Oklahoma
OU baseball prediction for College World Series game vs Georgia
OMAHA, NE — Oklahoma baseball continues its stay at the College World Series in the winners’ bracket on Monday.
Fresh off their blowout win over Alabama to open the CWS, the Sooners (39-22) will face No. 3 seed Georgia (52-12), which crushed Texas in its opening game.
Both teams enter the matchup scorching hot as the Bulldogs have won nine consecutive games, while the Sooners are riding a six-game win streak. The SEC foes didn’t play in the regular season.
OU will start right-hander Xander Mercurius, who owns a 5.82 ERA in three starts this season. Mercurius will try to replicate fellow freshman Cord Rager’s CWS performance after he struck out eight Crimson Tide batters in seven innings on Saturday.
The Sooners’ offense has yet to cool off as Dayton Tockey has hit five home runs in eight postseason games and all 16 of Deiten Lachance’s home runs have come in his last 29 games.
Georgia was one of the best offensive teams all season with a .326 team batting average (fourth nationally) and its 9.4 runs per game (second nationally).
Here’s everything to know about the matchup:
Battle of Branch brothers
OU second baseman Kyle Branch is set to face his brother, Bulldogs shortstop Kolby Branch, on Monday.
The brothers’ parents, Kari and Rusty Branch, bounced back and forth between Athens, Georgia, and Atlanta and Lawrence, Kansas, during regional and super regional play in order to watch both sons play. They also made it to Lovejoy High School in Texas, where their younger son Carson Branch won a state championship.
Kolby Branch is hitting .286 with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs. Kyle Branch, an All-SEC Freshman Team selection last season, is batting .225 with three home runs and 21 RBIs.
Xander Mercurius looks to keep up hot postseason
Xander Mercurius is coming off two impressive postseason outings.
In the Sooners’ loss to Georgia Tech, Mercurius struck out eight Yellowjackets in 5 2/3 innings. During OU’s CWS-clinching win over Kansas, Mercurius struck out six Jayhawks, allowing only one run in four innings across two days after a weather delay.
Sooners coach Skip Johnson has all the confidence in the world in his freshman flamethrower.
“If we get beat with a freshman, the sun’s going to come up tomorrow,” Johnson said.
How to watch Oklahoma vs Georgia: Time, TV channel, live stream
Oklahoma vs Georgia airs on ESPN at 6 p.m. Monday. Streaming options for the game include Fubo.
Oklahoma vs Georgia score prediction
Georgia 9, Oklahoma 7: Mercurius tosses another gem, but the Bulldogs’ offense gets to the Sooners’ bullpen late.
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma teen reported as endangered missing person
DAVIS, Okla. (KXII) – Law enforcement is searching for a 15-year-old boy from Davis who has been reported as an endangered missing person.
According to an OHP post on X, James Pletcher of Davis was last seen after 11 p.m. Saturday, July 4th. He was wearing a black shirt, black shorts and black shoes.
Anyone who sees Pletcher or has information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911.
Copyright 2026 KXII. All rights reserved.
Oklahoma
Governor Stitt declares disaster emergency for Cleveland and Washington Counties
TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order declaring a disaster emergency for Cleveland and Washington Counties, following powerful severe weather that moved across the state on July 4.
The declaration will ensure recovery resources can be deployed to those impacted areas quickly.
Related Coverage>>> THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER: Cooling centers open in Bartlesville and Dewey
The Governor’s office is asking anyone with damage to their home or business to report it at Damage.ok.gov.
In a news release, the Governor’s office said the state is also coordinating with Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief to assist residents affected by the storms.
People needing assistance from Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief can call (844) 690-9198 or fill out a request form online at www.okdisasterhelp.org.
“State and local crews are out across Cleveland and Washington counties this morning checking on families, clearing debris, and helping our communities get back on their feet after these severe storms,” said Governor Stitt in the news release. “As crews work to get power restored to those impacted, please help by reporting damage and checking on your neighbors.”
The full text of the executive order can be read here.
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Oklahoma
Will Oklahoma Be Able to Replicate Febechi Nwaiwu’s Leadership on Offensive Line?
Last summer, Sooner fans had no idea what to expect from the team’s offensive line. This year, Oklahoma fans can be cautiously optimistic about the unit heading into the fall.
Late in the 2025 season, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh utilized a six-man rotation that featured Febechi Nwaiwu, Derek Simmons, Ryan Fodje, Michael Fasusi, Eddy Pierre-Louis and Jake Maikkula.
Nwaiwu was the only veteran in the position group, as Simmons and Maikkula transferred in and Fodje, Fasusi and Pierre-Louis were freshmen. (Pierre-Louis was a redshirt freshman).
The new-look group produced mixed results.
Oklahoma allowed 29 sacks, which ranked 93rd out of 134 FBS teams — so not great. But according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), OU quarterback John Mateer was pressured 26 times, which ranked 26th among signal callers at the Power Four level.
In 2024, OU allowed 50 sacks, which tied for last in the nation. Though there were still pass-blocking lapses in 2025, the performance from the line in those situations was far better than the year before.
OU’s linemen, however, still struggled to open up running lanes. The Sooners ranked 13th in the SEC and 112th nationally in rushing, averaging only 118.5 yards per game.
Oklahoma’s offensive line didn’t suddenly become the best in the SEC last year, but Bedenbaugh’s group did show that it’s on the right trajectory.
Fodje, Fasusi and Pierre-Louis will all be sophomores in 2026, while Maikkula and Arkansas transfer E’Marion Harris are entering their senior seasons. Those five are OU’s likely Week 1 starters, and the combination of youth and experience should give the Sooners a strong foundation on the line.
That said, the Sooners will be without Nwaiwu — their “glue guy” — in the fall.
Nwaiwu started 26 games over two seasons at Oklahoma. He earned Second Team All-SEC honors in 2025 and was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to college football’s most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on. Nwaiwu began his collegiate career at North Texas and appeared in 26 games for the Mean Green.
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Nwaiwu was OU’s most effective pass blocker, finishing 2025 with a remarkable 91.6 PFF grade in that category. His former OU teammates and coaches regularly raved about his leadership traits, saying they were just as vital to the line’s improvement as his skills.
The Houston Texans selected Nwaiwu in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. So now that he’s gone, who will step up?
Maikkula and Harris are certainly the “old guys” on the line. Maikkula spent three seasons at Stanford before coming to Norman, while Harris played 1,694 offensive snaps over his four years at Arkansas.
The young trio of Fodje, Fasusi and Pierre-Louis doesn’t have as much college football experience as those two, but they’ve been in Norman for just as long — or longer — than Maikkula and Harris.
Though it’s hard to replicate the impact Nwaiwu made, OU coach Brent Venables feels confident that others will step into leadership roles in the fall.
“Lots of different personalities, same mentality,” Venables said after OU’s spring game on April 18. “It might be the best that we’ve had since we’ve been here when it comes to that — the continuity, the chemistry, the togetherness. It’s a very real thing. It jumps out at you.”
The talent is there for OU’s offensive line to improve again in the fall. But someone — or several linemen — must step up for the unit to avoid a 2026 regression.
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