Completed Event: Baseball versus (2) Georgia Tech on May 31, 2026 , Win , 15, to, 8
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Bedlam Hits Tulsa Friday at 7:30
May 02, 2007 | Baseball
NORMAN, Okla. -- Coming off a disappointing weekend against Kansas, the Oklahoma Sooners (28-17 overall, 8-10 Big 12 play) will look to snap their two-game skid against No. 19 Oklahoma State (31-13, 10-8) this weekend.
The Annual Bedlam Series, presented by the Bank of Oklahoma and Your Oklahoma Ford Dealers, begins on Friday, May 4 at Drillers Stadium in Tulsa. First pitch in the opener is slated for 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by two games at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. Game on Saturday is set for 7:35 p.m. and Sunday's finale is scheduled for 4 p.m.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV - Sunday's finale can be seen live on the Sooners Sports Network (KAUT UPN in OKC Metro area) with the on-air talent team of Brian Brinkley and Kenny Mossman. Click the link below for TV affiliates in your area.
RADIO - The entire Bedlam Series 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. All three games will also be carried on the Sooners Sports Network across the state and on the internet via Yahoo. Pre-game coverage for all games, now begins 25 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.
WEB - Live stats for all games this season can be viewed on Soonersports.com.
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TICKET INFORMATION
A limited amount of seats are still available for all three games. For tickets in Tulsa, call the Drillers at 918-744-5901 and for seats in OKC, call the Redhawks at (405) 218-1000.
UPDATING THE SOONERS
Last week, OU returned to action at home against Kansas for a three-game series. Despite outhitting the Jayhawks in the series, 36-24, the Sooners dropped two of the three games. OU won game one on Friday after shutting out Kansas and tallying eight runs. The Jayhawks evened the series with a 6-3 win on Saturday and claimed the series with a 9-4 victory on Sunday.
PLAYER TO WATCH: JACKSON WILLIAMS
The Sooners' catcher is hitting .379 during his current seven-game hitting streak (all Big 12 contests). Williams is 11-for-29 in that span with two triples, four doubles and nine RBIs. Prior to the streak, Williams had four RBIs in the first nine Big 12 games of the season.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE
The Cowboys were picked to finish second in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' poll and currently sit third in the standings after defeating Kansas, Baylor, Kansas State and Texas A&M in three-game sets. The Cowboys' two series defeats came against Nebraska (2-1) and Texas (3-0).
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Sophomore right-hander Jeff Breedlove will make his fifth career start (fourth in 2007) on Friday against the Sooners. Breedlove is 0-2 in his three starts this season against Texas, Texas A&M and Kansas State. The righty has started the last three Big 12 series openers for OSU and has struck out 12 and walked five in 16 1/3 innings. On the season, Breedlove is 0-3 with a 3.16 ERA after appearing in a team-high 24 games as a freshman in 2006 (did not face OU).
On offense, the Cowboys are led by junior Corey Brown. The outfielder leads OSU with 17 home runs and 57 RBIs, while his .358 batting average ranks third behind Tyler Mach (.408) and Ty Wright (.433). Brown, who has hit safely in the last four games with four RBIs, is 8-for-26 (.308) with four runs driven in against OU in his career.
OSU leads the all-time series with Oklahoma, 140-136. The Cowboys swept last year's regular season series before the Sooners cruised to a 21-6 victory in the 2006 Big 12 Championship. Since the formation of the Big 12 in 1997, OU leads OSU, 21-16, and has won three of the last five series.
MORE BEDLAM NOTES
-The Sooners have dropped six straight series openers at Drillers Stadium, dating back to the 5-3 win in 2000. Prior to the losing streak, OU won six straight games in Tulsa (1995-2000).
-Of the 37 contests played in the series since the Big 12 was formed (regular season and postseason), 24 games have been decided by three runs or less (nine by one run). The Sooners are 16-8 when the game is decided by three runs or less (8-1 when decided by one run).
-In the past 10 seasons, the winner of game two in the Bedlam Series has gone on to win the three-game set nine times. OSU won game two of the 1998 season but fell in the other two contests. Prior to 1997, the Sooners and Cowboys played each other five times in the regular season.
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See how the Sooners stack up against OSU in the Bedlam Series presented by the Bank of Oklahoma and Your Oklahoma Ford Dealers! |
NEXT UP
OU will hit the road to battle Missouri in Columbia, Mo., next weekend. The series begins on Friday, May 11 at Taylor Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Game two is slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and the series will conclude Sunday at 1 p.m.
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 18-5 with losses to Western Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State and Kansas (2). Additionally, the Sooners are 8-0 when they score 10 or more runs. On defense, OU is 5-9 when it allows 10 or more hits and in comparison 0-5 when it allows the opponent to score 10 or more runs this season (South Carolina, Western Kentucky, Nebraska, TCU and KSU). In comparison, OU is 22-4 when it holds the opposition under 10 base knocks.
SOONERS' TOP 25 RANKINGS
Oklahoma was not ranked in the top 25 for the third consecutive week, but is receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) poll. 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. 27 in the latest ranking released on Thursday, May 3. The Big 12 is rated the No. 2 power conference in the nation behind the SEC and has our other schools ranked in the top 30 along with the Sooners (No. 3 Texas, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 18 Nebraska and No. 24 Missouri). Kansas State (35), Baylor (39), OSU (63), Texas Tech (66) and Kansas (100) round out the top 100.
SOONERS IN THE BIG 12
OU's 4.15 team ERA ranks sixth in the conference. The Sooners rank fourth in overall batting average with a .302 team clip and its .968 fielding percentage ranks sixth in the conference. Below is a look at the current standings:
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OFFENSIVE SURGE
The Sooners' offense continued to swing a hot bat against Kansas despite dropping two games in the three-game set with 36 hits. In the last five games, OU has connected for 70 hits and plated 47 runs. In that span, the Sooners are averaging 12 hits and 9.4 runs per game.
IVEY IMPRESSIVE
Senior outfielder Aaron Ivey, who is one of 30 NCAA Division I college baseball players up for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, was solid at the plate in the three-game series against Kansas, finishing 9-for-13 (.692) with two stolen bases and four runs scored. Ivey has hit safely in 10 of the last 11 games with six multiple-hit performances in that span. In addition, Ivey, who leads the team with 17 stolen bases, has swiped 12 bags in the last 10 games. Ivey leads the Sooners with a .367 overall batting average and a .429 clip in Big 12 play.
THIRD BASE CAROUSEL
Heading into the 2007 season, arguably the biggest hole in the lineup following last year's graduation and MLB Draft was third base. Ryan Rohlinger finished his last two years in Norman as the team's leader in batting average. In 2006, Rohlinger hit .387 with 99 hits, 13 homers and 67 RBI. This season, six different Sooners have tried to fill the shoes left by Rohlinger.
True freshman Zach Hedges is the latest candidate to start at third base in 2007 and in his first six games (KSU and Kansas series), he has been solid defensively and has connected for six hits and one RBI in 20 at-bats (.300). Vinny Biancamano (22 starts), Jarod Freeman (10), Drew Roberts (3), Brandon Moss (2) and Bryant Hernandez (2) have also started at the hot corner.
PORLIER MAKING HIS MARK
Sophomore Stephen Porlier continues to make his mark in his first season in Norman. Last Friday against Kansas, Porlier threw his fifth scoreless outing of 2007 with seven innings of four-hit ball. He tossed the first complete game shutout of his career on April 14 against Nebraska with six strike outs. The four-hit shutout was the first for a Sooner since Daniel McCutchen shut down UC Riverside (10 IP) on March 3, 2006.
Additionally, Porlier has four or more punch outs in each of his 12 appearances this season, including a season-high 12 batters against Texas A&M on March 23 and 11 versus Baylor on April 5. Porlier, who leads the Big 12 with 79 strikeouts, has lasted five or more innings in each of his 12 outings (11 starts).
SCORING FIRST
OU is outscoring its opponents 36-14 in the first inning of games played this season. OU is 8-3 when it scores in the first frame, (6-4 when opponent scores in the first) and when the Sooners tack on the game's initial run, they are 17-4 (11-13 when opponent scores first).
TAYLOR ADDED TO WALLACE WATCH LIST
Junior Heath Taylor was added to the field of candidates aiming for the 2007 Brooks Wallace College Player of the Year Award, the College Baseball Foundation announced on May 2. The list was reduced to the top 112 NCAA players and included the Sooners' left-handed hurler, who is 7-2 this season with 62 strikeouts and a 3.61 ERA. Taylor, a transfer from Vernon Junior College, is 4-2 in his seven starts since moving from the bullpen. 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 with a 3-0 record and 2.14 ERA. In his last five relief outings, the lefty recorded 17 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings pitched.
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 then-No. 27 TCU. The Sooners have recorded wins over then-No. 11 Wichita State, then-No. 20 UC Riverside (three games), then-No. 22 San Diego, Texas A&M (twice), Texas (game three) and then-No. 28 TCU.
MIDWEEK SUCCESS
The Sooners are 8-1 in midweek games this season with wins over Wichita State and TCU, which are both ranked in the top 25 polls this week. The Sooners one blemish came against TCU in Fort Worth on April 17. In the nine midweek games, the Sooners are hitting .328 and averaging 7.6 runs and 10.8 hits. OU is 20-7 this season against non-conference opponents (22-7 last season).
BASE THIEVES
Oklahoma's 77 stolen bases after 45 games ranks second in the Big 12 behind Texas A&M (111). Aaron Ivey leads all Sooners with 17 swipes and is followed by Aljay Davis (16), Aaron Ivey (13) and Joe Dunigan with 11. 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).
DAVIS' BIG DAY
After missing his first start of the season in Friday's series opener at Kansas State, Aljay Davis came back in game two to drive in six runs off four hits. Davis' six RBIs marks the first time a Sooner drove in six or more runs since Chris Elbright had nine RBIs on March 28, 1987 against Oklahoma City.
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 11 multiple-RBI games (behind Aaron Baker'12) and 17 multiple-hit games (behind Aaron Reza's 17). 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 third on the team with a .341 batting average and leads all Sooners with a .579 SLG%, 8 HR and 42 RBIs. In his first two years in Norman, Dunigan hit a combined .273 and drove in 36 runs off five homers.
BAKER'S HITTING 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 fourth among all Sooners with a .328 batting average and ranks second with 40 RBIs. 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 26-13 and the shortstop is hitting .345 with 37 RBIs, marks that ranks second and third, respectively, 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.
RICHARDS NAMED TO STOPPER OF THE YEAR LIST
Garrett Richards was among forty players named to the midseason watch list for the third annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. The award will be given to the top relief pitcher in Division I college baseball. Richards is third in the Big 12 with nine saves, a mark that 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 20 appearances, Richards (1-0) has blown one save (Feb. 25 against WIU) and has struck out 22 batters over 25 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.
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 30 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).
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 42 games in 2007. The left-hander has 12 appearances (10 starts) and has logged 55 innings pitched (third on the team). Hughes is 5-3 and is hitting .319 with 17 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 30 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).
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.
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
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