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Follow Game 1 of the national championship series between Oklahoma and North Carolina here.
Oklahoma baseball is turning to left-hander Cord Rager in Game 1 of the national championship series against No. 5 North Carolina on Saturday, June 20. He has been nothing but dominant since becoming the Sooners' No. 1 arm.
It won't be an easy task for Rager, either. He'll face off against a tough North Carolina lineup that's also sending out ace pitcher Jason DeCaro, who has a 2.31 ERA on the year.
REQUIRED READING: Inside the making of Cord Rager as OU baseball's fearless ace on run to CWS finals
And while the 6-foot-6 starting pitcher has an unimpressive 4.69 ERA this season, he has turned it on when it has mattered most, with 15 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to his Game 1 start against No. 15 Kansas in the Lawrence Super Regional.
Oklahoma finished 11th out of 16 teams in the SEC standings this season, but has rolled its way through the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament with two wins over No. 2 Georgia Tech, a sweep of No. 15 Kansas, a 9-0 rout over No. 7 Alabama and a pair of wins over No. 3 Georgia, who won the conference.
And much of that success is due to Rager, who leads a starting rotation of all true freshmen. Here's what to know of the left-hander before he makes the biggest start of his life against the Tar Heels:
Rager hails from Maypearl, Texas, a town with a population less than 1,000. He shocked many when he opened the season as Oklahoma's No. 3 starter, and has since emerged as its top arm amid a magical run to the national championship series.
He wasn't an instant stud by any means, though. He came to Oklahoma sitting around 89-91 mph on his fastball. After a minor tweak from Sooners coach Skip Johnson, a pitching guru, he saw his fastball reach as fast as 97 mph on the radar gun.
His development, along with his strike-throwing acumen, is why he's had so much success despite his young age.
“He's made me a lot better,” Rager told The Oklahoman. “In the fall, I kind of just threw the ball with no real thought behind it. But I've cleaned up some things and I'm more efficient in my delivery. Skip has been great over time, he's always got funny jokes, he's a caring guy and he always supports you in whatever you do.”
Rager is throwing the ball with more intent than he has all season in recent games. He's coming off a seven-inning shutout against Alabama, allowing only three hits with eight strikeouts. Before that, it was a six-inning shutout of Kansas, where he allowed one hit with six strikeouts.
His six-inning start was a career high. He then set it again with his seven-inning showing against the Crimson Tide, also setting a career-high in strikeouts in the same start.
Rager has been a huge reason for Oklahoma's red-hot run through the NCAA Tournament, and he's emerging as a future star for the Sooners.
Here's a look at Rager's season stats, including each of his NCAA Tournament starts so far:
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Cord Rager? What to know of Oklahoma starter vs North Carolina
Continue reading...
Oklahoma baseball is turning to left-hander Cord Rager in Game 1 of the national championship series against No. 5 North Carolina on Saturday, June 20. He has been nothing but dominant since becoming the Sooners' No. 1 arm.
It won't be an easy task for Rager, either. He'll face off against a tough North Carolina lineup that's also sending out ace pitcher Jason DeCaro, who has a 2.31 ERA on the year.
REQUIRED READING: Inside the making of Cord Rager as OU baseball's fearless ace on run to CWS finals
And while the 6-foot-6 starting pitcher has an unimpressive 4.69 ERA this season, he has turned it on when it has mattered most, with 15 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to his Game 1 start against No. 15 Kansas in the Lawrence Super Regional.
Oklahoma finished 11th out of 16 teams in the SEC standings this season, but has rolled its way through the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament with two wins over No. 2 Georgia Tech, a sweep of No. 15 Kansas, a 9-0 rout over No. 7 Alabama and a pair of wins over No. 3 Georgia, who won the conference.
And much of that success is due to Rager, who leads a starting rotation of all true freshmen. Here's what to know of the left-hander before he makes the biggest start of his life against the Tar Heels:
Who is Cord Rager?
Rager hails from Maypearl, Texas, a town with a population less than 1,000. He shocked many when he opened the season as Oklahoma's No. 3 starter, and has since emerged as its top arm amid a magical run to the national championship series.
He wasn't an instant stud by any means, though. He came to Oklahoma sitting around 89-91 mph on his fastball. After a minor tweak from Sooners coach Skip Johnson, a pitching guru, he saw his fastball reach as fast as 97 mph on the radar gun.
His development, along with his strike-throwing acumen, is why he's had so much success despite his young age.
“He's made me a lot better,” Rager told The Oklahoman. “In the fall, I kind of just threw the ball with no real thought behind it. But I've cleaned up some things and I'm more efficient in my delivery. Skip has been great over time, he's always got funny jokes, he's a caring guy and he always supports you in whatever you do.”
Rager is throwing the ball with more intent than he has all season in recent games. He's coming off a seven-inning shutout against Alabama, allowing only three hits with eight strikeouts. Before that, it was a six-inning shutout of Kansas, where he allowed one hit with six strikeouts.
His six-inning start was a career high. He then set it again with his seven-inning showing against the Crimson Tide, also setting a career-high in strikeouts in the same start.
Rager has been a huge reason for Oklahoma's red-hot run through the NCAA Tournament, and he's emerging as a future star for the Sooners.
Cord Rager stats
Here's a look at Rager's season stats, including each of his NCAA Tournament starts so far:
- 2026: 6-3 record with a 4.69 ERA and 89 strikeouts to 19 walks across 71 innings (15 starts).
- vs. The Citadel (Atlanta Regional): Three runs on seven hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in seven innings
- vs. Kansas (Lawrence Super Regional): No runs on one hit and one walk with six strikeouts in six innings
- vs. Alabama (College World Series): No runs on three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in seven innings
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Cord Rager? What to know of Oklahoma starter vs North Carolina
Continue reading...
