Jones’ Givens overcomes small stature on path to Sooners

OKLAHOMA COACHES ASSOCIATION ALL-STATE BASEBALL

TULSA — At 5-8 and 150 pounds, Jones shortstop

Ke’one Givens had to prove he belonged on the field the past few years. And he certainly did that. Givens committed to Oklahoma as a sophomore and signed this past season.

“I’m not the guy you see at a showcase that’s 6-5, 250,” Givens said. “I just have to make up for it in the games.”

He singled twice in his first two at-bats in Tuesday’s Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State Game at Oral Roberts University, a game the West won 9-4. He also scored twice.

Givens said he drew inspiration from Houston Astros star Jose Altuve.

“Through high school no one looked at him and he made it,” Givens said. “No matter how many looks you get, there’s always a chance out there.”

LARGE WEST POUNDS EAST

Neither team’s starting pitcher got off to a banner start, but West took advantage of wildness from Verdigris’ Peyton Battenfield, an Oklahoma State signee who was The Oklahoman’s All-State Player of the Year.

Battenfield allowed six runs in two innings, with West loading the bases in the first inning and getting a walk from Tuttle’s Cale Smith ahead of run-scoring groundouts from Heritage Hall’s Alex Fisher and Brendan Ezell.

OU signee and Westmoore star Brandon Zaragoza doubled in two runs in the second and scored on a single by Smith.

West also scored three runs off Stillwater’s Abe Spencer in the bottom of the fifth. The game continued that inning due to Spencer not having entered the game.

Battenfield’s six runs nearly equaled the total he allowed last season — seven.

SMALL EAST ROLLS TO ODD WIN

An hour-long lightning delay led to weird baseball, but East still pulled off a 6-1 victory in the smallschool game.

The game was delayed an hour with two outs in the top of the fifth. After the delay, OCA officials decided to limit both games to five innings and restart the small game in the fifth.

East then scored four runs off Binger-Oney’s

Colby Sweeney to pull away.

Preston’s Zachary Pinkston had a two-run single in the inning. He finished 2 for 4.

LOOKOUT HEADED TO SEMINOLE STATE

At one point Westmoore star DeShawn Lookout had aspirations of playing baseball and football at OU. He even committed and signed with the Sooners on a baseball scholarship.

But then he announced in May he would not attend OU. Now, he’s headed to Seminole State College.

“Things got a little stressful and I just needed to get a little closer to home,” Lookout said. “Seminole seemed like the best place for me.”

Lookout was on The Oklahoman’s Big All-City team. He hit .455 with nine homers and 44 RBIs.