Oklahoma Baseball: Sooners Look to Claim Big 12 Title Against Texas on Sunday
ARLINGTON, TX – After a sensational week in Arlington, Oklahoma is just one win away from their first Big 12 tournament title since 2013.
The No. 3-seeded Sooners, so far, have sustained their hot stretch over the final month and a half of the regular season into postseason play, knocking off West Virginia, Texas Tech and Kansas State in succession to reach the Championship Game on Sunday.
Awaiting them will be the No. 5-seeded Texas Longhorns, who were one of just two teams in the Big 12 to beat Oklahoma in a series this season.
"Obviously, we dropped the series to both of them (Oklahoma State and Texas)," shortstop Peyton Graham said following the Sooners’ 4-3 win over Kansas State on Saturday.
"So I think we've got a little bit of a chip on our shoulder to go in there and take care of business."
The Sooners and Longhorns regular season set ran from April 1-3 and, coincidentally, also took place at Globe Life Field in Arlington after the teams elected to relocate the series from Norman.
Texas took the opener before Oklahoma bounced back to win the middle game, setting up a big Sunday rubber match.
The Sooners, who entered the weekend as fairly sizable underdogs, took a commanding 7-1 lead into the seventh inning - seemingly in position to pick up the signature win of the season.
But, in one of the true gut-punch losses of the year, the Longhorns plated six runs in the seventh and five runs in the ninth to walk away with the 12-8 win.
Now, Oklahoma gets their chance at revenge.
How to Watch:
- Oklahoma vs. Texas: Sunday, 5:00 p.m., ESPNU
The projected starter for the Sooners is right-hander Cade Horton, who was only being utilized in a bullpen role when these two teams last met.
In fact, Horton entered in relief of starter Chazz Martinez in the aforementioned Sunday finale - working 0.2 innings allowing three hits and two unearned runs with a pair of strikeouts.
Horton’s last start of the season didn’t go to plan, though, as the Norman native allowed eight runs in 3.1 innings against Texas Tech last Saturday.
While the full NCAA Tournament bracket won’t be revealed until Monday at 11 a.m., the 16 regional hosts are scheduled to be announced by the NCAA at 7:30 p.m. Sunday evening.
Meaning that, more than likely, before the game's end, the Sooners will know whether or not they have done enough to host a regional the following weekend.
Either way, the matchup serves as one last big resume-booster as what would have to be considered among Oklahoma’s best wins of the entire season if they can get it.
First pitch of the 2022 Big 12 Tournament Championship Game is set for 5 p.m. Sunday evening and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
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