Bixby claims 6A baseball title, while Midwest City Carl Albert wins it all in 5A

By Mike Moguin

Photo of 6A state baseball champion Bixby

It was a victorious day of baseball for Bixby and Midwest City Carl Albert Saturday as both programs won state championships at the Class 6A and 5A levels, respectively.

The Spartans used the long ball to dominate Enid in a 16-6 run-rule win through six innings, winning their third state title on the diamond in school history and first in 15 years.

“Unbelievable, Indescribable,” Bixby coach Justin Delay said. “We worked so hard. The guys put so much into it since August and it is a blessing to be put into this position. It is just awesome.

"I’m so thankful for the coaching staff that we have, and the school supports us, and obviously, the talented athletes came in and did the job.”

Carl Albert got solid pitching from sophomore Declan Murphy, who nearly threw a no-no before yielding a hit and a run in the seventh inning before the Titans beat Tulsa Bishop Kelley, 7-1, picking up their seventh baseball championship, and second in three seasons.

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Threats of thunderstorms in the area had also disrupted the game as it was winding down in the bottom of the seventh inning, causing a weather delay that lasted over two hours before play resumed shortly before 8 p.m.

The Titans were able to celebrate as the game ended around 15 minutes later.

“It’s great. The kids worked hard all year for this and are very deserving of it,” Carl Albert coach Ryan Whiteley said. “I’m very proud of those guys and all the assistant coaches who put in a bunch of time.

"They did exactly what we preached to them all year. They pitched well and played great defense the whole tournament, so I’m very proud of the execution that they had.”

Class 6A Baseball Championship

Bixby 16, Enid 6 (6 Innings)

ONEOK Field in Tulsa

The Spartans lost 1-0 to the Plainsmen in a pair of games on back-to-back nights last month in district action. But it was a whole different ball game Saturday on the home field of the Tulsa Drillers.

Enid (29-10) did score the first two runs in the top of the first, looking as if it would control the game.

But the Spartans (32-8) quickly countered and more.

Down 2-1, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M signee Nathan Murphy put Bixby up 4-2 with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The eventual 2023 champion never looked back.

“I put a good barrel on the ball, tried not to do too much with it,” Murphy said, “I ran into the ball perfectly and stuffed it over the wall. It was one of the greatest hits in my life.

“Once I hit my home run, I knew it was a big momentum changer in the whole game. I knew they were going to have to come back and do something. We had two more home runs in the game and that really set us apart. We had 16 runs in the game and there is nothing you can really do to beat that, honestly.”

The Spartans got those two more home runs in the second, a solo shot from Cody Crull, and a three-run shot from Jack Williams to make it 8-2 in the fourth.

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That forced Plainsmen coach Brad Gore to move Whaetley Chaloupek from right field to pitcher in relief of starter Israel Gonzales, who got the loss.

“We were just looking for pitches to hit,” Williams said. “All of us are hungry to get that big moment.”

Max Knight led Bixby off with a double to right field in the bottom of the fourth. He was scored by Owen Bailor’s RBI two-bagger.

Wild pitches by Chaloupek allowed Bailor to take third base and eventually home to make it 10-2.

Enid got its first runs since the opening inning when it got a pair off of Spartan miscues in the fifth.

Brian Justice added another run for the Spartans on a wild pitch.

McCage Hartling drove in a two-run double for the Plainsmen in the top of the sixth and it appeared as if they were making a comeback.

But Bixby got the runs it needed to end the game.

After Murphy flew out to left field to start the side, Carson Miller was hit by a pitch, Jake Wolfinbarger walked, and Justice was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Cord Nolan then got a bases-loaded walk.

Kansas-bound signee Cooper Moore then dove in Wolfinbarger and Justice and it was 15-6. Knight drew an intentional walk, and then Bailor singled in the clinching run, ending the game as the Spartans ran off the field in exuberant celebration.

Freshman Jett Hope was the winning pitcher for Bixby.

Class 5A Baseball Championship

MWC Carl Albert 7, Bishop Kelley 1

At Hinch Field in Jenks

No, the Titans did not score a touchdown in a spring football game. This was actually their baseball team scoring seven runs while pitching a one-hitter against Bishop Kelley to win its second state baseball championship in three seasons and seventh in school history.

Carl Albert got things going with three runs in the first inning on three hits and a Kelley error.

Tanner Norman hit a sacrifice fly to center field in the fourth, scoring courtesy runner Mister Randle and it was 4-0. The fifth run came from Hutch Russell in the fifth, who led off with a single, and was later driven in on an RBI single from Brodie Hinson.

Norman hit a leadoff solo home run out into right field to make it 6-0 in the top of the seventh.

“The home run felt a lot better,” Norman said. “I was just hitting on a curveball because he (Kelley relief pitcher Mason Gooding) was digging and he was kind of showing what pitches he was throwing and it just felt great."

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A two-out RBI single by Noah Evans sent Hinson to the plate for the last run.

While the Titans had no problem with their offense, their defense made things hard for Kelley with gloves catching potential Comet hits, and Murphy keeping things in check on the mound.

“It was awesome. I just went out there and it was me on the mound and I filled up the strike zone,” Murphy said. “That was all we needed.”

Murphy finished with seven strikeouts and nearly had a no-hitter until the seventh when the Comets’ Blake Rogers singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh. He was facing a full count against Tanner McMurray when the weather delay was called. When play resumed, McMurray walked.

But with one out, Murphy struck out the last two batters and Carl Albert was the state champs.