OU baseball looks to end frustrating skid at Texas Tech: 'We're just plowing away'

NORMAN — When OU baseball faced Oral Roberts Tuesday in Tulsa, it was still reeling from a controversial ending two days earlier.

Down two runs in the top of the eighth Sunday, the Sooners’ final game of the series against Texas entered a lighting delay at 8:37 p.m. Both teams returned to the field before the game was called an hour and 28 minutes later with six outs still to play.

“I think that for sure it was (tough), with the kids you never know,” Sooners coach Skip Johnson told The Oklahoman. “Do they look at that deal? Well, yeah, they do. Whether we like it or not, we can’t control their thoughts, so yeah, for sure. It wasn’t tough for the coaches. We're just plowing away trying to put the right pieces in the puzzles.

“But the kids, they fought their (tails) off to get to that point and all of a sudden, the ruling was the ruling. We can't control that, we talk about only controlling what we can control. And that happens.”

Fresh off a frustrating ending, OU’s offense sputtered and recorded just three hits in a 3-1 loss to Oral Roberts. Despite a three-game losing streak — which includes two losses to their arch rival Longhorns — the Sooners (26-17, 15-6) remain in first place in the Big 12 heading into this weekend's series at Texas Tech (30-17, 12-12).

More: Why OU baseball's Braden Davis has pitched himself into ace role for first-place Sooners

On the pitching side, OU’s Day 2 and 3 starters have struggled of late. Against Texas, OU allowed eight home runs in the final two games of the series.

Kyson Witherspoon surrendered five runs in 5 ⅓ innings, while Grant Stevens gave up six runs on seven hits in just 2 ⅔ innings. The Sooners have found a consistent Friday starter, however.

Left-hander Braden Davis, who was named the Big 12’s Pitcher of the Week on Monday, seems to improve with every start. Last Friday in OU’s lone win over Texas, Davis hurled nine strikeouts in six innings, allowing one run and three walks.

Davis, formerly a closer, is growing into an ace. In his last 12 ⅓ innings, he’s allowed just four runs and struck out 20.

“He's continued to grow and it's been really fun to watch,” Johnson said. “It's been exciting that he's went out there and attacked the strike zone and continues to grow as we've gone through this.”

In his outing against the Longhorns sitting at 101 pitches, Davis pleaded with Johnson to let him throw another inning. To keep the dominance going.

“He ain’t going another inning, he ain’t going another pitch,” Johnson said in the dugout. “It’s not even worth it, there’s no reason to force this thing.”

In baseball, it’s inevitable for offenses to endure rough patches. But it helps when players near the bottom of the order produce.

Kendall Pettis, a veteran known for his defensive mastery and clubhouse leadership, has started to get hot at the plate. In Friday night’s win over Texas, he finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday, Pettis was 2 for 3 with two runs, an RBI and a walk.

“It’s huge, it adds another dynamic,” Johnson said. “I kind of get emotional thinking about Kendall because he’s been here five years and whatever he does in his life moving forward, he's gonna be successful because he is an incredible human being.

“For him to start getting going, he’s the spirit of our team. I think all those things are huge for him when he gets going. He got going in the Super Regional two years ago. So that's gonna be the fun in it. We’ve gotta continue to play for Kendall as much as anybody.”

OU’s losses to the Longhorns ended a nine-game winning streak that proved how good the program can be when everything’s clicking. The Sooners fell out of a host spot in Baseball America’s latest NCAA Tournament projections this week, but remained a regional host in D1Baseball’s predictions.

“It’d be huge,” Johnson said of a possible regional in Norman. “It’d be great for our fans.”

For Johnson, he’s learned more than anything that his team is resilient. His team also received a boost when veterans Jackson Nicklaus and John Spikerman returned to the lineup from injuries.

“As we went through it, those kids, they persevered through a lot of stuff, man,” Johnson said. “They don't quit, they keep going after it. That's what I've been excited about more than anything. We’ve got to continue to get better, we just need to play.”

Record attendance, stadium renovation update

There’s been a lot of talk about what OU’s athletic programs are actively working to improve ahead of the SEC move.

Game environments have certainly been near the top of the list, but Sooners baseball fans have proved this season they’re willing to show up in waves if their team is playing well. OU set a single-game L. Dale Mitchell Park record with 4,812 fans in attendance last Friday night.

“That's what I envision as a head coach, to come in here and be really good at what we do to bring the crowd out,” Johnson said. “That's what we're here for, we're here to show a product and get on the field and play with team spirit. The fans have embraced our baseball team. I think it's all the fans. I mean, the sky's the limit at this place for baseball, really the sky's the limit.

“It could just explode. It could explode if they really want it to explode. We've got to continue to work on getting our facilities (improved).”

Johnson joked he asked OU’s administration to build the only dome stadium in college baseball last week. Renovation plans to L. Dale Mitchell Park have been on the docket for some time now as the school’s regents continued to discuss expansion plans with an estimated cost of $45 million at their meeting in March.

A potential timeline for construction is still unknown.

More: OU baseball rolls past Texas in Red River Rivalry series opener behind Braden Davis' gem

OU vs. Texas Tech baseball preview

The Sooners travel to Lubbock, Texas, for a three-game series with Texas Tech this weekend.

The Red Raiders are seventh in the Big 12 with a 12-12 conference record, but Johnson says they’re more dangerous than the stats show. Johnson confirmed Davis and Witherspoon will start on Friday and Saturday, respectively. However, he hasn’t committed to a Sunday starter yet.

“We're gonna have to play really good; they're very good,” Johnson said. “You can look at their record and say what you want but they're very good. They’ve got power arms, they’ve got guys that run fast, they’ve got guys that hit balls far. We're gonna have to hopefully attack them with conviction and do what we do.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU baseball aiming to bounce back, end losing streak at Texas Tech