Oklahoma Hopes to Tame the Missouri Tigers in Their Sixth SEC Series of the Year

Originally posted on Oklahoma Sooners on SI
By Brady Trantham | Last updated Apr 17, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners return to Norman to face the Missouri Tigers for the program's sixth SEC series of 2026. The Sooners are 3-2 in their five series' of conference play.

At 24-12 (7-8 in the SEC), OU is still in great position to host a regional. This weekend's series against the Tigers could add to the Sooners resume as every individual win and series victory counts moving forward.

The Sooners are coming of a series win on the road against the Vanderbilt Commodores. OU, which had experienced a hitting drought in series losses to Texas and Alabama, exploded for 33 combined runs in four games (a 9-3 win over Dallas Baptist included) last week.

Their confidence from Nashville took a bit of a dip on Tuesday when the Sooners were nearly blanked by Oklahoma State in Tulsa. A late three-run home run from Jaxon Willits mere seconds before the game entered a weather delay before being called is all that kept OU from being shut out. Instead, Oklahoma lost 7-3 to their in-state rivals.

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Among OU's 24 runs against Vanderbilt, the Sooners notched 31 hits and belted five home runs.

Friday's match between Oklahoma and Missouri will be the first time the two programs have met on the diamond in Norman since both were members of the Big 12 in 2012. Last season, OU swept Missouri in Columbia.

Both squads have dueled 250 times since the 1940s with OU leading 151-101 in the series.

How to Watch Missouri vs. Oklahoma

When: Friday, 5:30 p.m., Saturday, 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Where: Kimrey Family Stadium, Norman, OK
How: SECN+, KREF 99.3 FM, 1400 AM, KREF App

LJ Mercurius (5-4, 4.98 ERA) will continue his pitching duties as the starter for Friday's game. Cameron Johnson (4-1, 3.93 ERA) will follow him on Saturday. As of now, Cord Rager (2-1, 4.80 ERA) is still the third day starter, but has missed the previous two outings due to lat tenderness.

Skip Johnson mentioned last Saturday that he "could have pushed him" to play, but erred on the side of him recovering to full health. Kadyn Leon got the start last weekend in place of Rager.

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Due to expected severe weather late-Friday night, OU's game was pushed up to a 5:30 p.m. start time. A late night cold front will roll through the state preceded by thunderstorms. It will lead to a drop in temperatures for Saturday — expected to be a 65-degree high.

OU will also host a midweek game against Oral Roberts on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The Sooners beat ORU 4-0 in Tulsa earlier this year. Oklahoma will then head to Auburn to take on the Tigers for the next weekend series in conference.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Sooners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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