We’re officially one month into baseball season in Oklahoma, a month full of extra innings, walkoffs, upsets, and just about anything else you could come up with. Week four ushered in the start of the high school season, even if they’re just scrimmages so far, and offered the first chance to see many of the high end players the state has to offer. One series stole the headlines at the start of last week, and for good reason, a top 10 matchup between conference rivals Central Oklahoma and Central Missouri. Although the underdog Bronchos weren’t able to steal a series win on the road, they turned what began as a disaster after a blowout on Friday into an unorthodox version of an even series, with the two teams sandwiching a great 6-5 game in between a run-rule win from both teams. Elsewhere in the state, Oklahoma City University looked impressive at the Show Me Showdown, taking down a ranked Central Methodist team and a Columbia College squad that received top 25 votes in the latest polls, taking their only loss in a 4-3 game against 10th ranked Missouri Baptist. Rogers State has quietly gone on a seven game win streak after a 3-3 start, sweeping conference foe Newman on the road this past weekend. There’s plenty more action to come as we move into week five, including the official start of the high school season this Friday, so let’s dive in.
Matchup of the week (College) – Oklahoma Baptist vs Missouri Southern
Fresh off a sweep of a solid conference foe in Arkansas Tech, sitting at 9-2 and picking up some steam toward finding themselves in the top 25, Oklahoma Baptist needed a series win over Harding to solidify their spot as a contender in the GAC this season. As it would turn out, that would be much easier said than done, and it was instead Harding who came out of last week atop the GAC standings as looking at a likely spot in the top 25 once the newest polls are released this week, sweeping the Bison and looking dominate in the 2nd and 3rd games of the series. There’s no rest for the weary however, and OBU is right back in action this Tuesday against a familiar opponent, Missouri Southern. The two teams faced off just two weeks ago, with OBU traveling to Joplin, but coming home without much to show for their travels after the Lions ran away with it to the tune of a 21-6 victory. Make no mistake, this is a very talented OBU squad, who will be intent on protecting their unblemished home record against MSSU this week, so watch out for the Bison to pull off the top 15 upset in Shawnee.
Top Sooner State Showdown (College) – Mid-America Christian vs Science & Arts
We look towards NAIA for the best in-state series of the week, in a section of the article that got considerably harder to pick a matchup for with conference games beginning recently. MACU is riding high in recent weeks, winners of their last seven in a row, a streak that includes a 6-3 victory over the 10th ranked team in the nation Missouri Baptist. This is an Evangels team that has shown the ability to beat anyone they step on the field with, already having two top ten wins on the year, including a run-rule victory over a top five team in LSU-Shreveport. On top of that, four of their last five games have ended in run-rule wins after only seven innings, with the only one going the distance still being a comfortable six run win. USAO is no stranger to big wins either, winning a three game series over a top 10 opponent in Bellevue. The Drovers come in on a hot streak of their own, winners of five of their last six, so both squads are riding high coming into a hotly contested series. To add to the importance of this weekend, this will be the first conference opponent each of these teams has faced, and whoever wins the series will be set up well to make a run at a conference championship this season.
Where I’ll be this week – N/A
Best of High School Opening Weekend
As it is every spring, March 1st serves as the official opening day for high school baseball across Oklahoma. Beginning next week, we’ll pick out the best district series from each class from 6A down to 3A and the best games in 2A to B, but this week, we’ll instead quickly list some of the best matchups from opening weekend around the state. Also, fair warning, this list doesn’t include any of the four schools opening their seasons in DFW at the Five Tool Festival because they’ll be getting a full preview in the coming days.
March 1 – Jenks vs Broken Arrow
March 1 – Stillwater vs Edmond North
March 1 – Bishop Kelley vs Har-ber (AR)
March 2 – Edmond Santa Fe vs Mustang
March 2 – Yukon vs Sand Springs
March 2 – Union vs Collinsville
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