Oklahoma Sooners baseball (34-18 overall, 23-7 Big 12) will open the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday against No. 9-seed TCU following the Horned Frogs 5-2 victory against No. 4 West Virginia on Tuesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
So much for the joys of winning the school’s first conference regular season title and earning the No. 1-seed in the Sooners final postseason in the Big 12. Awaiting on the other side … simply one of the top pitchers in the country in presumed Horned Frog starter Payton Tolle.
The Bethany, Okla., native is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy. He led the Big 12 in ERA (2.96), strikeouts (116) and opponent batting average (.191), while ranking eighth nationally in strikeouts and 14th in K/9 innings at 13.74.
On Monday, he became the first player in Big 12 baseball history to earn Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors in the same season after transferring to TCU from Wichita State.
Gulp.
Tolle vs. Oklahoma Round Two
You’d have to go back nearly two months for the first the first edition of Payton Tolle vs. Oklahoma.
Michael Snyder blasted a two-run home run way back on March 15 in the Sooners first conference road series of the year, chasing Tolle after six innings in which he allowed three hits and just the two runs with a walk and ten (!) strikeouts.
Carter Frederick, Bryce Madron and Easton Carmichael each logged RBI singles as part of a four-run seventh in a 7-3 series-opening victory.
Davis gets the ball for Oklahoma
Oklahoma will counter with its usual Friday night starter Braden Davis on Wednesday. The junior left-hander held his own argument for top hurler in the league after going 7-1 in conference play.
The first-team All-Big 12 selection leads Oklahoma in strikeouts (98) and innings (76.2), winning his final six Friday night decisions, striking out a career-high 12 as part of a combined no-hitter against West Virginia on March 22.
Davis threw just four innings, allowing three runs on three hits, walking four and striking out three in the TCU series opener back in March. Kyson Witherspoon picked up the win out of the Sooners bullpen throwing five innings and striking out eight.
Oklahoma would go on to sweep the Horned Frogs, one of a school-record six conference sweeps this season en route to a school-record 23 conference wins.
Madron status in question heading to Arlington
The status of right fielderBryce Madron is in question heading into the Big 12 Tournament. The second-team All-Big 12 selection left the first game of the Sooners’ final Big 12 series last weekend in Cincinnati after feeling some discomfort following a spectacular fifth inning grab along the warning track in right field.
Madron led Oklahoma in home runs (11), stolen bases (14) and walks (39), ranking top 10 in conference play with 38 runs scored, 33 RBIs, 71 total bases, slugging percentage (.634) and eight stolen bases.
It could be a situation that Oklahoma rests Madron this weekend in anticipation of a return next week for the start of NCAA Tournament when it’s expected Oklahoma will host a regional for the first time since 2010.
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