No. 11 OU Welcomes Texas Tech

April 9, 2009

No. 11 Sooners (26-7, 6-3) vs. Texas Tech (15-20, 6-6)
Location	Norman, Okla. \| L. Dale Mitchell Park
Game 34	Friday, April 10 - 6:35 p.m.
Game 35	Saturday, April 11 - 4 p.m.
Game 36	Sunday, April 12 - 1 p.m.
Tickets \| Promos	OU Ticket Office \| Weekend promotions
Television	Friday - Sooner Sports Network
Radio	KOKC 1520 AM - all three games
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com
Webcast	Oklahoma All-Access - All three games
Internet Audio	Oklahoma All-Access - All three games
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2009 Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- No. 11 OU (26-7 overall, 6-3 Big 12) will look for its fourth straight Big 12 series victory this weekend against visiting Texas Tech (16-20, 6-6). The series begins on Friday, April 10 at 6:35 p.m. First pitch on Saturday is set for 4 p.m. and Sunday will begin at 1 p.m.

The Red Raiders sit fifth in the conference standings with a 6-6 mark after winning their last series, 2-1, against then-No. 11 Texas A&M. Texas Tech also defeated Nebraska, 2-1, to begin Big 12 play and dropped two out of three to Baylor and Texas.

Senior Chris Richburg leads Texas Tech with a .358 clip to go along with his team-leading nine homers and 38 RBIs. Friday night's starter, Brian Cloud, is 2-2 and will be making his second start of the season on Friday
.
TTU was picked eighth in the preseason coaches' poll after finishing 2008 with a 25-30 record. The Red Raiders return 18 letterwinners from last year's squad that finished tied for ninth in the Big 12 with a 9-18 mark.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
All three games this weekend can be heard live on KOKC 1520 AM with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play. Live audio and video will also be available on the internet via Oklahoma All-Access.

In addition, Friday's game will be televised live by the Sooner Sports Network with Brian Brinkley and Kenny Mossman providing the on-air talent. The game can be seen on Cox Ch. 7 in Oklahoma City (Cox Ch. 3 in Tulsa). The game can also be seen in the following markets: Woodward, Okla. (KOMI), Ponca City, Okla. (KTEW), Guymon, Okla. (PTSI), Lawton, Okla. (KSWO), Enid, Okla. (KXOK), Kansas City (Metro Sports) and on TYTX in Texas (Tyler, Longview, Lufkin, Nacogdoches).

TEXAS TECH SERIES INFORMATION
Overall Series: OU leads 28-23-1
Big 12 play: OU leads 18-7-1
In Norman: OU leads 14-8-1
In Lubbock: Tech leads 11-9
Last Series: OU won 2-1 (12-7, 2-6, 3-2) - April 25-27, 2008 (Lubbock, Texas)
Last meeting: OU won 3-2 - April 27, 2008 (Lubbock, Texas)
First meeting: OU won 3-0 - March 23, 1976 (Norman, Okla.)

GAME 34 - Friday, April 10
First Pitch: 6:35 p.m. CST
OU Starter: Andrew Doyle - RHP (4-2, 4.30)
TTU Starter: Brian Cloud - RHP (2-2, 3.91)
Radio: KOKC 1520 AM
Television: Sooner Sports Network (Cox Ch. 7 in OKC)
Live Audio: All-Access/Soonersports.com
Live Video: All-Access/Soonersports.com

GAME 35 - Saturday, April 11
First Pitch: 4 p.m. CST
OU Starter: Stephen Porlier - RHP (0-0, 0.00)
TTU Starter: A.J. Ramos - RHP (3-2, 4.96)
Radio: KOKC 1520 AM
Live Audio: All-Access/Soonersports.com
Live Video: All-Access/Soonersports.com

GAME 36 - Sunday, April 12
First Pitch: 1 p.m. CST
OU Starter: TBA
TTU Starter: Miles Morgan - RHP (2-4, 6.25)
Radio: KOKC 1520 AM
Live Audio: All-Access/Soonersports.com
Live Video: All-Access/Soonersports.com

PLAYER TO WATCH - J.T. WISE
OU's catcher hit in his seventh consecutive game on Wednesday night at Wichita and is batting .423 in that span with nine RBIs. Wise has also been one of OU's top hitters in Big 12 play after hitting safely in each of the first nine games with five homers and 16 RBIs.

MORE ON THE OU-TEXAS TECH SERIES
The Sooners won the last three-game series with Texas Tech at L. Dale Mitchell Park in 2007, 2-1 . OU also won last year's meeting, 2-1, in Lubbock, Texas.

-               OU has won 11 of the last 13 games against Texas Tech and each of the last four series meetings
-               Texas Tech has won six of the 12 Big 12 series
-               The 2001 series in Norman was split with a tie in the series finale (7-7)
-               Sooners swept the series in 2003, 2005 and 2006
-               OU won the series opener in each of the last six series
-               OU is 8-3 in one-run games against Texas Tech, winning four of the last six games in that fashion

TICKETS
Seats remain for the Texas Tech series 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
The first 500 fans on Friday will receive “K” (strikeout) cards. On Saturday, fans can present their OU football spring game ticket at L. Dale Mitchell Park for $4 admission. In addition, the first 250 fans will receive an OU baseball team photo and the team will be available for autographs following the game. On Sunday, the first 500 kids will receive a Mascot Growth Chart.

LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners posted an impressive 15-0 victory at Wichita State on Wednesday. OU pounded out 14 hits and held the Shockers to three base knocks in the shutout. The win was the Sooners first in Wichita since 1992 and just the second in 10 opportunities.

UP NEXT
OU remains home to host its second and final meeting with TCU on Tuesday, April 14. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Following the midweek contest, the Sooners return to Big 12 play with a three-game series at No. 9 Texas (April 17-19).

SERIES WINS
The Sooners sit atop the Big 12 standings with a 6-3 record after winning each of their first three series in conference play (Kansas State, Nebraska and Missouri). The last time OU won three consecutive conference series to begin a season was in 1996 (Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa St.). 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 6. The Sooners' offense leads all conference teams in batting average (.343), runs (325), hits (396), doubles (73), homers (59) and RBIs (296). Turn to page 6 for national rankings.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners have scored 10 or more runs in 15 of the 33 games this season with a 9.84 runs/game average . OU is 15-0 when they score 10-plus runs in a game in 2009. In addition, the Sooners are averaging 12 hits per game with double digit hits in all but 11 games. The Sooners are 20-2 when they connect for 10-plus hits in a contest. OU ranks fifth nationally in total hits and fourth in runs.

SCORING FIRST
OU has scored first in 20 games this season with a 15-5 record in those contests. The opposition has tallied the game's first run on 13 occasions but OU is 11-2 in those situations. The Sooners have scored first in six of the last seven games and in six of the nine Big 12 games.

PITCHING STAFF RECEIVES BOOST
OU's pitching staff received a boost over the weekend as Antwonie Hubbard, Jeremy Erben and Stephen Porlier were all active at the same time for the first time this season. 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. While Hubbard's start lasted 1 2/3 innings, Porlier and Erben pitched well in extended relief. Porlier tossed 4 1/3 scoreless frames and Erben blanked the Tigers for 1 2/3 innings. Those two combined with the rest of the bullpen for a 0.68 ERA in 13 1/3 innings of action. Overall, the Sooners' pitching staff recorded a 2.08 ERA.

PORLIER TO MAKE FIRST START OF 2009
Stephen Porlier is scheduled to start Saturday's game against Texas Tech, making his first start since May 25, 2007. Porlier started all nine of the Big 12 series openers that year en route to earning second team All-Big 12 honors.

HOME RUN NOTES
OU has homered in nine of the last 10 games with 34 in that span ... That total is more than half of the other teams' season totals in the Big 12.

With two home runs against Wichita State, the Sooners have 59 this season, a mark that already has surpassed the 2008 total after 63 games ... The total also is the most in a season in the last seven years (OU had 76 in 2002).

OU has 30 homers in Big 12 play, marking the most in conference play since 2002 (30).

The Sooners have homered in all but eight games this season and have 13 games with multiple homers, including six in Big 12 play.

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 33 games last season, the Sooners had 29 home runs. J.T. Wise is tied for first in the Big 12 with 11 HR and is the first Sooner since Joe Dunigan (2007) to have double digits.Despite the 1.79 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 74 dingers after 33 games. Since the NCAA schedule expanded in 1972, OU already has more homers this season than 19 OU teams since that year.

DOUBLE PLAY MACHINE
The Sooners lead the Big 12 with 34 double plays turned this season and rank 14th in the nation. OU has turned a double play in 20 games overall and in eight of the last 11 games. In addition, OU has turned multiple double plays in seven games this season. In 2008, OU finished 12th in the nation with 65 double plays.

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.

ONE-TWO PUNCH
OU has a productive 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup and the proof is in the Big 12's overall statistics and the national rankings released this week. Johnson and Hernandez combine to rank atop four different categories in the conference. Johnson leads the Big 12 in runs (50) and total bases (94). In addition, he ranks sixth in the nation in runs scored. Hernandez leads the Big 12 in hits (55) and batting average (.420). Hernandez ranks fifth in the country in hits and 19th in runs scored (42).

SOONERS STRIKE OUT 16 SHOCKERS
The pitching staff had a season-high 16 strikeouts at Wichita State on April 8, marking the sixth time this year it has recorded double digits. It's also the most strikeouts recorded by OU since March 23, 2007 vs. Texas A&M (16).

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