Baseball Duo Sweeps Big 12 Awards

April 27, 2009

NORMAN, Okla. -- Following baseball's series sweep at then-No. 9 Baylor over the weekend, the Sooners pulled off another sweep on Monday after Bryant Hernandez and Chase Anderson were named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.

Both Sooners played key roles in the 4-0 record posted by Oklahoma last week, which began with an 8-1 win over Wichita State. Following the midweek victory, OU recorded three straight Big 12 wins in Waco to move into second place in the Big 12 standings.

The accolades are career firsts for Hernandez and Anderson as they became the third and fourth Sooners to be honored by the conference office this season (J.T. Wise and Ryan Duke). The four honorees leads the conference in 2009 and is the highest single-season total for OU since the Big 12 originated in 1997.

Hernandez, who shared the honor with Kyle Colligan from Texas A&M, hit safely in all four games last week, including two multiple-hit performances and two multiple-RBI games at Baylor. The Sooners' shortstop hit .353 (6-for-17) last week with two home runs, five runs and five RBIs. The junior began the Baylor series with two hits and two RBIs, including a two-run homer, on Friday in the Sooners' 4-2 win. On Saturday, he collected two RBIs and two hits, including his second homer of the series, and scored two runs in the 12-4 win.

Hernandez has been one of the Big 12's top hitters and is currently batting .376, second on the team. He also leads OU with 48 RBIs and ranks fourth with eight home runs.

Anderson made three relief appearances last week and held Wichita State and Baylor scoreless over 7 1/3 innings. The junior allowed just one hit in the three outings and struck out 10 batters, including nine strikeouts in his two Big 12 appearances, spanning 6 1/3 innings. On Sunday, Anderson shut out of the Bears and gave up one hit across 4 1/3 innings and recorded his first win of the season. In game two at Baylor, Anderson pitched two perfect innings to help OU secure the series victory. In the three games, opponents hit .042 against Anderson and allowed just three base runners.

Anderson leads the Sooners with 20 appearances and ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 Conference.

The No. 9 Sooners travel to No. 8 Arkansas on Tuesday, April 28 for a midweek non-conference game. Over the weekend, Oklahoma will host Kansas in a three-game Big 12 series. The series starts on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Game two is slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch and the three-game set concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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