OU vs – Oklahoma opened the College World Series semifinal against Georgia with a 2-0 lead in the series and struck first on a 416-foot home run by Jason Walk. Freshman Nick Wesloski continues the run of young starters as OU moves one step closer to the championship s
OMAHA, Neb.—The Sooners didn’t wait for Georgia to settle into the moment. They hit first in the semifinal, and they’ve done it with the same kind of timing that turns an elimination game into a march toward a finals stage.
Oklahoma is one win away from reaching the College World Series championship series, carrying a 2-0 record in the CWS. The Sooners (40-22) meet Georgia (53-13) in the CWS semifinals Wednesday in a rematch of OU’s 4-3 win on Monday. If the Sooners win, they’ll face North Carolina in the finals. If Oklahoma loses, it will play a win-or-home contest against the Bulldogs on Thursday.
Freshman pitching has been the backbone of what’s carried OU this far. Coach Skip Johnson’s group has been led by freshman pitchers Cord Rager and Xander Mercurius to this point. and Johnson will start another freshman pitcher Wednesday: Nick Wesloski. which will be just his second start of the season.
Wesloski has already looked the part early. After Georgia threatened at the start of the first. Oklahoma’s starter worked through it: Kyle Branch covered ground to field a pop up to end the inning. leaving Georgia scoreless. Wesloski allowed a single and a walk but kept the damage from turning into a run.
By the middle of the first, the question wasn’t whether OU would get on base—it was whether it would cash in.
OU went down in order in its first inning for the first time in Omaha. Jason Walk grounded out, Camden Johnson struck out, and Deiten LaChance grounded out. In the bottom frame, Wesloski faced the Georgia lineup again and closed the door.
Sooners second baseman Kyle Branch had another personal matchup on his mind—older brother and Georgia shortstop Kolby Branch. It was the second meeting between the siblings in three nights Wednesday in Omaha.
In the second inning, Georgia again didn’t score. Dasan Harris braved the sun and trash blowing onto the field to record the final out of the inning as Wesloski sat down UGA in order.
Then OU’s offense got closer, even without scoring. In the middle of the second inning. Trey Gambill and Brendan Brock reached base with singles. but the Sooners left runners stranded. They struck out three times and stayed scoreless in the part of the game that always matters most when you’re on the verge of breaking through.
Georgia’s bats still weren’t turning into runs. By the end of the second inning, the scoreboard read Oklahoma 0, Georgia 0.
Oklahoma finally solved the game in the third. Jason Walk—center fielder and OU’s party starter all postseason in the leadoff spot—launched the kind of swing that changes a crowd’s volume. He crushed a home run 100 mph off the bat that went 416 feet over the center field wall. It was only Walk’s fifth home run of the season.
At the end of the third inning, the game shifted to Oklahoma 1, Georgia 0.
Defensively, the Sooners made sure the inning didn’t get away from them. Camden Johnson made a diving play at third base before throwing a rocket to first base, and the ball was scooped up by Dayton Tockey.
As of the middle of the third inning, Oklahoma led 1-0, and Wesloski’s performance had tightened the game further—he has allowed only one hit and one walk with two strikeouts in three scoreless innings.
The same lineup carried Oklahoma through the Monday win over Georgia. and Wednesday’s starter didn’t change the direction of that plan. Nick Wesloski will get the ball for OU against either Georgia or Texas on Wednesday evening. with the McKinney. Texas. native making his lone start this season against The Citadel in the NCAA Atlanta Regional. In that outing, he tossed career-high seven frames and struck out four.
Georgia counters with Paul Farley, a redshirt sophomore righty (8-1, 4.53 ERA), listed to get the start.
The broader stage is already set beyond this semifinal. The Tar Heels advanced to the best-of-three CWS finals by beating West Virginia 12-7 in the semifinals Wednesday. Game 1 of the CWS finals is set for 7 p.m. CT Saturday, and if it reaches a deciding game, CWS finals Game 3 is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, June 22 (if necessary).
For this semifinal, the stakes are simple and sharp: Oklahoma is 2-0 in the CWS and is chasing its second finals appearance in the last five years and fourth all-time. Georgia is trying to even the path after Monday’s 4-3 outcome.
The Sooners and Bulldogs meet Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. Toby Rowland will provide the radio call on The Ref (99.3 FM and 1400 AM).
Oklahoma vs Georgia OU baseball Georgia Bulldogs baseball College World Series semifinal Nick Wesloski Jason Walk home run Skip Johnson Charles Schwab Field Omaha