How Oklahoma's Football Players Learned From Baseball Team’s National Title

Sooner Magic was on full display in June.

Oklahoma’s baseball team, which went into the NCAA Tournament unseeded, defeated No. 5 North Carolina in the College World Series Championship Series. The Sooners took down No. 2 Georgia Tech, No. 3 Georgia, No. 7 Alabama and No. 15 Kansas in addition to the Tar Heels on their way to the national title.

A trio of OU football players — quarterback John Mateer and linebackers Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke — made it to Omaha for Game 3 of the championship series.

In addition to playing football, Mateer played baseball growing up. He was on hand as his school won its third-ever baseball national title, and he described the experience as surreal.

“Going to Omaha was so sick,” Mateer said at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Fla., on Monday. “I'm super proud of them. Who would have thought? But they did, so that’s all that matters.”

Oklahoma’s football team showed great resilience late in the 2025 season. The Sooners strung together wins against Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU to end the regular season 10-2 and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. Their run, however, came to an end in the postseason, as they lost 34-24 to Alabama in the CFP First Round.

The baseball team didn’t see the same success to end its regular season, but the Sooners caught fire in the postseason. Oklahoma lost only two games throughout the NCAA Tournament and took down some of the sport’s goliaths en route to the title.

Defensive end Taylor Wein didn’t make the trip to Omaha, but he kept a close eye on the team’s run at the CWS. Wein believes that he and his teammates can mimic the grit that the baseball team showed throughout June.

“You just see how determined they are,” Wein said. “They were never going to be denied, and that's contagious. They came together, they were very very close with each other, and you saw it translate. They did a very good job, and it’s just an example for all of us. (If) you stick to it and you're determined and you figure out ways to improve, you can make anything happen.”

Last year, the expectations weren’t high for Oklahoma football. The Sooners were fresh off a 6-7 season, and as a result, they were picked to finish 10th in the SEC’s preseason poll.

The expectations are much higher this year. Though the SEC has yet to release its preseason poll, the Sooners are No. 12 in ESPN’s Football Power Index and widely viewed as a CFP contender.

OU’s baseball team, understandably, wasn’t viewed as a CWS contender leading up to the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners lost four series in a row to end their regular season and lost their only game at the SEC Tournament. But they defied the odds and eventually won a national championship.

The CWS run taught Wein and Mateer how important it is to block out external noise — regardless of whether it’s positive or negative.

“At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what people think,” Wein said. “It matters internally what we think about each other and how we complement each other. We just worry about getting better, and we know that this puzzle is not completed yet. Each day is a piece of its own, so we have to continue to build that puzzle.”

Mateer said, “It was awesome seeing the guys actually do it, finish it off. Nobody thought they would, and they did because they believed it.”

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google