Completed Event: Baseball versus (2) Georgia Tech on May 31, 2026 , Win , 15, to, 8
Final
Baseball
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Crucial Road Test Awaits Baseball
April 20, 2007 | Baseball
NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma Sooners (25-14 overall, 5-7 Big 12 play) returns to the road in Big 12 play in a critical three-game series at Kansas State (24-13, 5-7). Both teams enter the weekend tied sixth place in the conference standings.
The Sooners and Wildcats begin the series on Friday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. and the finale is slated for 1 p.m. first pitch.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
This weekend's games at Kansas State will be broadcast live on the Sooners' flagship station, KOKC 1520 AM, with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play. Sunday's game will be broadcast across the state on the Sooners Sports' Network and all three games can also be heard live via the internet on Yahoo. Pre-game coverage for all games, now begins 25 minutes prior to the first pitch. Fans in Manhattan wanting to hear the Sooners' broadcast can tune in to 88.7 FM inside the stadium.
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. Kansas State will provide a live webcast for game one and game three available on the O-Zone.
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UPDATING THE SOONERS
Rain disrupted the Sooners' schedule for the third time in the last six games in Fort Worth on Tuesday.
After a two hour and 20 minute rain delay, the Sooners never got things rolling in an 11-4 loss to TCU at Lupton Stadium. The game marked the first midweek defeat for OU this season as it dropped to 25-14 overall. TCU scored five runs in the second inning and five more in the fifth as the opposition outhit the Sooners 14-9. The Horned Frogs have won seven straight games since suffering a 13-5 loss to OU on April 3 at L. Dale Mitchell Park. TCU has also won 19 straight at home.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE
The Wildcats, picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' poll, have been one of the conference's most improved teams this season. After winning three games to begin April, the Wildcats have struggled with a 2-5 record in the last seven games.
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Kansas State will start Brad Hutt in Friday's series opener. Hutt also started game one against OU in 2006 and defeated the Sooners with eight innings of two unearned runs on four hits and three strikeouts. In 2007, Hutt is 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA. Across 59 innings of work, Hutt has struck out 36 batters and walked 16 while holding hitters to a .265 clip.
Offensively, the Wildcats are led by centerfield Byron Wiley. The sophomore leads KSU with a .395 batting average and 24 RBIs. Last weekend against Oklahoma State, Wiley finished 5-for-15 and drove in three runs. In Big 12 play, he is hitting .341.
OU leads the all-time series with Kansas State, 134-43 after taking two of the three games played last year in Norman. Since Big 12 play originated in 1997, the Sooners are 24-6 (9-1 in series play) against the Wildcats and have dropped one series in that span (2001 in Manhattan). In addition, OU is 5-5 in games played in Manhattan and has dropped three of the last four series openers.
BASEBALL VIDEO - KSU PREVIEW
Click here to watch video as the Sooners' discuss this weekend's matchup in Manhattan, Kan. Junior shortstop Aaron Reza discusses the importance of this weekend and the advantages/disadvantages of playing on the turf at Lupton Stadium. Additionally, OU head coach Sunny Golloway talks about the team's recent slump and the NCAA postseason.
NEXT UP
OU ends the current five-game road trip at Texas Arlington on Tuesday, April 24. The Sooners and Mavericks will square off at 6:30 p.m. Following the midweek game, OU returns to L. Dale Mitchell Park to host Kansas in a three-game Big 12 series. The series opener is slated for a 7 p.m. first pitch on Friday, April 27. The set continues on Saturday at 3 p.m. and concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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.
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 4-7 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 four opponents to score 10 or more runs this season. OU lost each of those contests to South Carolina, Western Kentucky, Nebraska and TCU.
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. Despite being left out of the top 25 rankings, the Sooners are ranked No. 26 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association this week, 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. 18 in the latest ranking released on Thursday, April 18. The Big 12 is rated the No. 2 power conference in the nation behind the SEC. No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 8 Texas 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 to the game will be free and $.50 popcorn and cokes will be available while supplies last.
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 the two games with four RBIs, two stolen bases and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
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).
IVEY A CANDIDATE FOR LOWE'S 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, a 2006 CoSIDA Academic All-American, has made 90 starts in his OU career and has a cumulative GPA of 4.00 in his major of energy management. 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 one of two teams 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 A&M also has three pitchers with five-plus wins and Texas, Baylor and Missouri each have two hurlers with at least five wins.
SCORING FIRST
OU is outscoring its opponents 33-11 in the first inning of games played this season. When OU scores in the first frame, it is 7-1 (4-4 when opponent scores in the first) and when the Sooners tack on the game' s initial run, they are 15-2 (10-12 when opponent scores first).
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
OU is 9-5 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) then-No. 7 Texas (games one and two) and No. 27 TCU. The Sooners 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 59 stolen bases after 39 games ranks third in the Big 12 behind Texas (68) and Texas A&M (99). Aljay Davis leads all Sooners with 14 swipes and in a close second is Aaron Reza with 12 stolen bags. Rounding out the top five on the team are Joe Dunigan (10), Aaron Ivey (9) 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 in his third season in Norman. Dunigan is tied for second on the team with 14 multiple-hit games (Aljay Davis and Aaron Reza) and tied for first with 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 is currently second on the team with a .336 batting average and leads all Sooners with a .552 SLG%, 6 HR, 35 RBIs and a .431 on-base percentage. In his first two years in Norman, Dunigan hit a combined .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 third among all Sooners with a .331 batting average and ranks second with 34 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 23-10 and the shortstop is hitting a team-leading .339 with 31 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.
TAYLOR'S TRANSFORMATION
Heath Taylor, a transfer from Vernon Junior College, is 3-1 in his five starts since moving from the bullpen. After earning his fifth consecutive win in his second start of the season against Texas A&M, Taylor lost his first game as a Sooner against Texas on March 31. Despite striking out six and lasting seven innings, Taylor took the loss to drop to 5-1 on the year.
In is first start against Michigan State, Taylor recorded 11 strikeouts, tied for the second highest total by a Sooner this season, and limited the Spartans to one earned run off three hits and one walk. Prior to the start, Taylor was impressive out of the Sooners' bullpen. As a reliever, Taylor was 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA. In his last five relief outings, the lefty recorded 17 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings pitched.
CONAWAY IN CONTROL
Nich Conaway, a hard-throwing right-hander, has emerged out of the Sooners' bullpen this season. Conaway has served as one of OU's key setup guys and has recorded two or more strikeouts in 14 of his 20 relief appearances. Overall, his 21 appearances rank in the Big 12's top five and in 35 1/3 innings pitched in 2007, Conaway has 53 strikeouts, the most among a reliever and second best on the staff. In 2006, he struck out five batters in nine appearances (5 IP).
HUGHES DISPLAYS VERSATILITY
For the second straight year Joseph Hughes has shown his ability on the mound and in the field. After pitching just 12 games (16 2/3 IP) last season, Hughes has easily topped that mark in the Sooners' first 39 games in 2007. The left-hander has 12 appearances (10 starts) and has logged 55 innings pitched (second on the team). Hughes is 5-3 and is hitting .286 with 11 RBIs.
EXTRA BASE HITS
OU has recorded an extra base hit in all but three games this season, the 2-1 win over UC Riverside (GM3) and the two losses to Baylor (GM1 and 3). Additionally, the Sooners have two or more extra base hits in 26 games this season, including a season-best eight against Western Illinois on Feb. 24 (5 doubles, triple and two homers) and Texas-Pan American on March 14 (3 doubles, 3 triples and two HR).
GOLLOWAY COLLECTS WIN NO. 400
Head coach Sunny Golloway won his 400th game on Saturday, March 3 against UC Riverside. Now in his 11th season as a head coach, Golloway has coached 606 games and is 417-198. (.678) after eight years at the helm at Oral Roberts and three with OU.
COME FROM BEHIND WINS
After making a habit of coming from behind last season with 20 comeback victories, the Sooners have continued the trend in 2007. OU has rallied 13 times to record a victory this season. Since taking over as head coach at OU, Sunny Golloway has rallied his teams to win 33 games, accounting for 47 percent of his victories in 2006 and 2007.
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
Thursday, June 25
Wednesday, June 24
Monday, June 22
Monday, June 22
