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Team effort highlights Oklahoma’s national championship win

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1 year ago

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Team effort highlights Oklahoma’s national championship win


In Oklahoma’s magical run in 2023, the Sooners reset the standard for excellence in college softball. Their 61-1 record made them the winningest team in history after extending the game’s best all-time winning streak to 53 games.

On the final night of the season, in the game that clinched the Sooners’ third consecutive national title, Oklahoma’s deep roster powered the Sooners.

Alex Storako gave Oklahoma four strong innings before giving way to the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Jordy Bahl. Storako allowed three hits and one run in the start. Though the home run put the Sooners behind in the game, she was able to limit the damage when she found herself in danger with the help of some excellent defense behind her.

The Michigan transfer had been a huge key to Oklahoma’s success early in the season when Bahl was going through a bit of a sophomore slump. And on the grandest stage, Storako had a fantastic performance to keep Oklahoma in the game long enough for the bats to take off.

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In the Sooners’ next at-bat, back-to-back home runs from Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons put Oklahoma up 2-1 in the game. That was both players’ ninth home run of the season. Sanders and Lyons each had more than 20 home runs in 2022, but this year the long ball was more difficult to come by. But when it mattered most, the two power hitters powered Oklahoma to a lead and, ultimately a national title.

And that’s what has been special about this team. On a night when Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings go hitless, the Sooners have a lineup full of players that can hurt the opposition with one swing of the bat.

Their depth was the difference all season long. As Oklahoma dealt with injuries in the early part of the season or with early season struggles, the depth helped keep them afloat. And as the season wore on, it came through in critical moments, as it did on Thursday night.

In the wake of making their trip to the championship series, the Sooners celebrated with chants of “we too deep.” In their sweep of Florida State for the national title, they put that depth on display.

Best photos from the Sooners’ national title win



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Oklahoma

Bye to the Big 12 and hello SEC: It's party time for Texas and Oklahoma

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6 hours ago

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June 30, 2024

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Bye to the Big 12 and hello SEC: It's party time for Texas and Oklahoma


AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Bye-bye Big 12, hello SEC. Texas and Oklahoma are finally making their long-awaited conference switch.

But first, it’s time to party with Bevo (the longhorn) and Pitbull (the human).

The three-years-in-the-making switch to the Southeastern Conference for two programs that were co-founders of the Big 12 in 1996 officially happens Monday.

And for their move to a league where “It Just Means More,” Texas and Oklahoma have scheduled big campus celebrations Sunday and Monday with carnivals, live music and fireworks. Oklahoma’s even stretches to events statewide.

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The SEC Network planned live programming from both campuses over the two days, and Longhorns and Sooners fans had their first chance to buy SEC-branded school merchandise.

“This is a day we have been building toward for years,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said.

It’s a moment college sports in general has been building toward in the era of major realignment. The Texas and Oklahoma break from the Big 12 helped trigger myriad conference shifts with more on the way. By the first kickoff of the 2024 season, 11 so-called Power 4 programs will be in new conferences.

The Big Ten will grow to 18 teams with USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington poached from the Pac-12. The beleaguered West Coast league also lost Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Arizona State to the Big 12, and California and Stanford to the Atlantic Coast Conference. SMU leaps from the American Athletic Conference to the ACC on Monday as well.

As for Oklahoma and Texas, they originally planned to join the SEC in 2025, but ultimately reached a financial deal with the Big 12 for an early exit. And they leave with a whole lot of hardware.

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Between them, the Sooners (14) and Longhorns (four) won 18 Big 12 football titles in 25 years, with Texas winning the crown last season for the first time since 2009.

In its final year in the league, Texas won 15 league regular season or tournament championships across all sports, and national titles in volleyball and rowing. Oklahoma capped its final season with its dominant softball program winning its fourth consecutive national title in May. The Sooners beat Texas in the final.

“Texas brings more tradition, more talent, more passion and more fight,” to the SEC, the school said on its athletics website.

All that winning will be much more difficult to duplicate in the SEC. Oklahoma opens its first SEC football schedule at home against Tennessee on Sept. 21. The Longhorns debut at Mississippi State on Sept. 28.

Since the start of the College Football Playoff in 2014, SEC schools have won the championship six times.

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Texas (2005) and Oklahoma (2000) were the only two schools to win national titles in football while in the Big 12.

Some traditional rivalries will be stitched back together, and some torn apart.

The Texas-Texas A&M rivalry is reborn. It had been on hiatus since A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012. Oklahoma’s Bedlam rivalry with Oklahoma State is ruptured.

Texas spiced things up with Texas A&M last week when it poached Aggies baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle to Austin. At his introductory news conference, Schlossnagle warned Longhorns fans that the SEC is the “major leagues” of college baseball. The league has won the past five national championships.

Texas and Oklahoma planned for thousands of fans to join their celebrations.

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Texas set up a central campus carnival. Fans will get autograph sessions with team coaches, and a chance to pose with the Bevo longhorn mascot for photos in the afternoon.

Sunday night includes a scheduled concert by “Mr. Worldwide” pop star Pitbull on a stage underneath the campus’ iconic clock tower.

Oklahoma’s celebration started Sunday night with a “Race to the SEC” 5k race through the heart of campus, with midnight sales of SEC merchandise and fireworks.

Monday morning, former Sooners coach Barry Switzer will co-host a celebration breakfast in Tulsa and Oklahoma will host a campus party at the football stadium with live music and entertainment.

“We couldn’t be more excited to join the SEC. Our teams are poised for success and look forward to the competition with many of America’s most outstanding universities,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports





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Oklahoma

Oklahoma State men’s basketball adds former Putnam City North standout C.J. Smith

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13 hours ago

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June 30, 2024

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Oklahoma State men’s basketball adds former Putnam City North standout C.J. Smith


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The first non-transfer portal addition for new Oklahoma State men’s basketball coach Steve Lutz came with in-state ties.

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OSU added junior-college transfer C.J. Smith, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound swingman from Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College on Saturday. 

Smith is originally from Oklahoma City and concluded his high school career at Putnam City North, where he led the Panthers to a 24-3 record averaging 17.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 2022-23. He was a first-team selection on The Oklahoman’s Big All-City squad.

In his lone season at Coffeyville, Smith played 23.4 minutes per game, averaging 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds. 

He will be a sophomore next season, as he joins a veteran-heavy Cowboy roster thanks to the depth of veteran additions Lutz made through the transfer portal.

More: Oklahoma State basketball schedule: 2024-25 Big 12 opponents set for Cowboys, Cowgirls

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Thunder Unveil 2024 Draft Class

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20 hours ago

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June 29, 2024

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Thunder Unveil 2024 Draft Class


Oklahoma City, OK – A new era of Thunder basketball was officially introduced Saturday. Nikola Topić, Dillon Jones, and Ajay Mitchell all met the media to discuss making it to the next level and being members of the Thunder.

Topić will miss the upcoming season with a knee injury. Many draft boards had him listed as a top four talent in the draft, but the knee injury did scare some teams off.

As for Jones, he said his time at Weber State as “the guy” prepared him for what he needs to do to help OKC win with their current talent.

Ajay Mitchell joins the fold as a second round choice and knows his role could be impromptu and less consistent than usual, but that’s something he says he’s prepared for.

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Hear from all three Thunder rookies in the video above.



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