Completed Event: Baseball versus (2) Georgia Tech on May 31, 2026 , Win , 15, to, 8
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU & Baylor Set for National Stage
April 05, 2007 | Baseball
NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners (22-9 overall, 3-3 Big 12 play) will face the Baylor Bears (17-14, 2-7) this weekend at Baylor Ballpark beginning with the series opener, which will be broadcast live nationally by CSTV (College Sports Television), on Thursday, April 5 at 7 p.m. The three-game set continues on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and concludes Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Bears enter the weekend series fresh off a 12-6 victory over Houston on Tuesday in Waco. Baylor is 15-2 at home this season and owns a 17-14 edge over OU since the start of Big 12 play in 1997.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV - Thursday's series opener will be broadcast live on national television by CSTV. Carter Blackburn (play-by-play) and Kevin Stocker (color) will provide the on-air talent. CSTV can be found on DirecTV channel 610. Check with your local cable provider for listings in your area or click here for more information on CSTV.
RADIO- All three games of the Baylor series will be broadcast live on the Sooners' flagship station, KOKC 1520 AM, with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play. Saturday's game will be joined in progress following the OU football spring game and all three games can also be heard live via the internet on Yahoo. Pre-game coverage for all games begins 15 minutes prior to the first pitch. OU fans at Baylor Ballpark can listen to the Sooners' broadcast by tuning into 91.7 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.
WEB - Live stats for all games this season can be viewed on Soonersports.com. This weekend's games can also be viewed for a fee on www.baylorbears.com's premium site, Baylor Bears All Access.
UPDATING THE SOONERS
The Sooners won their second straight game with a 13-5 victory over No. 28 TCU on Tuesday at L. Dale Mitchell Park. OU's offense tallied 13 runs off 14 hits en route to its seventh straight midweek victory.
BASEBALL VIDEO: TCU POST-GAME INTERVIEWS
Click here to watch post-game video following the Sooners' 13-5 victory over TCU on April 3 at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Stay tuned to Soonersports.com for more videos throughout the 2007 baseball season as the club fights for a Big 12 Championship and looks to return to the CWS in Omaha.
SCOUTING BAYLOR
The Bears were picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 coaches' poll released prior to the season. Baylor is 2-7 this season in the Big 12 after taking two of three from Texas Tech and being swept by Texas and Oklahoma State.
Jeff Mandel will get the starting nod in Thursday's series opener. The right-hander is 1-2 in conference starts with a win over Texas Tech and losses to Texas and Oklahoma State. Overall, Mandel is 3-5 this season in eight starts with a 4.83 ERA. The senior has 49 strikeouts (17 walks) in 50 1/3 innings pitched this season, while opponents are hitting .283 at the plate against him.
Offensively, the Bears are led by the starting shortstop, Beamer Weems. The sophomore leads the team with four home runs and is tied for first on the club with 28 RBIs. Weems is hitting .328 on the season and that mark increases in conference action to a .447 clip. Weems also has connected for four doubles and eight RBIs in nine Big 12 contests.
The Sooners have won six of the last 10 meetings, including games two and three of last year's set in Norman. Baylor leads 17-14 in Big 12 play and 27-23 overall in the series. Since 1997, the home team has only lost one series between OU and Baylor. The Bears took two games from the Sooners in 2000 at L. Dale Mitchell Park, while OU has not won a series in Waco since Big 12 play originated. The Sooners are 4-11 over the last 10 years when playing in Waco.
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PLAYER TO WATCH - HEATH TAYLOR
The Sooners' No. 2 starter has been effective over his last three appearances. In those three games, his only starts of the season, Taylor has accumulated 21 strikeouts over 21 innings. The junior is 5-1 this season with a 2.36 ERA, both top five marks in the Big 12.
NEXT UP
The Sooners remain on the road to play the second of two meetings against Wichita State. OU will face the Shockers on Tuesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. at Eck Stadium. The Sooners will play another midweek contest next week as they host Dallas Baptist on Wednesday, April 11 at 7 p.m. Following the midweek games, OU remains home to host Nebraska for a three-game set. Game two of that series, set for a 3:06 p.m. first pitch, will be aired live by Fox Sports Southwest (Cox channel 37 in OKC).
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 13-3 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, 18-3 when it holds the opposition under 10 base knocks. The Sooners have only allowed two opponents (South Carolina and Western Kentucky) to score 10 or more runs this season. OU lost both of those contests.
SOONERS' TOP 25 RANKINGS
For the second consecutive week, the Oklahoma Sooners were ranked in the top 25 of each of the four major polls released on Monday, April 2. The Sooners' highest ranking, No. 19, comes in Baseball America's poll. The USA Today/ESPN poll, as voted on by Division I coaches, tabbed OU No. 22 while Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) have the Sooners at No. 21 and No. 23, respectively. 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. 11 in the latest ranking released on Wednesday, April 4. The Big 12 is rated the No. 2 power conference in the nation behind the SEC. No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Texas A&M are the only Big 12 teams slotted ahead of OU.
WINNING WAYS
After starting the season 2-4, the Sooners have rebounded to win 19 of the last 24 games. The Sooners won 11 straight at one point and own a 9-3 mark against ranked teams in the last 25 contests. In the last 25 games, OU is hitting .315 and has recorded 14 games with 10 or more hits while averaging seven runs per game and a 3.13 ERA.
SOONERS' STARTING PITCHERS
As the rotation continues to change for Oklahoma one thing has remained consistent, winning. The Sooners are one of two teams in the Big 12 to have two hurlers with five wins or more. Joseph Hughes (eight starts) and Heath Taylor (three starts) are tied for fifth in the Big 12 with five wins each. Texas (Adrian Alaniz-8 and James Russell -6) is the other Big 12 team to have two hurlers with five wins or more.
SCORING FIRST
OU is outscoring its opponents 28-7 in the first inning of games played this season. When OU scores in the first frame, it is 6-0 (4-2 when opponent scores in the first) and when the Sooners tack on the game' s initial run, they are 12-2 (10-7 when opponent scores first).
18 CONSECUTIVE SCORELESS INNINGS
From the fifth inning in game two against Michigan State up until the sixth inning of Tuesday's game against Dallas Baptist, OU had held the opposition scoreless for 18 consecutive innings. Also in that span, the Sooners' pitching staff only surrendered 12 hits. For the season, OU's two shutouts (GM1 vs. Western Illinois and GM3 vs. Michigan State) ranks in a tie for third most in the Big 12. Last year, OU blanked five opponents.
PLATE DISCIPLINE
In the March 17 game against Michigan State, the entire Sooners' lineup did not strike out once at the plate. The last time an OU team did not strike out as a team offensively was on June 5, 2005 against Maine. The Sooners won that game 11-10 during the 2005 Oxford Regional. In 2007, OU has finished 10 games with three or fewer strikeouts.
AROUND THE BIG 12
The Sooners rank fourth in overall batting average with a .304 team clip. OU's 3.47 team ERA ranks third and its .965 fielding percentage ranks sixth in the conference. OU sits in a tie for sixth place in the Big 12 and below is a complete look at the standings. Click here to see the schedule around the Big 12.
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FRIENDLY CONFINES OF L. DALE MITCHELL PARK
After spending the first six games of the season on the road, OU's return to Norman for the longest home stand of the season was successful as it finished 9-0. The Sooners are 16-2 at home this year and have won 20 of the last 22 games dating back to last year. OU is hitting .334 and averaging 8.22 runs and 11.5 hits per game this season at home. The Sooners are hitting .262 away from home this season with a 6-6 record. The Sooners' have a team ERA of 2.80 at home and 4.46 on the road.
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
OU is 8-3 this season against top 25 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) and Texas (game three).
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).
DONE-AGAIN
Joe Dunigan continues to get the job done offensively as he leads the Sooners with 10 multiple-RBI games and is second with 12 multiple-hit games. Dunigan recently had his career-high nine-game hitting streak snapped against Texas. In that span, Dunigan had 18 RBIs on 17 hits. Dunigan has hit safely in 20 of the last 23 games and currently leads the Sooners with a .643 SLG%, 6 HR and 34 RBIs. In his first two years in Norman, Dunigan hit. 273 and drove in 36 runs off five homers.
ACTION JACKSON
Junior catcher Jackson Williams has been hot over the last 10 games. In that span, Williams is hitting .314 with nine RBIs after starting the season with nine RBIs in the first 19 games of the season.
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 currently leads the Sooners with a .367 batting average and ranks second with 29 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 20-5 and the shortstop is hitting .330 with 28 RBIs (third most on the team). For games played from Feb. 27 through March 4, 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 third in the Big 12 with seven saves. That mark already ranks in a tie for sixth place at OU for a single season. His seven conversions also is tied for seventh best in a career for a Sooner. In his 14 appearances, Richards has blown one save (Feb. 25 against Western Illinois) and has struck out 13 batters over 16 2/3 innings pitched. In the series finale against Texas A&M, Richards tossed a career-high 4 2/3 to record his first career victory.
TAYLOR'S TRANSFORMATION
Heath Taylor, a transfer from Vernon Junior College, is 2-1 in his three 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 Sooners 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 each of his three starts, Taylor has lasted six or more innings with four or more strikeouts (21 Ks in 21 IP).
In is first start, against Michigan State, Taylor recorded 11 strikeouts (second highest total 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 four relief outings, the lefty recorded 15 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched.
PORLIER POISED
Sophomore Stephen Porlier has struck out four or more batters in each of his eight appearances this season, including a season-high 12 batters against Texas A&M on March 23. Additionally, he has lasted five or more innings in each of his eight outings (seven starts). Porlier ranks third in the Big 12 with 51 strikeouts behind Andy Marks' 53 (Kansas) and A.J. Ramos' 56 (Texas Tech).
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 10 of his 15 relief appearances. In his last outing, Conaway lasted a career-high four innings in the Sooners' 5-2 win in the series finale against Texas to record his second save of the season.
Overall, his 15 appearances rank in the Big 12's top ten and in 26 innings pitched in 2007, Conaway has 37 strikeouts, the most among a reliever and tied for fourth 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 30 games in 2007. The left-hander has nine appearances (eight starts) and has logged 46 2/3 innings pitched (second on the team). Hughes (5-1) has won five of his last six starts this season with a 3.66 ERA and he is hitting .308 with 11 RBIs.
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 12 times to record a victory this season. Since taking over as head coach at OU, Sunny Golloway has rallied his teams to win 32 games, accounting for 48 percent of his victories in 2006 and 2007.
EXTRA BASE HITS
OU has recorded an extra base hit in all but one game this season, the 2-1 win over UC Riverside in game three of the series. Additionally, the Sooners have two or more extra base hits in 22 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 homers).
SEVEN SOONERS APPEAR ON OPENING DAY ROSTERS
As the 2007 Major League Baseball season is underway, seven former Sooners appeared on the opening day rosters across the country on Monday. Mark Redman (Atlanta Braves), Russ Ortiz (San Francisco Giants), Jason Bartlett (Minnesota Twins), Reggie Willits (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), Geoff Geary and Greg Dobbs (Philadelphia Phillies) and Greg Norton (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) are representing the Oklahoma baseball program on the sport's premier stage. Click here for the complete release.
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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Saturday, July 11
Thursday, June 25
Wednesday, June 24
Monday, June 22
