How Getting ‘Hit in the Mouth’ Led to Oklahoma’s CWS Cinderella Run

OMAHA, NE — The Sooners wouldn’t have made it to the College World Series — let alone this weekend's championship series — if they weren’t battle tested, per coach Skip Johnson.

Oklahoma went 14-16 in SEC play and lost its final four series of the regular season. The Sooners also lost their first and only game at the SEC Tournament on May 19, falling to a middling LSU squad.

“We've been through a lot,” Johnson said Friday during media day for the championship series. “We've been hit in the mouth.”

During the regular season, OU played series against five SEC teams that ultimately hosted regionals: Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M. The Sooners also faced off against Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Arizona State — all of which reached the NCAA Tournament.

Against those teams, the Sooners lost more games than they won. But Johnson believes that allowed them to kick things into another gear by the time the NCAA Tournament rolled around.

“I think the SEC really molded us to be prepared for where we're at,” Johnson said.

The Sooners are now two wins away from their first national title since 1994. OU’s championship series against No. 5 North Carolina will begin on Saturday at 7 p.m. Game 2 is Sunday at 1:30 p.m., and if necessary, Game 3 is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m.

Oklahoma has taken down one goliath after another en route to the championship series.

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The Sooners opened the NCAA Tournament by upsetting Georgia Tech — the No. 2 overall seed — at the Atlanta Regional. They then made light work of No. 15 Kansas in the Lawrence Super Regional, outscoring the Jayhawks 21-3 in two games.

And since arriving in Omaha, OU hasn’t cooled down.

The Sooners slaughtered No. 7 Alabama 9-0 last Saturday before holding on for a 4-3 win against No. 3 Georgia in Monday’s winner’s bracket semifinal. OU battled Georgia again on Wednesday and left no doubt, defeating the Bulldogs 11-4 to punch its ticket to the CWS Finals.

“I think the SEC just offers great preparation for this type of tournament — there are no breaks,” OU outfielder Trey Gambill said. “Just like in this tournament, you're not playing any bad teams. You're playing the best of the best.”

The Sooners are well aware of the challenge that lies in front of them.

The Tar Heels have been similarly hot in the postseason. They breezed through their home regional before winning two of three against USC in the Chapel Hill Super Regional round to advance to Omaha. And on the other side of the CWS bracket, the Tar Heels went 3-0 with two wins over West Virginia and one against Ole Miss.

Johnson, Gambill and the entire OU team know it won’t be easy to get the two victories necessary to win a national title.

But after getting “hit in the mouth” to end the regular season and recovering from it, the Sooners have a strong sense of belief that they can take down another elite opponent to bring home a national championship.

"It's really just trying to stay in the process one pitch at a time,” Johnson said. “You've got to just take a breath, back the ball up to the middle, make sure you're ready to make a play, attack the play and give effort.”

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