Oklahoma Baseball: Sooners Selected Fifth in Big 12 Preseason Poll

Fresh off of a run to the College World Series finals a year ago, Oklahoma was picked fifth in the conference on Thursday.

After an improbable run to the College World Series finals last June, Oklahoma is gearing up to try and capture that magic once again.

With the season just a hair over three weeks away, the Big 12 preseason poll was released on Thursday with the Sooners falling squarely in the middle in fifth place.

Getting voted into the top spot is TCU, with Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas rounding out the teams in front of Skip Johnson’s squad.

West Virginia, Kansas State, Kansas and Baylor then round out the poll in spots 6-9, respectively, behind the Sooners.

The preseason selections come just one day after the conference’s all-Big 12 team was announced on Wednesday, with two Oklahoma players getting the nod in Jackson Nicklaus and John Spikerman.

For a team that enjoys overcoming the odds and proving their naysayers wrong, that opportunity will certainly lie again for OU heading into 2023.

The Sooners aren’t ranked in any of the major preseason polls and have now been deemed as a middle-of-the-pack team in the Big 12.

The reasoning for this isn’t hard to gather, as Oklahoma will be replacing their entire weekend rotation along with several of their key offensive players as well.

However, important pieces are also back for Johnson’s team and they have, once again, made numerous quality additions to the roster through the transfer portal.

Also, for what it's worth, OU was selected sixth in last year's preseason poll - and wound up playing for the national title. 

The Sooners will begin their 2023 campaign on Friday, Feb. 17 at home against California Baptist.