Stillwater

Record: 23-8 (11-3)

The Pioneers have been one of the better teams in the state since spring break, going 19-4 since making their return to Oklahoma. Other than a crazy 15-14 season finale against Mustang, the Pioneers’ pitching staff has done well replacing both district starters from a year ago, but, as it has been the last few seasons, the Stillwater offense has been the headline grabber during their hot stretch in the back half of the season. The biggest question for the Pioneers will be their ability to hold up on the mound past their district arms, as they’ll have to rely on some younger arms that have been inconsistent at times this season. That group has improved late in the season though, and Stillwater will look to their experienced lineup to carry the weight as they get deeper into the regional. 

Bixby

Record: 21-10 (9-5)

One of the stranger stories of the season, the reigning 6A state champions got off to a blazing hot 18-3 start before a late-season collapse saw them finish the year on a 3-7 run. They were able to come out on top of Enid in their final district game of the season to avoid dropping down to 5th in the district, forcing them to enter a regional as a three-seed. Despite their late-season skid, the Spartans still boast one of the most talented rosters in the state, especially in their pitching staff. The Spartans know what it takes to make a run to the championship, and will hope to reignite the flame from early in the season to make a deep run again in 2024. 

Jenks

Record: 15-21 (5-9)

If nothing else there’s no doubt the Trojans have experience in close games, going to extras in each of their last four district series of the season. Two of those series came against two of the state’s top contenders, Owasso and Sand Springs, so despite a discouraging record the Trojans have the pieces to compete with the best teams in the state. In their only regular-season meeting this year, the Trojans beat Bixby 6-0 behind a spectacular outing from senior Adam Hilsheimer. They’ll look for a similar outing this week as they try to put together a deep postseason run. 

Ponca City

Record: 12-24 (3-11)

It will be interesting to see how the Wildcats strategize this week, specifically when they decide to send senior Brody Wicker to the mound. Wicker has been the heartbeat of the Ponca squad this year, keeping them in the thick of things against some of the best teams in the state with great pitching performances each week. In past years, we’ve seen some lower seeds opt to hold off on sending their ace out until the elimination game when they feel they have a better chance to capitalize on their performance. We’ll see if that’s the route Ponca City chooses to go this season or if they choose to shoot it straight and go with their guy from the jump.