Completed Event: Baseball versus (2) Georgia Tech on May 31, 2026 , Win , 15, to, 8
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Baseball Begins Busy Week at WSU
April 09, 2007 | Baseball
NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 23 Oklahoma Sooners (23-11 overall, 4-5 Big 12 play) will look to rebound from last weekend's series loss at Baylor with two midweek games this week against No. 11 Wichita State (26-8) and Dallas Baptist (18-16).
The Sooners and Shockers will meet on Tuesday, April 10 at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. On Wednesday, April 11, OU will host DBU at 7 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
The Sooners have faced both midweek opponents this season. OU defeated then-No. 11 Wichita State on Feb. 28 in Norman. The Sooners also topped the Patriots earlier this season in a 9-7 win in Frisco, Texas on March 20.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Both the Wichita State and Dallas Baptist games will be broadcast live on the Sooners' flagship station, KOKC 1520 AM, with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play. The 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.
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. A live webcast for both games will also be available with Tuesday's game on goshockers.com and Wednesday's game on the O-Zone, Soonersports.com's paid site.
UPDATING THE SOONERS
OU started the week with a 13-5 victory over TCU in Norman. The Horned Frogs entered the contest ranked No. 28 by the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association). After the midweek victory, the Sooners traveled to Waco, Texas for a three-game set with Baylor. OU suffered a 4-2 loss in Thursday's opener despite 11 strikeouts from starter Stephen Porlier. Due to inclement weather, the Sooners and Bears played a doubleheader on Friday which saw OU claim game two of the series, 5-4, and drop the series finale, 5-2.
SCOUTING WICHITA STATE
The Shockers were picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference and since falling to OU on Feb. 28, they are 18-4.
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On the mound, junior left-hander Max Hutson is expected to start his first game of the season. Hutson has four appearances this season and has not recorded a decision in six innings pitched. In that span, Hutson has a 1.50 ERA and six strikeouts opposite six hits and one walk.
Junior second baseman Damon Sublett, a preseason All-American by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, leads the Shockers' offense with a .375 batting average. Sublett is tied for fourth on the club with 24 RBIs.
The Sooners and Shockers have split the 20 all-time meetings. WSU is 8-1 in games played against OU in Wichita, Kan., with the only defeat occurring in 1992 (OU won 3-2 on April 14). OU is 8-2 against WSU in games played in Norman and the Sooners won the only game on neutral ground, an 8-4 win in 1992 at the College World Series.
SOONER CARAVAN IN WICHITA
The OU Athletics Department and the Sooner Club kick off the 2007 Sooner Caravan with its first stop on Tuesday, April 10, in Wichita. The event begins at 5 p.m. at the Preferred Health Multipurpose Center (basketball practice facility) inside Koch Arena on the campus of Wichita State University. Click here for more information on the event.
SCOUTING DALLAS BAPTIST
The Patriots, an independent team, are 18-16 overall this season and recently snapped a four-game losing streak with a pair of wins over the weekend against Texas Southern.
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Dallas Baptist has not announced a starter for Wednesday's game.
Offensively, DBU is hitting .296 as a team and has five regulars hitting .300 or better with 20 or more RBIs. Leading the way is Garrett Baker who leads the Patriots with nine homers and 41 RBIs. His .301 batting average ranks sixth best on the squad.
The Sooners and Patriots have met 18 times prior to Wednesday's contest. OU has won 16 of those games, including 15 consecutive but Dallas Baptist has won two of the last three games in the series.
NEXT UP
OU remains home this weekend to host Nebraska for a three-game Big 12 series. Game one is scheduled for a 7 p.m. first pitch. 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). The series finale on Sunday is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
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 14-3 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 to score 10 or more runs this season. OU lost both of those contests to South Carolina and Western Kentucky.
SOONERS' TOP 25 RANKINGS
The Oklahoma Sooners were ranked in the top 25 in all but one of the four major polls released on Monday, April 9, and were excluded from the Collegiate Baseball poll. The Sooners' highest ranking, No. 23, comes in Baseball America's poll. The USA Today/ESPN poll, as voted on by Division I coaches, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) each tabbed the Sooners at No. 24. 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 Monday, April 9. 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.
BEST IN THE BIG 12
After 34 games this season, the OU pitching staff has the best ERA in the Big 12. The 3.54 ERA is almost a whole point lower than last year's average (4.43) and two Sooners, Heath Taylor (2.76 ERA) and Stephen Porlier rank individually in the top 10 in the conference at No. 6 and No. 10, respectively. In addition, the Sooners' Big 12 ERA of 4.10 after nine games, also leads the league.
WINNING STREAK
After starting the season 2-4, the Sooners rebounded to win 11 straight (season high) and 18 of the next 21 overall. In those 21 games, OU hit .324 and recorded twelve games with 10 or more hits while averaging seven-plus runs per game. The Sooners' pitching staff held down a 3.13 ERA in that span as well.
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
SOONERS' STARTING PITCHERS
As the rotation continues to change for Oklahoma one thing has remained consistent, winning. OU is one of three teams in the Big 12 to have two hurlers with five wins or more. Joseph Hughes (five wins, nine starts) and Heath Taylor (six wins, four starts) each rank in the top six in the Big 12 in wins. Texas and Texas A&M are the only other Big 12 teams to sport two hurlers with five wins or more on their rosters.
SCORING FIRST
OU is outscoring its opponents 29-7 in the first inning of games played this season. When OU scores in the first frame, it is 7-0 (4-2 when opponent scores in the first) and when the Sooners tack on the game' s initial run, they are 13-2 (10-9 when opponent scores first).
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 .254 away from home this season with a 7-9 record. The Sooners' have a team ERA of 2.80 at home and 4.43 on the road.
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).
BASE THIEVES
Oklahoma' s 49 stolen bases after 34 games ranks third in the Big 12 behind Texas (59) and Texas A&M (89). Aljay Davis leads all Sooners with 13 swipes and in a close second is Aaron Reza with 13 stolen bags. Rounding out the top five on the team are Joe Dunigan (9), Aaron Ivey (5) 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).
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. OU had five shutouts in 2006.
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 11 games with three or fewer strikeouts.
DONE-AGAIN
Joe Dunigan continues to get the job done offensively as he leads the Sooners with 14 multiple-hit games and is tied for the team lead with10 multiple-RBI games with Aaron Baker. 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 22 of the last 26 games and currently leads the Sooners with a .602 SLG%, 6 HR and 34 RBIs. 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 third among all Sooners with a .351 batting average and ranks second with 32 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 21-7 and the shortstop is hitting .330 with 29 RBIs (third most on the team). Reza drove in 29 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 second in the Big 12 with eight saves. That mark already ranks in a tie for fourth place at OU for a single season. His eight conversions also is tied for sixth best in a career for a Sooner. In his 17 appearances, Richards (1-0) has blown one save (Feb. 25 against WIU) and has struck out 17 batters over 18 2/3 innings pitched. In the series finale against Texas A&M, he tossed a career-high 4 2/3 to record his first career victory.
PORLIER POISED
Sophomore Stephen Porlier has struck out 23 batters over the last 21 1/3 innings and 10-plus in two of the last three outings. Additionally, Porlier has four or more punch outs in each of his nine 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 62 strikeouts ranks second in the Big 12 behind A.J. Ramos' 63 (Texas Tech). Porlier has lasted five or more innings in each of his nine outings (eight starts).
TAYLOR'S TRANSFORMATION
Heath Taylor, a transfer from Vernon Junior College, is 3-1 in his four 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 each of his four starts, Taylor has lasted six or more innings with four or more strikeouts (25 Ks in 28 IP).
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 four relief outings, the lefty recorded 15 strikeouts in 15 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 12 of his 18 relief appearances. Overall, his 18 appearances rank in the Big 12's top ten and in 30 innings pitched in 2007, Conaway has 44 strikeouts, the most among a reliever and tied for third 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 34 games in 2007. The left-hander has 10 appearances (nine starts) and has logged 52 1/3 innings pitched (second on the team). Hughes (5-2) has won five of his last seven starts this season with a 4.13 ERA, while hitting .299 with 11 RBIs.
COME FROM BEHIND WINS
OU has recorded an extra base hit in all but three game 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 23 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).
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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Thursday, June 25
Wednesday, June 24
Monday, June 22
Monday, June 22
