OU Heads South for Red River Rivalry

April 16, 2009

No. 9 Sooners (29-8, 8-4) at No. 10 Texas (26-8, 9-6)
Location	Austin, Texas \| UFCU-Disch Falk Field
Game 38	Friday, April 17 - 6:05 p.m.
Game 39	Saturday, April 18 - 2 p.m.
Game 40	Sunday, April 19 - 1 p.m.
Radio	KOKC 1520 AM - All three games
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com - All three games
Internet Audio	Oklahoma All-Access - All three games
Webcast	TexasSports.com
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2009 Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- No. 9 Oklahoma (29-8 overall, 8-4 Big 12) approaches the midway point of the Big 12 slate this weekend with first place on the line in the Red River Rivalry against No. 10 Texas (26-8, 9-6). The series begins in Austin, Texas on Friday, April 17 at 6:05 p.m.

The Longhorns, ranked as high as No. 6 this week in the NCBWA poll, have won each of their last seven games after sweeping Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in two midweek contests. Since getting swept by Kansas, Texas has won its last three Big 12 series against Texas Tech (2-1), Oklahoma State (2-1) and Nebraska (3-0).

Texas returns 19 letterwinners from a 2008 team that finished fifth in the Big 12 with a 15-12 record. The Longhorns posted a 39-22 overall mark last year after going 2-2 in the NCAA Houston Regional.

PLAYER TO WATCH - RYAN DUKE
The Sooners' closer notched his eighth save on Tuesday night against No. 16 TCU. That total ranks first in the Big 12. Duke is 2-0 this season with a 2.89 ERA after blanking the opposition in 11 of his 14 relief outings. Duke also has 23 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings of work.

TEXAS SERIES INFORMATION
Overall:  Texas leads 117-40-2 (since 1942)
Big 12:  Texas leads 25-11
In Austin:  Texas leads 61-14-1 (since 1962)
In Norman:  Texas leads 16-13 (since 1962)
Last 10 games: Texas leads 7-3
Last Game:  Texas won 11-10, Big 12 Champ. - May 24, 2008 (Oklahoma City)
Last Series: Texas won 2-1 (10-7, 3-5, 13-7), April 4-6, 2008 (Norman, Okla.)

GAME 38 - Friday, April 17
First Pitch:  6:05 p.m. CST
OU Starter:  Andrew Doyle - RHP (5-2, 3.67)
UT Starter:  Chance Ruffin - RHP (5-2, 2.44)
Live Audio:  KOKC 1520 AM
Live Video:  TexasSports.com
Live Stats:  SoonerSports.com

GAME 39 - Saturday, April 18
First Pitch:  2 p.m. CST
OU Starter:  Stephen Porlier - RHP (1-0, 0.00)
UT Starter:  Cole Green - RHP (3-0, 2.42)
Live Audio:  KOKC 1520 AM
Live Video:  TexasSports.com
Live Stats:  SoonerSports.com

GAME 40 - Sunday, April 19
First Pitch:  1 p.m. CST
OU Starter:  TBA
UT Starter:  Brandon Workman - RHP (3-3, 2.74)
Live Audio:  KOKC 1520 AM
Live Video:  TexasSports.com
Live Stats:  SoonerSports.com

BROADCAST INFORMATION
All three games this weekend will be available on KOKC 1520 AM with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play. Live audio can also be found on the internet via Oklahoma All-Access. A live webcast will also be available on TexasSports.com. Live stats will be available on SoonerSports.com.

MORE ON THE OU-TEXAS SERIES
Texas won last year's series in Norman, 2-1, and topped OU again in the Big 12 Championship, 11-10. The Longhorns have won the last 10 Big 12 series with 14 wins in those 20 conference games. Other series notes include:

- 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 3-9 in Big 12 series openers vs. Texas ('97,'98,'02)
- 20 of the last 40 games in the series have been decided by three runs or less, including 10 by one run.
- Both teams enter the series ranked for the fourth time in the last six years (first that both are in top 10)

LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners rallied for the 16th time this season to complete a season sweep of TCU with a 7-5 win on Tuesday night in Norman. OU topped the No. 16 Horned Frogs for the second time this season. The Sooners also beat then-No. 14 TCU on March 17 in Fort Worth.

UP NEXT
The Sooners return home to host Wichita State on Wednesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on Cox channel 7 in Oklahoma City and channel 3 in Tulsa. OU blanked the Shockers, 15-0, in Wichita earlier this season on April 8. Following the midweek contest, OU travels to No. 7 Baylor for a three-game conference series.

SERIES WINS
OU sits atop the Big 12 standings with an 8-4 record after winning each of its first four series in conference play (Kansas State, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas Tech). The streak is a first for the Sooners since Big 12 play began in 1997. OU has not lost a weekend series in the Big 12 or during non-conference play this season. It tied Washington State 2-2.

OU IN BIG 12 RANKS
The Sooners can be found up and down the Big 12 statistics for overall games released on April 16. The Sooners' offense leads all conference teams in batting average (.336), runs (343), hits (428), doubles (79), triples (15), homers (61) and RBIs (313). OU is the only team in the Big 12 to be hitting over .300 overall and in conference action. Turn to page 7 for national rankings.

PITCHING STAFF GRABS SPOTLIGHT
In the eight seven games, pitching has stolen the headlines from the Sooners' powerful offense. The staff has a 6-2 mark in that span with a 1.77 ERA while holding opponents to a .206 batting average and 81 strikeouts in 71 innings.
The most impressive statistic in that span is the three consecutive shutouts and a 36-inning scoreless streak posted by OU. The scoreless streak spanned five games and dates back to game three at Mizzou and continued up until the third inning of game three against Texas Tech. OU's three straight shutouts (Wichita State, 15-0, and Texas Tech 6-0, 4-0) marked a first since 1985 and the sixth time it was accomplished in school history (1984, 1976, 1974, 1971).

THEY'RE BACK!
The recent boost in pitching can be traced to the return of Stephen Porlier, Antwonie Hubbard and Jeremy Erben from injury two weeks ago. Porlier made his official return on March 24 two weeks ago after missing the entire 2008 season with shoulder surgery. Erben made his first appearance on Sunday, April 5 after missing the first 31 games with a strained ligament in his elbow. Hubbard missed three weeks with a stress reaction in his fibula and started Saturday's game against Mizzou.

TOUGH REMAINING SCHEDULE
Tuesday's contest against No. 16 TCU was the first of 17 that the Sooners will play over the final 20 games of the regular season against a team ranked in one of the four major polls this week. Throughout the season, OU 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.

THE RACE TO 30 WINS
The Sooners, 29-8, are on a pace to win 30 games faster than the 2006 Super Regional team, who posted its 30th victory after 40 games under head coach Sunny Golloway. Eleven teams in the history of OU baseball have won 30 games in their first 40 games or less, including the 1974 squad. That team posted the best start in school history at 30-3 and was 30-4 the following season. Including those seasons, four of the Sooners' nine CWS appearances were achieved after the teams won 30 games in their first 40 games or less (1995: 30-10 and 1973: 30-8). Other teams that achieved the feat include: 1997 (30-10), 1988 (30-10), 1985 (30-6), 1984 (30-5), 1981 (30-5) and 1977 (30-9).

MIDWEEK SUCCESS
The Sooners have had success in the midweek games under head coach Sunny Golloway. OU has won nine straight midweek games this season with three wins over ranked opponents. OU is 10-1 this season and 42-7 all-time under Golloway. OU finished 15-1 in midweek contests last season, a mark that helped propel them into the NCAA Tournament.

SCORING FIRST
OU has scored first in 22 games this season with a 17-5 record in those contests. The opposition has tallied the game's first run on 15 occasions but OU is 12-3 in those situations. The Sooners have scored first in eight of the last 10 games and in eight of the 12 conference games.

HOME RUN NOTES
With two home runs over the weekend against Texas Tech, the Sooners have 61 this season, a mark that already has surpassed the season totals in each of the last seven years (OU had 76 in 2002).

OU has homered in eleven of the last 14 games with 36 in that span ... That total is more than half of the other teams' season totals in the Big 12.

The Sooners have 32 homers in Big 12 play, marking the most in conference play since 2000 (33).

OU has homered in all but 10 games this season with 13 multiple-homer games, including six in Big 12 play.

With two outs on the board, OU has 22 homers this season.

The Sooners tied a Big 12 record with 11 home runs during the series finale against Kansas State. OU hit five dingers in the first inning and four more in the seventh.

OU has 16 homers this season that led off an inning, including four from Jaime Johnson that began a game.

After 37 games last season, the Sooners had 31 home runs.

OU has 11 home runs this season after the sixth inning.

J.T. Wise is second in the Big 12 with 12 HRs, the most by a Sooner since Ryan Rohlinger hit 13 in 2006.

Despite the 1.65 HR/game average this season, the 2009 Sooners are still behind the school record of 114 homers hit in 1998 in 62 games, a 1.8 average per game. That team had 79 dingers after 37 games.

Since the schedule expanded in 1972, the Sooners have more homers this season than 20 OU teams since that year.

TWO-OUT RBI
The Sooners have driven in 97 runs with two outs on the board, or 31 percent of the current season total (313). Four players have 10 or more two-out RBIs and Bryant Hernandez leads the way with 15. Garrett Buechele and J.T. Wise are a close second with 13 and Casey Johnson has 12.

THE BIG INNING
OU has hit through the batting order on 17 occasions this year and scored five or more runs in 14 different frames. OU is 11-1 when the plate five or more runs in a game. The only loss came in the second game of the San Diego series. The Sooners had two big innings (5-plus runs) in game three of the WIU series and game three of the KSU series.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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