OU baseball: Sooners lose a lot of talent — but have a lot returning for 2013

“Man, we've got to get back.”

That's the sting of falling just short, back in Norman after Oklahoma was eliminated two wins shy of a trip to Omaha while the buzz nationally builds for this weekend's beginning of the CWS.

Reflecting, however, Golloway acknowledges the joy of the past month and a half, when the Sooners surged from a period of struggle into national contention. OU finished 42-25, but seemed to be sliding from postseason consideration following a Bedlam series loss to Oklahoma State, when it reversed course, going on a run that extended to the Big 12 Tournament title game, then the championship of the Charlottesville Regional.

While it ended at South Carolina in the Super Regional, the Sooners could look back with a sense of accomplishment. Golloway and his staff maneuvered pieces throughout the opening months of the season, finally finding the right fits across the diamond and in the pitching staff.

“I'm extremely proud,” Golloway said. “When we lost 11 players to the draft from last year's team, there was a lot of experimenting that had to be done. We finally got them in the right place.

“I think our players were really mentally tough to go through it, not getting frustrated and showing a lot of courage. We got it worked out.