OU baseball looks to build off last season’s run with revamped roster
NORMAN — There are plenty of new faces on the OU baseball team.
After reaching the championship round of last season’s College World Series, the Sooners saw 11 of their players get selected in the 2022 MLB Draft.
OU now has 25 newcomers on its roster for the 2023 season, which begins with a three-game home series against California Baptist starting Friday.
It can be difficult to build team chemistry following such a massive roster turnover, but redshirt junior Kendall Pettis has found an easy way to get to know his new teammates.
He just goes to the team’s batting cages late at night.
“They’re always in the cages until 9 or 10 o’clock at night,” Pettis said of his new teammates. “Every time I go there, I always see a new face working there. … This group works way harder than last year’s group.”
Pettis has noticed a few regulars in the late-night batting cage sessions.
There’s Bryce Madron, a junior outfielder from Blanchard who made the NJCAA Division I All-American team last season at Cowley College.
There’s Dakota Harris, a junior infielder who made the All-Suncoast Conference first team last season at Polk State College.
There’s Patrick Engskov, a freshman infielder who started all four seasons at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas.
None of these players have suited up for OU in a game yet. But Pettis has gotten to know them along with the rest of the Sooners’ newcomers, and he’s ready for the rest of the nation to also become acquainted.
“It’s cool to see guys who you might not have heard of,” Pettis said. “They’re in the cages working, too. I feel like their time will come and they’ll be great.”
Here are three takeaways from OU’s media day on Saturday.
OU will close out games via committee
As OU prepares for its upcoming season, it must find a replacement for Trevin Michael.
The veteran closer recorded 10 of OU’s 15 saves last season before being selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 10th round of the MLB Draft.
It’s a huge loss for the Sooners, who are doing all they can to fill the void.
“Well, there’s been a lot of prayer,” OU head coach Skip Johnson said. “It’s going to be by committee right now.”
The Sooners have a few options. One is Braxton Douthit, whose résumé is eerily similar to that of Michael. Just like his predecessor, Douthit is a righthanded graduate transfer from Lamar.
Then there’s Carter Campbell, a lefthanded sophomore who appeared in 31 games for OU last season. He went 3-0 with a 5.22 ERA and could be given the opportunity to close some contests this time around.
Right-handed redshirt junior Griffin Miller is also available after missing a large part of last season due to injury. Miller has a strong fastball in his arsenal, making him a viable candidate.
“We’re going to look at the matchup as we go through it,” Johnson said. “We’ve got two or three guys (who) can throw both sides of the matchup. Right versus left. You really have to look at that as you go through it.”
Wallace Clark looks to provide catching depth
The last time sophomore infielder Wallace Clark played catcher was in the eighth grade.
But OU coaches Reggie Willits and Clay Overcash came to Clark in the fall and suggested that he give the position another try.
It’s a position of need for the Sooners, who watched starting catcher Jimmy Crooks get picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round of the MLB Draft.
Clark, a Tulsa Holland Hall graduate, had seemingly found a home at third base last season, but he welcomed the challenge of playing behind the plate.
“I feel like catching is something I can do, and I think I can do it pretty well,” Clark said. “It’s an interesting transition going from being really comfortable over at third base or anywhere else in the infield to having to kind of be a rookie, in a sense, at a new position.”
Clark can provide some much-needed catcher depth for the Sooners, who also have a pair of newcomer options.
Mason Strong is a sophomore who made eight starts at BYU last season, while Easton Carmichael is a freshman who was ranked by Perfect Game as the third-best catcher in the state of Texas for the Class of 2022.
Kendall Pettis provides offense with his base running
Pettis might not strike fear in his opponents at first glance.
The 5-foot-11, 187-pound redshirt junior is one of the smaller players in OU’s rotation, and he isn’t one to swing for the fences. He has five career home runs to his name.
But when Pettis is on base, opponents have a good reason to be afraid.
Pettis used his elite speed to steal 22 bases on 31 attempts last season. And despite not being the best power hitter, he’ll be leaned on as one of OU’s top weapons on offense this season.
“We’ve got to get him on base,” Johnson said of Pettis. “He’s a great base runner, and he can create havoc on bases. He’s got to be really good at the bunt game. He’s got to be really good at taking his walks. … Offense and hitting are two totally different things.”
Pettis played a large role in OU’s change of play style last season.
After recording a combined 76 stolen bases in 2020 and 2021, the team racked up 145 stolen bases in 2022.
The Sooners are expected to be aggressive on the bags once again this season, and Pettis should lead the way.