Three reasons why OU baseball will and won't beat North Carolina in CWS Game 3
· Yahoo Sports
OMAHA, NE — Oklahoma baseball will play a Game 3 on Monday.
Visit esporist.com for more information.
The Sooners fell to No. 5 North Carolina 6-2 in Game 2, which evened the best-of-three series at one apiece, after OU handled the Tar Heels 9-3 in Game 1 on Saturday.
After striking out the side in the first and second innings on 30 pitches, Sooners starter Xander Mercurius allowed three runs in the third and threw 53 pitches. Mercurius allowed five hits, four earned runs and three walks with eight strikeouts in four innings of work in the loss.
Now, OU will turn to freshman Nick Wesloski on the mound for a win-or-go-home contest.
Why OU baseball will win CWS title over UNC
Sooners have the arms
The good news for Sooners coach Skip Johnson and Co. is they have the upper hand when it comes to available pitchers.
OU will start freshman right-hander Nick Wesloski, who struck out four and allowed only one run in 5 2/3 innings in the CWS semifinals against Georgia. If Wesloski can eat up a majority of innings, it’d be a good sign for the Sooners.
Johnson has an impressive arsenal of arms that have limited wear and tear still available including relievers Jackson Cleveland, Gavyn Jones and LJ Mercurius. Cleveland has thrown 1 2/3 innings during the College World Series, while Jones has 2 1/3 under his belt and Mercurius has seven.
It wouldn’t be all that shocking if freshman ace Cord Rager, who allowed only three earned runs with five strikeouts in five innings in Game 1, is available out of the bullpen in Game 3.
No word on Kadyn Leon, who has been day-to-day.
Offense gets back to scorching ways
Entering Game 2, OU owned the hottest offense in the nation.
The Sooners hit the most homers and extra-base hits through four games in CWS history since the move to the Chuck.
OU recorded only four hits in Game 2. It used two more pitchers than that.
The Sooners will need the versions of Dasan Harris, Deiten Lachance and Jason Walk they’ve been getting over the past three weeks.
Skip Johnson, “yesterday is dead” mentality
Skip Johnson is one of the most respected coaches in the country.
He’s led OU this far — one game away from being crowned national champions — after it lost its last four regular-season series and finished with a losing conference record.
With the Sooners having the pitching advantage, it’d be hard to bet against Johnson in this spot.
However, North Carolina also has several reasons to feel good heading into Game 3.
Why UNC baseball will win CWS title over OU
Game 3 history favors Tar Heels
There have been 12 Game 3s played in the history of the CWS.
Only four teams that lost Game 2 ended up winning Game 3 — 2003 Rice, 2009 LSU, 2014 Vanderbilt and 2023 LSU.
There’s no secret history is on North Carolina’s side.
Momentum is a real thing
The Tar Heels have all the momentum heading into Monday.
North Carolina outhit the Sooners 8-4 and left 10 runners on base in the process. Caden Glauber, a true freshman, dominated OU out of the bullpen, allowing only one hit and two walks with eight strikeouts in five innings.
You have to think Glauber will be available for coach Scott Forbes on Monday.
Momentum is a funny thing. The Tar Heels have all of it now, but the Sooners had all of it before Game 2.
Tar Heels were better all season
North Carolina was top to bottom a better team than the Sooners all season long.
The Tar Heels finished 54-13-1 and earned the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Owen Hull is one of the best hitters in the country and Glauber showcased his elite stuff on Sunday.
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Three reasons why OU baseball will and won't beat UNC in CWS Game 3