Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron had no idea about the name of Oklahoma Sooners freshman pitcher Cord Rager, who dominated the Crimson Tide in the opening game of the 2026 College World Series.
The Sooners’ freshman allowed just three hits in seven scoreless frames, including eight strikeouts, as the Crimson Tide lost the game 9-0. He carried the no-hit game into the fifth inning before Alabama started with consecutive singles. Rager then induced two groundouts, including a double play, to get out of the jam unscathed. Overall, he threw 63 strikes in 87 total pitches.
After the game, Lebron made an interesting revelation that he didn’t even know Rager’s name before the matchup.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know his name, but the freshman pitcher that was going, I mean, just had it very well, not missing over the middle very often,” Lebron said. “And when he did, we didn’t really execute. So I mean credit to him for that, and just got bounce back on Monday.”
These comments didn’t sit well with the fans, as hitters are expected to remember the starting pitcher’s name when they are served scouting reports. Meanwhile, some fans blamed Alabama’s coaching staff for this.
“Sooooo we don’t scout? If you’re genuinely studying your scouting report, I think knowing the pitchers name is the easy part. Just embarrassing,” one fan questioned.
“They didn’t watch his last two starts?!? What kind of coaching is that?” another questioned.
“Game 1 of the College World Series and you don’t know the name of the starter you’re facing?” another fan asked.
“Damn this dude is dumb,” one fan wrote.
“Took him off my board,” one fan added.
“HAHAHA Great coaching staff they’ve got over there. Didn’t even scout the starting pitcher. Had they not had the easiest path to Omaha in the last two decades, they would have been 2 and BBQ in their regional,” one fan wrote.
“Most overrated college player I’ve seen in a while,” one fan reacted.
Cord Rager Gets Due Acknowledgement From Both Oklahoma and Alabama Coaches
Cord Rager has surged in the postseason after battling a midseason lat injury. He has become the Sooners’ hottest arm this postseason.
After his latest heroics against Alabama, Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson praised the left-hander.
“I thought Cord was outstanding,” Johnson said. “The last freshman I saw win a baseball game here was Taylor Jungmann, and he beat LSU for the national championship. Freshmen don’t get to pitch in this league very often, and we’re really proud of have three or four of them that are really good.”
Alabama coach Rob Vaughn also acknowledged the quality of Rager’s performance.
“There’s a reason that guy’s pitching with Team USA this summer,” Vaughn said. “He pounds the strike zone. It’s electric stuff. He just kind of kept his foot on the gas. Skip’s one of the best pitching guys in the country. He does an elite job with pitchers.”
On the offense, Oklahoma got the required run support from several hitters, most notably, Deiten Lachance, who batted 2-for-5 with a 2-run homer in the sixth inning.
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