OMAHA, NE — Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson might not be a certified zen master.

But he did study for 10 years under the late, great Augie Garrido.

Regarded as one of college baseball’s best pitching coaches, Johnson’s teaching gifts go well beyond grip and arm angle and release point and RPMs.

Johnson understands the minds of pitchers. He understands how they think, what motivates them, and how to make them believe in themselves — and each other.

And that’s been the strength of this OU pitching staff — indeed, the entire roster — as the Sooners have returned to the College World Series.

“We’re trying to teach them to be selfless people in a world that’s really a selfish world,” Johnson said. “They became really selfless. They didn’t care who got the credit. They went out and played for each other. That’s been the coolest thing that I’ve seen.”

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Johnson’s tutelage will be front and center on Saturday when the Sooners (38-22) take on No. 7 national seed Alabama (42-19) in a 2 p.m. contest at Charles Schwab Field. To advance to Monday’s second round against either Georgia or Texas, OU will have to pitch well against the Crimson Tide — again.

In their regular-season series in Norman, Bama won the opener 10-7, OU took game two 4-2 and the Tide finished with a 3-2 win.

Good pitching was at a premium that early April weekend at Kimrey Family Stadium. But the three starters Johnson called on to stem the Tide two months ago — Cameron Johnson, LJ Mercurius and Trent Collier — could have a completely different role when the teams meet again Saturday.

Johnson’s starters in OU’s three most recent games this postseason — Cord Rager, Xander Mercurius and Michael Catalano — were not starters when the season began. Nick Wesloski, who started the elimination game against The Citadel in Atlanta, also has played various roles.

Johnson views his pitching staff not through traditional lenses like “starter” or “long reliever” or “situational” or “closer.” He comes into most games with the mindset that all 15 guys need to be able to help at any point.

And remarkably, he has convinced the whole pitching staff that predetermined roles might not be all that important to the success of the team.

“As coaches, we always say, ‘Nobody knows at the beginning of the year who is going to get the most important hit, who is going to have the most important at-bat, important pitch, or strikeout.’”

Reid Hensley and Jaden Barfield have logged strong relief innings this postseason. So have Nate Smithburg, Jason Bodin, Trent Collier, Gavyn Jones and Mason Bixby, among others. 

But the “unsung hero” of the staff in the postseason, Johnson said, has been senior Jackson Cleveland. He was roughed up in the comeback win at Georgia Tech, giving up five earned runs (six total) on five hits and two walks over three relief innings. 

But Cleveland was suddenly needed in long relief that day after Johnson pulled starter Cameron Johnson in the top of the first inning. OU trailed 7-2 when Cleveland left in the fourth, but then he pitched four shutout innings in relief over the next two games: three in a closeout win over the Yellow Jackets and one in a romp over KU. 

In seven games over the previous two weekends in Atlanta and Lawrence, Johnson has rolled out 12 different arms, and they’ve posted a 6-1 record with 3.86 earned run average. In the six wins, OU pitchers have 49 strikeouts and 21 walks.

“Cord, we’ve been starting on Sunday,” Johnson said. “Xander was in the bullpen. Starting Nick … we actually start him on Tuesdays right out of the bullpen. Moved LJ (Mercurius) — we thought LJ got a little tired, gave him a little bit of a break and started throwing him out of the bullpen. He’s been really good out of the bullpen.

“As far as Bodin and Bixby and Jones and Cleveland — what Cleveland did at the super regional, I mean, that guy went through the lineup like three times in two different nights back-to-back. I mean, those guys are pretty good. He’s like the unsung hero really when you go back and look at it.”

Back in April, in the opener against Alabama, LJ Mercurius got the start but gave up seven earned runs on five hits, a walk and two hit batters and didn’t make it out of the second inning. His brother Xander replaced him and ate up six innings while yielding three runs with seven strikeouts, and Collier and Bixby finished without allowing any more damage.

Cameron Johnson started game two and was terrific, striking out eight over 6 1/3 innings while giving up just two runs on eight hits, two walks and a hit batter. Kadyn Leon pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief to earn his first save. 

In the rubber match against the Tide, Collier turned in a quality start: one earned run allowed on three hits and a walk to go with three strikeouts in just two innings. The bullpen was excellent, as Wesloski threw two shutout innings, Jones held Bama scoreless over 2 2/3 innings, Bodin was nearly perfect in 1 1/3 innings, and Cleveland gave up just a walk in his only inning.

Ineffective at-bats limited the Sooners during that stretch of the season, but the way OU has hit the ball in the postseason, maybe they’ve turned that corner.

“I think both teams are incredibly different right now,” said Alabama coach Rob Vaughn. “They’re playing great baseball right now. They’re as hot as can be right now.” 

If the Sooners’ bats can stay hot against Bama, Johnson believes his pitching staff — however many he needs, and wherever he needs them — can be the difference Saturday.

“We’re not afraid to put them out there,” Johnson said. “That’s the biggest thing. Our players have confidence in them because they faced them in the fall, and they knew how good they were.

“You can do amazing things when you don’t care who gets the credit.”  

HARRAH, OKLA (KOKH) — Six horses are being rehabilitated at an Oklahoma equine rescue after authorities say they were found in a trailer carrying an estimated $4.8 million worth of cocaine.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said its interdiction unit pulled over a trailer May 20, and after searching it, found “totes in there that contained 160 kilos of cocaine that was being transported through Oklahoma,” spokesman Mark Woodward said.

Woodward said the bureau is not releasing information about the people involved because the investigation is still underway.

Authorities said those involved are tied to powerful drug cartels, are considered dangerous and will be charged in connection with drug trafficking.

Woodward said using a horse trailer to transport drugs is not common, but drugs can be hidden in nearly anything.

“Sometimes loading the drugs in the back, whether it’s vegetables, whether it’s carnival equipment, you name it, airline equipment. There’s some wrapped as Christmas presents in diaper bags. There’s no limit to the lengths that these people will go to try to move drugs in vehicles and move it across the country,” Woodward said. “Because again, this particular load was a value of about $4.8 million. So there’s literally millions of dollars at stake with every shipment that they can get moved across the country.”

Woodward also said there is a high chance the load was going to be cut with fentanyl.

Along with the cocaine, authorities found six horses in the trailer. Woodward said that created an immediate need to find a place for them.

“That’s a concern because we have to find a place for them and we were very grateful that we were able to make a phone call and the Blaze Equine Rescue said absolutely we will step up,” Woodward said.

The horses were taken to Blaze Tribute Equine Rescue, where President Natalee Cross said the organization has worked with law enforcement for 25 years, but had never been contacted for a situation like this.

“I was like, wow, okay, yeah, I mean, we’ll definitely help. It was a lot to process. We had never been contacted for a situation like that before. So it was kind of new territory for us,” Cross said.

Cross said her first concern was what the horses had endured.

“It was more like what the horses had been through. I didn’t know how long they had been in that trailer or how far they had come from. There was a lot of questions that, were in the back of my head regarding what the horses have been through,” she said.

Cross said several of the horses had scrapes and wounds, and one horse was much thinner than the others. She said the animals have since begun to settle in.

“They’ve they’ve settled down quite a bit that first 24 to 48 hours they were pretty wound up and they had been through a lot it was very evident that you know that they were overwhelmed the horses were so they’ve settled down quite a bit they’re um enjoying you know the i think the calmness and the quiet,” Cross said.

Cross said, “You can definitely see, I think, a sigh of relief and just not knowing how long they were in that trailer. You know, if, if they could talk, I’d be interested to hear.”

Cross said the next step is for the horses to go out to pasture “and just be horses,” and eventually be adopted into permanent homes.

To donate to help these animals or volunteer, visit the Blaze Tribute Equine Rescue website linked here.

While Cross says their horses won’t be available for adoption for a while, they will eventually be. You can fill out an adoption application here.

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Oklahoma’s rich history is heading back to the silver screen with a major new Hollywood production, and it has officially found its star-studded cast.

According to an exclusive report from Deadline, The Lord of the Rings star and SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin is set to star alongside Emmy winner Jeremy Piven (Entourage) and Oscar nominee Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos) in the upcoming high school sports drama, Will to Win.

The film is making history as the very first movie project to be officially endorsed by the family of early Hollywood icon, Cherokee Nation citizen, and “Oklahoma’s Favorite Son,” Will Rogers.

The Story Behind Will to Win

The movie—which is currently filming on location in Oklahoma and Vancouver, British Columbia—is adapted from the book by author Jim Stovall and directed by Sean McNamara (Reagan).

The drama centers on a young Chickasaw softball player, played by Isabel DeRoy-Olson (Three Pines), who faces an uphill battle after moving to a new high school with no softball team. Determined to play, she joins the boys’ baseball team with the support of a compassionate coach (Astin).

Her spot on the team is quickly threatened by a school board president (Piven) determined to remove her. To help navigate the challenges, the young athlete begins having vivid, imaginary conversations with Will Rogers himself, who guides her through life’s hurdles using his signature wit and wisdom.

Keeping it Local and Authentic

The production features strong local ties and a deep commitment to Native representation. Tulsa-based Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions is producing the film alongside Brookwell McNamara Entertainment and in collaboration with Chickasaw Nation Productions.

Acclaimed Comanche filmmaker Jhane Myers (Prey, 1883) serves as an executive producer, while Indigenous actress Stefany Mathias (Prey) joins the cast as the young girl’s grandmother.

For the family of Will Rogers, endorsing a film for the first time was all about keeping his legacy alive for a new generation.

“While we have been approached many times in the past about producing movies, this is the first time the family has endorsed a movie project,” Will Rogers’ great-granddaughter, Jennifer Rogers Etcheverry, told Deadline. “We are thrilled to see that audiences in the 21st century will learn about the impact of Will Rogers on the world.”

Keep an eye out for updates on local release dates and production highlights right here on News on 6.

RELATED STORIES: Coming Soon: ‘Will to Win’ Movie Celebrates Oklahoma’s Favorite Son Will Rogers