June 25, 2022 Issue, Page 4 of 14

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Sports June 25, 2022 Sooners playing like a team of destiny Sandlin’s career day Jesse Crittenden A&M in the MCWS semifinal missing the NCAA Tourna- ally teaching each other, that's leads Sooners into The Norman Transcript to secure a berth in the cham- pionship series. ment. Heading into this year, the Sooners finished sixth in when you really have a great culture,” Johnson said. “And MCWS final A day before Oklahoma ‘They're just two wins away the annual conference pre- sometimes it will get out of faced off against Texas A&M from the program's first na- season poll. Tarik Masri, The Norman Transcript, hand, They'll get mad at each in the Men’s College World Se- tional championship in nearly Not even the most opti- other, too, whichis great. We've It was only the second inning, but on a swinging third strike ries semifinal Wednesday, the 30 years. mistic of OU fans likely saw all brothers; we get mad at each to end the inning, Oklahoma starting pitcher David Sandlin Sooners coaching staff had an ‘The win is the latest in a a run like this coming. But other. I think that’s great.” marched off the mound and yelled as he threw both hands into idea. remarkable run for the Soon- what fans and experts couldn't the air to pump up the Sooner fans in attendance at Charles Of course, the team has They took the team to ers. Since the end of the regu- have accounted for was a vast taken care of business on the Schwab Field. nearby Rosenblatt Stadium in lar season, the Sooners have improvement in the Sooners’ ‘The strikeout left two Texas A&M runners stranded, and field, too. The offense has Omaha, Nebraska, where the won 12 of 14 games — all on team culture. with the Sooners leading 3-0, Sandlin didn’t hold any of his MCWS was held from 1950 to the road. They've outscored During the Sooners’ media been firing on all cylinders emotions back. during the postseason. The 2010. It’s the stadium where opponents 104 to 59 over that day before the season, John- ‘The redshirt sophomore struck out five of the first seven bat- the Sooners won the program’s stretch. son didn’t focus on the low ex- team’s pitchers have recorded ters he faced on his way to leading Oklahoma to a 5-1 win over two national championships in They've had key contribu- pectations and didn’t highlight 34 strikeouts to just six walks Texas A&M. Sandlin totaled a career-high 11 strikeouts to lead tions from different facets of any pressure his team faced. during the MCWS. the Sooners to the Men’s College World Series Finals for the first 1951 and 1994. time since 1994. Why was the trip to the their lineup. But they've got- Instead, he emphasized the But there’s been something Sandlin’s performance comes just five days after a tough out- most historic site in college ten this far, in part, by em- importance of rebuilding the about this team that has tran- ing in a reliever role against the same high-powered Texas A&M baseball so important for OU bodying what college baseball team’s culture. scended the X's and O’s on the offense. coach Skip Johnson's team? is all about. It worked. Multiple players field. “I just tried to build off of everything that was going on in “| explained to them before ‘They're playing like a team have spoken about how close In recent weeks, Johnson the game,” Sandlin said. “I like to play with emotions. I know they got off the bus that this is of destiny. the team is this year compared has referred to the Sooners asa sometimes that’s not the best thing to do, but that’s who I've what college baseball is about,” ‘The expectations were low to last season. OU redshirt “team full of Davids”, referenc- been and who I always will be. Johnson said. coming into this season. The senior Tanner Tredaway told ing the biblical story of David “Tt just goes back to the execution, like we've said. As long 24 hours later, just a few Sooners lost their only two ESPN heading into Wednes- and Goliath and the underdog as I kept doing that, that’s really what fueled me is to see every- minutes away at Charles games in the Big 12 Tourna- day's game that this was the mentality the team has played thing working when Jimmy (Crooks) was calling it.” closest the team has been dur- Crooks delivered a big, three-run home run in the bottom of Schwab Stadium, the Sooners ment last season, finishing the with all season. the first inning to help the Sooners grab the early lead. Oklaho- celebrated a 5-1 win over Texas year with a 27-28 record and ing his Sooner tenure. So it felt fitting that David ma added two more runs in the third and fifth innings to builda The Sooners are seeing the benefits of that in Omaha. Sandlin was the story of the 5-0 lead heading into the sixth. team’s win against Texas A&M Texas A&M's Dylan Rock gave his team some life in the top of It was redshirt freshman Cade Horton that got the start Wednesday. the sixth on a solo home run to lead off the inning, but Sandlin We offer a full range of against Notre Dame in Game Sandlin, who had struggled came back to retire the final three batters. Sandlin was replaced by Trevin Michael in the eighth inning. foundations in various 2 of the MCWS. He found suc- on the mound in his last few ‘The Texas native allowed five hits and one run with one walk al- finishes for all skin types. cess with throwing a slider, outings, came alive against the lowed over seven innings. Come in and let us help you finishing with a career-high 11 Aggies, recording a career-high “Then it’s just about establishing a strike zone and throwing find your perfect match. strikeouts to help the Sooners 12 strikeouts in seven innings strike one and going pitch to pitch,” OU head coach Skip John- toa 6-2 win. pitched to tie the Big 12 re- son said. “Really proud of our club. Hats off to Texas A&M. Had After the game, Horton cord for strikeouts in a MCWS a really good team. To navigate through that lineup was really credited redshirt junior Ben game. hard at times, and just really proud of our baseball team and Abram, who's pitched 21 in- what we've done. ‘The irony was not lost on nings this season, with teach- ‘The last time the two teams met, the Aggies had two hits, Johnson. ing him the slider during the were given two free bases and scored four runs on Sandlin in “It’s really special [that just five plate appearances. On Wednesday, Sandlin continues Big 12 Tournament. it was] a guy named David,” the team’s impressive stretch of pitching during the postseason. “When you see your team- Johnson said. “That's really MERLE NORMAN mates teaching each other kind of what started this deal. “Just got me ready for the atmosphere I was going to be in and mentally prepare almost more for this game and trust ev- merlenorman.com and not really caring what the It started with the lines back at erything I had,” Sandlin said about his first appearance in the outcome of it is but they're re- MCWS. “I think I tried a little too hard, and as Coach Johnson the beginning of the year, and says, you can’t do that. You don’t want to get geared up when I then it’s transitioned to Da- don’t need to be.” vid and [our team] being just ‘The Sooners had seven hits, with four of those coming from a bunch of Davids. I'm really Crooks and John Spikerman. Tanner Tredaway hit an RBI-single proud of those guys. They re- in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to ally have been selfless.” 17 games. It’s been that kind of season “It’s really important for us to score first,” Crooks said. for the Sooners. and they're “That's the whole game. You just have to score more than the other team.” just two wins away from one of ‘The Sooners have now brought themselves two wins away the most special, and most un- from the program's first national championship since 1994. expected, championship sea- Oklahoma will play the winner of Ole Miss and Arkansas on Sat- sons in college baseball history. urday at 6 p.m. Providing comfort and, Supportfor End of Life chotces Hospice care provides medical services, emotional support, and spiritual re- sources for people who are in the last stages of a serious illness, such as cancer ‘pNO e ONE WOR ie HARDER or heart failure. 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