Kendall Pettis opens up on the emotions of career-ending after loss in regional final

The 2024 season ended on Monday for the Big 12 regular season champions after Oklahoma fell in a 7-1 loss to UConn in the Norman Regional final. But for players like Sooners’ outfielder Kendall Pettis, Monday also represented the final game in the college career for the team’s seniors.

Throughout the postseason Pettis made several several big-time plays for Oklahoma, especially in the outfield. Playing a crucial role in the program’s first Big 12 title in a special season that he reflected on following Monday’s loss.

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“It’s a first for everything, with this being my last year I just thought a lot of the things we did this year were phenomenal. I’m sorry, I’ve been a little bit emotional so I’m kind of just all over the place, but I mean I love this team,” Pettis said after the game. “I love Skip [Johnson], I love the coaches, and I love everybody that’s been a part of it and it’s just been something special. And so these last five years for me have been really awesome and I couldn’t really ask for a better support staff.

“Now I gotta go get a job,” Pettis joked.

From a diving catch in the Big 12 Tournament that was named the No. 1 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10, to advancing to the College World Series in 2022, and a pair of spectacular defensive plays versus Duke facing elimination during Regionals. Pettis has plenty of memories to choose from to deem his favorite during his career in Norman.

“Omaha will always be up there, but I think just the connections I’ve made with everyone around,” Pettis said. “It’s something that I’ll be able to go to a lot of these people for whatever reason whether I need something or whether they need me. I just think that’s something that’s been really big is kind of just building those relationships with people and just continue to keep that up as I get older.”

Kendall Pettis ends his Oklahoma career with a .282 batting average, 180 hits, and 57 stolen bases ranking in the top 10 in program history. But his time in Norman may not be done just left as he looks forward to his next step in the future.

“I’ve been talking to the coaches and stuff about what I’m doing next and everything so who knows. I could come back and GA, I still got one more year for my Master’s program, and so I wouldn’t mind coming back and finishing that. Just excited to see what’s next I guess,” Pettis concluded.