Oklahoma
OU Baseball: Oklahoma Pitcher Kyson Witherspoon Shuts Down ORU in Regional Opener
NORMAN — On Friday night, Northwest Florida State College transfer Kyson Witherspoon made his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, starting for Oklahoma against Oral Roberts.
Witherspoon and the Sooners’ easily took care of the Golden Eagles, notching a commanding 14-0 victory behind an excellent outing from the sophomore right hander and a barrage of extra base hits from OU’s offense.
Head coach Skip Johnson announcing Witherspoon as the starter on Thursday afternoon came as a bit of a surprise, as junior left hander Braden Davis has served as OU’s Friday night starter over the back half of the season.
Johnson’s decision ended up paying off, however, as Witherspoon threw six innings, striking out nine batters and allowing just one hit and zero runs. In addition to the Jacksonville, FL, product’s masterful performance, the Sooners will also have Davis available for their Saturday night contest against Connecticut, who defeated Duke 4-1 on Friday afternoon.
While ORU struggled to hit Witherspoon from the first pitch, the talented sophomore struggled to control his pitches early on, walking five batters in the first three innings. Despite putting at least two runners on base in each of the first three innings, Witherspoon was able to use his fastball to get out of the jam each time.
“Credit to (Witherspoon), man, we had a lot of traffic those first three innings,” Oral Roberts head coach Ryan Folmar said after the game. “We needed that one swing, I thought we were a swing or two away from getting in the bullpen early. After the third inning, he settled in, found the zone a lot more. The slider was really good, he’s able to command it. Again, when you talk about opportunities, we had plenty of them early, and we couldn’t take advantage of those.”
Oral Roberts left seven runners on base in the the first three innings alone, as Witherspoon tallied five strikeouts in the same span to keep the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard.
As Folmar mentioned, Witherspoon settled in during the fourth inning, gaining more command on the mound and closing out his final three innings with zero hits, zero walks and four strikeouts. Nine strikeouts is Witherspoon’s second highest total of the season and his six innings on the mound mark the transfer pitcher’s fourth time throwing six or more innings this year.
“Hopefully I can keep settling in a lot earlier than that,” Witherspoon said. “Just at the beginning, trying to do a little bit too much with my pitches. Trying to work around the zone too much and just got to execute my pitches. Throw it, let them work, and that’s what I did at the end.”
Johnson commended his pitcher’s gutsy performance, saying that Folmar was correct in assuming OU would have turned to its bullpen had the Golden Eagles been able to get their bats going early on. With Witherspoon able to get multiple key strikeouts whenever ORU put runners in scoring position, however, the Sooners’ head ball coach didn’t have to bring in a reliever until the seventh inning.
“It could’ve went either way, and that’s the thing about baseball,” Johnson said. “They really separated balls from strikes, took their walks when they needed to, but (Witherspoon) made big pitches with two outs. He had two big punch outs with men on base. I mean, (Folmar) is exactly right, but (Witherspoon) made the difference when he settled in and located a couple pitches with two strikes to get him out of the inning, which was really huge. He did it last week in Arlington (at the Big 12 Tournament) and it shows you how big his heart is, because you pitch with your head and your heart. You know, his stuff is his stuff, what’s going to get him to the next level is going to be his heart.”
With runners on second and third in the first inning, Witherspoon recorded a massive strikeout to end the at-bat. In the second, ORU loaded the bases, but Witherspoon struck out Elijah Rodriguez to once again escape the jam unscathed.
Oral Roberts was able to get runners on first and second base in the third inning before Witherspoon slammed the door shut on the Golden Eagles for a third time, striking out Cameron LaLiberte to kill ORU’s scoring chances.
Witherspoon’s impressive outing in his first-ever NCAA Tournament game is a good sign for OU, who has been solid on offense all year, but struggled at times on the mound. If Davis and Witherspoon are both able to raise to the occasion and perform well in the postseason, Oklahoma will have a chance to not only win the Norman Regional, but advance to Omaha for the second time in three years.
Next up, Oklahoma is set to face Connecticut at 8 p.m. on Saturday night from L. Dale Mitchell Park. With Witherspoon throwing over 100 pitches on Friday night, Davis, who has developed into the team’s ace, should start on the bump against the Huskies.
This week on the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz, Dean Blevins, John Holcomb, and Chris Williams begin the show with their opening takes.
Sunday, November 24th 2024, 11:17 pm
By:
News 9,
News On 6
OKLAHOMA CITY –
This week on the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz, Dean Blevins, John Holcomb, and Chris Williams begin the show with their opening takes.
OU, OSU, TU Breakdown OU, OSU, TU Opponent Preview
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Play The Percentages
Oklahoma residents on Sunday mourned the death of former Democratic U.S. Sen. Fred Harris, a trailblazer in progressive politics in the state who ran an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1976. Harris died on Saturday at 94.
Democratic Party members across Oklahoma remembered Harris for his commitment to economic and social justice during the 1960s — a period of historical turbulence. Harris chaired the Democratic National Committee from 1969 to 1970 and helped unify the party after its tumultuous national convention in 1968 when protesters and police clashed in Chicago.
“Fred Harris showed us what is possible when we lead with both heart and principle. He worked to ensure everyone had a voice and a seat at the table,” said Alicia Andrews, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party.
Harris appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago earlier this year as a guest speaker for the Oklahoma delegation, where he reflected on progress and unity.
“Standing alongside him in Chicago this summer was a reminder of how his legacy continues to inspire,” Andrews said.
Kalyn Free, a member of the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma and the DNC, said that there is no one else in public service whom she admired more than the former senator.
“He was a friend, a mentor, a hero and my True North. Oklahoma and America have lost a powerful advocate and voice,” Free said in a statement. “His work for Indian Country will always be remembered.”
“Senator Harris truly was an Oklahoma treasure and was ahead of his time in so many ways,” said Jeff Berrong, whose grandfather served in the state Senate with Harris. “He never forgot where he came from and he always remained focused on building a society that would provide equality of opportunity for all.”
Harris served eight years in the state Senate before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served another eight years before his 1976 presidential campaign. State party leaders commemorated his work on the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, or the Kerner Commission, to investigate the 1960s riots. Harris was the last surviving member of the commission.
Shortly after his presidential campaign, Harris left politics and moved to New Mexico and became a political science professor at the University of New Mexico.
—-
Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Oklahoma
Alabama's upset loss to Oklahoma completes wild day in college football as rankings could look a lot different
Entering Saturday night, all No. 7 Alabama needed was a win against unranked Oklahoma to remain very safe in the College Football Playoff bracket.
Earlier in the day, No. 5 Indiana was blown out, No. 4 Penn State barely squeaked by Minnesota, and No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 14 BYU both lost.
But, the Crimson Tide could not get the job done, as Oklahoma dominated to a 24-3 victory.
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Defensive end R Mason Thomas of the Oklahoma Sooners gets his hands in the face of quarterback Jalen Milroe of the Alabama Crimson Tide at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Nov. 23, 2024, in Norman, Oklahoma. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who had been one of the nation’s best players, had his worst game of the season. He completed 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards with three interceptions and gained just seven yards on 15 carries for Alabama (8-3, 4-3). The Sooners held Alabama to 234 yards. He went just 2-for-7 for 62 yards before the half.
True freshman Xavier Robinson ran for career highs of 107 yards and two touchdowns as Oklahoma became bowl eligible and took coach Brent Venables off the hot seat.
The Sooners’ victory resulted in yet another edition of fans storming the field too early, but at least this one was practically over anyway, unlike the BYU-Arizona State game.
Oklahoma students and fans rush the field after they efeated Alabama, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Norman. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
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Ole Miss and Alabama, both in the bracket prediction last week, now have three losses on the season. This leaves the door wide open for 9-2 teams like Clemson and Iowa State, who had been ranked 17th and 22nd in the nation, respectively.
And now, Indiana’s college football playoff hopes, right after their undefeated season ending, may not look all that over. No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Tennessee figure to move up a few spots with three teams ahead of them in the rankings all losing.
Although, it’s certainly not out of the question that Alabama could be on the outside looking in.
Oklahoma spirit team member celebrates after a touchdown against Alabama, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Norman. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
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The next rankings will come out on Tuesday, and it should be very exciting to see what the committee has in store.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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