OU Opens NCAA Play at Home Friday

May 28, 2009

2009 NCAA NORMAN REGIONAL - No. 9 OU vs. Wichita State
Game 60	Friday, May 29 - 7 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. \| L. Dale Mitchell Park
Radio	Sooner Sports Network
Tickets	OU Ticket Office
Internet audio	SoonerSports.com
Live Stats	SoonerSports.com
Webcast	SoonerSports.com
Tournament Info	NCAA Norman Regional Central \| NCAA Bracket (PDF)
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2009 Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- No. 9 Oklahoma (41-18) earned the program's first national seed earlier this week and will host three teams that it played earlier this season in Arkansas (34-22), Washington State (31-23) and Wichita State (30-25).

The Sooners will meet No. 4 seed Wichita State in the first round of the NCAA Norman Regional on Friday, May 29 at L. Dale Mitchell Park at 7 p.m.

OU is hosting its fourth regional in the last 10 years and first since 2006. The Sooners also hosted regionals in Norman in 1975 and 1977 before L. Dale Mitchell Park opened in 1982. On three different occasions, the Sooners have hosted a regional in Oklahoma City at the Bricktown Ballpark (1995, 2000 and 2004).

The first game on Friday at 1 p.m. will feature No. 2 seed Arkansas against No. 3 seed Washington State.

The winner between OU and Wichita State will face the Arkansas - Washington State winner on Saturday at 7 p.m., while the first-game will feature the losers' bracket at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The winner of the Norman, Okla., Regional advances to meet the winner of the Tallahassee, Fla., Regional in NCAA Super Regional action (June 5-8). The four teams at Tallahassee are Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State and Marist. The sites of the next round will be announced on June 1 at 10 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.

Since the NCAA expanded the field to 64 teams in 1999, OU has never received a national seed and owns one Super Regional appearance in 2006, the last time it hosted an NCAA Regional. The eight winners of the Super Regionals will play in the College World Series, beginning June 13 at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.

GAME 60 - vs. Wichita State - Friday, May 29
First Pitch:  7 p.m. CT
OU Starter:  Andrew Doyle- RHP (8-4, 3.89)
WSU Starter:  Tim Kelley - RHP (5-3, 2.64)
Radio:  Sooner Sports Network - KOKC 1520 AM
Internet Audio: SoonerSports.com (free)
Live Video:  SoonerSports.com (free)
Overall Series: OU leads 13-10
Last 10:  OU leads 7-3
2009 Games:  OU won 15-0, April 8 (Wichita, Kan.) |  OU won 8-1, April 22 (Norman, Okla.)

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, May 29
1 p.m. No. 2 Arkansas vs. No. 3 Washington State
7 p.m. No. 1 OU vs. No. 4 Wichita State

Saturday, May 30
1 p.m. Game 3 (Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2)
7 p.m. Game 4 (Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2)

Sunday, May 31
1 p.m. Game 5 (Winner Game 3. vs. Loser Game 4)
7 p.m. Game 6 (Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5)

Monday, June 1
7 p.m. Game 7 (if necessary same teams as Game 6)

PLAYER TO WATCH - ANDREW DOYLE
The Sooners' ace will look to get OU off to a good start on Friday against Wichita State. Doyle has lasted at least five innings in all but one start this year and at least six innings in 11 outings. He is 2-0 in his last two starts with four earned runs allowed in 15 innings of work.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
This weekend's games will be available on the Sooner Sports Network (KOKC 1520 AM) with Chuck Kelly and DeWayne Vaughn providing the on-air talent. Free live audio and video webcast can be found on SoonerSports.com for all games.

SOONERS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
OU is 68-60 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The 2009 Norman Regional will the be the fifth in the last six years for Oklahoma and the first at home since 2006. OU won its fifth regional title (1976, 1992, 1994 and 1995) that year under current head coach Sunny Golloway. Refer to page 143 of the 2009 OU Baseball Media Guide for a complete listing of NCAA Tournament results.

Oklahoma last won the National Championship in 1994 and captured its first title in 1951. OU is one of 13 schools to win multiple national titles in Division I baseball.

The Sooners also advanced to the College World Series in 1951, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975 when the tournament was played in a district format.

With nine College World Series Appearances, the Sooners made their first appearance in the NCAA Super Regional round in 2006 against then-No. 1 Rice. The format originated in 1999.

OU is 21-11 in the opening game of its 31 regional appearances, winning two of the last three. The Sooners defeated Southern Miss in the 2005 Oxford Regional, lost 6-5 to TCU in the 2006 Norman Regional and topped Vanderbilt in Tempe last season.

OU is 9-7 in the NCAA Tournament under Sunny Golloway.

FAMILIAR FOES
OU has faced each of the three NCAA Regional opponents earlier this season and throughout the history of the program. Below is a breakdown of the Sooners versus this weekend's opponents:

OU - Arkansas Series (UA leads 12-9)
- The two met once in postseason play, UA won 8-5 in the   2002 Wichita Regional.
- In 2009, OU dropped an 8-7 game in 10 innings at UA, first   meeting in series since 2002.
- 13 of the 21 meetings have been decided by three runs or less with Arkansas holding an 8-5 edge.
- OU leads 5-4 when the game is decided by one run.
- OU won five of the first seven meetings in the series but just four of the last 14 games, including last three.

OU - Washington State Series (WSU leads 8-4)
- Two met in 1976 College World Series in Omaha, Neb. ,   WSU won that game 6-1 (first meeting in series).
- Two have played four-game series in each of last two   years (WSU won 3-1 in 2008 and teams split in 2009).
- Seven of 12 meetings decided by three runs or less. OU is 2-5 in those games, including last win in 2009, a 9-7
decision in extra innings in game two of the series.
- OU is 3-5 against Washington St. under Sunny Golloway.

OU - Wichita State Series (OU leads 13-10)
- OU leads 3-1 in NCAA Tourney play, last meeting in 2006 and first was in 1992 CWS (OU 3-0 in those games).
WSU's lone win was in 2002 Wichita Regional.
- Sooner have won the last six meetings.
- The two have met in each of the last seven seasons.
- Last meeting in Norman on April 22, 2009, OU won 8-1.
- OU also won earlier meeting on April 8, 15-0 in Wichita.
- Six of the last 14 meetings were decided by one run.
- OU is 7-2 against Wichita State under Sunny Golloway.

LAST TIME OUT
OU opened the Big 12 Championship with a 5-2 win over Texas Tech but stumbled in the next two games against Texas A&M, 17-15, and Missouri, 5-4. OU finished with a 1-2 record in pool play at the tournament in Oklahoma City.

BIG 12 SERIES WINS
The Sooners won seven Big 12 series in 2009, tied with Texas for the Big 12 lead, and have reached that mark for the fourth time since conference play began in 1997. In three of those four years, OU hosted a regional in 2006, 2004 and 2000. OU won a program-best seven series in 2006, the same year it advanced to its first Super Regional.

OU and Texas are the only teams in the Big 12 to win 40 games this season. The Sooners were first in the conference to reach the 40 and 30-win plateaus. OU's 40 wins during the regular season is a program best during the Big 12 era and the most since the 1989 team won 42 regular season contests.

HOME SUCCESS
Oklahoma is 24-4 at home this season after outscoring opponents 260-131. The Sooners started the year 14-0 at home and won its 14th home game in as many chances on March 29 against Nebraska. The perfect start was the second best by an OU team at home. The winning streak was snapped by Nebraska later that day and was at 16 games dating back to last season. OU has lost all four home games this season in conference play (Nebraska, Texas Tech and Kansas-2). In 1974, OU started that campaign 17-0.

HOME RUN NOTES
The Sooners' 87 home runs has surpassed the season totals in each of the last 10 years (OU had a school-record 114 in 1998).

OU has homered in seven of the last 13 games and in 25 of the last 36 games ... OU has 62 in that span, a total is more than six Big 12 team's totals.

The Sooners had 51 homers in Big 12 play, a program best in the Big 12 era (1997-present).

OU has homered in all but 18 games this season with 18 multiple-homer games, including 10 in Big 12 play. OU has three or more homers in 11 games this season.

OU had 10 homers in the Baylor series, marking the third time in 2009 that it has connected for 10 or more homers in a Big 12 series (15 at Kansas State and 12 vs. Nebraska).

The Sooners have hit back-to-back homers on five occasions this season (Listed in italics to the right).

Aaron Baker is the fourth Sooner to have multiple homers in a game this season (J. Johnson, C. Johnson and J.T. Wise). He is one of three Big 12 players this year to have two multiple home run games (3/30 vs. Neb. and 4/26 at Baylor).

The Sooners had two home runs in the first inning and three more in the seventh on April 26 at Baylor, marking the ninth and 10th time this season they have hit multiple homers in a frame.

With two outs on the board, OU has 37 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 20 homers this season that led off an inning, including five from Jaime Johnson that began a game. Overall, OU has 36 solo blasts this season.

After 59 games last season, the Sooners had 50 home runs.

OU has 16 home runs this season after the sixth inning.

J.T. Wise (17), Aaron Baker (13) and Jamie Johnson (12) rank second, seventh and ninth, respectively, in home runs in the Big 12. Wise's total is the most by a Sooner since Rick Park hit 18 in 2000.

Bryant Hernandez (11), Jamie Johnson (12), Baker (13) and Wise (17) is the first quartet of Sooners to have double digit homers in the same season since 1999 (Casey Bookout-16, Rich Park-11, Bobby Walters-11 and Jeff Bajenaru-10).

Despite the 1.47 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 109 dingers after 56 games.

Since the schedule expanded in 1972, the Sooners have more homers this season than 33 OU teams since that year.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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