Completed Event: Baseball versus (2) Georgia Tech on May 31, 2026 , Win , 15, to, 8


April 16, 2007 | Baseball
NORMAN, Okla. -- After a rain delay in Fort Worth, the Oklahoma baseball team (25-13 overall, 5-7 Big 12 play) will look to snap a two-game losing streak on Tuesday at TCU (27-9). First pitch at Lupton Stadium has been pushed back to 8:45 p.m.
Since facing OU two weeks ago on April 3, the Horned Frogs, ranked No. 27 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll, have won six straight games, including a 6-3 win over Baylor in their last midweek game. TCU is 9-1 in its last 10 games.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game against TCU will be broadcast live on the Sooners' flagship station, KOKC 1520 AM, with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play and DeWayne Vaughn providing the color analysis. The game can also be heard live via the internet on Yahoo. Pre-game coverage for all games begins 15 minutes prior to the first pitch.
Fans can E-mail the radio booth by clicking the following link - E-mail your questions to the radio booth and the OU broadcast crew will answer your questions during the Sooners' games.
Live stats for all games this season can be viewed on Soonersports.com.
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Over the weekend, rain again changed the schedule and forced OU to play two games on Saturday against Nebraska. The Sooners and Cornhuskers split the doubleheader (W, 3-0 and L, 6-4) and Nebraska claimed the series victory with a 12-5 win in Sunday's finale.
SOONERS VISIT WITH SPECIAL SPECTATORS
As Sooner fans across the country tuned in to watch the No. 23 Oklahoma baseball team battle Nebraska on Fox Sports Southwest on April 14, three fans in particular enjoyed the victory from beginning to end with the team in Norman. Alec Cochran, Ruben Contrares and Tyler Row enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of a typical gameday on top of the Sooners' victory thanks to the efforts of an organization called Special Spectators. Click here to read the rest of the story as well as see photos and videos from the day.
SCOUTING TCU
The Horned Frogs were picked to repeat as Mountain West Champions in the coaches poll released prior to the season. TCU is 1-3 this season against the Big 12 with a win over Baylor and losses to Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
The Sooners handed TCU one of those losses earlier this season with a 13-5 win on Tuesday, April 3 in Norman.
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TCU is expected to start right-hander Chase Perry on Tuesday. The senior will be making his sixth career start and first of the season. Perry has made five appearances in 2007 and in 8 2/3 innings, he has two walks and two strikeouts. Perry has surrendered two earned runs on six hits this season.
Offensively, TCU is led by Keith Conlon. The senior outfielder is leading the team with a .391 batting average and his six homers is tied for team lead. Conlon's 27 RBIs ranks fourth on the team and senior Austin Adams leads the club with 36 RBIs.
TCU and OU have met every year for the past 16 seasons. Since 1991, OU is 25-9 and leads the all-time series 54-25. OU swept the two 2006 regular season meetings (10-5 at TCU and 12-11 in Norman) and then lost the opener of the 2006 NCAA Norman Regional, 6-5, before eliminating the Horned Frogs from the postseason with a 15-6 victory. Refer to page seven for OU's career stats versus TCU.
NEXT UP
OU will travel to Manhattan, Kan., to play Kansas State (23-13, 5-7) in a crucial three-game Big 12 series. The series opener is scheduled for Friday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. and concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. OU will conclude the five-game road trip next Tuesday at UT-Arlington on April 24 at 6:30 p.m.Admission to the game will be free and $.50 popcorn and cokes will be available while supplies last.
10 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
The number 10 has proven to be an important statistic in determining the Sooners' record this season. When OU records 10 or more hits on offense, it is 15-3 with losses to Western Kentucky, Michigan and Michigan State. Additionally, the Sooners are 6-0 when they score 10 or more runs.On defense, OU is 4-6 when it allows 10 or more hits and in comparison, 20-3 when it holds the opposition under 10 base knocks. The Sooners have only allowed three opponents to score 10 or more runs this season. OU lost ach of those contests to South Carolina, Western Kentucky and Nebraska.
SOONERS' TOP 25 RANKINGS
The Oklahoma Sooners were not ranked in the top 25 for the first time in five weeks. The last time OU was not recognized was on March 5 when the USA Today/ESPN poll had the Sooners receiving votes. The USA Today/ESPN poll, as voted on by Division I coaches, also has the Sooners receiving votes this week. The Sooners were ranked No. 26 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association, who tabulates the top 30 teams in the nation each week. Refer to page six for a week-by-week look at the Sooners' rankings.
OKLAHOMA/BIG 12 RPI's
Although not official, Boydsworld.com provides a weekly pseudo RPI system. OU is ranked No. 15 in the latest ranking released on Thursday, April 12. The Big 12 is rated the No. 2 power conference in the nation behind the SEC. No. 6 Texas and No. 8 Texas A&M are the only Big 12 teams slotted ahead of OU.
SOONERS ADD UTA TO HOME SCHEDULE
After the OU baseball team was rained out at No. 10 Wichita State on April 10, it added a home game to the 2007 schedule. On Tuesday, May 1, OU will host UT-Arlington at 7 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Admission will be free and the game will mark a $.50 popcorn and coke night.
MOTTERN RETURNS?
The Sooners' hurler, who began the season as the club's No. 1 starter, was recently sidelined with a strained muscle in his throwing shoulder. Unable to pitch, Mottern entered this weekend's game with one at-bat in 2007, but in his first start as the Sooners' designated hitter, he was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate against Nebraska on April 14 in the series opener. The Palestine, Texas native also drove in two runs in the Sooners' 3-0 win. The next day in the series finale, Mottern continued to swing a hot bat with another pair of RBIs in a 2-for-4 performance.
Mottern finished the week 6-for-8 in two games played against Nebraska. He also drove in four runs, scored another, stole two bases and slugged at a 1.000 clip.
IVEY A CANDIDATE FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Senior outfielder Aaron Ivey was one of 30 NCAA Division I college baseball players as a candidate for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Ivey has made 90 starts in his OU career and has a cumulative GPA of 4.00 in his major of energy management. Ivey, a 2006 CoSIDA Academic All-American, was named a team captain prior to this season and has worked with the OU baseball team in various community service opportunities. This is the first year for the honor to be awarded in the sport. Lowe's recently announced the addition of baseball and three other NCAA sports to the award program that originally launched in 2001-02 with basketball. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award is designed to honor the attributes of college senior student athletes who stay in school and pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring. Candidates are selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student athlete.
SOONERS' STARTING PITCHERS
As the rotation continues to change for Oklahoma one thing has remained consistent, winning. OU is the only team in the Big 12 to have three hurlers with five wins or more. Joseph Hughes (five wins, 10 starts), Stephen Porlier (five wins, nine starts) and Heath Taylor (six wins, five starts) each rank in the top six in the Big 12 in wins. Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor and Missouri each have two hurlers with at least five wins.
SCORING FIRST
OU is outscoring its opponents 33-10 in the first inning of games played this season. When OU scores in the first frame, it is 7-1 (4-3 when opponent scores in the first) and when the Sooners tack on the game' s initial run, they are 15-2 (10-11 when opponent scores first).
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
OU is 9-3 this season against ranked teams, suffering its only losses to then-No. 4 South Carolina (13-2), then-No. 8 Texas A&M (7-3 on March 23) and then-No. 7 Texas (games one and two). The Sooner have recorded wins over then-No. 11 Wichita State, 5-4, then-No. 20 UC Riverside (three games), then-No. 22 San Diego, 6-4, Texas A&M (twice), Texas (game three) and then-No. 28 TCU.
OU's non-conference schedule included a total of seven teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 including South Carolina, UNC-Wilmington, Wichita State, San Diego, Michigan, TCU and UT-Arlington. Overall, the Sooners will face 13 opponents (23 total games) that participated in last year's NCAA Tournament, including two 2006 Super Regional teams (South Carolina and Missouri).
PORLIER MAKING HIS MARK
Sophomore Stephen Porlier continues to make his mark in his first season in Norman. Stephen Porlier tossed the first complete game of his career on April 14 against Nebraska. The four-hit shutout was the first for a Sooner since Daniel McCutchen shut down UC Riverside in 10 innings on March 3, 2006. Porlier struck out six in the outing and leads the Sooners with 68 this season.
Porlier has struck out 29 batters over the last 30 1/3 innings and 10-plus in two of the last four outings. Additionally, Porlier has four or more punch outs in each of his 10 appearances this season, including a season-high 12 batters against Texas A&M on March 23 and 11 versus Baylor on April 5. Porlier's 68 strikeouts is tied for the Big 12 with Andy Marks (Kansas). Porlier has lasted five or more innings in each of his 10 outings (nine starts).
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
OU is 9-3 this season against ranked teams, suffering its only losses to then-No. 4 South Carolina (13-2), then-No. 8 Texas A&M (7-3 on March 23) and then-No. 7 Texas (games one and two). The Sooner have recorded wins over then-No. 11 Wichita State, 5-4, then-No. 20 UC Riverside (three games), then-No. 22 San Diego, 6-4, Texas A&M (twice), Texas (game three) and then-No. 28 TCU.
BASE THIEVES
Oklahoma' s 56 stolen bases after 38 games ranks third in the Big 12 behind Texas (67) and Texas A&M (94). Aljay Davis leads all Sooners with 13 swipes and in a close second is Aaron Reza with 12 stolen bags. Rounding out the top five on the team are Joe Dunigan (9), Aaron Ivey (8) and Aaron Baker (3). The last time an OU team had three or more Sooners steal 10 or more bases in a season was 2003. That OU squad swiped 91 bases (tied for 14th most in school history) and was led by Reggie Willits (37), Denver Kitch (14), Eddie Cornejo (10) and Jay Yaconetti (10).
DONE-AGAIN
Joe Dunigan continues to get the job done offensively as he is tied for the team lead with 14 multiple-hit games (Aljay Davis and Aaron Reza) and 10 multiple-RBI games with Aaron Baker. Dunigan had his career-high nine-game hitting streak snapped against Texas. In that span, Dunigan had 18 RBIs on 17 hits. Dunigan currently leads the Sooners with a .336 batting average, .557 SLG%, 6 HR, 35 RBIs and a .429 on-base percentage. In his first two years in Norman, Dunigan hit. 273 and drove in 36 runs off five homers.
BAKER'S STREAK
Freshman Aaron Baker's hitting streak of 22 games came to an end on Sunday, March 18 against Michigan State, despite being issued two walks. Baker's streak ranks third all-time at Oklahoma behind Derek Wathan's 25-game mark (1997-1998) and Marty Neff's 27-game streak (1991). The first baseman is second among all Sooners with a .333 batting average and ranks second with 33 RBIs. The team-leading 22-game streak also leads the Big 12 for the longest streak this season. On March 13, Baker tied the OU freshman record for consecutive games hit safely with 19.
The streak is not the only records Baker is setting in his first season in Norman. In game two of the Western Illinois series on Feb. 24, he was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle as he tied an Oklahoma record with five hits. Baker became the 22nd player in OU history to accomplish the feat and the first since Greg Dobbs had five base knocks in 2001 (UTA).
REZA'S RETURN
Since Aaron Reza's return to the lineup, the Sooners are 23-9 and the shortstop is hitting .333 with 30 RBIs (third most on the team). Reza drove in 33 RBIs in his first season in Norman. For games played from Feb. 27 through March 4 this season, Reza was tabbed the Big 12 Player of the Week as he helped OU register four wins against ranked opponents (No. 11 Wichita State and No. 20 UC Riverside), Reza hit .588 (10-for-17) with nine RBIs. In that span, Reza was a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts and connected for his second career home run, while tying his career high for hits (3) in two games and setting a career high with four RBIs on March 2 against the Highlanders.
MORE FRESHMEN SUCCESS
Aaron Baker is not the only Sooner enjoying his first year on campus. Freshman closer Garrett Richards is tied for first in the Big 12 with nine saves. That mark already ranks in a tie for fourth place at OU for a single season. His nine conversions also is tied for fifth best in a career for a Sooner. In his 19 appearances, Richards (1-0) has blown one save (Feb. 25 against WIU) and has struck out 18 batters over 19 1/3 innings pitched. In the series finale against Texas A&M, he tossed a career-high 4 2/3 to record his first career victory. With nine saves and one win, Richards has figured into 40 percent of the Sooners' victories this season.
SOONERS ON TELEVISION
Baseball fans can catch action of three OU baseball games this season on live television, including a national broadcast by College Sports Television on April 5 when the Sooners visit Baylor. The complete broadcast schedule includes:
Thursday, April 5 at Baylor (CSTV)
Saturday, April 14 vs. Nebraska (FSN)
Sunday, May 6 vs. Oklahoma State (SSN)
BASEBALL ON THE O-ZONE
With the exception of the Feb. 28 game against Wichita State and the March 3 game UC Riverside, every game of the home portion of the 2007 schedule can be seen live via webcasts carried by the O-Zone, Soonersports.com's premium site. For more information on the O-Zone, please visit the O-Zone central page.
BIG 12 COMMISSIONER'S HONOR ROLL
Fifteen members of the OU baseball team were named to the 2006 Fall Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. Aaron Ivey was the lone Sooner to record a perfect 4. 0 GPA. Also making the list were Elliott Blair, Brad Burns, Andrew Doyle, Jarod Freeman, Zach Hedges, Bryant Hernandez, Joseph Hughes, Brandon Moss, Ryan Mottern, Stephen Porlier, Drew Roberts, Jimmy Rollins, Jackson Williams and Cory Williamson. Student-athletes must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA for the semester to qualify for the list.
DRAFT DODGERS
In 2006, the Sooners' roster featured 12 players that were drafted at one point in their careers. That mark was second in the Big 12 to Oklahoma State's 14. This season, OU again ranks second in the conference with 10 draftees and those players are listed below as well as where that mark ranks in the Big 12:
Player Year - Round Team
Aaron Baker 2006 - 37th Minnesota Twins
Vincent Biancamano 2004 - 35th Kansas City Royals
Brad Burns 2004 - 37th New York Mets
Aljay Davis 2005 - 29th Chicago White Sox
Andrew Doyle 2006 - 39th Washington Nationals
Joe Dunigan 2004 - 41st Montreal Expos
Chris Henry 2004 - 41st Colorado Rockies
Antwonie Hubbard 2006 - 12th Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Ryan Mottern 2006 - 49th Cleveland Indians
Devin Shepherd 2006 - 5th Minnesota Twins
BIG 12 DRAFTEES
Texas - 11
OU -10
Texas A&M - 10
OSU - 8
Nebraska - 7
Baylor - 4
Missouri - 4
Texas Tech - 3
Kansas State - 2
Kansas - 1
DOWNLOAD THE 2007 MEDIA GUIDE

View the complete 2007 Oklahoma Baseball Media Guide by clicking here. This is the official source of information on the Sooners produced by the OU Athletics Media Relations Department. The cost for the 2007 Baseball Guide is $15 and it is available at the OU Bookstore (405) 325-3511 (ask for general book sales), at all home games or by calling Sooner Sports Properties (405) 325-6465.
FIVE CAPTAINS TO LEAD OU IN 2007
Five Sooners were selected by their teammates to captain the club in 2007. Seniors Aaron Ivey and Jimmy Rollins and juniors Ryan Mottern, Aaron Reza and Jackson Williams are among the 13 letterwinners returning for OU this season.
OU LOOKS TO BUILD ON 2006 REGIONAL
After only one full season as Oklahoma's baseball coach, Sunny Golloway already has the Sooners measuring their success by the number of times they get to pile up on the middle of the field for a celebration. In his first season, Golloway led the Sooners to their first super regional appearance since they went to the College World Series as the defending champions in 1995. The next step is getting back to that level. Click here to read the full article written by the Associated Press.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Oklahoma Sooners led the nation in fielding percentage (.983) in 2006 and as a result, the team won a regional championship and was one win away from the program's 10th College World Series appearance. The Sooners lost four starters from the playing field but return five starters in 2007.
Last year's percentage is second in school history behind the .986 mark established by the 1951 team. The Sooners' won the program's first national title that same year.
MOTTERN NAMED TO WALLACE WATCH LIST
Junior hurler Ryan Mottern (RHP) was named to the watch list for the 2007 Brooks Wallace Award, presented annually to the national college baseball player of the year. Mottern, a 2007 captain, is the third Sooner to make the list since it originated after the 2004 season. Former Sooners Eric Thornton and Steven Guerra were part of the watch lists in 2005 and 2006, respectively.
Mottern is one of two pitchers that return this season with prior starting experience for the Sooners. Last season, the Palestine, Texas, native finished with a 4-2 mark in eight starts (13 appearances) scattered across 37 2/3 innings pitched. In that span, the right-hander struck out 36 batters and walked 22. Additionally, Mottern saw time as the Sooners' designated hitter and as an outfielder a year ago.
BIG 12 PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The University of Oklahoma baseball team was picked fifth in the Big 12 Conference Coaches' preseason poll as released by the league office on Jan. 29. OU received 46 points in the Big 12 poll, 11 points shy of fourth place Baylor.
Texas once again topped the list for the fifth straight year with 79 points, including seven first-place votes. Oklahoma State (70) followed the Longhorns at No. 2 with two first-place votes. Nebraska (64) and Baylor (57) rounded out the top four. Following the Sooners was Texas Tech (37), Texas A&M (34), Missouri (29), Kansas (22) and Kansas State (12).
The Sooners were also picked to finish fifth last season and ended the regular season in third place and was the last conference team standing in the NCAA Tournament, coming up one win shy of the College World Series. The last time OU was picked higher than fifth prior to a season was in 2003 when the Sooners were tabbed third.
2007 Big 12 Conference Coaches' Preseason Poll
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RADIO BROADCAST SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
The University of Oklahoma baseball team released its 2007 radio and internet broadcast schedule on Jan. 25. The entire 56-game regular season schedule will be broadcast live on the internet via Yahoo.
In addition, KOKC 1520 AM will again serve as the flagship station of Sooner baseball and 40-plus games are scheduled to broadcast live. Additionally, 11 of the games (listed below) are set to be carried on the Sooners Sports' Network, enabling fans to listen to OU baseball on the radio state-wide. For a list of affiliates in Oklahoma, visit the Sooner baseball page on SoonerSports.com.
Network Games:
Sunday, March 25 Texas A&M
Sunday, April 1 at Texas
Friday, April 6 at Baylor
Sunday, April 15 Nebraska
Sunday, April 22 at Kansas State
Sunday, April 29 Kansas
Friday, May 4 vs. Oklahoma State
Saturday, May 5 vs. Oklahoma State
Sunday, May 6 vs. Oklahoma State
Sunday, May 13 at Missouri
Sunday, May 20 Texas Tech
GOLLOWAY RANKS AMONG BEST ACTIVE COACHES
Head coach Sunny Golloway ranks in a tie for 11th all-time among winningest active head coaches (by winning percentage) heading into the 2007 season. In 10 seasons, Golloway is 392-184-0 (.681).
FORMER OU COACH, VERN RUHLE, PASSES
Former University of Oklahoma and Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Vern Ruhle (55) died Jan. 20 in Houston of complications from a donor stem cell transplant for the treatment of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. Ruhle was Oklahoma's pitching coach from 1990-1995 and helped lead the Sooners to three College World Series appearances (1992, 1994 and 1995) and the program's second national title in 1994.
MINOR JOINS OU STAFF
Former Sooner and Major Leaguer Damon Minor is new to the Oklahoma baseball staff as a volunteer coach for the 2007 season.
Minor, who played at Oklahoma from 1993-1996, helped the Sooners win the 1994 National Championship and make a return trip to the College World Series in 1995, Minor, a 1996 All-America Honorable Mention, was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1996. With the Giants, the former Sooner played on the Major League level from 2000-04. He enjoyed his best season in 2002 when San Francisco won the National League Championship and advanced to the World Series. During that season, Minor saw time in 83 games and connected for 10 home runs 24 runs batted in.
SOONERS FINISH 2006 RANKED NINTH
The University of Oklahoma baseball team recorded its highest top-25 finish since 1995 when Baseball America released its final poll of the 2006 season. The Sooners earned the No. 9 spot after coming within one win of advancing to the program's 10th College World Series appearance.
The 1995 OU team, which is the last squad to reach the CWS, finished the season as the No. 7 ranked team in the nation.
In the remaining final polls, the Sooners were ranked No. 10 by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) and No. 11 on the Sports Weekly/USA Today list.
2007 SIGNING CLASS TABBED FOURTH BEST
For the third time in the last four years, the Oklahoma baseball team's incoming class was ranked in the nation's top 10, coming in at No. 4 as released by Collegiate Baseball in Sept. The 2007 class trailed South Carolina, Miami (Fl.) and Florida.
Oklahoma's 2007 class consists of 18 newcomers and features two players drafted highly in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, freshman outfielder Devin Shepherd (fifth-round) out of Oxnard Union High School in California and freshman right-handed pitcher Antwonie Hubbard (12th-round) from Hooks High School in Texas.
SOONERS SIGN EIGHT FOR 2008

Oklahoma baseball head coach Sunny Golloway announced the signing of eight baseball players for the 2008 season to national letters of intent in November.
For the second consecutive year, the OU coaching staff landed a projected first-round draft pick in Blake Beavan. Beaven was a member of the USA Junior National Team in 2006. Last year, Oklahoma signed Devin Shepherd, one of the highest ranked prep outfielders in the country (drafted in the fifth round by the Minnesota Twins).
Although Beavan headlines the class, the other signees have
earned their share of accolades in their young careers. The group features seven high school prospects an