How OU baseball's Jaxon Willits found his power stroke in Bedlam

Colton Sulley, The Oklahoman

NORMAN — OU baseball entered the bottom of the seventh inning during the series’ rubber match Sunday vs. Oklahoma State with a two-run lead.

The Sooners’ bats were as hot as any in the country and if they could avoid some of the pitching and fielding mistakes that cost them runs in the previous two games, a series win was in sight. Except, OU- coach Skip Johnson ended up watching his team walk six Cowboy batters — including four consecutive — and surrender six runs in the frame.

The inning proved too much for OU to overcome as it fell 9-5 to OSU, dropping its third consecutive series. The Sooners fell 9-6 Friday and won 19-10 on Saturday.

Allowing walks killed OU on Friday and again Sunday as it offered 20 combined free passes in the two losses to OSU.

“We walk a few, they get a big hit,” Johnson said Saturday regarding the theme of Friday’s game, which ultimately served as OU’s downfall Sunday as well.

Pitching continues to be the issue for the Sooners throughout their slump. As a team, they boast a 5.22 ERA, which ranks eighth in the Big 12.

Although Oklahoma is tied for first in the conference with West Virginia and still a No. 2 seed in field of 64 projections, Johnson’s club needs to figure its arms out sooner than later.

OU

  • Overall record: 17-14, 8-4 Big 12 (tied for first)

  • Last week: 2-2 (beat Wichita State 11-2, Oklahoma State 19-10; fell to OSU 9-6, 19-10)

  • This week: vs. UT Arlington, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN+, vs. Kansas State, 6:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN+, 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+, 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN+

OU baseball player of the week

Jackson Nicklaus, infielder: Jackson Nicklaus is one of the hottest hitters in the country. Nicklaus, who leads the Sooners with a .385 batting average, finished the weekend with five hits, two home runs and five RBIs.

Oklahoma infielder Jaxon Willits (77) fields the ball in the second inning of a Bedlam baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Oklahoma Sooners (OU) in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, April 6, 2024.
Oklahoma infielder Jaxon Willits (77) fields the ball in the second inning of a Bedlam baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Oklahoma Sooners (OU) in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, April 6, 2024.

OU baseball player on the rise

Jaxon Willits, infielder: Entering the series, freshman switch-hitting shortstop Jaxon Willits had hit zero home runs this season. He hit his third in two days Saturday to deep right center, with all three coming while batting left-handed. Willits has struggled at the plate all season, but Johnson revealed he’d been dealing with injuries. Now seemingly healthy, watch out for Willits, The Oklahoman’s 2023 All-State Baseball Player of the Year, if he keeps up his recent pace.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU baseball's Jaxon Willits finds power stroke in Bedlam series

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