Baseball Hits The Field For First Time In 2003

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Feb. 4, 2003

NORMAN, Okla. - The Oklahoma Sooner baseball team kicks off the 2003 season this weekend with a home series against Southeast Missouri State. The three-game set, which will mark the first competition of the year for both teams, begins Friday at 3 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The series opener will be followed by games on Saturday and Sunday with noon start times.

The two teams meet again for the first time after engaging in a three-game series last year in Norman which the Sooners swept.

Series Information

DATES: Feb. 7-9

FIRST PITCH: Fri. at 3:07 and Sat. and Sun. at 12:07

BALLPARK: L. Dale Mitchell Park (2,700)

LOCATION: Norman, Okla.

RADIO: Saturday and Sunday's contests will be broadcast locally on KREF (1400 AM) with radio veteran James Hale calling the action. The broadcast can also be heard on Oklahoma's official web site www.soonersports.com.

TELEVISION: None.

RANKINGS: Oklahoma is ranked just out of the top 25 in several of the college baseball polls. OU stands 26th in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll, 28th in Baseball Weekly/ESPN preseason poll and 38th in Baseball America's preseason poll. Southeast Missouri State is not ranked in any of the polls.

SEMO SERIES NOTES: Oklahoma leads the series 3-0 ... The two teams squared off for the first time in both program's histories last year ... The Sooners swept the three-game set in Norman ... The Indians took the Sooners into extra innings in the series opener before OU came away with a 5-4 victory in 10 innings ... The winning run in that game was scored by outfielder Matt Arkison who crossed home plate on an errant throw ... Righthander Mark Roberts picked up his first win of the year in that game ... OU then went on to top SEMO 10-1 and 18-5 in the final two contests ... Outfielder Tyler Johnson was the offensive star in the series finale going 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and four RBI ... Oklahoma outscored Southeast Missouri State 33-10 during the series ... SEMO is the first of three schools from the state of Missouri that Oklahoma will face this season ... The other two teams from the "Show Me State" are Southwest Missouri State (Feb. 28) and the University of Missouri (May 16-18) ... The Indians are also the first of 11 clubs on the Sooners' 2003 schedule that participated in the NCAA Tournament last year.

A Closer Look At The 2003 Sooners

The Sooners are coming off a 35-27 season and will have the strength of seven returning starters in the field and three more on the mound to help with a second straight NCAA Tournament run in 2003. Returning for Oklahoma this season are a trio of All-Big 12 Conference performers from a year ago. Senior second baseman Eddie Cornejo, sophomore hurler David Purcey and junior catcher Ryan Richardson each obtained all-conference honorable mention accolades for their efforts last year. In addition, Purcey and fellow sophomores Matt Bose (third base) and Jarod McAuliff (relief pitcher) picked up Freshman All-Big 12 honors in 2002. Purcey and Bose were both further decorated at the end of last season by receiving Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors by Collegiate Baseball.

Purcey headlines an experienced OU pitching staff which returns six hurlers who combined for nearly 70 percent of the team's innings pitched and wins from a year ago. Other starters expected to rejoin the lefty in the rotation are a pair of righthanders in senior Austin Mix (6-6, 6.44 ERA in 2002) and junior Mark Roberts (7-4, 4.32 ERA in 2002). Junior college All-American Mike Swindell from Riverside Community College is also expected to step in and give the staff an immediate boost.

Joe Simpson To Speak At Home Run Club Banquet

Former Oklahoma Sooner and current Atlanta Braves broadcaster Joe Simpson will be the featured guest speaker at the OU baseball team's annual Home Run Club Banquet on Thursday, Feb. 6. The banquet allows fans and supporters of the team to get a personal preview of the upcoming season from head coach Larry Cochell and the rest of the team's coaches and players while also being treated to a special catered dinner.

The event, which is open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Norman (located on Interstate Drive). The cost to attend is $15 per person. Reservations may be made by contacting the Oklahoma baseball office at (405) 325-8354.

An All-American selection in 1973, Simpson lettered at OU from 1971-1973. The Norman, Okla., native also earned all-district and all-conference accolades in 1972 and 1973. He remains etched in the Sooner record books as his 32 stolen bases in 1973 still stands tied as the ninth-best total for a single season.

Following a successful collegiate career, Simpson played professional baseball for 11 years in the Dodgers, Mariners and Royals organizations. He has continued his close association with the sport by becoming one of the most recognized baseball broadcasters in the business after spending over a decade with the Braves and with the Seattle Mariners (1987-91) prior to his stint with Atlanta.

About Southeast Missouri State

Southeast Missouri State begins the year with six returning starters in the field and one on the mound off the 2002 squad which recorded a school record 37 wins. Four of their regulars, senior shortstop Zach Borowiak, senior infielder Denver Stuckey, senior pitcher Tim Alvarez and senior catcher Tristen McDonald, garnered All-Ohio Valley Conference recognition last year. All three of the hitters batted above the .324 mark during their junior campaigns.

McDonald returns to the diamond as the team's leading returning hitter after hitting at a .353 clip last season. He also poses one of the team's best power threats as his 10 home runs in 2002 topped all Indians sluggers.

Alvarez enters the weekend with only a brief knowledge of Oklahoma hitters. During the series last year, he only logged an inning of work in which he blanked the Sooners. For the year, he finished with a 5-1 record and a team-leading 2.95 ERA. He also recorded three saves in nine relief appearances.

The Sooners' Opening Weekend Success Under Cochell

Here are just a few interesting facts on the success that Oklahoma squads have enjoyed on opening weekend during head coach Larry Cochell's 12-year tenure:

* The Sooners are 12-0 on opening day.

* OU has compiled a 27-3 record over their opening weekend series.

* Oklahoma has recorded five shutouts.

* OU has only been taken into extra frames once in 2001 when the Sooners' emerged with a 4-3 victory over Oklahoma City in 11 innings.

* One of the most significant victories during this span was when the 1999 squad knocked off then-second ranked Georgia Tech, 12-0, in their second game of the ACC-Disney Baseball Bash in Orlando, Fla.

Sooners Selected Third In Preseason Big 12 Coaches Poll

With less than two weeks to go until opening day, the 26th-ranked Oklahoma baseball team was picked third in the Big 12 Conference Coaches Preseason Poll as released by the league office last Monday. OU just missed a second place prediction as it received 61 points in the poll, one point behind No. 2 Baylor's 62 total, as both teams trailed defending national champion Texas. The Longhorns topped the list with 81 points and nine first place votes, while the Sooners were the only other team to receive a first place vote. The poll was based on a vote by each of the 10 conference head coaches who were not allowed to cast a vote for their own team in the process.

Oklahoma, who enters the season rated 27th by Collegiate Baseball and 38th by Baseball America, returns a strong nucleus from last year's squad that posted a fourth place finish in the conference. Seven starters return in the field and three more on the mound including 2002 All-Big 12 performers Eddie Cornejo, Ryan Richardson and David Purcey. Purcey was recently selected by Baseball America as a second team preseason All-American as well as a preseason favorite to garner All-Big 12 accolades.

2003 Big 12 Conference Coaches Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
Rank/School-First Place Votes-Points
1. Texas-(9)-81
2. Baylor-0-62
3. Oklahoma-(1)-61
4. (tie) Nebraska-0-54
Texas Tech-0-54
6. Oklahoma State-0-47
7. Texas A&M-0-38
8. Kansas State-0-24
9. Missouri-0-17
10. Kansas-0-10

Purcey Reaps Preseason Recognition

Following a standout freshman season and an even more successful summer campaign, Oklahoma sophomore pitcher David Purcey has picked up numerous accolades during the preseason. Purcey was named to Baseball America's preseason All-American team as a second team selection in addition to being touted as a preseason All-Big 12 Conference pick.

The publication also tabbed the lefthander as the league's top prospect entering the 2003 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft as well as posessing the Big 12's best fastball.

Mix Continues Climb Up Career Charts

Senior righthanded pitcher Austin Mix is on pace to eclipse several of OU's career pitching records. A staple in the Sooners' starting rotation and out of the bullpen over his first three seasons, Mix heads into the season in fourth place all-time in innings pitched with 277.2, ranked sixth on the career strikeouts chart with 261 and ranked ninth in appearances with 58. The Coppell, Texas, native is also on the verge of entering the top 10 in wins.

Sooners Shine During The Summer

After finishing the summer baseball season leading the Alaska League in strikeouts, Oklahoma's David Purcey has turned some more heads in garnering several postseason accolades for his performance. Purcey, who helped lead his Anchorage Glacier Pilots team to the championship game of the National Baseball Congress World Series last summer, was named to Baseball America's Summer All-America Team. The honor followed on the heels of his distinction as the No. 1 prospect that emerged out of the league. The accolade was listed in an issue of Baseball America and was determined through a polling of coaches and scouts.

The sophomore lefthander's 1.13 ERA (which was second best in the league) easily complemented his 66 strikeouts and 2-1 record. An All-Alaska League performer, Purcey made two appearances during the NBC World Series and was credited with the team's 15-2 win over the Ft. Lauderdale Superstars to open their tournament slate.

Another Sooner whose outstanding performance this summer is worthy of mention is junior hurler Buddy Blair. Blair also led his league (Jayhawk) in strikeouts with 32 and finished second in the league with a 1.06 ERA as a member of the Liberal Bee Jays. In five games, he posted a 3-1 record and boasted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than 3:1.

Sooners Land Top Talent During Early Signing Period

The University of Oklahoma baseball team reloaded with some exceptional prospects when it signed its latest crop of talent during the early signing period this past fall. The program released its list of future Sooners which includes five high school players and three junior college tranfers.

Head coach Larry Cochell continued his trend of snatching some of the top talent from across the border as three of the most highly-touted high school prospects out of Texas committed to Oklahoma. Lefthanded pitcher Charles Benoit of Southlake Carroll, catcher Josh Stinson of Port Neches Grove and utility man Ryan Mottern of Palestine were recently ranked by Texas Baseball News' Top 25 Texas high school player list with Benoit coming in at No. 10, Stinson at No. 16 and Mottern at No. 21.

The remaining members of the Sooners' class of 2003 are (in alphabetical order): OF Bryant Beavers (Henryetta H.S./Henryetta, Okla.), INF Justin Garza (Seminole State College/Frederick, Okla.), OF Aaron Ivey (Putnam City North H.S./Oklahoma City, Okla.), P Nick Pesco (Consumnes River C.C./Lodi, Calif.) and INF Eric Thornton (Cowley County C.C./Dale, Okla.).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Baseball Hits The Field For First Time In 2003

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