Baseball Opens 2009 at Home Friday

No. 16 Sooners (0-0) vs. Western Illinois (0-0)
Location	Norman, Okla. \| L. Dale Mitchell Park
Game 1	Friday, Feb. 20 - 3 p.m.
Game 2	Saturday, Feb. 21 - noon
Game 3	Saturday, Feb. 21 - 3:30
Game 4	Sunday, Feb. 22 - 1 p.m.
Radio	KOKC 1520 AM \| Sunday, Feb. 22 - 1 p.m.
Tickets \| Promos	OU Athletics Ticket Office \| Weekend Promotions
Online	Live Stats \| Webcast schedule for audio and video links
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2009 Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- No. 16 Oklahoma will begin the 2009 season at home against Western Illinois. The last time the Sooners opened a season in Norman was in 2003. The series begins on Friday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. OU and WIU will play a doubleheader on Saturday with first pitch in game one slated for noon, while game two begins 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game. The four-game set concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Sooners and Leathernecks have met in each of the last five seasons, with the series beginning in 2002. OU leads 14-1 and each meeting has taken place at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Following a year off in 2003, the Sooners suffered a 5-4 defeat in 2004 but have since rattled 13 straight wins. OU swept last year's four-game series (12-2, 11-6, 7-4, 7-4).

Western Illinois was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League after finishing third a year ago with a 13-11 conference mark and a 21-33 overall record. The Leathernecks, led by eighth-year head coach Stan Hyman, return 10 letterwinners from the 2008 squad.

A pair of seniors look to lead Western Illinois in 2009. Right-handed pitcher Eric Eden led the staff with a 3.28 ERA and a 4-3 mark in 2008. Offensively, Drew Laidig, a first team all-conference honoree, led all Leathernecks last season with a .349 batting average and 41 RBIs.

WESTERN ILLINOIS SERIES INFORMATION
OU leads: 14-1
In Norman: 14-1
First Meeting: OU won 18-8, March 13, 2002 (Norman, Okla.)
Last Meeting: OU won 7-4, March 9, 2008 (Norman, Okla.)

PROJECTED STARTERS
Game 1 - OU: Andrew Doyle - RHP (0-0) vs. WIU: Austin Brough - LHP (0-0)

Game 2 - OU: Antwonie Hubbard - RHP (0-0) vs. WIU: John Sneegas - LHP (0-0)

Game 3 - OU: Garrett Richards - RHP (0-0) vs. WIU Brock Simon - LHP (0-0)

Game 4 - OU: TBA (0-0) vs. WIU: Jordan Faller - LHP (0-0)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
The first three games of the WIU series will have radio live on the internet via Oklahoma All-Access, SoonerSports.com's premium paid site. Game four on Sunday will be aired on the Sooners' flagship station, KOKC 1520 AM, with Chuck Kelly and DeWayne Vaughn providing the on-air talent. In addition, live webcasts (video) will be available for Friday and Sunday's games on Oklahoma All-Access.

LIVE STATS
Live stats are available for all games on SoonerSports.com to both media and fans. This feature allows individuals to follow a live box score of the game. The box score gives a detailed play-by-play as well as updated stats as the game progresses. All home games and most of the team's road games can be viewed online.

TICKETS
Seats remain for this weekend's game 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 on the plaza level of the Asp Avenue parking garage.

PROMOTIONS
All fans in attendance on Friday, Feb. 20 will receive a 2009 OU baseball schedule poster. On Saturday, fans can present their women's basketball ticket stub vs. Baylor and receive $4 admission. The first 250 fans will receive schedule magnets and posters will be given away prior to the game. Additionally, players and coaches will sign autographs following the second game of the doubleheader. On Sunday, kids can run the bases following the game, weather permitting.

OU IN SEASON OPENERS
Since 1962, the OU baseball program is 35-12 in season openers. From 1984 till 2003, the Sooners won 20 consecutive season openers. OU's 21-4 record since 1984 has been made possible by run support. The Sooners have outscored the opposition 249-117, scoring in double digits on 11 occasions while averaging more than 10 runs a game.

Since 1962, the Sooners are 20-1 in season openers played in Norman and are currently riding an 18-game winning streak. The only loss on record came during a season opener at home was in 1981, a 6-5 loss to Southeastern St.

UP NEXT
The Sooners hit the road for the first trip of the season, a six-game stretch in San Diego, Calif., and Pullman, Wash. OU will play at No. 11 San Diego on Tuesday, Feb. 24 and Wednesday, Feb. 25. The Sooners then play a four-game set over the weekend at Washington State (Feb. 27-March 1).

BASEBALL AMERICA TABS SOONERS NO. 16
The Sooners were slotted at No. 16 in Baseball America's top 25 preseason poll. The last time OU was ranked in the preseason was prior to the 2006 season, when the Sooners went on to win the NCAA Norman Regional. It also marks the highest preseason ranking for OU by Baseball America since the 1996 season when it appeared at No. 14.

TOUGH SCHEDULE
Oklahoma will face 12 opponents, for a total of 27 games, that participated in last year's NCAA Tournament, including nine teams that finished the season ranked in the top 25. Six of those opponents (Nebraska, Oklahoma State, San Diego, TCU, Texas A&M, Wichita State) posted 40 wins a year ago, while Texas A&M and Wichita State both advanced to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Sooners will face seven of the teams ranked in Baseball America's preseason poll for a combined 18 games. Six of those contests will be played at L. Dale Mitchell Park with No. 12 UCLA (March 6-8) and No. 1 Texas A&M (May 15-17) coming to town for a pair of three-game series.

BAKER AND DOYLE NAMED TO WALLACE WATCH LIST
Juniors Aaron Baker and Andrew Doyle were named to the 2009 Preseason Brooks Wallace Award as announced by the College Baseball Foundation. The Wallace Award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The 2009 award banquet will be at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 2, in the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech University. The recognition marks the fifth consecutive year that a Sooner was named to the preseason list and the second consecutive season for Baker.

FACILITY UPGRADES
The new year brought several new additions to L. Dale Mitchell Park. OU added a player developmental facility which includes indoor hitting cages and a full-size practice infield. In addition, the Sooners upgraded the fan experience as a new sound system consisting of 20-plus speakers was added to accompany the new scoreboard in left field. The scoreboard also includes a full LED video display board and the entire structure stands 50-feet high.

BIG 12 PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
Texas A&M was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 Conference baseball regular season title in a vote of the league's head coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Oklahoma was picked to finish sixth.

1. Texas A&M (9) 81
2. Texas (1)  69
3. Baylor  59
3. Oklahoma State 59
5. Missouri  51
6. OKLAHOMA  42
7. Nebraska  38
8. Texas Tech  25
9. Kansas State  15
10. Kansas   11

COMING BACK FOR MORE
OU returns 18 letterwinners from the 2008 squad that appeared in the final game of the NCAA Tempe Regional, including seven position starters and nine pitchers that started a game on the mound last season. The deep pitching staff is led by five hurlers that made at least five starts in 2008. That excludes junior Stephen Porlier, who led OU with 99 innings and 99 strikeouts in 2007 before missing last season with surgery.

NUMBER CHANGES
Two Sooners from the 2008 squad, Ryan Duke and Tyson Seng, will sport different numbers this season. Duke will go from No. 28 last season to No. 17 and Seng, No. 33 in 2008, will wear No. 8.

2009 SOONERS BY THE NUMBERS
The Sooners only lost two regular starters from last year's club that appeared in the program's third regional final in the last four years. Other numbers of interest are listed below:

418 - Number of innings pitched logged by the returning pitchers on the 2009 staff. The Sooners return 75 percent of the innings from last year's team, including Andrew Doyle's team-leading 99 1/3 frames.

254 - Over 60 percent, or 254 runs batted in, will be back in the Sooners' lineup in 2009 from last season. That total includes the No. 1 and No. 3 individual totals from 2008 held by Aaron Baker (61) and J.T. Wise (49).

89 - In addition to the returning innings pitched, OU has 89 percent of the games started (56) back from a year ago, including six hurlers with five starts or more from the 2008 rotation.

54 - Led by Jamie Johnson's 20 stolen bases in 2008, 73 percent, or 54 swipes are back in 2009. In addition to Johnson, Tyson Seng and Matt Harughty both stole double-digit bases last season.

16 - OU is ranked No. 16 by Baseball America in the preseason, marking the highest preseason ranking for the Sooners in the publication since the 1996 season when it appeared at No. 14.

7 - Sunny Golloway will have the luxury of penciling in seven regulars into this year's lineup that saw extensive time a year ago. OU returns over 60 percent of the at-bats, runs scored, hits and homers from 2008.

GOLLOWAY BY THE NUMBERS
1994 - The last season OU won a National Championship, Golloway was an OU assistant.

462 - Golloway has accumulated 462 wins over his 12 years as a head coach. Excluding the 2005 season where he won 12 of 18 games as an interim head coach, Golloway has averaged 40-plus wins per season.

100 - Golloway reached the 100-win plateau at OU in his 154th game. The total was achieved in 2008, his third full season at the helm, tied for the best mark in program history.

60 - Golloway has coached 60 all-conference honorees at Oklahoma and Oral Roberts. In the last four years, 27 Sooners have garnered All-Big 12 accolades.

44 - The number of players taken in the MLB Draft during Golloway's 12 seasons as a head coach. As an assistant and head coach at OU, 52 Sooners have been drafted under him.

7 - The number of 40-plus win seasons that Golloway has led his teams to as a head coach, including seven of his last 10 years at the helm.

5 - Golloway has been a part of the Sooners' last five regional titles (2006, 1995, 1994 and 1992) and last three College World Series Appearances (1995, 1994 and 1992).

4 - Golloway has been a part of the Sooners' last four regional titles (2006, 1995, 1994 and 1992) and last three College World Series Appearances (1995, 1994 and 1992).

2010 SIGNING CLASS
The OU coaching staff inked 10 high school players, including four Oklahoma products, and six players from the junior college ranks. The Sooners concentrated on adding players to all areas of the field as the signing class features eight positions players and eight pitchers, including five left-handers.

Overall, 11 of the recruits are rated by Perfect Game Crosschecker as prospects for the 2009 MLB Draft.

The signees from Oklahoma feature some of the best prep stars from the state in Brandon Bargas (LHP) and Austin Kirk (LHP/1B) from Owasso High School, Jarek Pritchard (OF) from Charles Page H.S. and Ryan Gibson (LHP) from Yukon H.S.

Rounding out the group of high school recruits are six talented players from the state of Texas with Abel Baker (C/1B), the brother of current Sooner Aaron Baker, from Denton H.S., Drew Harrison (1B) from Waxahachie H.S., Jordan John (LHP) from Calallen H.S., Chad Kettler (SS) from Coppell H.S., Jack Mayfield (SS) from Del Rio H.S. and Drew Verhagen (RHP) from Heath H.S.

The Sooners' junior college recruits include Danny Black (INF/OF) from Feather River C.C. (Calif.), Anthony Collazo (LHP) from Howard College (Texas), Rickey Eisenberg (OF) from Cypress College (Calif.), Zach Neal (RHP) from Howard College (Texas), Eric Ross (OF) from Grayson College (Texas) and Bobby Shore (RHP) from Palomar College (Calif.).

WEBCAST SCHEDULE
The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department will web cast 24 of the Sooners' 28 home games this season. The only games that will not be aired are; Feb. 21 (DH vs. Western Illinois), March 7 (UCLA) and April 11 (Texas Tech). The webcasts can be seen on Oklahoma All-Access, Soonersports.com's premium site.

RADIO BROADCAST SCHEDULE
The entire 56-game regular season schedule will be broadcast live on the internet via Yahoo. In addition, KOKC 1520 AM will again serve as the flagship station of Sooner baseball and 40-plus games are scheduled to broadcast live.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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