Oklahoma Baseball: Sooners left out of NCAA Tournament field

The Oklahoma Sooners (33-23) got off to a solid start in the 2019 season, but after struggling in conference play (11-13) and failing to grab a win in the Big 12 Championship, they’ll be watching the NCAA Tournament from home.

Full 2019 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Oklahoma finished the season with an RPI ranking of 43, which is right in the bubble range for any at-large hopeful. However, TCU making the field with an RPI ranking of 59 would indicate that a better showing in Oklahoma City legitimately could’ve saved the season. Instead, OU fell 8-2 to Baylor and allowed that same TCU team to score 14 runs in one inning. Ending on that note doesn’t exactly leave the NCAA Selection Committee with a difficult decision, so it’s safe to say that the Sooners made their own bed in this instance.

So... where did the Sooners go wrong? Well, the biggest issue in conference play was the team’s inability to push runners across the plate (crazy, right?), as OU struggled mightily with runners in scoring position. With its lineup peppered with youth and inexperience in 2019, the hope is that the fortunes at the plate can turn around in 2020.

Additionally, OU will return plenty of pitching talent — an area in which OU did show plenty of promise this season. OU also brings in a top-15 signing class (albeit inflated by No. 2 overall prospect Bobby Witt Jr., who would be insane not to take that money) this offseason, so it’s not all doom and gloom for the future of OU baseball.