Oklahoma’s winning formula against Ole Miss didn’t hold up Sunday in the series finale against the Rebels.
OU took the first two games of their first-ever SEC meeting with Mississippi with excellent starting pitching, good bullpen work, timely hitting and reliable defense.
But in losing 7-3 on Sunday at L. Dale Mitchell Park, the Sooners didn’t get enough of either one.
Starting pitcher Malachi Witherspoon threw just 4 2/3 innings and gave up five earned runs (six total) on seven hits and a walk.
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Witherspoon (3-6) took the loss as he struck out seven and left throwing just 88 pitches.
Witherspoon left trailing 6-2 in the fifth, and the Rebels added just one run the rest of the way against the OU bullpen.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma scrapped together just sevenhits — three from leadoff man Jason Walk, two of which were triples.
The Rebels used starter Mason Nichols for just 1 2/3 innings — he allowed three hits and three walks among the 11 batters he faced — before Mason Morris came in and twirled 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball.
The Oklahoma defense also committed two errors on the infield on the day.
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No. 21-ranked Oklahoma fell to 32-14 overall and 13-11 in SEC play, while the No. 18 Rebels improved to 33-15 and 13-11.
OU opened the scoring by getting to Nichols early in the first inning.
Walk tripled to lead off the game, then scored on Easton Carmichael’s RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead.
Ole Miss tied it with a run of their own in the second as Austin Fawley hit his seventh home run of the season with a leadoff shot to left field.
The Rebels then took control with two runs in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth.
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Luke Cheng opened the third with a double down the right field line, and Mitchell Sanford reached on an error by Kyle Branch at second. Luke Hill followed that with an RBI single to right that scored Cheng for a 2-1 lead. After Witherspoon recorded back-to-back strikeouts, Isaac Humphrey reached on a throwing error by Mason Hamlin at first base that allowed Sanford to come home and make it 3-1.
After Witherspoon got another strikeout to start the fourth, Ole Miss tacked on another run when Campbell Smithwick opened with a single to center field. Cheng’s groundout moved Smithwick 90 feet, and Sanford’s RBI single to center sent him home for a 4-1 lead.
OU made it 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth as Hamlin led off with a single up the middle. After Dasan Harris and Dawson Willis struck out, Hamlin stole second, and Walk brought him home with a single through the right side.
Walk, however, was caught in a rundown for the third out.
The Rebels added two more when Humphrey tripled with one out and Judd Utermark’s grounder scored him. After a pitching change sent Witherspoon to the showers, Hayden Federico singled to left to bring Utermark home for a 6-2 lead.
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Both teams scored a single run in the seventh.
Fawley greeted OU reliever Michael Catalano with a double down the left field line, and he came home on Humphrey’s single to right.
In the bottom of the inning, Walk hit his second triple of the day with one out, and Trey Gambill’s flyout to center was deep enough to easily score Walk and make it 7-3.
The Sooners have just six games left in the regular season — three next weekend at Kentucky, and three the following weekend against Texas — before SEC Tournament play begins May 21.
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News 9 spoke to Von Maur representative Mathew Burniga to learn how to wrap up your Christmas shopping.
NORMAN, Okla. — Derrion Reed scored 22 points, Xzayvier Brown finished with 18, and Oklahoma set the program’s single-game record for field-goal percentage on Monday night as the Sooners beat Stetson 107-54 on Monday night.
Oklahoma shot 67.8% (40 of 59) from the field and had its highest-scoring game since a 107-86 win over Arkansan-Pine Bluff on Nov. 30, 2023. The previous record was 66.1% (39 of 59) against Baylor on Feb. 26, 2005.
The Sooners made 12 of 24 from 3-point range, outrebounded Stetson 39-24, and outscored the Hatters 54-18 in the paint.
Mohamed Wague had 15 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma and Tae Davis added 12 points and six assists. Kuol Atak and Nijel Pack each scored 11 points.
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Ethan Copeland, the only Stetson (4-9) player who scored in double figures, had 14 points.
Oklahoma (9-3) used runs of 15-3 and 10-2, the latter of which culminated with a Jadon Jones three-point play that gave the Sooners a 26-11 lead a little more than eight minutes into the game.
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Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Another offensive lineman from Oklahoma’s heralded 2024 group of freshman has decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Third-year sophomore tackle Isaiah Autry-Dent announced Monday on social media that he’ll be entering the portal when it opens on Jan. 2.
“I’m truly grateful for the incredible, life-changing experience I’ve had at the University of Oklahoma,” he wrote. “The dedication of the staff, the camaraderie with my teammates, and the unwavering support from the fans have made this journey unforgettable. I’ve learned lessons on and off the field that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and I’m thankful for every moment, every challenge and every triumph along the way.”
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Dent added that he’s “given it a great deal of thought and prayed for guidance” but intends to leave OU with 3-4 years of eligibility remaining and is “excited about exploring new opportunities to continue growing as a player and as a person.”
After much prayer and family talks, I’ll enter the transfer portal on January 2 with three years of eligibility left. Thank you #SoonerNationpic.twitter.com/AM15EMHlHV
Dent was one of five offensive linemen signed in the 2024 class, and he’s the third one to leave, joining Eugene Brooks and Josh Aisosa. After just two seasons, only Eddy Pierre-Louis and Daniel Akinkunmi remain.
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Dent was listed at 304 pounds as a true freshman but in July checked in at 317 pounds — the biggest overall weight gain of any offensive player, which was a reflection of his hard work and dedication as the OU offensive line made an offseason mandate to get bigger and stronger.
Last spring, senior center Troy Everett was asked to assess Dent’s progress following his freshman season.
“Isaiah works hard,” Everett said. “Isaiah’s going to be great. Isaiah, right now, he’s just got to get comfortable when he’s out there, but that goes for every young guy.”
Read More Transfer Portal News
OU Transfer Portal Tracker Oklahoma LB to Enter Portal What Positions Must Oklahoma Address in the Portal?
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Dent played in just one game — against Maine — and logged just 26 snaps on offense and nine snaps on special teams during the 2024 season, then didn’t get on the field at all in 2025.
The former 3-star prospect from Fulton, MS, is a second cousin to former OU running back Marcus Dupree. His mother, Pashen Dent-Autry, was a two-time national champion basketball player for Tennessee legend Pat Summitt.
Autry was a consensus 3-star prospect coming out as a high school All-American at Itawamba Agricultural High School, where he was a 6-foot-7, 300-pound standout.
Autry picked the Sooners over Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and Ole Miss, among others, and could have plenty of options.
