Sooners Hit The Road For TCU Contest On Tuesday

No. 23 Oklahoma (11-6) takes a break from its month-long homestand to travel to TCU (11-8) on Tuesday. The Sooners and the Horned Frogs will face each other at 7 p.m. at Lupton Stadium in the first contest of a two game home and home series this season. TCU returns the trip to Norman later in the season on April 20.

During the month of March, OU has 14 of its 17 scheduled games at home. The TCU game is only the second road game of the month with the final road contest of March slated for Oral Roberts next Tuesday.

Setting The Scene
DATE: March 16
FIRST PITCH: 7 p.m.
BALLPARK: Lupton Stadium (2,500)
LOCATION: Fort Worth, Texas
RADIO: The game will be broadcast locally on KREF (1400 AM) with Jim Byers calling the action. The broadcast can also be heard on Oklahoma's official web site www.soonersports.com.
TELEVISION: None.
LIVE STATS: Live Stats, which can be accessed through soonersports.com, will be run during the game to provide fans live updates on the game's progress.
RANKINGS: Oklahoma is ranked 23rd in the Sports Weekly/ESPN poll, while TCU is not ranked in any of the major polls.
TCU SERIES NOTES: Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 48-21 ... The Sooners own a 20-8 advantage over the Horned Frogs during OU head coach Larry Cochell's tenure ... The two teams have played a two game home and home series every year since 1997 ... OU has won 12 of the last 14 contests ... The Sooners are 5-5 against the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth under Cochell ... OU dropped its most recent contest in Fort Worth by a 4-3 count in 11 innings last year ... Jarod McAuliff suffered the loss after giving up the tying and winning runs in the game ... David Purcey started that game and gave up only one earned run in six innings of work ... The Sooners defeated the Horned Frogs in a contest in Norman earlier in the 2003 season ... Andrew McGuire smashed his second home run of the season in the 13-6 Oklahoma win ... Mike Swindell made his first start as a Sooner in the game and received a no-decision.

Last Time Out
Creighton used a large inning to secure victory as the Bluejays defeated No. 20 Oklahoma, 9-7, Sunday afternoon at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Bluejays (6-8) batted around the order in the fifth inning and scored eight runs to erase a three run deficit for the win. Offensively, junior rightfielder Andrew McGuire and junior third baseman Matt Bose tied their career bests in hits for the second straight game with three each to pace the Sooners (11-6).

After going hitless through the first four frames, Creighton broke out its bats in the fifth inning to plate eight runs on eight hits and grab an 8-3 advantage. Oklahoma starter Casey Brown (2-2) gave up four hits and hit a batter on five of the first six batters to allow two runs to score. Brown left the game with the bases loaded and gave way to junior righty Daniel McCutchen. All three baserunners scored as Creighton continued to tag McCutchen for two more run-scoring hits and took advantage of an error to score another to add three more runs to the damage.

Freshman Ryan Mottern then entered the game and quickly got the second out of the inning on a strikeout, but then gave up a single and a double to allow two more runs to score. Mottern finally got the Sooners out of the inning with a inning-ending strikeout.

Following Creighton's eight run frame, Oklahoma made a valiant attempt to climb back into the game. Bose (3-for-5) went deep to left field with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to get a run back and cut the Bluejays' lead to 8-4.

The Sooners cut the lead further in the seventh inning by scoring three more runs. Junior first baseman Ole Sheldon (2-for-5) sparked the rally with a leadoff base hit and scored on a triple to center field by junior designated hitter Eric Thornton (1-for-4). Two batters later, sophomore second baseman Ryan Rohlinger (1-for-4) put runners at the corners by drawing a walk. Sophomore pinch hitter LaFringe Hayes (1-for-1) then doubled home Thornton and moved Rohlinger over to third base into scoring position.

Rohlinger crossed home plate as a ground out to second base by freshman leftfielder Aaron Ivey (0-for-1) to bring the Sooners to within a run at 8-7.

The Bluejays however tagged on an unearned run in the eighth inning to cushion their lead and Creighton hurler Scott Reese finished off the final 2.2 innings to pick up his second save of the series.

Sooners At The Plate
Oklahoma is batting .275 on the season with 106 runs scored and 91 RBI ... Oklahoma's offense raised its team batting average during the week by nine points by hitting .302 as a team at the plate ... The Sooners recorded three double-digit hit efforts in the four-game span, including a season-high 14 hits on Wednesday against Texas-Arlington ... They also put up their best one-week total in power numbers over the last seven days ... The team hit six home runs, eight doubles and two triples ... Senior rightfielder Andrew McGuire accounted for two of the home runs and one each of the triples and doubles ... McGuire's homers were his first two of the season and came over a span of three games ... Juniors Matt Bose and Eric Thornton both hit their second home runs of the year last week, while fellow junior Kyle Bradburry and freshman Chad Lembeck both went deep for their first long balls of their careers ... Lembeck's shot also marked his first career hit, run scored and RBI ... Bose was the team's top hitter last week ... Bose batted .583 (7-for-12) with one run scored and two RBI in three starts ... He missed a start last week versus UTA due to illness ... Bose tied his career high effort in hits in the last two games of the Creighton series with three ... One of his hits on Sunday went deep for his second home run of the season ... Oklahoma posted several team season highs against Texas-Arlington last Wednesday ... The Sooners pounded out a season best 12 runs on a season high 14 hits, including another season best 11 RBI ... The team received some productive pinch hit at bats last week as the Sooner reserves hit a combined .385 over the four games ... Sophomore LaFringe Hayes contributed a RBI-double and drew a walk in two of his pinch hit appearances ... Freshman Aaron Ivey also drove in a run on a ground out, while Lembeck's home run came in a pinch hit situation ... Additionally, sophomore Scott Rooker reached base on a hit-by-pitch and Thornton collected a pinch hit single.

Sooners On The Mound
The Oklahoma pitching staff is sporting a 3.82 ERA and has struck out 128 batters while walking 53 ... The staff has not thrown a wild pitch in the last nine games and has not committed a balk since the only one that has occurred all season in the second game of the year ... Oklahoma has three of the top six pitchers in ERA in the Big 12 Conference in senior Mark Roberts and juniors David Purcey and Jarod McAuliff ... No other school in the league has three pitchers listed in the top 15 ... Purcey and Roberts turned in another pair of stellar pitching performances over the weekend ... The duo combined for a sub-1.54 ERA and posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 13:1 for the second-straight week ... Freshman Ryan Mottern emerged as one of the key members out of the bullpen during the Creighton series ... He allowed only one earned run and struck out five while holding the Bluejays to five hits in as many innings of work over two appearances ... His 3.12 ERA stands as the second best mark in the Sooner bullpen ... Senior righthander Charlie House and freshman lefthander Charles Benoit are receiving some consideration for mid-week starting duty following two solid relief outings for each hurler in the last two weeks.

OU's One-Two Punch
The starting pitcher duo of junior David Purcey and senior Mark Roberts is providing Oklahoma with two powerful knockout punches to opposing teams. The pair, which is ranked third and sixth, respectively, in the Big 12 Conference in ERA, has registered some impressive starts through the Sooners' first 17 games. OU is a combined 8-2 when Purcey and Roberts start.

Both pitchers are making it tough on opposing batters in similar fashions. In addition to their low ERAs, both pitchers rank among the league's best in strikeouts and innings pitched. Roberts ranks third in strikeouts and seventh in innings pitched, while Purcey trails not too far behind in a tie for fifth in strikeouts and eighth in innings pitched. Purcey is also tied for the conference's top honors in best opponent batting average.

In their last three starts, both pitchers have not allowed more than one earned run and are combining for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than 4:1.

Mac Attack
Senior rightfielder Andrew McGuire has not let up with his bat since the season began. Since opening the season with a career high six-game hitting streak, McGuire has not gone hitless for more than one game and his offensive impact is being felt by the team as well as in the Big 12 Conference.

By taking over the team lead in hitting with a solid .467 at the plate last week, McGuire also raised his standing in the conference into a tie for the ninth best average at .392. He also ranks in the top 10 in the league in several other offensive categories including first in on-base percentage, tied for eighth in stolen bases and 10th in slugging percentage.

Last week, McGuire hit two home runs in three games, his first two of the season, and also scored six runs and drove in six more. He collected at least one hit in every game to extend his current hitting streak to five games, one shy of his career and season best.

Breaking Out
Following a brief slump which occurred during the first month of the season, junior designated hitter Eric Thornton has broken out of the funk and continued to raise his batting average over the last two weeks.

During a six-game stretch which included the Southeast Missouri State series and the Sooners' trip to the Kia Baseball Bash in California, Thornton struggled through an 0-for-15 slump. Over the last two weeks, Thornton has broken out of his hitless streak and raised his average 125 points by batting .375 (9-for-24) with three runs scored and seven RBI over the last seven games. His slugging percentage during that span also rose 210 points as he registered a .708 average with one double, two triples and one home run.

His effort has been aided by striking out less at the plate. Thornton fanned 10 times during the first 10 games compared to striking out only four times over the last seven contests.

Rohlinger Returns
In a much-anticipated debut, sophomore infielder Ryan Rohlinger returned from injury and started in Sunday's game against Creighton. Rohlinger, who fractured his right forearm less than a week before the season opener, went 1-for-4 at the plate against the Bluejays and scored a run. Playing with protective padding during the game, the usual sure-handed infielder committed two errors, one throwing and the other coming on a controversial double play attempt.

Projected to be the Sooners' starting shortstop heading into the season, the 2003 JUCO All-American started at second base during the game, but is expected to eventually move over to shortstop as his recovery continues.

Roberts On A Roll
Senior starting pitcher Mark Roberts has jumped out to an impressive start in his final campaign. Roberts leads the Sooner staff in victories with a 4-1 record after winning his fourth-straight decision on Sunday. During the four game stretch, the righthander has recorded a 1.29 ERA while allowing only 23 hits and striking out 30 batters in 28 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .215 against him.

In his latest outing against Creighton on Saturday, the Owasso, Okla., native continued to lower his season ERA by nine more points by allowing only one run in seven innings pitched. He faced the minimum in five of the frames and allowed a season low three hits while not issuing any walks. He tied his career high with nine strikeouts, which also established a season best and extended his streak of fanning at least eight batters to three weeks.

His season numbers rank him as one of the top pitchers in the Big 12 Conference. Roberts currently ranks tied for second in the league in wins, third in strikeouts, sixth in ERA and seventh in innings pitched.

Tough On The Competition
With a recent 2-1 series victory over UC-Riverside, Oklahoma improved its season mark to 5-1 against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last year. The record also includes victories over nationally-ranked foes Cal State Fullerton, Arizona State and Georgia Tech.

OU is slated to face seven more teams this season that advanced to regionals last year including Texas, Oral Roberts, Baylor, Missouri, Texas A&M, Wichita State and Nebraska.

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, entered the season in 10th place on the all-time appearances list and moved into a tie for seventh place with his 67th outing on Saturday. Serving in both starting and relief roles during his first three seasons, the Owasso, Okla., native is averaging 20.7 appearances a season which puts him on pace to break the career mark of 83 established by Evan Greusel from 1999-2002.

Roberts also broke into the school's top 10 in career strikeouts this season and moved up two places into sole possession of seventh with 239 for his career. He has also quietly moved into fifth place on OU's all-time innings pitched list with 277.1, needing only 43.2 more innings to take the lead.

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. With 12 outings to his credit this year to give him 71 for his career, McAuliff continued to move up the chart over the last week into the fourth spot on the list with 71 for his career. He needs just 13 more outings to capture the record which is held by former Sooner Evan Greusel (1999-2002).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Hit The Road For TCU Contest On Tuesday

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