NORMAN — OU baseball enters the SEC Tournament Tuesday as the No. 12 seed amid losing six of its last seven games.
The Sooners finished the regular season 33-19 overall and 14-16 in the conference with five SEC series victories.
Three Sooners were named to All-Conference teams on Monday. Pitcher Kyson Witherspoon was selected to the All-SEC First Team, catcher Easton Carmichael was an All-SEC Second Team honoree and Kyle Branch was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team at second base.
OU faces No. 13-seed Kentucky in the first game of the SEC Baseball Tournament at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on SEC Network. Fifth-seeded Georgia awaits the winner at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The Sooners are participating in their first SEC Tournament in program history. OU won the Big 12 tournament three times, clinching the title in 1997, 2013 and 2022.
Here is what to know about OU baseball ahead of the SEC Tournament:
OU baseball resumeRecord: 33-19 (14-16 SEC)RPI: 27th (as of May 19)Projected seed: USA TODAY: No. 2 seed in Fort Worth Regional, D1Baseball: No. 3 seed in Fort Worth RegionalNotable: Despite the rough past two weeks, the Sooners have locked up a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Of course, a few wins this week would go a long way in the committee’s eyes when determining whether they should be a No. 2 or No. 3 seed.
OU baseball SEC Tournament preview
Just over two weeks ago, the Sooners were in play to host their second consecutive regional at L. Dale Mitchell Park until they dropped a road series to Kentucky.
OU was swept by the Wildcats by a combined score of 19-10.
In the three losses, the Sooners recorded 24 hits but struggled to limit UK’s offense. In Game 1, Kyson Witherspoon had one of his worst innings of the season, allowing four earned runs in the bottom of the third.
In Game 2, OU starter Cade Crossland allowed five runs and reliever Gavyn Jones allowed three. In the series finale, Kentucky starting pitcher Ben Cleaver struck out eight while allowing two earned runs on six hits and one free pass in six innings, and OU freshman Kyle Branch was 3 for 4 with an RBI.
The Sooners also dropped a road series to their potential second-round opponent, Georgia, in late April.
Why OU baseball can make a run in NCAA Tournament
The Kentucky outing aside, with ace right-hander Kyson Witherspoon on the bump, OU always has a chance.
The No. 10 prospect in ESPN’s latest MLB draft rankings, Witherspoon has been dominant all season. He was named a semifinalist for the 2025 Golden Spikes Award on Sunday, which is presented annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
Witherspoon ranks first in the SEC and 23rd nationally with a 2.48 ERA and was named to the USA TODAY Sports Network’s 2025 All-SEC baseball team on Monday. His 112 strikeouts rank seventh in the conference and nation, respectively.
Offensively, Easton Carmichael and Jaxon Willits have shown the ability to get hot in the postseason in the past. Branch has also been a welcome addition to the lineup this season with his .304 batting average.
Why OU can’t make a run in NCAA Tournament
OU recorded more errors (three) than hits (two) in last Saturday’s season finale loss to Texas. That’s a recipe for disaster.
The Sooners and Longhorns were tied 1-1 heading into the seventh inning before mental errors led to an onslaught of runs. Another struggle for OU of late? Allowing runs with two outs.
Sooners coach Skip Johnson was adamant over the weekend that if his team had played better defense to help their starting pitchers, it would have been a different series. Outside of that, OU’s starting rotation has been solid but it has struggled with inconsistency from its offense, especially late in games.
The Sooners are hitting .278, which ranks 161st nationally, and have combined to score only four runs in the later innings of their last six games. OU’s offense will need to be much better this week and beyond if it wants to be competitive in the postseason.