ARLINGTON, Texas – After a 12-2 win over the TCU Horned Frogs on Sunday, the Oklahoma Sooners won the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field.
The Sooners outscored their three Arlington opponents 32-6. These were not mid-major opponents either; these were three Big 12 Conference teams.
Cord Rager caps off a strong showing from Oklahoma’s starting pitching
Cord Rager started for the Sooners against TCU. In five innings, he had eight strikeouts while allowing only two hits and just one run.
Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson talked about Rager’s performance.
“He is really competitive and takes everything one pitch at a time,” Johnson told WBN. “He has been a sponge and gets better every time he is on the mound.”
Rager, LJ Mercurius, and Cam Johnson combined for 31 strikeouts and allowed a combined two earned runs.
This pitching display was impressive and solidified a strong weekend rotation for Oklahoma moving forward.
Johnson talked about what he saw out of all his starting pitchers this weekend.
“They all came out and attacked the strike zone,” Johnson stated. “You can’t expect those guys to do much more than that. They handled themselves well and set the tone early.”
A Word on the Oklahoma Offense from Camden Johnson
In the three games in Arlington, Oklahoma finished with 35 hits as a team. The offense was balanced and scored early in each game, which set up the Sooners for success.
Oklahoma’s third baseman, Camden Johnson, talked about the Sooners’ offensive success the entire weekend.
“It is unbelievable how we pick each other up,” Johnson told WBN. “We always tell each other not to be too high and not to be too low. We stayed calm and got through everything.”
Against TCU, Johnson had four hits and two RBIs. One of his hits was a home run that went off the right field foul pole in the second inning.
It was a huge bounce-back game for the third baseman, who went hitless in Oklahoma’s 10-1 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Trey Gambill wins the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown Most Valuable Player award
Oklahoma left fielder Trey Gambill won the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown Most Valuable Player award.
In the three games in Arlington, Gambill had four hits, two home runs, five RBIs, and drew six walks.
Coach Johnson talked about the kind of person and player the Oklahoma left fielder is after the win over TCU.
“He is a selfless person,” Johnson said, referring to Gambill. “He fits our program. It [winning the MVP award] could not have happened to a better person.”
Up next for Oklahoma
After starting the season 3-0, the Oklahoma Sooners will remain in Arlington and play the New Mexico State Aggies on Monday, February 16.
The first pitch for that matchup is at 7:30 p.m. EST.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: The Oklahoma Sooners win the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown (Alfred Ezman | WBN)
