2026 MEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 17, 2026

Skip Johnson

Nick Wesloski

Dasan Harris

Jason Walk

Oklahoma Sooners

Postgame Press Conference

Oklahoma - 11, Georgia - 4

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Oklahoma Sooners head coach Skip Johnson and student-athletes Dasan Harris, Jason Walk and Nick Wesloski.

SKIP JOHNSON: Well, I don't know really what to say, but really proud of these young men. When you go back and look at what we've done in the fall and the spring and never stopped believing, and those guys really turned it around on our year.

But in the game tonight, Nick started out. He was really good. Kept us at bay. And Walk got us going. He kind of opened the floodgate and hitting them all over the 400 wall was really huge.

And Dasan, right here, really proud of what Dasan has done. He came into our program, just with an opportunity. It's kind of crazy, but he never wavered, never complained. He just kept at it and kept at it, kept listening to the coaches and got better and better as he went through it. It's awesome. And J-Walk has been, ever since we moved him back to the lead-off spot -- because I know that we had him in the 9-hole and put him back in the lead-off spot -- and it was incredible what they did offensively.

There, for a minute there, we don't make the play and we've had that trouble in a game where we get two outs or we get an out, we make an error, and we give up four, five, six, or seven. And we give up two then.

And we brought LJ in and LJ was really good, settled it down a little bit and threw the ball to the target and executed pitches.

And really proud of these guys picking each other up. And really, you're looking at a baseball team, a selfless baseball team, which is really fun to be around. And hopefully I can just stay out of the way the next three, four games, or two games, or three games, I don't even know.

Q. Talking to Jaxon, you two and Jaxon lived together freshman year. What has this story meant to you over the past couple of years and specifically this month? How do you describe what's gotten in to you offensively?

DASAN HARRIS: Honestly, it's just all of us pulling on the same rope, as a team. And as roommates growing up in this program, we learn from our upperclassmen. And that was big for us. And when it came to our opportunity to shine on the field, we knew what to do.

Q. Dasan, Jason, you both entered today's game with four home runs, two-home run performances. What was working against -- working for y'all against the Georgia pitching staff today?

JASON WALK: Honestly, it was just trying to pass the bat to the next guy. I mean I know everybody behind me can hit really well. And it was actually funny because when Dasan hit the second one, I was, like, you're not trying to have a home run battle right now are you? And then I ended up hitting one, so I let him hear it a little bit.

I thought he went backside. I thought he was going for a third. But, no, it's just awesome seeing Dasan putting in the work. And this team is just unbelievable.

Q. Nick, just kind of assessing how you felt, like, how you threw today. What was it like? You talked about yesterday, just kind of the confidence and looking forward to this opportunity and this stage. Just assessing your day, how do you feel it went?

NICK WESLOSKI: I think it was a positive day overall. I mean there's definitely room for improvement -- attacking batters early in courts, getting ahead in the counts. But I think overall, it was a win on my part.

But you gotta look at the catcher, you gotta look at the pitch callers. Like, those guys were elite all night. There was guys making plays behind me. I mean Dasan and J-Walk they're flying around the field. We had Cam, we had Tockey making picks. It's not just about me. It's the seven guys behind me. They're the reason why we were able to have success tonight.

Q. Nick, the third out of the fourth inning, diving play at third base by Camden Johnson. And then the top of the fifth I mean home runs by Harris and by Gambill. Was there a little bit of a momentum flip? And what did you think of the play and overall that inning?

NICK WESLOSKI: Yeah, I think that play kind of switched things mentally for me. When I started out the game, I was kind of lackadaisical, I was missing around the zone. And getting to see Cam make that play and having those runs put up and get up to a four-run lead I was able to relax a little bit and kind of settle into my mechanics and start pitching more freely.

And I think that really opened my mind up to relax a little bit and be able to just move down the mound.

Q. Dasan, for you personally, your story, being a walk-on, working your way into the lineup, what does it mean to be on this stage and in this moment and have the game that you did today?

DASAN HARRIS: It means everything. I mean, I thank my coaches and my teammates for always believing in me. I mean, I've dreamed of this moment since I was a little kid, and coming here was part of that and being able to be put in those spots.

With Brock getting on base and then allowing me to get two runs with an RBI is something special. And got to watch Nick pitch on the mound which is something good.

Q. Nick, can you speak to watching Cord and Xander go before you and just this transformation that the pitching staff has undergone in leaning on young arms in the postseason, and what that does for you to go out in a huge game like this and perform? And also, Jason, can you speak to those freshmen and what they're doing on the mound, not just tonight, but all through the series and the postseason?

NICK WESLOSKI: Yeah, Cord and Xander, I think those two have been the most inspirational, influential for me going throughout the season. Starting off, I struggled a little bit in my first three outings. But seeing the way that they dominate and the way they carry themselves -- and I see them off the field; I live in the same dorm as them -- those guys are just elite in everything that they do.

Being able to watch them go throughout their process on the mound has honestly made me a better pitcher, because they're a freshman. They make me think I can do it too. Going out there, these guys look like they're unbeatable, they're unstoppable.

No matter how young I am, what year I am, like those guys make it look like it's possible. So I think for me it's just added to my confidence level and the way that I go out and compete because they've done it. So they've influenced me a ton.

JASON WALK: Nick, Cord, Xander, really all the freshmen, they're unbelievable. We knew they had it in the fall. So coming into spring, it's really no surprise that they're pitching really well because we had to face them, too.

So we were in a position that the other teams were, too, just trying to battle against them, whether if it's intrasquads or whatever the case may be. But they're really good.

They pound the zone no matter what happens. I was saying no matter if somebody hits a 110 miles-per-hour home run or 50 miles-per-hour rollover, it doesn't matter what happens. They just keep on pounding the zone, and that's all you can ask for as a defense.

Q. Jason, everyone in the stadium kind of paused for a second on your first home run, waiting to see if it would get over the center-field wall. What was going through your mind in that moment? And how do you think that opened things up for you guys the rest of the way at the plate?

JASON WALK: I mean, just trying to compete up there. I know if I go, then the chances of everybody else going is pretty high. So just trying to be that tone-setter and get the team up.

I mean, we were putting up great at-bats before we even scored. So I knew what we had in the lineup, and I mean, it was a good day to hit. Good day to hit.

Q. When you look at what you got out of your pitching, the balls that went over the fence, the defensive plays that were made and the stage that this is on, the team you're playing against, could this have been the best game of your year? And second question, anything from 2022 you would like to come back here and do different?

SKIP JOHNSON: I don't think anything from 2022 I'd like to do anything different. I mean, it wasn't the course of anything. I thought we did a great job in '22. Cade Horton was outstanding. You know, I mean you can't go back and look and dwell on the past. You gotta move on. It's just about being in the moment.

I really believe the first game we played was probably really good. We kicked the ball tonight. We had a ball go to the backstop, didn't score. Offensively we put some good swings on some pretty good pitching. And Nick was really good.

I'd like to thank Jim Gatewood, the late Jim Gatewood. He passed away. Nick was the last guy we got in recruiting, Coach Butler. He was a high school baseball coach, a college baseball coach before that. And he helped us get Nick. I'd like to thank that for sure.

It was on my heart at the end of the game, during the game, watching him pitch. So I'd really like to thank the late Jim Gatewood for helping us with that.

Q. Going back to the bottom of the sixth inning looks like Georgia is coming back a little, the momentum starting to head back to their side. You take a mound visit, I believe in the middle that second at-bat against Black to LJ. What was the message to him during that mound visit and then in the dugout after escaping that jam?

SKIP JOHNSON: Yeah, just throw the ball to the target. Just trying to paint a picture or a movie in his mind, throw the ball down the way, he's going to hit it right at somebody.

Ryan Black's father played for me at Navarro Junior College, so he's a good player.

Just trying to paint the movie for LJ to calm him down. All the pressure's on them. The only thing you can control is throwing the ball to the target. And you've got to really -- we talk about that a lot, throwing the ball to the target. And when I got out there, the whole infield was talking to him. And all I did was just try to paint a movie for him and to see it happen. And he ends up -- it was really good.

Q. Want to ask you about one of the balls that did stay in the yard tonight. Talking about the momentum and taking momentum back. How big was Jaxon's hit after Deiten extended the inning with two outs?

SKIP JOHNSON: It was huge. It was a big hit. It was a grinded at-bat. The first pitch was a hanging breaking ball. He fouled it straight back, if I remember. I mean, it was a great at-bat. I mean, huge because it helped separate the game just a little bit more.

When you're out there in that environment, it's about getting comfortable. If you can get a lead, your breaking ball gets better, your command gets better, and I was really excited.

I thought our coaches did a great job of game planning all week. I'm only up here because our coaches are that good. I can tell you guys that. Because they're really good at what they do. And I'm really proud of them.

Q. What can you say about Wesloski's composure, specifically in the fifth when they get on the board and it's the top of the order and third time through the Phelps and Jackson, and he's able to get them both out. Just the way -- second career start and he's able to hang in there?

SKIP JOHNSON: Yeah, we saw that. I got to watch him pitch in the Connie Mack World Series, which was really good to see him in not that big of a stage, but it was a pretty big stage for him at that moment. And I've seen him do that and be calm.

And early in the fall, he was good. And he got back, he had an impingement. We're trying to get him ready to be the Tuesday starter. He had an impingement, set him back a little bit. And Brandon Lee, our trainer, did a great job of rehabbing him back.

And you're just trying to build him up. And he faced a team in Citadel. And Citadel, they had all older guys and they were really good players. It was a really good baseball team. And he pitched extremely well there.

And I didn't think the moment would bother him that much. He's a perfectionist a little bit. So when you're handling perfectionists and pitching, you gotta say, hey, it's all right if you miss a target. And you gotta just pat him on the back and try to get him away from it and try to get them to focus on something else besides being perfect.

Q. You mentioned selflessness right at the beginning. And I wonder, what is your team's run and the way you've played over the last three weeks say about the importance of chemistry and togetherness and getting hot at the right time in this era in college sports where so much of the focus is on who can spend the most money and buy the most expensive team?

SKIP JOHNSON: You're exactly right. That's what's really unique and really special about it, is they made that decision as a team to pick each other up. I mean, when I talked to the team before I came into the press conference, I said every guy matters in this dugout or in this locker room right now.

And it's truly true, because I've played on national championship teams, not at this high a level. But when you meet up, you don't know who got the biggest hit or who threw the most important pitch. You don't.

What you do is the fun times that you had together, the corniness, the jokes, all the stuff that happened. And I'm really proud of the guys to throw that aside and really be selfless and pull each other.

What J-Walk said a minute ago is a prime example of, hey, I'm just trying to pass the deal on. That doesn't come from -- that's regurgitated from our coaches. And it's what we talk about all the time. When a guy moves a guy over -- how about the read, I don't know who got on the chopper, with the infield drawn in. I mean, the first step read with a man on third base, the read on that was incredible.

That's what the little details matter in this game. They go overlooked all the time. And that's all coaching. That's all our coaches do, making them pay attention to details and stuff like that.

Q. I wasn't here in 2022, but from what I understand, the OU fan base, there's quite a few more fans that have made the trip this year. Now that you're in the champ series, I guess just what would be your message to fans on coming up to Omaha this weekend?

SKIP JOHNSON: Have the whole state that are Sooners to come up here. Believe me, you can ask Josh and John. We're all part of it.

It's bigger than us. It really is. It's really about our state. It's really about being an OU Sooner. It's about all those details, being thankful, the president was here. We had Barry Switzer here. We had Bob Stoops, Jennie Braanczyk -- Trish, Toby Keith's wife was here. I hadn't seen her in a long time. And it brings tears to my eyes.

And Josie and Roger Denny, I mean, John Mateer, our quarterback. I mean that's what's being an OU Sooner is about. It's about being a family. And the more those people can get up here and get it going, the better it is.

Believe me, last time I was here, I think it felt like there's 30,000 blue towels being waved. I don't know who gave out the light blue towels to the Ole Miss Rebels, but it sure didn't seem fair, but it didn't matter. We didn't hit in the first game, and we pitched pretty good in the second game, and just didn't come out on top.

No matter what the score is at the end of the day, it's not about winning and losing. It's really not. It's about those guys being selfless, what they've done, what they've done over the last month. I mean, going into Georgia Tech and going into Kansas and doing what they did.

And then today, I mean, that team over there, we just got threw playing, they're really good. I mean really, really good. They ran away with our league. They're very good.

And we're really thankful for our league. Our league is a tough league. It prepares us. The SEC is the number one league in the country. And it prepares us a lot for what we have accomplished.

And we've been through the adversity and learned through the adversity. I'm really thankful for getting to coach these guys. I really am. I can't say it enough. And I'm really proud of. I am.