Preview: Oklahoma Sooners at Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

TULSA, Okla. (March 31, 2026) (Interstat) — Intrastate foes meet Tuesday night as the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles host the Oklahoma Sooners in nonconference baseball action at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. under clear skies with a game-time temperature of 82 degrees.

The Sooners (19-8) enter after a tough weekend on the road, dropping two extra-inning games in a three-game series at then-Texas. Oklahoma fell 5-4 in 10 innings on Saturday. The Golden Eagles (14-11) look to rebound after a 4-3 midweek loss to Air Force on March 25.

A key matchup will feature Oklahoma reliever Cord Rager against Oral Roberts’ hot-hitting outfielder Makani Tanaka. Rager, a player to watch for the Sooners, has been effective in recent outings despite some uneven results. He tossed 4 2/3 hitless innings with two earned runs and three strikeouts in Saturday’s loss at Texas. Over his last four appearances, he has 16 strikeouts in 15 innings.

Tanaka, the Golden Eagles’ player to watch, provides power in the middle of the lineup. He is coming off a 2-for-5 performance against Air Force that included a home run and two RBIs. In his last 10 games, Tanaka is batting .294 (10-for-34) with two homers and eight RBIs.

Oklahoma holds the superior overall record, but Oral Roberts has been strong at home, winning three of four in a recent series sweep of Saint Thomas (Minn.). The Sooners’ bullpen, anchored by Rager, Xander Mercurius and Jason Bodin, combined for 8 2/3 innings of one-hit relief in the Saturday loss to Texas.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Oral Roberts is projected to win 7-4.

Following this contest, Oklahoma begins a three-game home series with Alabama on Thursday. Oral Roberts opens a three-game set against Northern Colorado at home on Thursday.