McAuliff Earns Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week Honors

Oklahoma closer Jarod McAuliff's standout series performance against Baylor over the weekend earned him Big 12 Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week honors as released by the league office on Tuesday. McAuliff's weekend long effort was key in the Sooners' first sweep of the Bears' in its Big 12 history. The three-game sweep also helped vault the Sooners into a first place tie in the conference standings with Texas. McAuliff shared the distinction with Oklahoma State starting pitcher Spencer Grogan, while Kansas State outfielder Steve Murphy picked up the player of the week honor.

“He just did what we always ask him to do and that's come in the game and get outs,” said Oklahoma head coach Larry Cochell about his top reliever's effectiveness. “Jarod stepped up for us big this weekend and helped us get these big victories to get back in the conference race.”

Credited with two wins and a save in the series, McAuliff allowed only four hits in 5.1 innings of work and struck out five while only issuing one walk. He retired the last 11-straight batters in the series and secured outs at several key moments.

In one of the more critical moments in the series, McAuliff entered game two with runners at the corners and two outs in the top of the eighth inning with the game tied at 11. He fanned the Baylor batter for the final out of the frame to end the promising Baylor threat. The Sooners went on to win the game 12-11, capping off the program's largest comeback (eight runs) in seven years.

The pair of wins improved his season record to a perfect 5-0 on the season to lead the team in that category. The three appearances also pulled him to within seven outings of breaking the school's all-time appearances record.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

McAuliff Earns Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week Honors

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