OU baseball rewind: Skip Johnson's Sooners are making another late-season NCAA push
NORMAN — The OU baseball team brought home two big résumé wins this past week.
After earning a 10-7 win at 16th-ranked Dallas Baptist on Tuesday, the Sooners won one of their three road games against 12th-ranked West Virginia over the weekend.
The pair of ranked wins comes at the perfect time for the Sooners, who hope to secure one of the 64 spots in the NCAA Regionals. OU went from No. 54 to No. 45 in the latest RPI rankings, inching closer to the NCAA tournament bubble with two weeks left in the regular season.
OU
Overall record: 26-22 (11-11 Big 12)
Last week: 2-2 (Beat Dallas Baptist 10-7, lost to West Virginia 9-3, beat West Virginia 6-3 and lost to West Virginia 9-3)
This week: at Gonzaga, 8 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday
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Top player last week
Dakota Harris, SS: Harris led OU at the plate last week. The junior shortstop racked up seven RBIs, four runs and two home runs on .375 hitting during the Sooners' four games.
Stat to know
5: Redshirt senior pitcher Braden Carmichael is 5-0 on the mound this season. He's the only undefeated Big 12 pitcher with at least five wins.
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Dakota Harris' return is fueling OU's postseason push
Dallas Baptist's Nathan Humphreys gave his best effort.
OU held a six-run lead in the sixth inning of Tuesday's road game against Dallas Baptist when Dakota Harris sent a deep fly into centerfield. Humphreys climbed the wall in an effort to prevent the ball from leaving the park, but it narrowly avoided his glove for a two-run home run.
OU earned a 10-7 win over Dallas Baptist thanks in part to Harris' strong play. The junior shortstop went 2-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs and two runs.
Harris could do no wrong at the plate during all four of OU's games this past week. He recorded seven RBIs, four runs and two home runs on .375 hitting.
It's no coincidence that OU's recent postseason push coincides with the return of Harris.
Harris boasted a team-high batting average of .386 before suffering an injury during OU's game against TCU on March 19. He then missed 14 contests before returning for a game against Texas Tech on April 14.
Harris has a team-leading batting average of .356 to his name. Despite missing time, he still leads the Sooners in RBIs (40) and ranks second in home runs (seven).
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OU pitchers must follow Braden Carmichael's lead
Braden Carmichael was feeling it early on.
OU held a one-run lead in the second inning of Saturday's road game against West Virginia. Carmichael was looking to complete a 1-2-3 inning, and he now had the Mountaineers' Ellis Garcia at a 1-2 count.
Carmichael delivered a changeup that found the far-left side of the strike zone. Garcia opted not to swing, and he stood at the plate in disbelief as the umpire called him out.
Carmichael (5-0) led the way in OU's 6-3 win. He struck out six batters and allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched.
After getting off to a slow start this season, Carmichael now boasts a team-best 3.64 ERA and a 5-0 record. He has struck out a team-high 46 batters in 54 ⅓ innings pitched.
Carmichael is playing his best baseball as the postseason approaches, which is a welcomed sight for OU.
The Sooners made an unlikely run to the College World Series' championship round last season thanks in large part to their strong pitching. The strong play of pitchers such as Cade Horton, Jake Bennett and Trevin Michael proved to be the driving force.
If OU wants to make another postseason run this season, its bullpen must lead the way. Carmichael is hitting his stride at the right time, but the Sooners need a few more of their pitchers to also catch fire.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU baseball inches toward NCAA bubble with wins vs Dallas Baptist, WVU
