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Oklahoma Baseball: Sooners Continue to Defy Odds and Oddsmakers

By Chip Rouse

Jun 28, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of the game between the Arizona Wildcats and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in game two of the College World Series championship series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of the game between the Arizona Wildcats and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in game two of the College World Series championship series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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If there was any doubt that the 2017 edition of Oklahoma baseball is out to prove all the experts wrong, let Friday night’s 6-2 win over No. 2-ranked Texas Tech serve due notice.

After being picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 this season, the Sooners shot out of the gate with 17 wins in their first 19 games and have lost just three times more in the last 10, nine of which were away from home base at L. Dale Mitchell

OU was on the road at Baylor last weekend to begin the Big 12 portion of its 2017 schedule, and took two of three from the Bears.

Oklahoma was not ranked to begin the 2017 season, but the Sooners drew national attention when they reached 20 wins before any other Division I college team and have moved into the No. 18 spot in the most recent USA Today college baseball rankings.

All that is well and good, but there are still those out there who would contend that the Sooners’ 20-plus non-conference wins so far are not against the level of competition they will face in the Big 12. and that when they do, they are certain to face a course correction.

Well, Baylor may not be the best team in the conference, but they are good enough to post an 18-6 record through 24 games and rank 21st in the country among Division I teams.

This weekend is the biggest test this season of Oklahoma’s baseball relevancy, with the Sooners playing host to the Red Raiders of Texas Tech, who came into the weekend series as the highest ranked team in the Big 12 and a 24-4 record.

Round one of this heavyweight fight scheduled for three rounds went to Sooners, who pulled into a first-place tie with the Red Raiders in the conference standings with a 6-2 win under the Friday night lights.

Sooner stars of the game were sophomore right-handed pitcher Dylan Grove and senior catcher Renae Martinez. Grove started the game and went six full innings, giving up just one run on two hits while striking out a career-high 11 batters. Martinez delivered a clutch, three-run double in the eighth inning to break up a one-run game and give Oklahoma three huge insurance runs.

Oklahoma’s 24-5 record is the team’s best start since beginning the 1985 season 27-4. The Friday night victory gives the Sooners a 46-35-1 all-time mark vs. Texas Tech, and a 25-11-1 record in games between the two schools played in Norman.

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