OU-Texas Series Begins Friday

No. 14 Texas (19-9, 5-4) at OU (21-8-1, 2-3-1)
Game 31	Friday, April 4 - 6:35 p.m.
Game 32	Saturday, April 5 - 2 p.m.
Game 33	Sunday, April 6 - 1 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. \| L. Dale Mitchell Park
Television	Cox Channel 2 in OKC \| Ch. 78 in Tulsa
Radio	Sooner Sports Radio Network
Online	Live Video and in Audio All-Access
Live Stats	SoonerSports.com / GameTracker
Promotions	Pack the Park Weekend
Game Info	Game Notes (PDF) \| OU Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma (21-8-1 overall, 2-3-1 Big 12) will battle a ranked opponent for the third straight weekend when it hosts No. 14 Texas (19-9, 5-4) to conclude an eight-game home stand.

The three-game set begins on Friday, April 4 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.

TELEVISION BROADCAST
Friday's series opener marks OU's first televised game of the season and the first of three set to be aired by Cox Communications. Friday's game will be shown on Cox Ch. 2 in Oklahoma City and Ch. 78 in Tulsa with Brian Brinkley on play-by-play and Kenny Mossman with the color analysis. The game will also be televised in Enid (KXOK), Lawton (KSWX), Ponca City (KTEW) and in Kansas City (Metro Sports) in addition to a tape delay in Woodward (KOMI).

RADIO BROADCAST INFORMATION
All three games of the Texas series will be broadcast live on the Sooners' flagship station, KOKC 1520 AM, with Chuck Kelly and DeWayne Vaughn providing the on-air talent. Saturday and Sunday's games will be joined in progress following the OU softball games (noon first pitch). 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.

PACK THE PARK WEEKEND
Friday, April 4
First 1,000 fans receive a crimson "Pack the Park" T-Shirt
Bevo Burgers

Saturday, April 5
First 500 fans receive a free OU baseball mini helmet
Team autographs after the game
Bevo Burgers

Sunday, April 6
First 250 fans receive free OU pom poms
Kids run the bases following the game.
Bevo Burgers

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 have won four of their last five games and enter this weekend after defeating Baylor, in Norman, in a three-game set (2-1) and Dallas Baptist, 8-4, on Tuesday at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

GOLLOWAY TALKS TEXAS
SoonerSports.com visited with OU head coach Sunny Golloway on Wednesday to talk about last weekend's win over Baylor and this weekend's series with Texas.

PRACTICE VIDEO - April 2

Coach Golloway talks about the weather and Wednesday's practice

The Sooners' head coach talks about Big 12 play and the Longhorns

Golloway talks about the pitching staff's performance so far

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS
Game 31: Friday, April 4
UT: Austin Wood | LHP | Jr. | 2-2, 3.77 ERA, 31 IP, 20 Ks
vs.
OU: Jeremy Erben | RHP | So. | 1-0, 2.05 ERA, 30.2 IP, 25 Ks

Game 32: Saturday, April 5
UT: Ken Kasparek | RHP | Jr. | 1-1, 4.94 ERA, 27.1 IP, 30 Ks
vs.
OU: Andrew Doyle | RHP | So. | 4-2, 2.45 ERA, 47.2 IP, 38 Ks

Game 33: Sunday, April 6
UT: Riley Boening | LHP | So. | 2-0, 3.55 ERA, 25.1 IP, 10 Ks
vs.
OU: Michael Rocha | RHP | Fr. | 2-0, 3.89 ERA, 34.2 IP, 23 Ks

SOONER TO WATCH - JAMIE JOHNSON
The sophomore has helped key the OU offense since moving up towards the middle of the lineup when Big 12 play began. Johnson has a hit and RBI in each of the last four games and is hitting .600 (9-for-15) with five runs and four RBIs in that span.

UP NEXT
The Sooners return to the road to play at No. 11 Wichita State on April 9 at 7 p.m. The road trip continues over the weekend with a three-game series at No. 19 Texas A&M (April 11-13). The Sooners then have four days to prepare for No. 4 Missouri at L. Dale Mitchell Park (April 18-20).

SCOUTING TEXAS
Record: 19-9 overall, 5-4 Big 12
Ranking: USA Today - 14, BA - 16, CB - 15, NCBWA - 13
Overall Series: Texas leads 114-39-2 since 1942
Big 12 Series: Texas leads 23-10

Texas won two out of three games against Kansas and Texas Tech but suffered its first Big 12 series loss (2-1) to Nebraska last weekend in Austin. The Longhorns are 2-3 in their last five games and split in two midweek games earlier this week (L, 7-3 vs. Rice and W, 7-4 vs. Texas Southern).

Offensively, Texas is hitting .311 as a team and is led by freshman Cameron Rupp (.395, 3 HR, 22 RBIs) and junior Jordan Danks (.343, 3 HR, 22 RBIs).

On the mound, the Longhorns own a 4.01 ERA and will throw junior lefty Austin Wood in the series opener. Wood (3.77 ERA) is 2-2 overall on the season in six starts (seven appearances). In Big 12 play, Wood is 0-1 in three starts with a 5.56 ERA.

MORE ON THE OU-TEXAS SERIES
The Sooners last met the Longhorns in a three-game series in 2007 in Austin, Texas. OU salvaged the series, after dropping game one (4-3) and game two (3-1), with a 5-2 win in the finale, its first win in Austin since 1997. Other series notes include:

- OU is 12-16 against Texas in games played in Norman
- Last OU series win was in 1998 (3-0 sweep) in Norman
- Last OU series win in Austin was in 1997 (2-1)
- OU is 3-8 in series openers vs. Texas (Big 12 play only)
- Since 2004, every game in the series has been decided by
   five runs or less
- 10 of the last 14 games have been decided by three runs     or less, including five games decided by one run

SOONER HOME RUNS BY THE NUMBERS
14 Number of OU home runs with zero runners on base
11 Number of homers allowed by OU pitchers, second    fewest in Big 12
7 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
7 Number of OU home runs hit with two outs
6 Five Sooners have homered on the first pitch
5 OU has four multi-homer games this season, including    a season-high four against
Western Illinois and Houston

SCORING FIRST
The Sooners are 13-2-1 this season when scoring first, suffering losses to Baylor (GM3) and Nebraska (GM1). The Sooners have struck first in four of their six Big 12 games. OU has also scored in the first inning on 11 occasions and hold an 9-2-1 record in those contests (lost to Baylor in GM3 and Washington State in GM1).

MARCH MADNESS
The Sooners finished the month of March last weekend by playing in games 22,23 and 24. OU was 17-6-1 in games played in March, with nine of the games played on the road (6-2-1). The Sooners are playing more games this season in the beginning of the year with the uniform 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 frame, including a .405 batting average, 42 runs scored, 38 RBIs, eight homers and 53 hits.

OU UNDER GOLLOWAY IN EXTRA INNINGS
The Sooners have had success early on with games playe din extra innings. OU is 3-0-1 this season with wins over then-No. 1 UCLA, Houston and Baylor and a tie at Nebraska. In his fourth season at OU, head coach Sunny Golloway is 11-0-1 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 18 games this season, including five of its last 10 contests. OU owns an 13-4-1 record in those contests. OU has scored 10 or more runs on seven occasions and is undefeated in those contests. In comparison, opponents have connected for 10-plus hits in 12 games (7-4-1 record). In addition, OU has not allowed more than eight 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 and 11 have lasted six or more innings (OU 8-3 in those games). The OU bullpen has had success as well. In 103.1 innings, the relievers have struck out 90 batters with a 2.79 ERA. The Sooner pen has a 4-4 record and eight saves, all by Jake McCarter.

NEWCOMER CONTRIBUTIONS
The OU baseball team has seen immediate results out of the 2008 class with 100 of the Sooners' 186 RBIs driven in by a newcomer. On the mound, 22 of the 30 starts and 16 of the 21 wins have been recorded by a newcomer. In addition, 140 of the staff's 205 strikeouts have been recorded by the rookies.

TOUGH SCHEDULE
The Sooners have are 3-4-1 so far this season against ranked competition with wins against then-No. 1 UCLA and then-No. 20 Baylor (2). OU also lost to then-No. 9 Rice and two games to then-No. 22 Nebraska (also tied the Huskers). OU still has 14 combined games remaining against teams ranked in the top 25 this week; 3-Texas (No. 14), 3-Missouri (No. 4), 2-Wichita State (No. 11), 3-Texas A&M (No. 19) and 3-Oklahoma State (No. 24).

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.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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