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Oklahoma baseball: Sooners picked to finish 5th in Big 12 Preseason Poll

By Chip Rouse

Jun 26, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners left fielder Kendall Pettis (7) dodges a pitch against the Ole Miss Rebels during the seventh inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners left fielder Kendall Pettis (7) dodges a pitch against the Ole Miss Rebels during the seventh inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports /
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You know spring is drawing closer when the talk turns to college baseball. The Oklahoma baseball team is picked to finish fifth in the 2023 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll, conducted this past week by a vote of the league coaches.

TCU is the conference favorite for the 2023 season, which opens in a couple of weeks. The Horned Frogs received five of the nine first-place votes and finished two points ahead of Oklahoma State, which received the other four first-place votes.

The Horned Frogs and Cowboys were followed by No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Texas Tech and Oklahoma. See the complete poll results by clicking here.

A year ago the Sooners were picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll and exceeded expectations ending the 2022 season tied for second with a 15-9 conference record and 45-24 overall. Oklahoma made its 11th College World Series appearance last season and advanced all the way to the championship series before falling twice to national champion Ole Miss.

Two Sooners were also selected for the All-Big 12 Preseason Team: sophomore infielder Jackson Nicklaus and sophomore outfielder John Spikerman. Both were starters on the 2022 Sooner team.

Nicklaus was named to the Freshman All-Big 12 team last season. He batted .288 with 11 home runs, 36 runs batted in and six stolen bases. He set an Oklahoma freshman record with 34 walks and tied for second among OU freshman in home runs and runs scored (48).

Spikerman broke into the starting lineup in mid-April last season and made 30 starts and 27 in right field, For the season, he hit .317 with 15 runs batted in 30 runs scored, two home runs and a dozen stolen bases. He ended the season on a 23-game on-base streak.

Skip Johnson is in his sixth season as head coach of the Sooners. OU has a record of 157-104 under Johnson’s leadership.

Oklahoma opens the 2023 season with a four-game slate over President’s Day weekend. Feb. 17-19, the Sooners will host California Baptist at L. Dale Mitchell Park, and on Monday, Feb. 20, OU will play a single game with Air Force.

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