OU Baseball: Oklahoma First Baseman Dayton Tockey Injured, Out Indefinitely

Tockey was finishing off a 4-for-4 night in what turned out to be an 8-6 victory over the Bulldogs in game one of their three-game Southeastern Conference series in Athens. He hit two home runs, had five RBIs and was on his way to second base in the eighth inning when he sustained the injury.

Tockey was hurt when he slid into second base on a groundout after beating out an infield single. He laid on the field for several minutes while medical personnel attended to him, and he needed assistance to get off the field and into the clubhouse.

Rowland reported that Tockey, a junior from Fort Worth who played at Weatherford Junior College, could possibly return for the Sooners’ postseason. Rowland posted a photo of Tockey in a protective boot and on crutches before Friday's game.

OU is ranked No. 13 in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll with a record of 30-11 overall and 11-8 in SEC play.

Tockey’s absence from the lineup is a big blow for the Sooners. He had raised his season average to .314 with his big night Thursday, which ranks fourth on the team. His nine home runs ranks tied for second, and his 36 RBIs ranks third. His 11 multiple-hit games is tied for fourth, and he had a team-leading streak of 18 consecutive games reaching base.

While Skip Johnson might be able to mitigate the loss of Tockey to the batting order, it’ll be harder to replace him at first base. He has started 38 of the Sooners’ 41 games at first base, with catcher Easton Carmichael starting two and right fielder Sam Christiansen starting one. Tockey’s .992 fielding percentage is third on the team among OU’s regulars.

Christiansen got the first look to replace Tockey at first as Oklahoma and Georgia are currently playing game two of their series. Saturday’s series finale is set for 11 a.m. CT.