Oklahoma will compete for a national championship in college baseball at the College World Series. However, the Sooners were the only team to drive to Omaha instead of fly.
They have not slept in their own beds in a week!
Although it is not uncommon for college baseball programs to spend a lot of time away from home, it will be interesting to see whether this lengthy road trip has an impact on performance. Every other team got to rest their heads on their own pillows.
Oklahoma drove to Omaha.
This impressive run for Oklahoma started in Atlanta on May 30 after a rain delay. It earned the No. 2 seed in the Georgia Tech Regional and played its way through the loser’s bracket to reach the two-game championship series on May 31. The Sooners ultimately defeated the Yellow Jackets on that Sunday night and Monday afternoon to win the Regional. They advanced.
Oklahoma paired with Kansas in the Super Regional. There were five days between games so the Sooners flew back west and spent a few days in Norman. They eventually traveled to Lawrence on June 5 and have not been home since.
Sooners have arrived 📍 pic.twitter.com/p5vVdV5V36
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) June 5, 2026
Oklahoma swept Kansas in the Super Regional. It won the second of two games on Monday, June 8 to punch its ticket to the College World Series. The Sooners will play next on Saturday, June 13. They will face the Crimson Tide of Alabama.
Omaha is located only three hours south from Lawrence so the team decided to drive. Makes sense.
Oklahoma loaded up the buses and drove down to Kansas City on Tuesday.
The Sooners arrived to Omaha by bus on Wednesday evening.
They will have two full days of practice before their first game over the weekend.
Every other college baseball team at the College World Series spent time at home.
Oklahoma was the only college baseball team to drive to the College World Series. The other seven teams flew to Nebraska.
Six of the other seven programs won a Super Regional at home. Ole Miss won at Auburn. They all got to spend at least two nights in their own beds. The six teams that won at home got to spend Sunday night, Monday night and Tuesday night at their permanent places of residence. The Rebels got home to Oxford on Sunday night.
They flew to Omaha on Wednesday.
As did the other schools. Every team except for Oklahoma flew into Omaha on Wednesday afternoon or evening.
That could make a huge difference at this point in the year. Although I have no doubt the Sooners will be well rested and mentally prepared to play in the College World Series, they have not been home since June 5. That is a lot of time on the road! I would be remiss not to mention the discrepancy in travel as a potential storyline to watch.