Now that the calendar has turned the page to February, that means that college baseball, and specifically Oklahoma baseball, is only a couple of weeks off.
As it does every year about this time, the Big 12 has come out with its annual preseason poll conducted by the conference coaches. The Sooners are picked to finish sixth, which is where they finished a year ago, tying Baylor for the fifth spot in the final standings.
The Sooners two biggest rivals, Texas and Oklahoma State, finished one and two, respectively, in the 2022 preseason poll. The Longhorns, the defending Big 12 champions and a participant in the College World Series last season, were one first-place vote shy of being a unanimous preseason selection to win the conference again this season.
Texas Tech, TCU and Baylor round out the top five, followed by the Sooners, Kansas State, West Virginia and Kansas.
The Big 12 also honored OU infielder Peyton Graham, naming him to the Preseason All-Big 12 team. In his first full season last year, the Sooner third baseman hit .288 with 11 home runs and 28 runs batted in. Over the past two seasons, Graham has a combined batting average of .305 with an on-base percentage of .414 and a .528 slugging percentage.
Oklahoma’s ended the 2021 season with an overall record of 27-28 and 11-13 in the Big 12. It marked the first time in the last 10 seasons, not counting the 2020 campaign that was cut short because of COVID-19, that the Sooners have failed to win at least 30 games.
The Sooners average finish in the Big 12 standings over the last decade has been between fourth and sixth. Their best finish was in 2017, capturing third place with a modest record of 13-11. OU’s best finish in the past decade in terms of conference wins was in 2018. The Sooners finished fourth that season with a 14-10 record.
Oklahoma’s best overall season during the past decade was in 2013, finishing with a 43-21 record, but just 13-11 in the Big 12, which placed the Sooners in the No. 3 spot.
The Sooners will open the 2022 season on the weekend of Feb. 18 in the State Farm College Baseball Classic at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. OU’s opening opponent will be Auburn. followed by games against Arizona, the No, 15 team in the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25, on Saturday and Michigan on Sunday.
Oklahoma 2022 home opener is scheduled for Feb. 22 against Wichita State.