Irvin, Walker to go against familiar face
— Just a few seconds after Oklahoma’s regional destination popped up on the television screens Monday morning inside the clubhouse at L. Dale Mitchell Park, Jake Irvin picked up his phone to fire off a text.
Just as he pressed “send,” a Snapchat notification popped up.
Irvin’s text out was to Mississippi State pitcher
Konnor Pilkington. The snap in was from Pilkington.
The friends, who roomed with each other for the Team USA Collegiate National Team over the summer, are likely to go head-to-head when their teams meet at 11 a.m. Friday in the regional opener at Florida State’s Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.
“It’s gonna be fun,” Irvin said. “Especially if I get to throw Game
One . ... That’ll be a fun matchup for sure.”
Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson said a few minutes later that he planned to use Irvin in Friday’s game.
The Sooners are the No. 3 seed in the regional, facing the No. 2 Bulldogs.
Top-seed Florida State, the No. 7 national seed, will play No. 4 seed Samford in the other first-round game at the site.
Irvin isn’t the only one familiar with Pilkington.
Outfielder Steele Walker was also with Team USA over the summer and became friendly with the lefty.
The two traded messages on Snapchat after the announcement.
“Be easy on us, man,” Walker said in response to Pilkington’s message.
Walker just hopes he can be back in the lineup for the regional.
The junior right fielder, the Sooners’ leading hitter, first felt a pull in his oblique during the regular-season finale against Kansas.
During a May 21 practice, Walker flipped his hips to make a move to catch a ball in the outfield and felt a pop, suffering an injury that kept him out of the Big 12 Tournament.
“I’m just taking it
day to day right now,” Walker said.
“It’s a little sore today and tender. Just taking it day to day, getting treatment twice a day and starting to do more stability work.
“It’s going to be a game-time decision regardless.”
Johnson said he expected freshman pitcher Levi Prater to be available for the regional
after Prater was injured during the Big 12 Tournament. Prater has resumed throwing.
“How many innings? We’re not worried about that,” Johnson said.
More up in the air is the status of center fielder Kyler Murray, who injured his hamstring stealing a base in Thursday’s win over Texas.
Irvin had hoped the Sooners would wind up in the regional in his home state of Minnesota, but the Florida State location wasn’t too far behind.
“I was always a Florida State fan growing up, so it’s gonna be kind of fun for me to go and experience that atmosphere,” Irvin said. “I know there’s a huge tradition there with Mike Martin and the whole culture they’ve built in Tallahassee.”