No. 15 Baseball Hosts DBU Tuesday Night

April 26, 2010

No. 15 Oklahoma (29-11) vs. Dallas Baptist (23-16)
Location	Norman, Okla. \| L. Dale Mitchell Park
Game 41	Tuesday, April 27 - 7 p.m.
Tickets \| Promos	OU Ticket Offic e \| $.50 hot dogs
Radio	Sooner Sports Network - KREF 1400 AM
TV	SSN - Cox Ch. 3 (OKC and Tulsa)
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com
Webcast	Oklahoma All-Access
Internet Audio	FREE on SoonersSports.com
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2010 Media Guide \| Baseball Blog \| Twitter

MIDWEEK PREVIEW
• The No. 15 Sooners (29-11) begin a five-game home stand on Tuesday against Dallas Baptist (23-16) at 7 p.m. The two met earlier this season on March 9 in Dallas and OU topped the Patriots, 8-4. The Sooners have won five straight games in the series.

• OU is 5-5 in the last 10 games and is ranked as high as No. 15 this week by the NCBWA poll (No. 18 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches', No. 20-Collegiate Baseball and No. 24-Baseball America). After 40 games, OU has equaled the start from last season with 29 wins. That squad finished with a 43-20 overall record, including a No. 7 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• Dallas Baptist, an independent, returns 20 letterwinners from the 2009 club that was 38-17 overall. The Patriots are 0-4 against the Big 12 this season with five contests remaining (Oklahoma, Texas A&M-3, and Baylor). DBU is 6-4 in its last 10 games after registering a 2-1 series win at Seattle over the weekend. The Patriots are 6-8 away from home in 2010.

Starter: LHP Aaron Gilbreath (1-1, 4.02 ERA)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU broadcast with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play and Damon Minor on color analysis can be heard Tuesday on the Sooners Sports Network (KREF 1400 AM) in Oklahoma City and Norman and free online at SoonerSports.com. Tuesday's game will be simulcast live on television via the Sooner Sports Network on Cox Channel 3 in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. A live webcast for the games can be found on OU All-Access.

• Live stats are available on SoonerSports.com via the baseball schedule page.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Sooners have won 20 of the 22 meetings in the series with the Patriots with five straight wins, including the 2010 meeting in Dallas, 8-4. The two have met in six of the last seven years. DBU's two wins both came in Norman (9-3 in 2006 and 7-5 in 2004). OU won 14 straight games prior to the 2004 loss. Eight of the 22 games have been decided by three runs or less (OU, 7-1), including two one-run games (OU, 2-0).

PLAYER TO WATCH - RYAN GIBSON
The freshman left-hander lasted 4 1/3 innings in his last start a week ago against TCU. Gibson did not qualify for the win but limited the then-No. 11 Horned Frogs to three runs, two earned, off six hits and three walks. The Yukon, Okla., native also struck out four batters, the second most on the season since registering nine in his first start at San Diego State.

2010 Season Stats: 3-2, 4.76 ERA

OU ROTATION
No. 1 LHP Ryan Gibson 3-2, 4.76, 28.1 IP, 14 BB, 26 SO

QUICK HITS
- OU ranks second in the Big 12 in ERA (3.75), fourth in fielding percentage (.975) and fifth in hitting (.302). OU leads the conference with 53 home runs.
- The OU pitching staff ranks third in the Big 12 with 355 strikeouts and has 19 games with 10 or more K's, including seven of the last 14.
- The Sooners have homered in 31 of the 40 contests with 16 multiple-homer games. OU homered in 14 straight games from March 2 to March 26.
- The OU bullpen is 13-2 (lost to Missouri and OSU) with 11 saves on the season and a 2.40 ERA and 176 Ks in 157.2 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 fourth in the Big 12 with nine homers and third with a .648 slugging percentage.
- Garrett Buechele (8) is tied for seventh in the Big 12 in homers with freshman Max White. Both White (.680) and Buechele (.594) rank third and seventh, respectively, in slugging percentage in the Big 12.
- Ryan Duke is a perfect 10-for-10 in save situations this year and ranks fourth in the nation in that category with 10.
- Jeremy Erben's scoreless streak ended after 22 2/3 innings on April 1 vs. Texas. He has not allowed a run in 11 of his 15 relief appearances with a 6-1 record (one save).
- Zach Neal tossed the Sooners' first complete game of 2010 with a nine-inning performance at Texas Tech. The last Sooner to throw a complete game was Garrett Richards in the 2009 NCAA Norman Regional on May 29 vs. Washington State.
- Neal has 33 Ks and five walks in his last five starts (36 2/3 IP).
- Caleb Bushyhead (SS) is the only Sooner to play in all 40 games and he leads the team with 39 starts.
- Bushyhead registered one hit in 22 games last season and has 48 hits in 2010. He is second on OU with 12 multi-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.
- OU has started 19 different players in the lineup after Cale Ellis made his first start vs. Texas on April 2.

UP NEXT
OU hosts Kansas State (April 30-May 2) over the weekend in the final home Big 12 series of the season. Friday's opener is slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch at L. Dale Mitchell Park, while game two gets underway at 5 p.m. Sunday's finale is set to begin at 1 p.m. OU has won each of the last eight series meetings, including a 10-2 record at home in that span.

LAST TIME OUT
The No. 17 Sooners posted three victories in four games last week, including an 8-3 victory over No. 11 TCU at home on Tuesday. OU followed up its season sweep of TCU with a 2-1 Big 12 series victory at Texas A&M. On Friday, OU dropped the opener, 6-2, but rebounded with a 6-5 win in 13 innings in game two on Saturday. The Sooners claimed the series win in convincing fashion with a 10-2 victory on Sunday.

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.

LATE-INNING PRODUCTION
OU has scored 126 of its 299 runs, or 42 percent, in the sixth inning and later. In addition, the Sooners have outscored the opposition, 55-16, in the eighth and ninth innings combined, which includes eight home runs.

SCORING FIRST
OU has scored first in 12 of the last 32 games and in 16 overall. OU has a 14-2 record in those contests. The opposition has tallied the game's first run in 24 games and OU is 15-9. In Big 12 play, OU has scored first in just three games (GM2 at Nebraska, GM1 vs. Texas Tech and GM3 at Texas A&M).

ONE-RUN GAMES
The Sooners have recorded one-run victories in six games this year. OU is 6-3 in those situations in 2010 and the Sooners are 56-22-1 (.715) 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).

HOME VS. AWAY
The Sooners have recorded 14 of their 29 wins in the friendly confines of L. Dale Mitchell Park. OU is hitting .300 at home with 9.6 hits per game and 7.7 runs scored per contest, including 27 homers. In addition, the Sooner hurlers have combined for a 3.52 ERA. On the road, OU is 15-7 (11-6 away, 4-1 neutral) and is hitting .305 with 11 hits and 7.3 runs per game, including 26 homers. The pitching staff has a 3.88 ERA away from home.

THE BIG INNING
OU has hit through the batting order already 14 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), Missouri (GM3), TCU (GM2) and Texas A&M 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 13 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, Missouri, TCU and Texas A&M.

TIME FOR A RALLY
The Sooners have come from behind to win 15 of the 40 games this season. Of Sunny Golloway's 199 wins at OU, 101 (.508) have been in come-from-behind fashion, including 22 last year.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners have recorded 10 or more hits in 25 of the first 40 games of the season, including a season-high 19 vs. Mississippi State and UAPB (March 30). OU is averaging 10.4 hits per game despite losing five regular starters from last season's club. The Sooners are also averaging 7.5 runs per game with 13 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 1-1 in extra-inning games this season after winning in 13 innings on April 25 at Texas A&M. The game was the longest in terms of innings in the Sunny Golloway era and the longest for an OU team since May 16, 2002 vs. Okahoma State.

OU is 16-3-1 overall since Sunny Golloway took over the helm of the Sooner program at the end of the 2005 season. One of those losses came at Oklahoma State (11 innings) earlier this year. 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.

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.

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 ranked second in the nation as of April 12 with eight saves and currently leads the Big 12 with 10.

1. 28 - Jeff Bajenaru, 1999-00
2. 25 - Ryan Duke, 2008-present

DUKE ON PRESEASON LISTS
Junior closer Ryan Duke was named a 2010 preseason All-American by the NCBWA and was also selected to the Stopper of the Year watch list. Duke was named a third team All-American in 2009 and is the first Sooner since David Purcey in 2003, now with the Toronto Blue Jays, to appear on a preseason AA list.

ERBEN ON PITCHER WATCH LIST
Jeremy Erben is one of seven hurlers from the Big 12 named to the Pitcher of the Year watch list on March 23 as presented by the College Baseball Foundation. This is the second year for the award and it will be presented in Lubbock, Texas, on July 2 as part of the College Baseball Awards Show. He is second in the Big 12 in wins (5) and ERA (0.61) and was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for games played through March 7.

OGLE ON JOHNNY BENCH WATCH LIST
Sophomore catcher/DH Tyler Ogle was named to the Johnny Bench watch list for 2010 on March 2. Ogle caught in 10 games last year, including eight starts behind J.T. Wise (2009 winner). Wise became the first Sooner to collect the award in program history and just the second in Big 12 history.

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

No. 15 Baseball Hosts DBU Tuesday Night

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