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Oklahoma Moves Up Friday Matchup with Alabama Due to Inclement Weather

Due to forecasted storms, Oklahoma and Alabama have moved up Friday’s game time in their pivotal SEC series between ranked teams.
Brady Trantham|
Oklahoma baseball
Oklahoma baseball | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

The No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners will face the No. 16 Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Kimrey Family Stadium as scheduled.

However, the second game of the series has been moved up. Friday’s matchup, originally set for 6:30 p.m., will now start at 1 p.m. due to expected inclement weather.

The National Weather Service's forecast for Friday calls for "a chance of rain before 1pm," followed by "showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 4 p.m."

The day will be overcast with a high near 80 and southerly winds from 17 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.

Oklahoma Sooners
The 2026 Oklahoma Sooners baseball team. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

The game will be televised on the SEC Network+ and can be heard on KREF 99.3 FM/1400 AM.

As of now, Saturday's final instalment of the series is scheduled for a 2 p.m. opening pitch.

Oklahoma hopes to bounce back from being swept by the No. 2 Texas Longhorns in Austin last weekend. After being run-ruled in the first game, the Sooners blew both chances in the second and third game in extra innings.

The Sooners traveled to Oral Roberts on Tuesday where they secured a quick 4-0 victory to notch their 20th victory of the season.

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Alabama burst into the national rankings following their sweep of No. 5 Auburn in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide have been a different team at home than on the road. Alabama is 3-5 on the road as they head into Norman, but have only lost one game at home.

OU and Alabama have played 10 times — the first meeting coming in 2001. The Tide own a significant edge in the series with a 7-3 mark over the Sooners. This will be Alabama's first trip to Norman since 2018 — marking the second time OU has hosted the Crimson Tide ever. That series went the way of Oklahoma, 2-1.

The Sooners are 4-5 in SEC play, winning their first two series' of the season against Texas A&M in Norman and LSU in Baton Rogue.

LJ Mercuius (5-2), who was moved into the day one weekend rotation starter last week against Texas, will get the first crack at the explosive Crimson Tide. Cameron Johnson and Cord Rager will take pitching duties in games two and three, respectivley. OU's pitching ERA is 3.91, good enough for 26th-best in the country.

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Brady Trantham
BRADY TRANTHAM

Brady Trantham covered the Oklahoma City Thunder as the lead Thunder Insider from 2018 until 2021 for 107.7 The Franchise. During that time, Trantham also helped the station as a fill-in guest personality and co-hosted Oklahoma Sooner postgame shows. Trantham also covered the Thunder for the Norman Transcript and The Oklahoman on a freelance basis. He received his BA in history from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and a BS in Sports Casting from Full Sail University in 2023. Trantham also founded and hosts the “Through the Keyhole” podcast, covering Oklahoma Sooners football. He was born in Oklahoma and raised as an Air Force brat all over the world before returning to Norman and setting down roots there.

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