Oklahoma Ace Pitcher Out for Friday's Game Against Vanderbilt
Friday night’s game between No. 17 Vanderbilt and No. 19 Oklahoma was shaping up to be an excellent pitchers’ duel with both teams putting their ace pitchers on the mound.
However, the Sooners won’t be doing that. The initial Student-Athlete Availability Report for the series opener has Oklahoma ace Kyson Witherspoon listed as out. According to D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, Witherspoon has been dealing with back spasms and is expected to be fine. Witherspoon could still pitch Saturday or Sunday.
Some pitching news: @OU_Baseball RHP Kyson Witherspoon, the No. 6 prospect in the @d1baseball College 100, will have his start pushed back a day after dealing with some back spasms over the past 24 hours. He's fine, but #Sooners want him to go through usual routine. #MLBDraft
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) April 11, 2025
Oklahoma hasn’t announced who will take the mound Friday in Witherspoon’s place. Left-hander Cade Crossland is slated to start Saturday’s game and could easily swap days with Witherspoon. It would be a noticeable difference, though.
Witherspoon is seventh in the nation in strikeouts with 68. He’s 5-2 with 2.40 ERA in 45 innings pitched and opposing batters are averaging .199. Crossland, meanwhile, is 1-2 with a 7.06 ERA, 35 strikeouts, 23 walks and a .282 opponent batting average.
For Vanderbilt, its initial report has RHP Hudson Barton as out for Friday’s game and England Bryan questionable. Riley Nelson, who did not play in Tuesday’s game against Dayton, was not listed in the report and should be fully available.
The Commodores and Sooners will get their weekend series started on primetime on the SEC Network. First-pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Here’s the full schedule for the three-game series:
No. 17 Vanderbilt at No. 19 Oklahoma Weekend Schedule
- Game 1: 7 p.m., Friday, SEC Network
- Game 2: 4 p.m., Saturday, SECN+
- Game 3: 2 p.m., Sunday, SECN+
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