 1 | 4 |
Final: Oklahoma Defeats Oklahoma State Baseball 10-1
Oklahoma goes to 2-0 on the year, while OSU falls to 0-2.
Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 20-4 so far this season.
Top of 9th | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 1, Oklahoma 10
Sixth-year senior Reid Hensley (RHP) takes the mound for Oklahoma in the top of the ninth. He previously was the setup man for the Sooners and is looking to establish himself as the closer.
Hensley starts with a strikeout, the 17th of the day for OU.
Hensley retires the Cowboys in order, and this one is in the books.
Bottom of 8th | Oklahoma Batting
Oklahoma State 1, Oklahoma 10
A pair of singles to start the inning puts runners on the corners for Oklahoma.
An infield single from senior Dayton Tockey brings around a run for the Sooners and puts the winning run (by run-rule) on first base.
On the play, Ortiz, the OSU shortstop is injured and leaves the game with assistance.
The Cowboys make some defensive changes, and we’re back underway.
A sac fly moves Gambill to third base, and OU has runners on the corners one more time.
Pinch hitter Alec Blair delivers an RBI base hit and proceeds to second base as Tockey is thrown out trying to take third.
Fyke leaves the game for OSU after 2 2/3 innings. JuCo transfer Bryce LeBlanc, a sophomore southpaw, comes on to pitch for the Cowboys with two outs and a runner on second.
LeBlanc throws four pitches and ends the inning.
Top of 7th | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 1, Oklahoma 8
Catalano maintains his edge in relief and records another 1-2-3 inning. The Cowboys scored their lone run in the fifth inning.
Bottom of 7th | Oklahoma Batting
Oklahoma State 1, Oklahoma 8
Fyke is operating on another level so far and retires Oklahoma in order for the second consecutive inning, including his first strikeout.
Top of 7th | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 1, Oklahoma 8
The Cowboys get multiple baserunners for the first time since the third inning after a single and a walk, but junior Avery Ortiz hits into a 6-3 double play to kill the momentum.
OSU has a runner on third base with two outs.
Junior outfielder Kollin Ritchie strikes out to end the inning.
Easy work, Jaxon Willits.
📺: https://t.co/0XpO9pV4rX #CollegeBaseballSeries | @CBS_Arlington
| @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/FBQsSxgqEi— FloCollege | Baseball (@FloCollegeBSB) February 14, 2026
Bottom of 6th | Oklahoma Batting
Oklahoma State 1, Oklahoma 8
Junior right-hander Kai Fyke comes on to pitch for Oklahoma State and retires the Sooners in order.
Short and sweet for the OSU newcomer in his debut.
Top of 6th | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 1, Oklahoma 8
LJ Mercurius is at 85 pitches on the day with 11 Ks. That’s 22Ks in two games for OU starters.
That’s 12 Ks for Mercurius now.
Sebastian Normal walks for OSU. One on, one out.
Two walks, 12ks and just three hits. What a debut for Mercurius. Michael Catalano takes over on the mound for Oklahoma.
Catalano gets a K for the second out. And he gets Shull.
Bottom of 5th | Oklahoma Batting
Oklahoma State 1, Oklahoma 8
Will Oklahoma answer OSU’s score? Brennan Philips is back on the mound.
Good news: Philips get a k.
Bad new: It was a wild pitch and Camden Johnson is at first.
Then another wild pitch puts him on second.
Jaxon Willits drives another run in, OU adds another run. Brendan Brock singles. There’s two on, two outs.
And this game is blown open. Philips hangs a pitch and Trey Gambill sent it into the seats for a three-run home run.
TREY DID IT AGAIN!
📺: https://t.co/0XpO9pUwCp #CollegeBaseballSeries | @CBS_Arlington
| @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/2L4kkUctoz— FloCollege | Baseball (@FloCollegeBSB) February 14, 2026
The inning is finally over for OSU. On to the sixth.
Top of 5th | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 1, Oklahoma 4
Can the Pokes answer in the fifth?
That’s four straight Ks now by LJ Mercurius. My goodness.
That streak is snapped with a Avery Ortiz single and Ritchie Kollin RBI double.
Mercurius ends the inning with another K to limit the damage.
Ritchie Kollin puts the Pokes on the board.
📺: https://t.co/0XpO9pUwCp#CollegeBaseballSeries | @CBS_Arlington | @OSUBaseball pic.twitter.com/mi4SMndAPL
— FloCollege | Baseball (@FloCollegeBSB) February 14, 2026
Bottom of 4th | Oklahoma Batting
Oklahoma State 0, Oklahoma 4
Can OU add some runs?
Brendan Brock starts with a big double.
No outs, runners on the corner. Pesca’s day is over in the fourth. OSU is headed to the bullpen.
Oklahoma gets the runner in from third with a Dayton Tockey sac fly.
Brennan Philips gets out of the inning with liner. On to the fifth.
Sooners get another run.
📺: https://t.co/0XpO9pUwCp
#CollegeBaseballSeries | @CBS_Arlington | @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/BhpOHyGuBx
— FloCollege | Baseball (@FloCollegeBSB) February 14, 2026
Top of 4th | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 0, Oklahoma 3
LJ Mercurius has cruised so far with six Ks and one walk so far.
Mercurius is rolling two more Ks. Another 1-2-3 inning.
Easy work for LJ Mercurius.
Six punch outs through three. #CollegeBaseballSeries | @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/0nFFC8dtCt
— FloCollege | Baseball (@FloCollegeBSB) February 14, 2026
Bottom of 3rd | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 0, Oklahoma 3
Mario Pesca is back on the mound and he gets a fly out of Camden Johnson to start.
Deiten Lachance doubles down the left field line. Runner in scoring position.
Jaxon Willits nearly had a home run. He gave it a ride to the right field gap but it was caught at the wall. Lachance moves to third.
Pesca and the Cowboys avoid runs and get out of the inning.
Top of 3rd | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 0, Oklahoma 3
LJ Mercurius back on the mound.
He picked up two Ks after a lead off single.
Mercurius induces a ground out and gets out of the inning.
Bottom of 2nd | Oklahoma Batting
Oklahoma State 0, Oklahoma 3
OK. Mario Pesca is back on the mound.
Oklahoma picks up another run on a Kyle Branch single that drives in Trey Gambill. There’s one out.
Pesca gets out of the inning with a big K.
Top of 2nd | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 0, Oklahoma 2
LJ Mercurius back on the mound. He was impressive in the first inning.
He walks Aidan Meola to start the game.
Two are now after Colin Brueggemann gets an infield hit and Meola moves to third.
Oklahoma gets out of the inning with Mercurius getting back-to-back Ks.
The Cowboys are back in business!
📺: https://t.co/0XpO9pUwCp#CollegeBaseballSeries | @CBS_Arlington | @OSUBaseball pic.twitter.com/UxltAbdaUD
— FloCollege | Baseball (@FloCollegeBSB) February 14, 2026
Bottom of 1st | Oklahoma Batting
Oklahoma State 0, Oklahoma 2
Mario Pesca takes the mound against an Oklahoma team that hit three home runs on Friday and scored 10 runs.
Jason Walk… walks to start the game.
And other walk with one out puts two on for Jaxon Willits.
Runners are no on third and second.
Willits doubles to drive in two runs.
OSU gets a second out on a sacrifice that moves Willits to third. Brendan Brock now at plate. He hit a grand slam on Friday.
But he pops out this time. Inning over.
get us started 7️⃣
B1 | OU 2, OSU 0 // @JaxonWillits pic.twitter.com/2vll1bFvVV
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) February 14, 2026
Top of 1st | Oklahoma State Batting
Oklahoma State 0, Oklahoma 0
LJ Mercurius begins his OU career.
He has an easy 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. Did it on 10 pitches.
10 pitches, three outs. Effective.
📺: https://t.co/0XpO9pUwCp#CollegeBaseballSeries | @CBS_Arlington | @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/H7TN1Rg4Dg
— FloCollege | Baseball (@FloCollegeBSB) February 14, 2026
First Pitch Movements Away. Let the Bedlam Begin
It’s Oklahoma State and Oklahoma at Globe Life Field. Follow here for the latest news and highlights.
Almost Time For Baseball. OSU To Bat First
LJ’s debut ⏳ pic.twitter.com/JW3Hv0LN16
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) February 14, 2026
SEC Baseball vs. Big 12 Baseball At Globe Life Field So Far
The SEC is 3-1 so far this season at the College Baseball Showdown. The only loss was Vanderbilt falling to No. 9 TCU in the afternoon game on Feb. 13.
2026 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
- LSU (9) 231
- Texas (1) 214
- Mississippi State (4) 205
- Arkansas (2) 203
- Auburn 175
- Tennessee 162
- Florida 156
- Vanderbilt 151
- Georgia 133
- Ole Miss 110
- Kentucky 99
- Alabama 87
- Texas A&M 86
- Oklahoma 84
- South Carolina 49
- Missouri 31
2026 Coaches Preseason All-SEC Baseball Team – First Team
- C Ryder Helfrick Arkansas
- 1B Gavin Grahovac Texas A&M
- 2B Chris Rembert Auburn
- 2B Camden Kozeal Arkansas
- 3B Ace Reese Mississippi State
- SS Justin Lebron Alabama
- SS Tyler Bell Kentucky
- OF Derek Curiel LSU
- OF Caden Sorrell Texas A&M
- OF Henry Ford Tennessee
- DH/Util. Noah Sullivan Mississippi State
- SP Hunter Elliott Ole Miss
- SP Casan Evans LSU
- SP Liam Peterson Florida
- SP Dylan Volantis Texas
- RP Zac Cowan LSU
- RP Brandon Arvidson Tennessee
- RP Luke McNeillie Florida
2026 Coaches Preseason All-SEC Baseball Team – Second Team
- C Chase Fralick Auburn
- C Carson Tinney Texas
- 1B Levi Clark Tennessee
- 1B Will Furniss Ole Miss
- 2B Ethan Mendoza Texas
- 3B Brendan Lawson Florida
- SS Steven Milam LSU
- OF Kuhio Aloy Arkansas
- OF Bub Terrell Auburn
- OF Jake Brown LSU
- DH/Util. Braden Holcomb Vanderbilt
- SP Gabe Gaeckle Arkansas
- SP Connor Fennell Vanderbilt
- SP Ben Cleaver Kentucky
2026 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll
- 1. TCU (13) 169
- 2. Arizona (1) 157
- 3. West Virginia 137
- 4. Arizona State 128
- T5. Kansas 112
- T5. Oklahoma State 112
- 7. Kansas State 87
- 8. Cincinnati 85
- 9. Texas Tech 78
- 10. UCF 66
- 11. Baylor 54
- 12. Houston 42
- 13. BYU 29
- 14. Utah 18
2026 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Team
- C Jack Natili Cincinnati
- IF Landon Hairston Arizona State
- IF Austen Roellig Arizona State
- IF Travis Sanders Baylor
- IF Brady Ballinger* Kansas
- IF Robin Villeneuve Texas Tech
- OF Andrew Williamson UCF
- OF Chase Brunson TCU
- OF Sawyer Strosnider* TCU
- OF Logan Hughes Texas Tech
- DH Dariel Osoria Kansas
- UTL Noah Franco TCU
- SP Owen Kramkowski Arizona
- SP Nathan Taylor Cincinnati
- SP Dominic Voegele Kansas
- SP Tommy LaPour* TCU
- RP Tony Pluta Arizona
- RP Cole Carlon Arizona State
- RP Chase Meyer West Virginia
*- unanimous selection
2026 Big 12 Preseason Yearly Awards
- Player of the Year: Sawyer Strosnider, TCU
- Pitcher of the Year: Tommy LaPour, TCU
- Newcomer of the Year: Dean Toigo, Arizona State
- Freshman of the Year: Lucas Franco, TCU
Starting Pitching matchups: OSU Throws Mario Pesca
Oklahoma State is rolling with Mario Pesca in its second game of the season. The right-hander was All-Big Honorable Mention a year ago and went 4-2 with a 3.91 ERA in 11 outings and five starts in conference play. He made 22 appearances total.
He transfred from St. Johnson where he was 7-6 over two seasons with a 4.36 ERA in two season.
Starting Pitching matchups: OU Throws LJ Mercurius
LJ Mercurius, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-hander, transferred to Oklahoma after two seasons at UNLV.
He emerged as a full-time starter in 2025, posting a 3.57 ERA in 53 innings with a 25.7% strikeout rate. Mercurius later pitched for Team USA.
He features a three-pitch mix, including a low-90s fastball that has touched 97 mph, along with a low-80s gyro slider and changeup.
OSU vs. OU Baseball First Pitch Time
The game will start at 4:15 p.m. ET.
OU Baseball Star Cameron Johnson Was LIGHTS OUT vs Texas Tech
Oklahoma began the College Baseball Showdown with a career-high 11 strikeouts on Feb. 13.
Oklahoma Baseball Lineup vs. OSU
- Jason Walk, CF
- Camden Johnson, 3B
- Deiten Lachance, DH
- Jaxon Willits, SS
- Nolan Stevens, RF
- Brendan Brock, C
- Trey Gambill, LF
- Dayton Tockey, 1B
- Kyle Branch, 2B
Pitching: LJ Mercurius, P
Oklahoma State Lineup vs. Oklahoma Baseball
Bedlam lineup#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/XhwltChZYP
— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) February 14, 2026
How To Watch Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma Baseball At The College Baseball Showdown
The Bedlam game is the middle game on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14 with a scheduled 4 p.m. ET first pitch. That start time will depend on the opening game on Saturday between Texas Tech and Vanderbilt, which is scheduled for Noon ET.
2026 Oklahoma State vs Oklahoma
2026 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
- LSU (9) 231
- Texas (1) 214
- Mississippi State (4) 205
- Arkansas (2) 203
- Auburn 175
- Tennessee 162
- Florida 156
- Vanderbilt 151
- Georgia 133
- Ole Miss 110
- Kentucky 99
- Alabama 87
- Texas A&M 86
- Oklahoma 84
- South Carolina 49
- Missouri 31
How To Watch College Baseball At The Shriners Children’s College Showdown 2026
Every game of the three-week College Baseball Series, which includes the Shriner College Baseball Showdown to start the season on Feb. 13, is streaming on FloCollege, FloBaseball and the FloSports app.
College Baseball Series At Globe Life Field Schedule 2026
Shriners Children’s College Showdown Weekend 1
Feb. 13, 2026
Feb. 14, 2026
Feb. 15, 2026
College Baseball Series In Surprise, Arizona
Feb. 13, 2026
- 4:00 PM ET: Michigan vs. Oregon St
- 8:00 PM ET: Stanford vs. Arizona
Feb. 14, 2026
- 4:00 PM ET: Arizona vs. Oregon St
- 8:00 PM ET: Michigan vs. Stanford
Feb. 15, 2026
- 2:00 PM ET: Stanford vs. Oregon St
- 6:00 PM ET: Arizona vs. Michigan
Feb. 16, 2026
- 2:00 PM ET: Michigan vs. Oregon St
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Weekend 2
Feb. 20, 2026
- 12:00 PM ET: Michigan vs. Florida St
- 4:00 PM ET: Nebraska vs. Louisville
- 8:00 PM ET: Auburn vs. Kansas St
Feb. 21, 2026
- 12:00 PM ET: Louisville vs. Michigan
- 4:00 PM ET: Florida St vs. Auburn
- 8:00 PM ET: Kansas St vs. Nebraska
Feb. 22, 2026
- 11:30 AM ET: Auburn vs. Louisville
- 3:30 PM ET: Nebraska vs. Florida St
- 7:30 PM ET: Michigan vs. Kansas St
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Weekend 3
Feb. 27, 2026
- 12:00 PM ET: Arizona St vs. Mississippi St
- 4:00 PM ET: UCLA vs. Tennessee
- 8:00 PM ET: Virginia Tech vs. Texas A&M
Feb. 28, 2026
- 12:00 PM ET: Tennessee vs. Arizona St
- 4:00 PM ET: Mississippi St vs. Virginia Tech
- 8:00 PM ET: Texas A&M vs. UCLA
Mar. 1, 2026
- 11:30 AM ET: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
- 3:30 PM ET: UCLA vs. Mississippi St
- 7:30 PM ET: Arizona St vs. Texas A&M
2026 D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 Rankings
- UCLA (48-18)
- LSU (53-15)
- Texas (44-14)
- Mississippi State (36-23)
- Georgia Tech (41-19)
- Coastal Carolina (56-13)
- Arkansas (50-15)
- Louisville (42-24)
- Auburn (41-20)
- TCU (39-20)
- North Carolina (46-15)
- Oregon State (48-16-1)
- Florida (39-22)
- Tennessee (46-19)
- Georgia (43-17)
- Florida State (42-16)
- NC State (35-21)
- Kentucky (31-26)
- Clemson (45-18)
- Southern Miss (47-16)
- Wake Forest (39-22)
- Miami (35-27)
- Vanderbilt (43-18)
- Arizona (44-21)
- Texas A&M (30-26)
Teams At Globe Life Field College Baseball Series
- Oklahoma
- Texas Tech
- TCU
- Vanderbilt
- Oklahoma State
- Arkansas
- Michigan
- Florida State
- Nebraska
- Louisville
- Auburn
- Kansas State
- Arizona State
- Mississippi State
- UCLA
- Tennessee
- Virginia Tech
- Texas A&M
FloBaseball Archived Footage
Video footage from FloBaseball events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBaseball subscribers.
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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.
TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — A new program in Oklahoma is giving adults another way to finish high school by allowing them to use past credits and test scores to earn a diploma, an option officials say could help thousands of people and strengthen the state’s workforce.
For years, adults in Oklahoma who did not finish high school largely had one main option: earning a GED. Now, Oklahoma CareerTech is rolling out the Career Readiness Diploma, a pathway designed to build on what students have already completed rather than requiring them to start over.
“So in Oklahoma right now, if you look at the demographics, we have about 279,000 people in our state without a high school diploma. So it’s almost 10% of our population doesn’t have a high school diploma,” said Lance Allee, an adult education and family literacy specialist with Oklahoma CareerTech.
Allee said the program allows adults to apply previously earned high school credit and combine different assessment scores into a single record to qualify for a diploma.
“It allows the student to use previously earned high school credit. So, it’s kind of like a portfolio where you can take multiple assessment scores and put them into one portfolio to get your high school diploma,” Allee said.
The program is open to adults 21 and older. In some cases, officials said, participants can finish in just weeks, depending on how many credits they already have.
CareerTech officials say the program is also aimed at improving job prospects for individuals while helping Oklahoma remain competitive when attracting employers.
“When you’re a company and you’re looking at moving into Oklahoma, you look at the demographics and say, is there a workforce there that we can employ? And you say, well, about 10% of the population doesn’t have a diploma, they may start looking at states that surround us. So, we definitely want to get as many diplomas out there as we can,” Allee said.
The program started issuing diplomas in recent weeks, and officials said dozens more people are already in the process. For more information or to sign up click here.
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NORMAN — Cord Rager’s return comes at a pivotal time for Skip Johnson’s Oklahoma Sooners. Not only do they get their day three starter back in time for big road matchups against Auburn and Arkansas on the horizon, but the Sooners pitching strength, their rotational depth, is primed and ready for the test.
The freshman lefty finished with eight strikeouts and only gave up one hit in only 65 pitches before his day ended in the sixth.
No. 14 Oklahoma earn its first conference sweep of the season, defeating Missouri 8-4. It was OU’s fourth conference series win.
Oklahoma (27-12, 10-8) put their best foot forward as they turn the page to the meat of their schedule where they will do battle against No. 13, No. 20 and No. 16 over the next three weeks — two of those series’ on the road.
Four runs in five hits in the second got things rolling for the Sooners.
Camden Johnson continued his brilliant play of late with a triple in the second. This came after a Brenden Brock solo home run to put OU up 1-0. Deiten LaChance grounded out to short but scored Johnson. Dasan Harris and and Nolan Stevens each found home before the inning ended.
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OU found fortune from the plate again in the fourth. Four runs off of four hits highlighted by a three-run home run by Johnson put Oklahoma up 8-0. It was Johnson’s seventh home run of the season, second on the team behind Brock’s nine.
Trent Collier got the nod in the sixth to relieve Rager.
In the seventh, Missouri finally got on the board for the first time since the ninth inning of Friday night’s Sooner victory. Cam Durnin hit a solo shot — his fourht of the season — to make the score 8-1 in favor of the home team.
The Tigers got their third hit of the game shortly after. From there, Collier’s short day was done. Gavyn Jones came on to relieve
LaChance missed a home run by inches when Tiger center fielder Kaden Peer made a leaping catch, jumping into the fence.
In the eighth, the Tigers continued to chip away. With bases loaded, Blaze Ward hit a basehit to score two Missouri base runners. OU led 8-3 heading into the final inning.
Harris led the Sooners with three hits. His day was accented by an RBI, stolen base and a run.
Oklahoma will travel to Auburn to take on the No. 13 Tigers for a three game series starting on Friday. Before that, they will host Oral Roberts for a midweek game at Kimrey Family Stadium in Norman. The Sooners won 4-0 against ORU earlier this season.
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