Baseball Looks To Continue Win Streak

March 7, 2000

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NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma baseball team (10-5, 3-0 Big 12) looks to continue its four-game win streak with a single game at home against Texas-Arlington (10-9, 1-2 Southland) and a three-game set at No. 15 Arizona State (18-4, 0-0 Pac 10). The Sooners' and Mavericks' game was moved from Tuesday to Wednesday at 3 p.m. because of the high probability of inclement weather.

OU then travels to Tempe, Ariz., to face nationally-ranked ASU over the weekend beginning on Friday at 7 p.m. and finishing on Saturday and Sunday with 7 p.m. starts as well.

LAST TIME OUT

The Sooners completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas State Wildcats this past weekend.

Oklahoma picked up strong performances by all three starting pitchers in the series. Saturday and Sunday's games saw Austin Coose (3-2) and Austin Mix (3-1) rack up career highs in strikeouts with eight and 11, respectively. Oklahoma won Saturday's game 4-1. The victory was highlighted by Rick Park's fourth home run of the year and Jeff Bajenaru's fourth save. Park would launch another ball out of the ballpark again in Sunday's 11-7 victory over the Wildcats.

On Friday, starting pitcher Rocky Cherry (2-1) surrendered only four hits over seven innings in the Sooners' 6-4 conference-opening win.

THE HISTORY

The Sooners defeated the Mavericks 11-8 last Tuesday to improve their record against UTA under head coach Larry Cochell to 5-0. The last two times Texas-Arlington traveled to Norman (in 1997 and 1998), the Mavericks lost by scores of 14-5 and 13-12, respectively.

Oklahoma took victories in two of the three games played in 1999 versus the Sun Devils. OU split a two-game set in Tempe (7-6, 0-11) and defeated ASU 3-2 in 11 innings at the Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City later that season. The Sooners own a 7-6 edge in the series during Cochell's tenure.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS

Since falling to the Sooners, UTA dropped two of three at Louisiana-Monroe over the weekend. With the two losses, the Mavericks fell to 10-9 overall and 1-2 in the Southland Conference.

Outfielder Kelly Crosby leads the team with a .405 average, including three home runs and 21 RBIs. The sophomore went 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and a RBI, including a triple, last week against the Sooners. Righthander Whoa Dill, who was the starting pitcher in the game against OU and received a no-decision, is tied for the staff lead in wins with three and posts a 3.82 ERA.

SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS

Arizona State (18-4) enters the weekend series on a seven-game winning streak after sweeping in-state rival Arizona last weekend. All four of the Sun Devils losses have come at the hands of two nationally-ranked programs, Florida State and LSU.

The team is batting .363 and outscoring its opponents by a margin of 275-103. Infielder Jeff Phelps leads all Sun Devils with a .430 average, including three home runs and 24 RBIs. Lefthander Jon Switzer has posted a 4-0 record and 2.91 ERA through seven starts on the season.

THE SUN DEVIL ROTATION

ARIZONA STATE STARTERS vs. OU IN 1999

Lefthander Jon Switzer saw action in relief against the Sooners twice last year. The sophomore pitched in the first meeting last year and allowed Oklahoma to tie the game in the Sooners' eventual 7-6 win in Tempe. Switzer then suffered the loss in ASU's 3-2 loss after surrendering the decisive run in the 11th inning in Oklahoma City.

		W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
3/13/99	ND	0.2	2	2	2	1	2
4/28/99	0-1	3.0	3	1	1	1	4

Chad Pennington worked the final 1.2 innings and gave up the winning runs in the Sun Devils' 7-6 loss in Tempe.

		W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
3/13/99	0-1	1.2	3	2	2	0	2

Lefty Will Waldrip pitched a complete game and shutout the Sooners, 11-0, in the second game in Tempe. The junior held OU to only three hits through nine innings, while striking out six.

		W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
3/14/99	1-0	9.0	3	0	0	0	6

CAREER-BEST PITCHING PERFORMANCES

The weekend series versus Kansas State saw all three Oklahoma starting pitchers set career highs. Sophomore Rocky Cherry began the weekend by pitching a career-best 8.1 innings on Friday afternoon against the Wildcats. Cherry's previous career high for innings pitched was six, which he recorded once this season and twice last year.

In Saturday's contest, junior Austin Coose struck out a career-high nine batters. Coose's previous season high in strikeouts was three, which he matched three times. Freshman Austin Mix matched Coose's accomplishment on Sunday with a career-high 11 strikeout effort of his own. It was the second consecutive outing in which the righthander recorded career bests for strikeouts.

BREAKING OUT

First baseman Rick Park, who was hitting .150 (6-for-40) entering last week, broke out of his season-opening slump. In the past few games, the senior co-captain hit .500 (7-for-14) over the Sooners' four wins with six runs scored, five RBIs, including three home runs. Park notched multi-hit games in three of the four games played, and posted two multi-runs scored and RBI games. The tremendous hitting performance helped raise Park's average 91 points as he ended the week with a .241 average.

DIAMOND NOTES

Oklahoma's 3-0 league record marks the first time the Sooners have opened their Big 12 season with the undefeated mark.
The current four-game win streak marks the longest of the season and matches the longest win streak of 1999.
The Sooners have scored over half their runs during the season between the sixth and ninth innings.
Oklahoma's starting pitchers have made it through the fifth inning in 12 out of the 15 games played.
Shortstop Tommy Whiteman's six game hitting streak was snapped Saturday as the sophomore went 0-for-4 at the plate. Rightfielder/designated hitter Jeff Bajenaru currently owns the team's longest hitting streak at six games.
With Bajenaru's four saves compiled this year, the senior co-captain is already half-way to his 1999 total (8).
Righthander Austin Coose has given up only four earned runs over his last 21.2 innings pitched.
OU's record is 7-1 when Jerome Godsey leads off for the Sooners.

STREAKS AND MORE . . .

The three-game sweep of Kansas State marked the third time the Sooners have swept the Wildcats in the last four years ... OU has won 17 of the last 20 meetings against KSU, including 11 of the last 12 games ... The Sooners have also won 15 consecutive games over the Wildcats at L. Dale Mitchell Park ... The last time Oklahoma opened conference play with a 3-0 record was 1996 when the Sooners won their first four games of Big Eight conference play.

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		38	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		163	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		81	1997-

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.

TAPPING THE JUCO CIRCUIT

Head coach Larry Cochell brought in a group of highly-touted junior college recruits to aid the Sooners' efforts in 2000. Cochell landed a first team Junior College All-American in Jerome Godsey. Godsey, a pitcher and outfielder at Santa Rosa (Calif.) C.C., batted .358, including 27 RBIs and 13 stolen bases, last season to also earn all-conference honors for the second year in a row.

Infielder Jason Bartlett and catcher/outfielder Eliot Joyner also highlight the JUCO unit. Bartlett averaged .457 with three home runs and 33 stolen bases in his final year at San Joaquin Delta C.C. (Calif.). Joyner garnered honorable mention conference honors in 1999 after hitting .326 with four home runs at Cerritos (Calif.) C.C.

CLASS OF 2001

The Sooners signed seven high school recruits during college baseball's early signing period in the fall to play for the Sooners beginning with the the 2001 season. Six of the signees hail from the state of Oklahoma, while the seventh hails from Arkansas. The recruiting class includes three pitchers, two outfielders, one infielder and one catcher.

Headlining the group is signee Jason Belcher, from Walnut Ridge (Ark.) High School, who is ranked as the 63rd top high school prospect in the nation by Baseball America and rated among the top three high school catchers in the country by Perfect Game scouting service.

SPEAKING OF RECRUITING CLASSES

The current group of newcomers was ranked as one of the top 30 recruiting classes in a recent issue of Collegiate Baseball. The class was rated as the 29th best recruiting class in the nation for 2000. Other Big 12 members listed in the rankings were Texas (3), Texas A&M (7), Oklahoma State (16) and Texas Tech (28).

OFF THE FIELD ACCOMPLISHMENTS

During the fall semester, 16 Sooners achieved a 3.0 or better grade point average for their efforts in the classroom. In addition, 13 players currently hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.

BEAM CLAY FIELD OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Sooner baseball program was recently awarded second place in the Beam Clay Field of the Year Award competition for L. Dale Mitchell Park's quality field surface. Top honors are awarded to the most outstanding baseball fields in the nation at the professional, collegiate, high school and parks and recreation levels.

Oklahoma took first place honors in 1994, the last time OU was able to enter the contest. Programs can enter the competition only once every five years.

SOONERS ON THE AIR

Every Sooner baseball game will be broadcast on 1400 AM KNOR-Norman, and 1490 AM KOKC-Guthrie. There will also be 10 games aired on the Sooner Radio Network. The broadcast team will consist of Mark Mathew and Mike Treps.

In addition to the radio, each broadcast will be carried on the Internet. To hear Sooner baseball anywhere in the world, log on to the University of Oklahoma's athletic web site at www.soonersports.com.

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