Baseball's Regular Season Ends On The Road At Missouri

NORMAN, Okla. - Oklahoma (21-27, 9-15 Big 12) ends the 2003 regular season on the road with its final Big 12 Conference series against Missouri (32-17, 13-10 Big 12) this weekend. The series kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Simmons Field and continues with games on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

The series carries serious implications for the Sooners' Big 12 Tournament hopes. Heading into the final weekend of conference play, OU sits in seventh place in the conference standings a game ahead of eighth place Kansas in the wins column and two wins in front of Texas Tech, who resides in the ninth spot. Two wins over Missouri would secure a tournament berth or at least one win would force Texas Tech to sweep Oklahoma State in Lubbock, Texas, in order to beat Oklahoma out for one of the final two spots.

DATES: May 16-18
FIRST PITCHES: Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. & Sunday at 1 p.m.
BALLPARK: Phi Delta Theta Stadium at Simmons Field (2,200)
LOCATION: Columbia, Mo.
RADIO: Friday and Saturday's games will be broadcast locally on KREF (1400 AM) with Jim Byers calling the action. Sunday's game will be broadcast on the Learfield Radio Network. The broadcasts can also be heard on Oklahoma's official web site www.soonersports.com. Gametracker, which also can be accessed through soonersports.com, will be run throughout the series to provide fans live updates on the game's progress.
TELEVISION: None.
RANKINGS: Oklahoma and Missouri are not ranked in any of the four major polls.
MISSOURI SERIES NOTES: Oklahoma leads 131-91 in the all-time series versus Missouri ... The first games between the two schools were played back in 1913 ... The Tigers won both initial meetings, 5-3 and 2-1 ... Since the beginning of the Big 12, Oklahoma holds a 15-4 lead in the series ... OU Head Coach Larry Cochell is 36-14 against Missouri while at the helm of the Sooners ... OU is currently riding a 10-game winning streak against MU over the last three years ... The last time the Sooners played in Columbia in 2001, the Sooners swept the three-game set ... In 2002, OU swept its third straight series from MU in Norman ... Oklahoma rallied for a 10-9 victory in 12 innings in the series opener last year ... Denver Kitch scored on a single by Reggie Willits for the walk-off win ... Kitch recorded a career high four hits in that game ... The Sooners came back from a large deficit to defeat the Tigers in the second game as well ... Matt Bose drove in the winning run in the ninth inning for the 9-8 win ... Mark Roberts picked up two wins in the series ... Both of Roberts' wins came in relief ... Austin Mix was credited with the other victory on the mound of the series ... Matt Arkison hit his first home run as a Sooner in the series finale.

Last Time Out

Three late Texas-Arlington runs in the final two innings sent Oklahoma to an 11-9 defeat Tuesday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park in the Sooners' season home finale. With the Sooners clinging to a 9-8 lead, the Mavericks knotted up the game in the eighth by plating a single run and then scored the winning runs in the top of the ninth inning to capture the lead for good. Mavericks left fielder Hunter Pence hurt Oklahoma (21-27) single-handedly with two multiple run homers to account for five of Texas-Arlington's (32-31) runs in the game.

Pence hit the first of his two home runs, a two-run shot, in the top of the first inning to set the Sooners back 2-0. Oklahoma then scratched back with a single run in the bottom of the second inning as sophomore right fielder Greg Kish (0-for-3) led off the frame with a walk and advanced around to third base on a sacrifice and a balk. He then scored on a bloop single to right field by junior shortstop Denver Kitch (1-for-4) to make it a 2-1 ballgame.

After the Mavericks scored a single run in the top of the fourth frame to take a 3-1 lead, the Sooners responded with a six-run inning to capture a 7-3 lead. Oklahoma batted through the lineup in the inning as senior center fielder Reggie Willits (2-for-5) started off the frame with a double, stole third base and scored on a fielding error by the UTA second baseman. UTA starting pitcher B.J. Brandenberger then walked the bases loaded and forced home a run with his third walk of the inning. With the bases still loaded, Kitch lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to plate another run just prior to senior designated hitter Matt Arkison's (1-for-3) three-run homer to left field which capped off the inning.

OU's lead was short-lived as UTA regained the lead by answering with a five-run frame in the top of the fourth inning to go ahead 8-7. The Mavericks used a two-RBI double by designated hitter Kasey Baker and Pence's second homer, a three-run blast, to plate the runs.

OU captured its second lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth frame by scoring two runs to edge UTA 9-8. The Sooners strung together four straight hits ending with senior second baseman Eddie Cornejo's (3-for-3) which drove in freshman third baseman Russell Raley (1-for-4) who was responsible for the first base hit of the inning. The Sooners then took the lead on sophomore first baseman Matt Bose's (0-for-4) sacrifice fly to center field.

Sooners At The Plate

As a team, Oklahoma is batting .277 with 35 home runs and 255 RBI ... The team's batting average raised six points during the Kansas State series ... Oklahoma's offense has recorded double-digit hit totals in 10 of its last 15 games ... OU's team batting average ranks 10th in the Big 12 Conference overall and eighth in league only standings ... Sooners in the Big 12 overall standings: Reggie Willits - first in stolen bases, fifth in on base percentage, eighth in batting average and tied-8th in walks; and Eddie Cornejo - tied-4th in batting average, ninth in on base percentage and tied-9th in hits ... Sooners in the Big 12 only standings: Willits - first in stolen bases, tied-6th in runs scored and 13th in batting average; Cornejo - first in on base percentage, second in batting average and fourth in walks and hits; Kitch - third in stolen bases; Brandon Jones - tied-6th in triples ... In this week's NCAA statistics, Willits ranked tied for sixth in the nation in stolen bases per game ... He moved into a tie for seventh place on the school's single season stolen base list with his 34th stolen base of the season on Tuesday ... The mark ties former Sooner Keith Drumright who accomplished the feat in 1976 ... Willits led the team in hitting during the Kansas State series ... He hit at a .538 clip (7-for-13) with six runs scored and a RBI ... He was also a perfect 7-for-7 in the stolen base deparment during the set ... It marked his highest conference series stolen base total for the year ... Cornejo is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak in which he is batting .512 (22-for-43) with 12 runs scored and 11 RBI ... His streak ties the team's individual best hitting streak this season which is also held by Willits ...Sophomore right fielder Greg Kish smacked his first career home run in OU's 10-8 win over Kansas State on Saturday ... His two-run shot proved to be one of the differences in the contest as the Wildcats rallied for six runs in the bottom of the ninth inning ... Freshman left fielder LaFringe Hayes established a career high in hits and RBI with three a piece in Sunday's win ... Three other Sooners also tied career highs in that contest including Willits and Cornejo with three runs scored and Kish with two runs scored and two RBI.

Sooners On The Mound

The Sooner pitching staff is currently sporting a 5.28 ERA and has struck out 316 batters while walking 157 ... The staff's ERA ranks seventh in the Big 12 Conference overall and sixth in league games only ... Sooners in the Big 12 Conference standings: Jarod McAuliff - 1st in appearances and ERA and tied-2nd in saves; Mark Roberts - 16th in ERA, fourth in strikeouts, seventh in innings pitched, tied-6th in games started and tied-8th in complete games; David Purcey - tied-4th in appearances and ninth in opponent batting average; Buddy Blair - tied-6th in games started and tied-8th in complete games ... Sooners in the Big 12 only standings: McAuliff - first in appearances, tied-1st in saves and second in ERA; Roberts - third in strikeouts and innings pitched, tied-6th in complete games and games started and tied-18th in ERA; Purcey - third in appearances; and Blair - tied-1st in games started ... McAuliff moved into a tie for third place on the school's single-season appearances record with his 32nd outing of the season on Saturday ... His 32 appearances ties former Sooner Geoff Geary who accomplished the feat in the 1997 season ... McAuliff's eighth save of the season in that game tied him with Geary and Jeff Bajenaru (1999) for third place on the single season saves chart ... Purcey lasted a season high six frames and issued only two walks in his start against KSU on Saturday ... After giving up two runs in the second inning (only one of them earned), Purcey retired 13 of the next 16 Wildcats he faced ... It marked Purcey's first start in his last eight appearances since returning to the bullpen.

About Missouri

Missouri (32-17, 13-10 Big 12) enters the weekend as one of the hottest teams in the Big 12 Conference this season. Their explosive offense, which currently stands third in the league standing in team batting average, has carried the Tigers into the upper tier of the league. During the middle of the year the Tigers enjoyed a 13-game winning streak in which they swept three-straight conference opponents.

At the plate, Missouri, who is hitting .319 as a team, is led by outfielder Jayce Tingler who is batting at a .413 clip. Tingler also leads the Tigers in runs scored, hits and stolen bases. Cody Ehlers is Missouri's top RBI threat as the first baseman has driven in a team-best 54 runs and has also clubbed a team-high eight home runs.

Missouri is expected to start Yukon, Okla., native Justin James (RHP) who leads all Tiger starters in ERA at 4.55 and carries a 6-6 record. Other potential starters over the weekend are righthanders Derek Roper (4-1, 5.34 ERA) and Garrett Broshuis (5-2, 6.75 ERA).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Baseball's Regular Season Ends On The Road At Missouri

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