Baseball Set for Pivotal Road Series

April 23, 2009

No. 13 Sooners (30-11, 8-7) at No. 9 Baylor (25-14, 10-7)
Location	Baylor Ballpark
Game 42	Friday, April 24 - 6:30 p.m.
Game 43	Saturday, April 25 - 1 p.m.
Game 44	Sunday, April 26 - 1:30 p.m.
Radio	Sooner Sports Network - KOKC 1520 AM - All three games
Television	Fox Sports Southwest - Saturday
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com - All three games
Internet Audio	Oklahoma All-Access - All three games
Webcast	BaylorBears.com - Friday and Sunday
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2009 Media Guide

WACO, Texas. -- No. 13 Oklahoma (30-11 overall, 8-7 Big 12) will look to bounce back in Big 12 action this weekend after dropping its first series defeat last weekend at then-No. 10 Texas. The Sooners, currently tied for fourth place, will battle another top 10 team this weekend, as the No. 9 Baylor Bears (25-14, 10-7) host the three-game set, starting on Friday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m.

The Bears are in third place in the Big 12 standings and have maintained a top 15 ranking for most of the season. However, they have struggled as of late with a 4-6 mark in the last 10 games. Baylor split its last Big 12 series at Oklahoma State, as the third game was canceled due to inclement weather. Besides the OSU series, Baylor has won each of its last five conference series (Texas Tech, Kansas State, Kansas and Missouri) since losing two games to one in the opener at Texas A&M.

Baylor was picked third by the Big 12 coaches in the preseason after posting a sixth place finish in 2008 with a 11-16 mark. The Bears were 32-26 and return 19 letterwinners from that squad.

BAYLOR SERIES INFORMATION
Overall:  BU leads 26-24 (since 1942)
In Big 12 play: BU leads 19-17
In Waco:  BU leads 15-8 (since 1964)
In Norman:  OU leads 16-7 (since 1964)
Last 10 games: Tied at 5-5
Last Meeting: BU won 7-3, March 30, 2008 (Norman, Okla.)
Last Series:  OU won 2-1 (11-2, 3-2, 3-7), March 28-30, 2008 (Norman, Okla.)

GAME 42 - Friday, April 24
First Pitch:  6:30 p.m. CST
OU Starter:  Andrew Doyle - RHP (5-3, 3.96)
BU Starter:  Kendal Volz - RHP (3-3, 3.66)
Radio:  Sooner Sports Network - KOKC 1520 AM
Internet Audio: Oklahoma All-Access
Live Video:  BaylorBears.com
Live Stats:  SoonerSports.com

GAME 43 - Saturday, April 25
First Pitch:  1 p.m. CST
OU Starter:  Garrett Richards - RHP (5-1, 6.81)
BU Starter:  Aaron Miller - LHP (3-1, 3.05)
Radio:  Sooner Sports Network - KOKC 1520 AM
Television:  Fox Sports Southwest (Cox Ch. 37 in OKC)
Internet Audio: Oklahoma All-Access
Live Stats  SoonerSports.com

GAME 44 - Sunday, April 26
First Pitch:  1:30 p.m. CST
OU Starter:  Antwonie Hubbard (2-2, 2.81)
BU Starter:  TBA
Radio:  Sooner Sports Network - KOKC 1520 AM
Internet Audio: Oklahoma All-Access
Live Video:  BaylorBears.com
Live Stats:  SoonerSports.com

PLAYER TO WATCH - ANDREW DOYLE
The Sooners' ace will look to rebound this Friday after dropping just his second Big 12 start in five opportunities last weekend at Texas with 7 1/3 innings of work. The junior has been effective as OU's Friday night starter in `09, winning three straight Big 12 starts until last weekend.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
This weekend's games will be available on the Sooner Sports Network (KOKC 1520 AM) with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play. Live audio can also be found on the internet via Oklahoma All-Access.

Saturday's game will be televised live by Fox Sports Southwest (Cox channel 37 in OKC) with Greg Lucas and Jack Lazorko providing the on-air talent.

MORE ON THE OU-BAYLOR SERIES
The Sooners last met the Bears in a three-game series in 2008 in Norman, Okla. OU won the three-game set, 2-1, with victories in games one (11-2) and two (3-2). Turn to page 14 for OU's career stats versus BU and line scores from 2007-08. Below is a closer look at the all-time series.

- OU has never won a Big 12 series in Waco in six chances, but swept the only two meetings on the road in 1996.
- The two teams have split the last 10 games and each of those contests were under head coach Sunny Golloway.
- 26 of the 36 meetings in Big 12 play have been decided by three runs or less, including 16 one-run games with each team tallying eight wins in those contests.

UP NEXT
The Sooners travel to No. 12 Arkansas on Tuesday, April 28 for a midweek game before turning around and hosting Kansas over the weekend in a three-game Big 12 series.

LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners swept the season series with Wichita State on Wednesday, April 22 with an 8-1 victory at home. OU topped the Shockers on April 8 in Wichita, 15-0.

OU IN BIG 12 RANKS
The Sooners can be found up and down the Big 12 statistics for overall games released on April 23. The Sooners' offense leads all conference teams in batting average (.330), runs (361), hits (463), homers (64) and RBIs (331). OU is one of three teams in the Big 12 to be hitting over .300 overall and in conference action (Kansas State and Texas Tech).

SOONERS FIRST TO REACH 30 WINS
OU is the first team in the Big 12 to reach 30 wins and it accomplished the feat after 41 games. The pace is the second fastest by a Sooner team to reach the 30-win plateau since the 1994 National Championship team, which also started 30-11. OU started the 1995, 1997 and 2006 seasons at 30-10. Those three squads finished their respective seasons with a College World Series appearance (1995), a Big 12 Championship (1997) and the program's first Super Regional Appearance (2006).

SCORING FIRST
OU has scored first in 24 games this season with an 18-6 record in those contests. The opposition has tallied the game's first run on 17 occasions but OU is 12-5 in those situations. The Sooners have scored first in 10 of the last 14 games and in nine of the 15 conference games.

TOUGH REMAINING SCHEDULE
With the exception of UT-Arlingon and Southern Utah, each of the Sooners' final 15 regular season games will come against teams ranked in the top 25 at some point this season. Included in those final 16 games are 7 against teams in this week's polls (Baylor - 3, Arkansas and Texas A&M-3). 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 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.

MIDWEEK SUCCESS
The Sooners have had success in the midweek games under head coach Sunny Golloway. OU has won 10 straight midweek games this season with three wins over ranked opponents. OU is 11-1 this season and 43-7 all-time under Golloway. OU was 15-1 in midweek contests last season, a mark that helped propel them into the NCAA Tournament.

HOME RUN NOTES
With a home run on Wednesday against Wichita State, the Sooners have 64 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 14 of the last 18 games with 39 in that span ... That total is more than half of the other teams' season totals in the Big 12.

The Sooners have 34 homers in Big 12 play, marking the most in conference play since 1999 (39).

OU has homered in all but 11 games this season with 13 multiple-homer games, including six in Big 12 play.

With two outs on the board, OU has 23 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 41 games last season, the Sooners had 37 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.

Aaron Baker (10) and Wise became the first pair of Sooners to have double digit homers in the same season since 2005 (Ryan Rohlinger - 11 and Kody Kaiser - 10)

Despite the 1.56 HR/game average this season, the 2009 Sooners are still behind the school record of 114 homers hit in 1998 across 62 games, a 1.8 average per game. That team had 87 dingers after 41 games.

Since the schedule expanded in 1972, the Sooners have more homers this season than 22 OU teams since that year.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors