OU Travels To Texas At Arlington

March 1, 2000

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NORMAN, Okla. - After dropping three straight games to No. 25 Louisiana-Lafayette, the University of Oklahoma baseball team (6-5) looks to return to its winning ways with victories against the University of Texas at Arlington (9-6) and Kansas State (2-7) this week. The Sooners travel to Arlington, Texas to face the Mavericks on Tuesday, Feb. 29, for a 2:00 p.m. start at Allan Saxe Stadium.

OU then returns home to open conference play against KSU at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman. The two teams will face off at 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT

The Sooners were swept in a three-game series at No. 25 Louisiana-Lafayette in Lafayette, La. last weekend. OU dropped the first game, 8-3, after several Oklahoma errors allowed the Ragin' Cajuns to score five straight unearned runs.

The final two games of the series produced fine pitching performances by Sooner hurlers Austin Coose and Austin Mix. In Saturday's game, Coose picked up the pitching staff's first complete game of the season by going the distance and allowing only eight hits and three earned runs in the 4-1 loss. On Sunday, Mix held ULL to only three hits through seven innings and struck out a career-high eight batters in his first career start in a 3-2 loss to the Ragin' Cajuns.

THE HISTORY

OU is 4-0 against UTA under head coach Larry Cochell with all victories coming in the last three years. Most recently, in 1999, the Sooners defeated the Mavericks, 9-6, in the UTA Tournament in Arlington, Texas.

Oklahoma took the conference series last year over Kansas State, 2-1. After the Wildcats came out victorious in the first game, 7-2, in Manhattan, Kan., the Sooners captured wins in the final two contests, 14-1 and 11-4. Cochell is 25-9 against KSU during his OU coaching tenure.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS

The Mavericks dropped their last game to Oral Roberts, 8-1. UTA opened the season with a stunning 3-1 road win over nationally-ranked Texas.

As a team, UTA is hitting .260. Sophomore outfielder Kelly Crosby leads the team with a .373 average, including two home runs and 17 RBIs. Senior righthander Whoa Dill will make his fifth start of 2000, carrying a 3-1 record and a 3.04 ERA into the game.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

After opening the season with two consecutive victories over Oregon State and Washington State in the Spalding Baseball Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., Kansas State (2-7) has dropped seven straight. Last weekend, the Wildcats were swept in their conference opener at Texas A&M by scores of 19-5, 9-4 and 9-4.

Junior outfielder Bentson Oleen paces KSU with a .500 average, while starting pitcher Luke Robertson is 1-2 with a 9.22 ERA in four appearances on the season.

OKLAHOMA CAREER STATS VERSUS KANSAS STATE

PITCHERS
	G	W-L	S	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
Michael Bradbury	1	0-0	0	2.00	1.0	2	2	2	1	1
Rocky Cherry	1	1-0	0	0.17	6.0	2	2	1	2	5
Rick Park	1	1-0	0	0.67	3.0	3	2	2	2	3

POSITION PLAYERS
	G	AVG.	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO
Jeff Bajenaru	3	.444	9	5	4	0	0	2	3	3	1
Chad Cochell	4	.333	9	1	2	2	0	0	3	0	1
Tim Hooper	1	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Zach Lekse	3	.462	13	3	6	2	1	0	4	0	0
Sean Murphy	1	.000	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Rick Park	9	.419	31	8	13	3	0	2	25	10	6
Jeremy Vidales	5	.000	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Tommy Whiteman	3	.300	10	3	3	1	0	0	2	2	1
Josh Witcher	3	.400	10	3	4	2	0	0	4	1	1

SWITCHING BACK

After senior Jeff Bajenaru and sophomore Rocky Cherry began the season as the squad's No. 1 starter and closer, respectively, Oklahoma's coaches have found that things were better the way they were before.

As a starter, Bajnaru was 0-1 on the season in two attempts. Since reverting to the closing role, in which he tallied a team-high eight saves in 1999, Bajenaru has already picked up two saves in his first two chances. Cherry was also successful in his first start on the season as he allowed only one run and combined with three other Sooner pitchers to defeat 10th-ranked Houston in the Hilton Plaza Houston Tournament. The Coppell, Texas, native had seen action is four other games on the season in the late innings (non-save situations).

FIT TO CLOSE

After collecting two saves at the Hilton Plaza Houston Tournament, senior closer Jeff Bajenaru is flawless on the season in save opportunities. Dating back to last season, Bajenaru is perfect (10-for-10) in save situations he has encountered as a Sooner.

In 1999, Bajenaru racked up a team-best eight saves to rank second in the Big 12. The total also placed Bajenaru second (to Bucky Buckles' 14 saves in 1994) on the OU single-season saves chart.

STREAKS AND MORE. . .

The three-game sweep against Louisiana-Lafayette marked the first time the Sooners had been swept in a non-conference set on the road since 1995 when Arizona State accomplished the feat at home ... Against ULL, the Sooners were shut out twice in the stolen base category for only the fifth time this season ... Sophomore righthander Evan Greusel matched a career-high in strikeouts against the Ragin' Cajuns on Friday night with four ... Junior Sean Murphy's team-leading seven-game hitting streak was snapped on Sunday as the leftfielder went 0-for-4 at the plate ... Sophomore shortstop Tommy Whiteman currently owns the team's longest hitting streak at four games ... Over the weekend, OU catchers gunned down three ULL baserunners (Haggard - 1, Witcher - 2) ... In Oklahoma's five losses on the season, the Sooners have committed a combined eight errors ... OU received 28 votes in last week's Baseball Weekly poll.

DIAMOND NOTES

The Sooners were held to their lowest hit total of the season on Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette by tallying only six base hits.

Catcher Chris Haggard earned his second start of the season over the weekend versus the Ragin' Cajuns. The sophomore has performed outstanding defensively behind the plate, throwing out three baserunners in the two starts while allowing only one stolen base against.

Junior righthander Austin Coose picked up the pitching staff's first complete game of the season by going the distance in Saturday's start.

Sophomore shortstop Tommy Whiteman has compiled multi-hit games in seven of the last eight games, including four straight.

After starting the season 1-for-8 (.125) with two runs scored and no RBIs, Whiteman is hitting .500 (17-for-34) with five runs scored and six RBIs.

MISCELLANEOUS TEAM STATS

OU's Record . . .

	W	L	Pct.
Total	6	5	.545
Conference	0	0	.000
Non-Conference	6	5	.545
Home	3	2	.600
Away	1	3	.250
Neutral	2	0	1.000
Day	6	4	.600
Night	0	1	.000
vs. Lefties	3	1	.750
vs. Righties	3	4	.429
1-Run Games	1	1	.500
2-Run Games	1	2	.333
5+ Games	4	1	.800
Extra Innings	0	0	.000
Shutouts	0	0	.000
OU Scores First	4	2	.667
Opponent Scores First	2	3	.400
Led After Seven	6	0	1.000
Trailed After Seven	0	5	.000
Led After Eight	6	0	1.000
Trailed After Eight	0	5	.000
Out-Hit Opponents	4	3	.571
Out-Hit By Opponents	1	2	.333
February	6	5	.545
March	0	0	.000
April	0	0	.000
May	0	0	.000

Inning-By-Inning Summary

	OU	Opponent
First	3	3
Second	5	1
Third	5	3
Fourth	9	12
Fifth	9	9
Sixth	12	5
Seventh	9	5
Eighth	5	4
Ninth	6	0
Total	63	42

Current Winning Streak:	0
Longest Winning Streak:	3
Longest Losing Streak:	3

SOONERS AT A GLANCE

2 Zach Lekse

Starting second baseman.

Missed the Central Oklahoma game due to a slight ankle sprain, snapping a streak of 60-straight games started for the Sooners.

Hit .455 (5-for-11) with four runs scored and three RBIs during the Houston Tournament.

Collected three hits and a run scored and one RBI over the weekend against Louisiana-Lafayette.

3 Sean Murphy

Started in every game, making appearances in right field, second base, first base, left field and as the team's designated hitter.

Was perfect at the plate (3-for-3) against Missouri Southern with a double and a home run, and two RBIs and two runs scored.

Had a career-high seven-game hitting streak snapped in Sunday's game against Louisiana-Lafayette after going hitless at the plate.

Tied for first on the team in home runs (2), second on the team in runs scored (8) and slugging percentage (.595), third in batting average (.378), total bases (22) and hits (14) and tied for fourth in RBIs (6).

6 Tommy Whiteman

Starting at shortstop.

Drew a career-high three walks from Bison pitchers in the Oklahoma Baptist game.

Belted solo home runs in both games of the Oklahoma City series.

Ranks in the top three in every offensive category except doubles, sacrifice flies and sacrifice bunts.

Currently on a four-game hitting streak.

Has collected seven multi-hit games in the last eight contests.

8 Jerome Godsey

Starting centerfielder.

Blasted a grand slam home run in the season-opening game versus Oklahoma Baptist.

Broke out of a 2-for-11 slump to hit .476 (10-for-21) over the last six games.

Ranks in the top five in every offensive category except sacrifice flies.

9 Eliot Joyner

Has started in right field and at the catching position.

Went 2-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI in his first game as a Sooner against Oklahoma City.

Has thrown out three base runners from behind the plate.

Currently on a 1-for-12 (.083) slump at the plate.

22 Jason Bartlett

Starting third baseman and lead-off hitter.

Shined in the Central Oklahoma game as he was perfect at the plate (3-for-3) with a solo home run, two runs scored and two RBIs.

Leads the team in stolen bases with five.

Ranks third on the team in runs scored (7) and walks (5), fourth in doubles (3) and total bases (17) and fifth in hits (11).

Committed his first two errors of the season against Louisiana-Lafayette this weekend.

28 Jeff Bajenaru

Began the season as the team's No. 1 starter in the rotation, but has reverted back to the closer role.

Has also acted as the team's starting rightfielder and designated hitter.

His six strike outs in the Oklahoma Baptist game matched a career high.

Hit his first home run of the year against Missouri Southern.

Suffered his first loss of the season after pitching six innings and allowing three runs to Oklahoma City.

Picked up two saves against Sam Houston State and Houston.

32 Rick Park

Starting first baseman.

Has also served as the designated hitter and a starting pitcher.

Belted home runs in the Central Oklahoma and Sam Houston State games.

Picked up his first win of the season after pitching four innings and allowing only one run to Missouri Southern in his first start of 2000.

The three RBIs collected in the Sam Houston State game moved him into sole possession of eighth place on the school's career RBI list with 158.

38 Rocky Cherry

Came out of the bullpen to start the season, but will now serve as the team's No. 1 starter in the rotation.

In his four relief appearances he surrendered only two hits over four innings.

Allowed only one run on five hits in five innings to the 10th ranked Houston Cougars in picking up his first win of the year.

Suffered his first loss of the season Friday against Louisiana-Lafayette.

39 Austin Coose

No. 2 pitcher in the starting rotation.

Picked up his first win of the season in his first start in a Sooner uniform against Central Oklahoma.

Produced a strong six-inning performance against Oral Roberts, allowing only six hits and one run, to earn his second win and help the team clinch the Houston Tournament title.

DEFENSIVE GEM

Senior Zach Lekse was recognized in October as a Division I runner-up for the 1999 Easton Redline Defensive Award. The annual award, which is published in Collegiate Baseball, is presented to an individual in each NCAA division and at the high school level who has displayed outstanding defensive skills in the field.

As a member of the OU baseball team that finished the season ranked third in the nation in fielding percentage, the Martinez, Calif., native was a main contributor to the team's defensive success. Starting all 59 games for the Sooners, Lekse made 75 putouts, a team-high 171 assists while committing only 12 errors. He also sported a .953 fielding percentage. Lekse's outstanding defensive numbers combined with a solid offensive effort earned the former junior college transfer second-team All-Big 12 honors at the shortstop position in his first season of Big 12 competition.

MILESTONE VICTORY

With the Sooners' 9-4 victory on opening day against Oklahoma Baptist, head coach Larry Cochell picked up his 350th win at Oklahoma. Beginning his tenth year at OU, Cochell has acheived the milestone quicker than any other baseball coach in school history. It is the second time in his coaching career that Cochell has surpassed the mark as he accomplished 428 victories as the head coach at Oral Roberts.

AYE, AYE CAPTAIN!

Head coach Larry Cochell, who has only named a team captain once during his tenure at Oklahoma, has chosen seniors Jeff Bajenaru, Zach Lekse and Rick Park to act as the team's co-captains for the 2000 season. The trio are the first team captains to be named by Cochell since 1995 when Rich Hills was appointed the duties.

SWITCHING PLACES

The heart of the Sooners' infield, returning starters Zach Lekse and Tommy Whiteman, have encountered position changes for the 2000 season. A second team All-Big 12 selection at shortstop last year, Lekse will spend the year securing the defense up the middle of the infield at second base, while Whiteman will move from third base, where he started last year, into the vacancy left at shortstop by Lekse.

YOUNG GUNS

Of Oklahoma's 14 pitchers on the roster, half are underclassmen and five are in their first year of pitching at the Division I level.

Freshmen Brandon Hankins, Austin Mix and Patrick Wyrick are expected to make immediate impacts on the team. Mix is expected to eventually find his way into the starting rotation, while Hankins and Wyrick will play substantial roles in relief. Following elbow surgery performed over the summer, Hankins is anticipated to be available for action beginning in March. Wyrick is the 2000 recruiting class' lone draft pick as he was the Montreal Expos' 18th round pick in the 1999 Amateur Draft held in June.

Returning sophomores Michael Bradbury, Rocky Cherry, Clint Dunbar and Evan Greusel picked up a wealth of pitching experience in their first year on the mound in 1999, in both starting and relief roles, combining to pitch a total of 153 innings and tally nine wins.

JUCO transfers Mike Hale and Chuck Thumann will face their first Division I action this year coming out of the bullpen.

TOUGH COMPETITION

Once again, the Sooners' 2000 schedule features some of the country's toughest opponents. This season's competition includes seven teams that were ranked in the final 1999 Baseball America Top 25 poll as well as three 1999 College World Series participants. In addition to last year's final rankings, 10 of OU's 2000 opponents are ranked in either the 2000 Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball or Baseball Weekly/ESPN preseason polls.

For the fifth consecutive year, national powerhouse Arizona State will engage in a home-and-home series with the Sooners. Other schedule highlights include an appearance at the Southwestern Bell Ballpark in Oklahoma City on March 29 by 1999 College World Series participant Cal State-Fullerton. Oklahoma faces Texas A&M, another College World Series qualifier, on April 7-9 in College Station, Texas. Big 12 rival Texas travels to Norman for a three-game series beginning March 31, and OU will head to Lafayette, La. (Feb. 25-27), to face Louisiana-Lafayette who finished the 1999 season ranked 18th in the nation.

Oklahoma's annual Bedlam Series with 1999 College World Series participant Oklahoma State will be held at the end of April. The first of the three games will be played in Tulsa on Friday, April 21 at 7:30 pm, at Driller's Stadium. The Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark will host the final two games at 1 pm on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23. The series attracted over 42,235 fans over four games last year.

PARK IN THE RECORD BOOKS

As senior Rick Park enters his final season in a Sooner uniform, the Norman, Okla., native looks primed to climb his way to the top of several Oklahoma career offensive records. In addition to the categories listed, Park also has the opportunity to break into the top ten in career hits, career runs scored and career doubles.

CAREER HOME RUNS:

1.	Casey Bookout	60	1996-99
2.	Brian Shackelford	55	1995-98
3.	John Russell	48	1980-82
4.	Chris Ebright	45	1987-89
5.	Kevin Pearson	43	1983-86
6.	Jeff Kaye	39	1982-85
	Damon Minor	39	1993-96
8.	Rick Park	35	1997-

CAREER RBIs

1.	Brian Shackelford	251	1995-98
2.	Chris Ebright	239	1987-89
3.	Casey Bookout	220	1996-99
4.	Rich Hills	190	1992-95
5.	Kevin Pearson	186	1983-86
6.	Damon Minor	171	1993-96
7.	Kelly Snider	167	1974-76
8.	Rick Park	158	1997-

CAREER EXTRA BASE HITS

1.	Brian Shackelford	132	1995-98
2.	Chris Ebright	120	1987-89
3.	Casey Bookout	119	1996-99
4.	Kevin Pearson	97	1983-86
5.	Rich Hills	95	1992-95
6.	Damon Minor	90	1993-96
7.	Javier Flores	84	1994-97
8.	John Russell	82	1980-82
9.	Rick Park	78	1997-

L. DALE MITCHELL PARK RENOVATIONS UPDATE

The two-phase facelift for L. Dale Mitchell Park is nearing completion. The first phase of the renovations was completed during the 1998 season and inluded an upper concourse, additional rest rooms and additional concession stands. Phase two has already provided for new locker rooms, training room facility and equipment room for the team.

Plans are also in the works to add a National Championship team meeting room and indoor batting/pitching facilities contained within an addition behind the third base dugout.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

MISCELLANEOUS TEAM STATS

SOONERS AT A GLANCE

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