In the ninth inning of an SEC baseball game, the Oklahoma Sooners had an outfielder on the mound.
OU junior outfielder Brandon Cain made his Division-I pitching debut Friday in the No. 10 Sooners' 10-2 loss to the No. 7 LSU Tigers. The Tigers ultimately swept OU in the series after winning Game 3 on Saturday, dropping the Sooners to 23-8 overall and below .500 in SEC play at 5-6.
Skip Johnson explains why Sooners OF Brandon Cain made pitching debut
Cain stepped on the mound with the Sooners down 7-2 with two outs in the ninth inning at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The righty immediately gave up a solo home run. He then gave up back-to-back singles before a double scored two more for LSU.
The next batter was walked before Cain finally got the out he needed with a strike out looking.
It was an ugly look some of Sooner Nation was frustrated with as OU struggled to compete with the Tigers all weekend after a hot start to the season.
Brandon Cain (yes, the outfielder) is now pitching and gave up a bomb. This is an embarrassment
— Barstool Sooners (@OUBarstool) April 5, 2025
Was not able to watch tonight. Can someone please explain why the hell Brandon Cain was pitching in a 6-2 ballgame?
— Ronny Crimson (@RonnyCrimson69) April 5, 2025
Brandon Cain? We take out a true freshmen to put a position player in?
— PorterMoserStan (@OUoutsider55) April 5, 2025
On Saturday evening after Game 3, OU head coach Skip Johnson explained his reasoning for the head-scratching decision to pitch Cain in that situation the night before.
"Been working on Cain pitching because he pitched in junior college," Johnson said. "He's got a really good arm. He's got really good stuff. What better time when you're getting beat (7-2) to run him out there and see if he can get one out?"
A lot of Sooner fans are upset with Skip Johnson's decision to put an OF up to pitch in the 9th inning last night, and rightfully so. But, here's the reasoning that Skip gave after the game: pic.twitter.com/LD18e01uYN
— Josh Mahler (@realJoshMahler) April 5, 2025
Cain, the nephew of MLB veteran outfielder Lorenzo Cain, transferred to OU from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College after last season. He was mainly recruited as a position player with the ability to play both infield and outfield.
As a sophomore, Cain hit .359 with five home runs, 49 runs, 29 RBIs and 17 stolen bases last season.
Cain has struggled to adjust to the Division-I level, though, which is what prompted Johnson to look at other options for Cain. In 16 games and 15 at-bats so far, Cain is still after his first hit of the season while striking out six times and walking just once.
Obviously Johnson's experiment didn't work out the first time, but this probably isn't the end of Cain getting a chance to pitch. He was reportedly throwing in the low 90s, at least during warmups.