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Oklahoma baseball: What you need to know about MCWS Sooners vs. Irish

By Chip Rouse

Jun 17, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners shortstop Peyton Graham (20) and second baseman Jackson Nicklaus (15) celebrate the win against the Texas A&M Aggies with teammates at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 17, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners shortstop Peyton Graham (20) and second baseman Jackson Nicklaus (15) celebrate the win against the Texas A&M Aggies with teammates at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s been a long time coming, but the young Oklahoma baseball team has found its groove over the last month and is hungry for more.

On Sunday night at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, two teams that were heavy underdogs in their journey to get here will square off in the winner’s bracket of the Men’s College World Series when the surging Sooners (43-22) go up against the equally surprising Notre Dame Fighting Irish (41-15).

Both teams are playing their best baseball of the season and advanced to Sunday’s MCWS showdown with convincing wins in their opening-round game. OU jumped on No. 5-seed Texas A&M early and held on late for a 13-8 win in the opening game of this year’s MCWS. While the Irish outlasted No. 9 Texas 7-3 in Game 2 of the national championship tournament.

Oklahoma and Notre Dame have faced each other just six times on the baseball diamond, splitting the six games. The most recent meeting was in Norman during the 2015 regular season. The Irish won two of the three games.

The game will be televised on ESPN2 beginning at 6 p.m. CT.

Fun facts for fans to know about Notre Dame ahead of Sunday night’s showdown

  • Notre Dame defeated No. 1-ranked Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional to advance to the College World Series.
  • Five Notre Dame position starters are hitting above .300, led by catcher David LaManna at .352. Next is first baseman Carter Putz at .333. Putz also is the team leader in runs driven in with 48.
  • The power bats in the Irish lineup are Jack Zyska with 13 home runs. He’s followed closely by third baseman Jack Brannigan with 12 and right fielder Brooks Coetze with 11.
  • A player to keep an eye on is lead-off hitter Ryan Cole, who leads the Irish in on-base percentage (.429). He has been hit by a pitch 20 times this season and has stolen 20 bases in 21 attempts.
  • The probable Notre Dame starter on Sunday will be freshman All-American Jack Findlay, who has allowed just one run in 12 1/3 innings during the NCAA Tournament.
  • Notre Dame has won eight of its last 10 games.

What fans should know about Oklahoma going into Sunday’s MCWS game

  • OU will go with its third starter, freshman right-hander Cade Horton, on the mound against Notre Dame. Sooner skipper Skip Johnson is hoping for the young hurler to continue his performance during the Sooners’ postseason run. Horton has delivered three consecutive quality starts this postseason, no bigger than his six-inning performance in the series clincher last weekend against Virginia Tech. The freshman right-hander allowed just two runs on two hits and struck out eight in the Sooners’ 11-2 victory that punched their World Series ticket.
  • In three starts this postseason, Horton has an earned run average of 2.55, 25 strikeouts and just five walks.
  • Oklahoma is the country’s fourth-best base-stealing team this season, swiping 144 bags in 65 games.
  • The first five batters in Oklahoma’s lineup are all hitting above .300, led by senior center fielder Tanner Tredaway with a .375 batting average. Sophomore shortstop Peyton Graham is the big power bat in the lineup with a team-high 20 home runs and 71 runs batted in.
  • OU outfielder/designated hitter Brett Squires is out for the rest of the season, having suffered a broken wrist when he was hit by a pitch in Friday’s MCWS game with Texas A&M.
  • The Sooners have won nine of their last 12 games.
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