Baseball Opens On The Road At The Coca-Cola Spring Classic This Weekend

The 2004 Oklahoma baseball season kicks off this weekend with three games on the road at the Coca-Cola Spring Classic in Surprise, Ariz. OU will face its first competition on Friday when it faces Gonzaga at 4 p.m. (CST) in the season-opener for both teams. In the Sooners' second game of tournament action, Oklahoma is scheduled to play Cal State Northridge (4-2) at 12 p.m. (CST) on Saturday. The Sooners will then square off against seventh-ranked Arizona State (3-0) at 4 p.m. (CST) on Sunday in the classic's finale.

All games will be played at Surprise Stadium at the Surprise Recreation Campus, which is the home of both the Texas Rangers' and Kansas City Royals' spring training facilities.

Setting The Scene

Dates: Feb. 13-15

First Pitches: Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 12 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m.

Ballpark: Surprise Stadium (10,500)

Location: Surprise, Ariz.

Radio: Saturday and Sunday's games will be broadcast locally on KREF (1400 AM) with Jim Byers calling the action. The broadcasts can also be heard on Oklahoma's official web site www.soonersports.com. Live Stats, 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 Gonzaga are not ranked in any of the four major polls. Arizona State, who is ranked in all four major polls, received its highest ranking this week from USA Today and Collegiate Baseball who placed them seventh, followed by the NCBWA at No. 8 and Baseball America at No. 16.

GONZAGA SERIES NOTES: Oklahoma leads the all-time series 1-0 ... The win came in current OU head coach Larry Cochell's first year at the helm ... The matchup resulted in a 4-1 OU win in 1991 ... The game was also played in a tournament setting at the Spartan Classic in San Jose, Calif.

CSUN SERIES NOTES: Saturday's contest will be the first matchup between the two schools during Cochell's tenure at OU ... Northridge will represent the first of four schools from the state of California that Oklahoma will face this season.

ARIZONA ST. SERIES NOTES: The Sun Devils and the Sooners have battled in a highly-competitive series over the past 13 seasons ... The series is even at 12-12 during Cochell's era ... The two teams have faced off during the regular season in each of the last nine seasons ... ASU owns an 8-4 advantage since 1995 in games played in Arizona ... Arizona State won the season series last year with a 3-1 mark ... The Sooners upset the then-No. 1-ranked Sun Devils, 6-5, in Tempe in the first game of the series only to lose the next three straight ... Two of the losses occurred during the Tempe series while the third one took place in Oklahoma City ... Jarod McAuliff picked up the win in relief in OU's lone win last year ... McAuliff finished off the game for starter Mark Roberts who worked the first 6.1 innings ... Cochell is a 1964 graduate of ASU.

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 13-year tenure:

* The Sooners are 13-0 on opening day.

* OU has compiled a 28-4 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 At The Plate

Oklahoma's offensive lineup will be drastically different from a year ago ... The Sooners lost their top two hitters in departed seniors Eddie Cornejo and Reggie Willits ... Also gone is 79 percent of its home runs, 78 percent of its runs and 73 percent of its RBI production ... Junior Matt Bose and sophomore Russell Raley are the only two regular starters returning with at least 32 starts to their credit ... Sophomore LaFringe Hayes began to see time as a starter towards the end of the season and made nine starts in left field and six as the team's designated hitter ... Bose is the team's returning leading hitter for average ... He completed his sophomore campaign batting .286 ... Raley ended the season as one of the team's hottest hitters ... The Uvalde, Texas, native batted .304 (14-for-46) over the Sooners' final 13 games ... He also drove in nine of his 10 runs on the season during that span ... Andrew McGuire is OU's top returning power hitter from a year ago ... The senior outfielder hit four roundtrippers in limited playing time last year ... Nearly half (seven) of his 15 hits on the season went for extra bases ... On the basepaths, the Sooners recorded the highest stolen base total in six years last year with 91.

Sooners On The Mound

The Sooner pitching staff is considered to be the strength of the team this season with six lettermen returning ... Nearly 70 percent of its wins and strikeouts from a year ago returns ... Seniors Mark Roberts and Casey Brown and junior David Purcey all return as key starters for OU ... The staff only lost one of its regular starters ... Lefthander Buddy Blair, who accounted for 15 starts last season, left OU following last season after being selected in the 10th round of the Major League Draft ... Roberts tied Blair for the team lead in starts last year, followed by Purcey with 10 ... Brown became a regular starter towards the end of the season ... Junior Jarod McAuliff served as the team's closer last season, but could potentially see some time as a starter in 2004 ... Seniors Mike Swindell and Charlie House represent the returning nucleus of the bullpen staff ... Swindell also made six starts in 2003, but actually put up his best numbers in relief ... He posted a 2-2 record and a 3.33 ERA in 10 relief appearances ... Opponents only batted .198 against him.

Sooners Selected Sixth In The Big 12

With a host of new talent on board, the Oklahoma baseball team was picked sixth in the Big 12 Conterence Coaches Preseason Poll as released by the league office. OU received 37 points in the poll and placed one spot behind in-state rival Oklahoma State. The Longhorns again topped the list for the second straight year with 81 points, including nine first place votes. Nebraska was the only other team to receive a first place vote as they finished in third place behind Baylor. 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.

Following Nebraska was Texas A&M at No. 4 and rounding out the list was Texas Tech (No. 7), Kansas (No. 8), Missouri (No. 9) and Kansas State (No.10).

Ranking With The Best Of Them

Last fall Collegiate Baseball rated Oklahoma's incoming class of newcomers the ninth-best in the country. OU's talented class of 19 newcomers includes three Junior College All-Americans and three former high school All-State picks. Although unranked in the top 30 last year, the Sooners' rankings have steadily climbed over the years from 29th in 2000, 17th in 2001, 11th in 2002 to its current spot this year.

Oklahoma was the third Big 12 Conference school to appear on the list of rankings. The Sooners trailed only Texas at No. 5 and Oklahoma State at No. 7. Baylor (No. 19) and Nebraska (t-30th) rounded out the rest of the conference's ranked recruiting classes.

Chart Climbers

A pair of Oklahoma hurlers, senior Mark Roberts and junior Jarod McAuliff, have a chance to continue to leave lasting marks on the Oklahoma program. Both pitchers will have the opportunity this season to improve their standings on several of the school's career pitching charts.

Roberts, a four-year veteran on the squad, enters the season in 10th place on the all-time appearances list and only needs six more outings to crack the top five. With 204 career strikeouts, the Owasso, Okla., native only needs 13 more to break into the school's top 10.

McAuliff made his mark on the school record books last year and sits primed to continue his assault on the career charts with another standout season. McAuliff's nine saves in 2003 placed him in third on OU's career saves chart and his 35 outings last year, which ranks third on the single-season list, placed him on the verge of the top 10 on the all-time appearances list.

The New/Old Kid In Town

Returning to his roots to finish off his college playing days, junior Kyle Bradburry, a native of Mustang, Okla., joined the Sooner squad at the beginning of the spring semester. Bradburry, who played his prep days at Mustang High School, spent the last two seasons starring in the California junior college circuit at El Camino College. While at El Camino, he twice garnered first team all-conference honors and finished his final season batting .382 with five home runs and 32 RBI. He completed his academic requirements in the fall before heading back to Oklahoma and is competing for a starting job in the infield.

Settling In At Second

After spending the end of last season at third base, sophomore Russell Raley will begin his sophomore campaign starting at second base. Raley, who started 19 of the final 20 games last year at the hot corner, is projected to nail down the starting second base job heading into the season. Not a novice at second by any means, Raley made 11 starts at the position in 2003 while regular second baseman Eddie Cornejo filled in at shortstop.

Along with the responsibility of anchoring the Sooners' middle infield, Raley will also have the added pressure of replacing Cornejo, the Big 12 Conference's top performer at the position from a year ago. Cornejo earned first team all-conference honors last year after finishing third in the league with a .393 batting average, which led all Big 12 second basemen. Cornejo's batting average also led the team as he also put up team bests in hits, RBI and total bases.

Although he finished his first campaign hitting .239, Raley showed great improvement in his offensive capabilities in the fall and led the Sooners in hitting with a .380 average.

Cashing In On The JUCO Circuit

Last summer the Sooners landed three of the most heralded junior college talents in the country in Ryan Rohlinger (Clarendon College), Jeff Scuderi (Saddleback C.C.) and Ole Sheldon (Santa Rosa J.C.). Each of the transfers achieved Junior College All-American status last year and come to Norman as three of the most decorated individuals in the new class.

Rohlinger led the Western Junior College Athletic Conference with 20 home runs, 91 RBI and 169 total bases. Also emerging as one of his conference's leading offensive players, Scuderi placed in the top five in seven offensive categories including doubles, triples, batting average and stolen bases. Sheldon likewise finished near the top of his league in several categories en route to Bay Valley Conference West Player of the Year honors last season.

Texas Tandem

Two freshmen pitchers from the state of Texas have emerged as a pair of potential impact players on this year's pitching staff. Lefthander Charles Benoit from Southlake and righty Ryan Mottern from Palestine both experienced great success in their careers as heralded prep players in Texas and have showcased their worth during fall and spring workouts.

Benoit led his Southlake Carroll Dragons to a state title as a junior en route to earning state Player of the Year honors after finishing the year with a 13-1 record and a 1.23 ERA.

Named an honorable mention All-State selection as a sophomore, Mottern went on to finish his career as a three-time first team all-district and all-area pick as well as twice earning All-East Texas accolades. As a senior, he registered a 1.43 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 54 innings of work.

Standout Summers

Several University of Oklahoma baseball players finished championship seasons while on their collegiate summer baseball teams. Senior righthanded pitchers Charlie House and Casey Brown combined to lead their Havasu Heat team to an Arizona-Nevada League regular season title and to within two games of a NBC World Series championship. Across the country, another Sooner pitching combination of junior lefty David Purcey and senior righty Mike Swindell were major components of the Orleans Cardinals' Cape Cod Baseball League championship team.

House was the Sooners' biggest standout from the summer season. House finished his summer with an 8-0 record and a 0.62 ERA. He also struck out a team-best 64 batters and held opponents to only 38 hits in 56.3 innings.

Brown, House's teammate last season at OU and over the summer, was also a main contributor as one of the Heat's top starters. In his 10 starts, Brown compiled a 3-2 record with a 1.93 ERA. He also struck out 61 batters in 58 innings of work.

Purcey and Swindell and their Cardinals teammates battled to a first place tie in the regular season divisional title race and then a championship title after helping accomplish the first league playoff sweep in six years.

During the regular season, Purcey recorded a 4-1 record with a 1.88 ERA, which was second best amongst the Cardinals' starters. The southpaw also struck out 60 batters in 52.2 innings of work. He was also selected as a member of the Eastern Division All-Stars.

Swindell saw frequent action out of the Orleans bullpen during the regular season and posted a 2-1 mark in 11 outings. Swindell averaged over a strikeout an inning while only allowing 19 hits in 25.2 frames.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Baseball Opens On The Road At The Coca-Cola Spring Classic This Weekend

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