Baseball Set for Important Road Series

April 15, 2010

Oklahoma (25-8, 5-5) at Texas Tech (18-18, 6-6)
Location	Lubbock, Texas \| Dan Law Field
Game 34	Friday, April 16 - 6:30 p.m.
Game 35	Saturday, April 17 - 5 p.m.
Game 36	Sunday, April 18 - 1 p.m.
Radio	Sooner Sports Network - KREF 1400 AM
Internet Audio	FREE on SoonersSports.com
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com
Webcast	Paid
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2010 Media Guide \| Baseball Blog \| Twitter

WEEKEND PREVIEW
• No. 11 Oklahoma (25-8, 5-5 Big 12) looks to move above .500 in the Big 12 standings with a three-game road series at Texas Tech (18-18, 6-6) this weekend. The Sooners, Red Raiders and Baylor are all tied for fourth place in the conference with .500 marks. The series gets started on Friday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Dan Law Field in Lubbock, Texas. Game two on Saturday is set for a 5 p.m. first pitch while the series finale on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m.

• The Sooners are ranked as high as No. 11 this week by Collegiate Baseball (No. 14-USA and No. 16-Baseball America) and are 25-8 after 33 games. OU was 26-7 at this same point a year ago.

• Texas Tech returns 18 letterwinners from the 2009 team that finished seventh in the Big 12 standings with a 12-15 conference mark and 25-32 overall record. The Red Raiders are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have won their last two Big 12 series against Oklahoma State (in Stillwater) and Kansas State at home. Tech dropped its first two conference sets against Texas A&M and Texas. Texas Tech won 13-11 atr Dallas Baptist on Wednesday night.

FRIDAY: RHP Brett Bruening (2-2, 6.65 ERA) | SATURDAY: RHP Bobby Doran (2-2, 5.21 ERA) | SUNDAY:: TBA

BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU broadcast with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play can be heard all weekend long on the Sooners Sports Network (KREF 1400 AM) in Oklahoma City and Norman and free online at SoonerSports.com. Check local listings for coverage in your area.

• Fans inside Dan Law Field can listen to OU's broadcast on 88.7 FM.
• Live stats are available on SoonerSports.com via the baseball schedule page.
• A live webcast for each game is available on texastech.com via the baseball schedule page on their paid site.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Sooners won the last three-game series with Texas Tech in Lubbock in 2008, 2-1 . OU also two out of three games in last year's meeting in Norman and topped the Red Raiders, 5-2, in the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City.

- OU has won 14 of the last 17 games against Texas Tech and each of the last five series meetings.
- OU is 9-11 in games played in Lubbock, including series wins in the last two 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 seven series
- OU is 8-3 in one-run games against Texas Tech, winning four of the last six games in that fashion

PLAYER TO WATCH - GARRETT BUECHELE
The 2009 Big 12 Freshman of the Year is putting together another impressive campaign and is coming off the first two-home run game of his career at Oklahoma State on Tuesday. Buechele has hit safely in all but seven of his 30 games played in 2010 and is riding a five-game hitting streak. During the streak, Buechele is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with a double, two homers and four RBIs.

2010 Season Stats: .357, 8 HR, 30 RBI

OU ROTATION
No. 1 RHP - Zach Neal 4-1, 4.70, 44.0 IP, 8 BB, 50 SO
No. 2 RHP - Bobby Shore 5-1, 2.27, 43.2 IP, 14 BB, 42 SO
No. 3 RHP - Jeremy Erben 6-0, 2.61, 41.1 IP, 11 BB, 44 SO

QUICK HITS
- OU ranks third in the Big 12 in ERA (3.64) and ranks fourth in fielding percentage (.974) and hitting (.310). OU leads the conference with 46 home runs.
- The OU pitching staff ranks second in the Big 12 with 311 strikeouts and has 18 games with 10 or more K's, including the six of the last nine.
- The Sooners have homered in 21 of the last 26 contests with 36 in that span, including 10 multiple-homer games.
- The OU bullpen is 11-2 (lost to Missouri and OSU) with 10 saves on the season and a 2.65 ERA and 158 Ks in 135.2 IP.
- Cameron Seitzer hit for the cycle in the Sooners' 26-3 win over UAPB. Seitzer had a homer and a triple in the second inning.
- Seitzer ranks in the Big 12's top 10 in three offensive categories (HR - 8, TB-73 and SLG%-.716).
- Garrett Buechele (8) is tied for fourth in the Big 12 in homers and Max White ranks sixth with seven homers.
- White has seven homers after starting just 17 games.
- Ryan Duke is a perfect 10-for-10 in save situations this year and ranked second in the nation in that category with 10 as of April 12.
- Jeremy Erben is seventh in the Big 12 with a 2.61 ERA and his six wins is tied for the second highest total. His scoreless streak ended after 22 2/3 innings on April 1. He has not allowed a run in 10 of his 14 appearances.
- Bobby Shore ranks fifth in the Big 12 with a 2.27 ERA.
- Zach Neal has 25 strikeouts and one walk in his last three starts which lasted a combined 20 2/3.
- Caleb Bushyhead (SS) is the only Sooner to play in all 33 games and he leads the team with 32 starts.
- Bushyhead registered one hit in 22 games last season and already has 37 hits after 33 games played in 2010. Bushyhead ranks second on OU with 11 multiple-hit games.
- Casey Johnson's 13-game hitting streak ended on April 1. It is was a career best and the longest by a Sooner in 2010.
- Oklahoma has started 19 different players in the lineup after Cale Ellis made his first start vs. Texas on April 2.

UP NEXT
OU hosts No. 10 TCU on Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The game is the second and final meeting of 2010 between OU and TCU. The Sooners won game one, 4-2, on April 6 in Fort Worth.

LAST TIME OUT
The No. 11 Sooners fell 7-6 in extra innings at Oklahoma State on Tuesday. Garrett Buechele homered twice and Kaleb Herren added another homer in the non-conference game. It marked the first Bedlam game played on a campus site since 1996. OSU will return the trip to Norman in 2011.

TWO HOME GAMES ADDED TO SCHEDULE
OU added two games to the regular season schedule in order to make up for games lost in March against Baylor due to inclement weather. The two non-conference home games include Arkansas Little Rock on May 4 and Texas Southern on May 19. Both games will get underway at 7 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The OU Athletics Department will celebrate Fan Appreciation Day at both games with free admission into the park.

ERBEN RETURNS TO ROTATION
Jeremy Erben, the Sooners' top reliever in 2010 with six wins and a save, made his first start on April 11 vs. Missouri since the 2008 NCAA Tempe Regional (June 1 vs. Arizona State). Erben made 10 starts two years ago, including opening day at then-No. 1 UCLA and the Big 12 opener at Nebraska. Nine of his 11 career starts have come in Big 12 play. He made all 14 of his appearances out of the bullpen in 2009. He is 1-4 as a starter but lasted at least five innings in six of his 11 career starts.

LATE-INNING PRODUCTION
OU has scored 107 of its 255 runs, or 42 percent, in the sixth inning and later. In addition, the Sooners have outscored the opposition, 47-15, in the eighth and ninth innings combined, which includes eight home runs.

SCORING FIRST
OU has scored first in 10 of the last 25 games and in 14 overall. OU has a 12-2 record in those contests. The opposition has tallied the game's first run in 19 games and OU is 13-6 with three of those losses coming against Texas and the other three against Nebraska (GM3), Missouri (GM3) and Oklahoma State.

ONE-RUN GAMES
The Sooners have recorded one-run victories in five games this year. OU is 5-2 in those situations this year and the Sooners are 55-21-1 (.721) under head coach Sunny Golloway. The Sooners' skipper entered 2010 with the best winning percentage among Big 12 coaches over the last five years (.721).

THE BIG INNING
OU has hit through the batting order already 12 times this season, three times in game one of the UAPB series, twice in game two of the SDSU series, and once each against Richmond, Mississippi State, Texas A&M-CC, UMass (GM2), Nebraska (GM1), UAPB (GM2) and Missouri (GM3). OU accomplished the feat on 23 occasions last year.

That 2009 team also scored five or more runs in 22 different frames. In 2010, OU has scored five or more runs in 11 different frames, including a season-high 10 runs in game one of the UAPB series (second inning). OU had three five-plus run innings in that UAPB game and also accomplished the feat twice in game two of the SDSU series and once versus Valparaiso, Western Illinois, Mississippi State, Baylor, Nebraska and Missouri.

TIME FOR A RALLY
The Sooners have come from behind to win 13 of the 33 games this season. Of Sunny Golloway's 198 wins at OU, 99 (.500) have been in come-from-behind fashion, including 22 last year.

WINNING STREAKS
The 10-game winning streak from Feb. 28-March 13 marked the fifth time under head coach Sunny Golloway that OU has won 10 or more consecutive games and the 26th in program history.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners have recorded 10 or more hits in 22 of the first 33 games of the season, including a season-high 19 vs. Mississippi State and UAPB (March 30). OU is averaging 10.55 hits per game despite losing five regular starters from last season's club. The Sooners are also averaging 7.73 runs per game with 11 games with 10 or more scores, including the 26 posted in game one of the UAPB series, the most since exploding for 29 runs on March 22, 2009 at Kansas State.

EXTRA INNINGS UNDER GOLLOWAY
OU is 0-1 in extra-inning games this season but 15-3-1 overall since Sunny Golloway took over the helm of the Sooner program at the end of the 2005 season. The other two losses included Arkansas (April 28, 2009) and Mizzou (April 19, 2009. The Sooners tied Nebraska in 2008. OU was 3-1 in 2009 in games played in extra innings.

DUKE MOVING UP SAVES LIST
Ryan Duke recorded two saves on the opening weekend to move into sole possession of second place on OU's all-time saves list (below). Duke led the Big 12 in saves with 16 last year (ranked sixth in the nation), the second most in a single season by a Sooner (Jeff Bajenaru - 20, 2000). He currently leads the Big 12 with 10 saves and is the first Sooner in school history to have 10 or more in two seasons. He ranks second in the nation as of April 12 with 10 saves. Below is a look at where he ranks in OU history.

1. 28 - Jeff Bajenaru, 1999-00
2. 26 - Ryan Duke, 2008-present

BLAIR - SPRING CHICK-FIL-A COMMUNITY OF CHAMPIONS
Junior Elliot Blair, a petroleum engineering major, was named by the Big 12 Conference, in conjunction with Chick-fil-A, to the Spring Community of Champions. During the fall, winter and spring terms, one student-athlete from each institution has been honored based on the following criteria:
Academics: An academic standard of a 3.00 grade point average or higher must be maintained.
Community Service: The designated student-athlete should be involved with at least one community service program.
Leadership/Sportsmanship: The student-athlete should demonstrate leadership and sportsmanship on and off the field.

The institution of the student-athletes' on this list will be awarded $3,000 each year from Chick-fil-A for their efforts.

DRAFTED SOONERS
Eight current Sooners have been drafted in their careers (third most in Big 12 this season), including four newcomers on the 2010 squad that were selected in 2009. (Danny Black, Ryan Gibson, Chad Kettler and Bobby Shore). Last season, OU led all Big 12 programs with nine players selected off the 2009 roster. Below is a look at the eight Sooners and when and where they were drafted:

Danny Black 2009 - New York Yankees - 42nd Rd.
Jason Chowning 2007 - New York Yankees - 43rd Rd.
Jeremy Erben 2006 - Cincinnati Reds - 41st Rd.
Ryan Gibson 2009 - Florida Marlins - 48th Rd.
Kaleb Herren 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers - 44th Rd.
Chad Kettler 2009 - Los Angeles Dodgers - 24th Rd.
J.R. Robinson 2008 - Toronto Blue Jays - 31st Rd.
Bobby Shore 2009 - Baltimore Orioles - 40th Rd.
Michael Whitney 2005 - Baltimore Orioles - 18th Rd.

BASEBALL ON KREF 1400 AM IN 2010 | RADIO SCHEDULE (PDF)
The 2010 season marks the first with KREF 1400 AM serving as the flagship station of Sooner baseball and the new partnership provides expanded coverage for OU fans to listen to 50-plus regular season games over the air. Additionally, 22 of the Big 12 games are set to be carried on the Sooners Sports' Network, enabling fans to listen to OU baseball on various stations across the state starting on April 1, nearly double the amount from previous seasons.

The entire 56-game regular season schedule will be broadcast live for free on SoonerSports.com.

SOONER SPORTS NETWORK TO TELEVISE 20 OU GAMES | TV SCHEDULE (PDF)
The University of Oklahoma will locally televise 20 home baseball games for the 2010 season. The broadcasts will air via the Sooner Sports Network on Cox Channel 7 in Oklahoma City and Cox Channel 3 in Tulsa. The games will be simulcast with the OU radio broadcast on the Sooner Sports Network with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play and DeWayne Vaughn providing the color analysis. The first game can be seen on Wednesday, March 10 against Houston Baptist at 3 p.m.

OU FOURTH IN BIG 12 COACHES' POLL | Big 12 Coaches' Poll | Feb. 16 Media Teleconference
The No. 22 Oklahoma baseball team was picked fourth in the 2010 Big 12 Coaches' preseason poll released on Feb. 16. The Sooners' projected finish is the highest under head coach Sunny Golloway and the best since a third-place vote in 2003.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Baseball Set for Important Road Series

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