OU Continues Big 12 Play at Home

No. 20 Baylor (15-7, 2-4) at OU (18-7-1, 0-2-1)
Game 27	Friday, March 28 - 6:35 p.m.
Game 28	Saturday, March 29 - 2 p.m.
Game 29	Sunday, March 30 - 1 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. \| L. Dale Mitchell Park
Radio	Sooner Sports Radio Network
Online	Live Video and in Audio All-Access
Live Stats	SoonerSports.com / GameTracker
Promotions	Free Crocs, Mini bats and more
Game Info	Game Notes (PDF) \| OU Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma (18-7-1 overall, 0-2-1 Big 12) will host No. 20 Baylor (15-7, 2-4) in the first home conference series of the season.

The three-game set begins on Friday, March 29 at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman at 6:35 p.m. Game two is slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and the series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
All three games of the Baylor series will be broadcast live on the Sooners' flagship station, KOKC 1520 AM, with Chuck Kelly and DeWayne Vaughn providing the on-air talent. Sunday's game will be aired over the Sooner Sports Radio Network, enabling fans to listen across the state of Oklahoma. The games will also be available on the internet via Oklahoma All-Access, SoonerSports.com's premium site.

MORE OKLAHOMA BASEBALL ONLINE
WEB CAST: A live web cast for each game of the series will be available on Oklahoma All-Access.
LIVE STATS: Live stats are available for all games on SoonerSports.com.

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday
Home Run Club Golf outing (see more information below)
First 250 fans receive free OU crocs
Grand Slam Special - Frito Chili Pies

Saturday
The first 250 fans receive free OU mini bat
Weather permitting, team will sign autographs after the game
Grand Slam Special - Frito Chili Pies

Sunday
Weather permitting, Inflatable games available at the entrance for kids
Weather permitting, Kids run the bases after the game
Weather permitting, Kids can play catch in the outfield after the game
Grand Slam Special - Frito Chili Pies

TICKET INFORMATION
Seats remain for this weekend's games and gates will open 90 minutes prior to first pitch. Tickets are available at the gate, online or by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 456-GoOU. The office is open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located on the plaza level of the Asp Avenue parking garage.

In addition, conference season ticket packages and all remaining single-game tickets for the 2008 OU baseball season are now on sale.

Conference Packs include a ticket for all 12 conference home games and are available in the reserved or general admission sections. Reserved box seats are $75 and general admission conference packs are $50. Single-game ticket prices are $10 for reserved seats and $7 for general admission. Youth and senior citizens single game general admission tickets are $5.00.

UPDATING THE SOONERS
The Sooners are 3-2-1 in their last five games and won their last outing, 6-5, against UT Arlington on Tuesday in Norman. OU recorded a 2-2-1 record last week, beginning with a two-game sweep at South Florida. Following the mid week games, OU opened conference play over the weekend at then-No. 22 Nebraska. The Huskers edged OU in the first two games (4-2, 4-3) and the series finale ended in an 8-8 tie after 10 innings due to Big 12 travel rules.

BIG 12 CONFERENCE HOME OPENERS
OU is 8-2 in Big 12 series home openers and has won the last three series (2-1 vs. Texas A&M in 2007, 2-1 vs. Baylor in 2006 and 2-1 vs. Texas A&M in 2005). The Sooners last series defeat at home came in a three-game set against then-No. 1 Texas in 2004. The Sooners' only other series defeat in a Big 12 home opener was during the 1999 season, a 2-1 defeat against Nebraska.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS
Game 27: Friday, March 28
Kendal Volz | RHP | So. | 3-1, 3.31 ERA, 32.2 IP, 36 Ks
vs.
OU - Jeremy Erben | RHP | So. | 0-0, 1.96 ERA, 23.0 IP, 18 Ks

Game 28: Saturday, March 29
BU - Shawn Tolleson | RHP | Fr. | 2-1, 2.99 ERA, 29.1 IP, 22 Ks
vs.
OU -Andrew Doyle | RHP | So. | 4-2, 2.50 ERA, 39.2 IP, 35 Ks

Game 29: Saturday, March 30
BU - Willie Kempf | RHP | So. | 3-1, 3.62 ERA, 27.1 IP, 19 Ks
vs.
OU - Michael Rocha | RHP | Fr. | 2-0, 3.94 ERA, 29.2 IP, 16 Ks

SOONER TO WATCH - MIKE GOSSE
The senior extended his team-best hitting streak to 12 games with a single on Tuesday vs. UT-Arlington. Gosse has 20 hits in the last 12 games and leads OU with a .388 batting average. In addition, Gosse has hit safely in 20 of his last 21 contests.

UP NEXT
The Sooners continue the current eight-game home stand with a mid week game against Dallas Baptist on April 1. OU will conclude the home stand on April 4-6 with a three-game series against No. 10 Texas.

SCOUTING BAYLOR
Record: 15-7 overall, 2-4 Big 12
Ranking: BA - 20, CB - 20 , NCBWA - 23
Overall Series: Baylor leads 29-25 since 1942
Big 12 Series: Baylor leads 18-15

After suffering a series sweep at Missouri last weekend, the Bears rebounded to win two mid week games on Tuesday (vs. Houston Baptist) and Wednesday (vs. Texas A&M CC). Baylor is ranked as high as No. 20 in this weeks' polls after opening Big 12 play with a 2-1 series win over Oklahoma State in Waco, Texas.

Offensively, BU is hitting .272 as a team and is led by sophomore outfielder Aaron Miller. Miller snapped an 0-for-12 slump on Tuesday with three hits overall, including his second multi-homer game of the season. Miller is hitting .333 and leads BU with six home runs and 18 RBIs.

On the mound, the Bears' team ERA is currently 4.30 and they will start RHP Kendal Volz in the series opener on Friday. Volz is 3-1 with a 3.62 ERA and his only loss is in conference action, where he is 0-1 with a 6.17 ERA in two starts.

MORE ON THE OU-BAYLOR SERIES
The Sooners last met the Bears in a three-game series in 2007 in Waco, Texas. OU lost the series despite winning game two, 5-4. The Sooners and Bears also met during the postseason, where Baylor advanced to the Big 12 Championship game with a 7-6 win in Oklahoma City.

The Sooners are 14-6 against the Bears in games played in Norman since 1964 and have won four of the five Big 12 series played at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Baylor's lone series victory in Norman was in 2000 when it won the first two games of the three-game set. OU is 8-2 in the last 10 games versus Baylor at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

SOONER HOME RUNS BY THE NUMBERS
11 - Number of OU home runs with zero runners on base
9 - Number of homers allowed by OU pitchers, second fewest in Big 12
6 - OU has led off an inning six times with a HR, including Mike Gosse, who led off the Houston game and the second game against WIU on March 8 with a homer
6 - Number of OU home runs hit with two outs
5 - Five Sooners have homered on the first pitch
4 - OU has four multi-homer games this season, including a season-high four against Western Illinois and Houston

SCORING FIRST
The Sooners were 11-0 when scoring first this season before traveling to Nebraska. OU scored first in the series opener but fell 4-2 on a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. The Sooners also scored first in the third and final game, but tied the Huskers, 8-8.

OU have also scored in the first inning on 10 occasions and hold an 8-1-1 record in those contests.

MARCH MADNESS
The Sooners will finish up the month of March this weekend by playing in games 22,23 and 24. OU has a 15-5-1 record in games played this month, with nine of the games played on the road (6-2-1). The Sooners are playing more games this season early on with th euniform start date across collegiate baseball. In comparison, OU played 15 games during the 2007 season in March and 15 in 2006.

LUCKY NO. 4
The Sooners have found offensive success in the fourth inning this year. The Sooners' top totals this year have come in the fourth, including a .405 batting average, 35 runs scored, 32 RBIs, six homers and 47 hits are the

OU UNDER GOLLOWAY IN EXTRA INNINGS
The Sooners have had success early on with games playe din extra innings. OU is 2-0-1 this season with wins over then-No. 1 UCLA, Houston and a tie at Nebraska. In his fourth season at OU, head coach Sunny Golloway is 10-0-1 when his Sooners play in extra frames.

SOONERS TIE HUSKERS
For the first time since April 22, 2001, the OU baseball team recorded a tie on Sunday afternoon at No. 22 Nebraska. After 10 innings of play, the game ended in an 8-8 tie after the Big 12 travel rule was enforced.

10 OR MORE IS A PLUS
OU has 10 or more hits in 16 games this season, including eight of its last 11 contests. OU owns an 11-4-1 record in those contests. OU has scored 10 or more runs on six occasions and is undefeated in those contests. In comparison, opponents have connected for 10-plus hits in 10 games (6-3-1 record). In addition, OU has not allowed more than 10 runs in a game this season.

QUALITY STARTS AND RELIEF
The Sooners have found success on the mound early as a result of quality starts by their pitchers. Only six starts have been under five innings, while the OU bullpen has been doing its part as well. In 94 innings, the relievers have struck out 80 batters with a 2.30 ERA. The Sooner pen has a 3-3 record with seven saves, led by senior closer Jake McCarter (1-0, seven saves).

NEWCOMER CONTRIBUTIONS
The OU baseball team has seen immediate results out of the 2008 class with 96 of the Sooners' 161 RBIs driven in by a newcomer. On the mound, 19 of the 26 starts and 13 of the 18 wins have been recorded by a newcomer. In addition, 106 of the staff's 174 strikeouts have been recorded by the rookies.

TOUGH SCHEDULE
The Sooners have are 1-3-1 so far this season against ranked competition with the lone win coming against then-No. 1 UCLA. OU also lost to then-No. 9 Rice and two games to then-No. 22 Nebraska (also tied the Huskers). OU still has 16 combined games remaining against teams ranked in the top 25 this week; 3-Baylor (No. 22), 3-Texas (No. 10), 2-Missouri (No. 2), 2-Wichita State (No. 11), 3-Texas A&M (No. 22), 3-Oklahoma State (No. 22).

In addition, when the season is said and done, the Sooners will face seven teams that won 40 or more games in 2007. OU will face 10 teams (24 total games) that participated in last year's NCAA Tournament, including one College World Series team (Rice) and five Super Regional teams (UCLA, Rice, Wichita State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State).

FREEMAN NAMED A CANDIDATE FOR LOWE'S AWARD
OU senior Jarod Freeman was announced as one of 30 candidates for the 2008 Lowe's Senior Class Award for baseball on Tuesday. Freeman's nomination marks the second consecutive year that a Sooner has appeared on the list. In 2007, Aaron Ivey was a finalist for the award. Presented annually to NCAA® Division I student-athletes in eight sports, the award focuses on the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched in 2001 to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who fulfill their entire athletic eligibility and pursue their degree.

PORLIER TO MISS THE REST OF 2008
Junior right-handed pitcher Stephen Porlier, who missed the first four weeks of the season with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, underwent successful surgery on Thursday, March 13 to repair a partial tear in the labrum in his right shoulder. Porlier will miss the rest of the 2008 season and is expected to begin his rehabilitation immediately. Porlier was named to the preliminary watch list for the 2008 Roger Clemens Award. The Sugarland, Texas, native is one of nine hurlers from the Big 12 Conference to appear on the list (tied with the Pac 10 for the second most behind the SEC). In 2007, Porlier led OU with 99 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched en route to earning second team all-conference honors with a 7-5 record.

BAKER NAMED TO WALLACE WATCH LIST
Sophomore first baseman Aaron Baker was named to the 2008 Brooks Wallace Preseason Watch list as announced by the College Baseball Foundation. The award is given annually to the best player in Division I collegiate baseball.
In 2007, Baker was selected to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team by Collegiate Baseball. He became the sixth Sooner in program history to collect the accolade and the first since 2005.

ROCHA RACKS UP THE AWARDS
After a stellar performance against Tennessee on March 2, freshman Michael Rocha was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on Monday, March 3. Rocha made two appearances for the week (games played Feb. 25-March 2), but the first relief appearance was not as impressive as his start against the Vols. Rocha lasted eight innings and only surrendered two hits to earn his first victory of the season. The Buda, Texas, native also struck out seven in the contest. In addition to the conference honor, www.insidepitching.com and www.collegiatebaseballhub.com tabbed Rocha as the regional pitcher of the week. Rocha was also named to the Houston College Classic All-Tournament Team.

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