OU coach strikes ‘happy medium’

OMAHA, Neb. — Oklahoma coach and native Texan Skip Johnson owns the ability to critically analyze and appraise his pitchers and finally trot one out to the mound based on his estimations.

Almost as importantly to winning the big prize in college baseball, Johnson also possesses the ability to simply go with his gut, grab a 10-gallon hat and hold a raffle. After carefully explaining his plan for his starting pitching in the College World Series finals, Johnson added with a grin: “Then we’ll just get a cowboy hat and pull names out of it … and go from there.”

Johnson’s Sooners (45-22), the lone unbeaten bunch left in the College World Series, opened the best-of-three championship series against Ole Miss on Saturday. The Rebels are angling for their first national title while OU is aiming for its third, and first since Johnson was cranking up his head coaching career at Navarro College in Corsicana (1994).

Texas is gone from the CWS, and iconic UT coach Augie Garrido is more than four years gone from this earth. But a piece of Garrido lives on in the tunnels and on the grass and dirt of Charles Schwab Field, and that chunk of the legend wears a warm countenance and OU crimson and cream.

“Skip keeps it loose,” OU pitcher Trevin Michael said of the Sooners’ hospitable fifthyear boss. “I’ve been in a program where the coach was hardnosed and had an iron fist, and I’ve been in a program where it was the opposite, and it was whatever the players wanted to do. Here, we get kind of a happy medium.

“The coaching staff keeps it light, (but also) keeps everything poised.”

The Sooners’ poise in the postseason has them on the brink of becoming the first university

to win softball and baseball national titles in the same year. As he often does, the 55year-old Johnson brings it back to Garrido, who won five national titles: three at Cal StateFullerton and two at Texas. Johnson served as Garrido’s pitching coach for 10 seasons from 2007-16, and the time in Austin with the icon left a lasting impression on the Denton native.

“Patty (Gasso) has done a great job; she reminds me of coach Garrido,” Johnson said of the OU softball coach who has won six national titles. “Her presence has been incredible. If we get the opportunity to (win a title), that’s great. If it doesn’t happen, what are we going to do, go fishing?”

UT reassigned Garrido in 2016 following a losing season, and passed on promoting Johnson from pitching coach. The Longhorns turned to Houston

native David Pierce at Tulane, and Pierce has led UT to three CWS appearances in his six seasons — but never the finals at a program that has won six national titles.

Garrido died in the spring of 2018 after a stroke. Johnson spent a year as OU’s pitching coach in 2017 before he took over in Norman, Okla., for the deposed Pete Hughes following that 35-24 season that ended with two losses to Louisville and Xavier in an NCAA Tournament regional by a combined score of 22-1.

Johnson was hardly new to head coaching and excelling — he won 450 games and nine Texas Eastern Athletic Conference titles at Navarro from 19942006, which is why Garrido was so willing to bring him onboard from the junior college ranks.

Johnson this week recalled attending the 2009 CWS with Garrido — and learning from

the Longhorns pushing LSU to a final game in the championship series, an 11-4 Tigers win. First in Omaha 13 years ago, however, was a 7-6 comeback victory over Southern Mississippi in UT’s CWS opener.

“2009, I’ll never forget it,” Johnson said. “The bus (ride over) was like a courtroom — really quiet. All of a sudden (Garrido) let the radio play, and ‘This is Where I Come From,’ a song by Kenny Chesney, came on. We got ready for that first game, and (Garrido) didn’t talk about winning or losing the game. He talked about executing, about getting bunts down and first-pitch strikes.

“He talked about playing good catch. And then we win on a walk-off walk. How does that happen? I thought to myself, ‘This is pretty cool.’ When you talk about winning and losing, kids start fearing that, instead of just playing the game.”

Oklahoma has played the game almost flawlessly in the postseason. The Sooners, who finished tied for second in the Big 12 regular season and then beat UT in the Big 12 tournament title game, have won six of their last seven games, including defeating future SEC foe A&M twice in the CWS.

UT and OU are scheduled to exit the Big 12 and enter the SEC no later than 2025 and perhaps as soon as 2023. The Sooners have won their three CWS games by a combined 13 runs, including 6-2 over Notre Dame on June 19.

OU at 3-0 was able to rest on Thursday and Friday after eliminating the Aggies 5-1 on Wednesday. Arkansas pushed Ole Miss to a deciding game on their side of the bracket Thursday, so the Rebels have played one more game in Omaha and have used more pitching.

“Look at this ballpark, it’s built like Yellowstone,” an amused Johnson said this week of Schwab Field’s reputation for keeping home run counts down, at least compared to old CWS home Rosenblatt Stadium. “This is a big ballpark, and I like big ballparks. … It’s about throwing strikes and playing defense and taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes.

“That’s how you end up winning, and sometimes it really reveals your character. And that’s what’s awesome about baseball.”

Matt Gentry/Associated Press Oklahoma baseball coach Skip Johnson, who spent 10 seasons as an assistant under legendary UT coach Augie Garrido, tries to keep the atmosphere fun for his players and keep them poised.