Baseball Back in Big 12 Play at Home Friday

Oklahoma (23-6, 3-4) vs. Missouri (17-11, 2-4)
Location	Norman, Okla. \| L. Dale Mitchell Park
Game 30	Friday, April 9 - 6:30 p.m.
Game 31	Saturday, April 10 - 2 p.m.
Game 32	Sunday, April 11 - 1 p.m.
Tickets \| Promos	OU Ticket Offic e \| 1,000 OU t-shirts, mini bats and more
Radio	Sooner Sports Network - KREF 1400 AM (JIP on Sat. and Sun.)
TV	SSN - Cox Ch. 3 (OKC and Tulsa) - GM 1-3 \| FSN-SW - GM 2
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com
Webcast	Oklahoma All-Access - GM 1-3 (All-Access)
Internet Audio	FREE on SoonersSports.com
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2010 Media Guide \| Baseball Blog \| Twitter

WEEKEND PREVIEW
• No. 12 Oklahoma (23-6, 3-4 Big 12) welcomes Missouri to town for a three-game Big 12 Conference series over the weekend. The action gets underway on Friday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Sooners have lost four straight in conference play, despite winning two of their first three series, while the Tigers (17-11, 2-4) have won one game in each of its two Big 12 series.

• The Sooners are ranked as high as No. 12 this week by Collegiate Baseball (No. 16-USA, No. 17-NCBWA and No. 19-Baseball America). and are off to their best start under Sunny Golloway, tying the same mark set a year ago.

• Missouri returns 19 letterwinners from the 2009 team that was 35-27 overall and finished third in the Big 12 with a 16-11 mark before falling in the NCAA Oxford Regional. The Tigers are coming off a pair of midweek wins over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Illinois. Last weekend, Missouri dropped two of the three games played in Columbia against Baylor in Big 12 action.

ROTATION: Friday - RHP Nick Tepesch (2-2, 4.81 ERA) | Saturday - RHP Eric Anderson (1-1, 3.94 ERA) | Sunday: TBA

BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU broadcast with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play and DeWayne Vaughn on color can be heard all weekend 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. Two games will be joined progress on KREF following softball on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (noon).

• Games one and three 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. Saturday's game will be televised by Fox Sports Southwest (Ch. 37 in Oklahoma City) with Greg Lucas and Jack Lazorko providing the play-by-play and color, respectively.

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

SERIES HISTORY
•OU dropped the last series meeting in Norman with Missouri, 2-1, but rebounded in 2009 in Columbia with a 2-1 series win (2-1, 7-4, 4-5). The two also met in the Big 12 Championship last year, with the Tigers posting a 5-4 victory. Other series notes: The Sooners have won eight of the 13 Big 12 series ... The home team is 9-4 overall in series played ... OU has won five of the six Big 12 series in Norman, with 2008 marking Mizzou's first series win ... OU has swept four of the last five series in Norman ... OU is 53-19 against MU at home since 1962 ... 42 of the games since 1962 in the series have been decided by one run with OU holding a 22-20 edge ... The team that wins the series opener has won 11 of the 13 series meetings ... 10 of the 13 Big 12 series have been decided after the first two games. OU is 9-6 against Missouri under Sunny Golloway.

PLAYER TO WATCH - BOBBY SHORE
The junior right-hander has been OU's most consistent starter with four wins in his six starts. Shore has lasted five or more innings in all but one start (predetermined vs. Richmond) and tossed seven innings in his last start against Texas, tying a season high. He ranks sixth in the Big 12 with a 2.21 ERA but only one of the five pitchers ahead of him has started more games (7-Barrett Loux, Texas A&M).

2010 Season Stats: 4-1, 6 starts, 2.21 ERA

OU ROTATION
No. 1 RHP Zach Neal 3-1, 5.25, 36.0 IP, 7 BB, 45 SO
No. 2 RHP Bobby Shore 4-1, 2.21, 36.2 IP, 12 BB, 36 SO
No. 3 RHP Jeremy Erben 6-0, 0.73, 37.0 IP, 10 BB, 41 SO

QUICK HITS
- OU ranks third in the Big 12 in ERA (3.46) and fielding percentage (.975) and leads the conference with 37 home runs.
- The OU pitching staff ranks second in the Big 12 with 280 strikeouts and has 17 games with 10 or more K's, including the last five.
- The Sooners have homered in 17 of the last 22 contests with 27 in that span, including seven multiple-homer games.
- The OU bullpen is 11-0 with nine saves on the season with a 2.47 ERA and 148 Ks in 123.2 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 five offensive categories (HR - 7, 2B-10, TB-67, OB%-.491 and SLG%-.753).
- Garrett Buechele (6) is tied for sixth in home runs and Seitzer (7) is right above him. Both have surpassed their 2009 totals.
- Ryan Duke is a perfect 9-for-9 in save situations this year and ranked third in the nation in that category with 8 as of April 6.
- Jeremy Erben is second in the Big 12 with a 0.73 ERA and his six wins is tied for the highest total. He was second in the nation in ERA heading into last Tuesday's action and his scoreless streak came to an end after 22 2/3 innings on April 1. He has not allowed a run in 10 of his 13 appearances.
- Zach Neal has 20 strikeouts and zero walks in his last two starts which lasted a combined 12 2/3.
- Buechele (3B) is the only Sooner to start all 29 games. Caleb Bushyhead (SS) ranks second on the team with 28 starts.
- Bushyhead registered one hit in 22 games last season and already has 31 hits after 29 games played in 2010. Bushyhead ranks second on OU with 10 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.
- Max White has five homers in his 13 starts and ranks third on the team in that category.
- Oklahoma has started 19 different players in the lineup after Cale Ellis made his first start vs. Texas on April 2.
- Buechele, Erben, Ross Hubbard and Chris Ellison were named to the Whataburger Collegiate Classic all-tournament team.

UP NEXT
The first of four games in the Bedlam Series, presented by the Oklahoman and Oklahoma Farm Bureau, kicks off on Tuesday, April 13 in Stillwater at 6:30 p.m. OU and OSU will be meeting in a non-conference game and it marks the first contest on a campus site between the two since 1996. The series moved to a three-game set at neutral sites when the Big 12 Conference was formed in 1997.

LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners recorded a big road win in non-conference play after topping No. 11 TCU, 4-2, on Tuesday. OU is 8-0 in midweek action this year and has won five straight over the Horned Frogs. OU and TCU meet again on April 20 in Norman.

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.

ERBEN RETURNS TO ROTATION
Jeremy Erben, the Sooners' top reliever in 2010 with six wins and a save, will make his first start this Sunday since June 1, 2008 in the NCAA Tempe Regional. Erben made 10 starts two years ago, including opening day at then-No. 1 UCLA and the Big 12 opener at Nebraska. Eight of his 10 starts came 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 10 career starts.

LATE-INNING PRODUCTION
OU has scored 94 of its 222 runs, or 42 percent, in the sixth inning and later. In addition, the Sooners have outscored the opposition, 41-11, in the eighth and ninth innings combined, which includes seven home runs.

SCORING FIRST
OU has scored first in 10 of the last 21 games and in 14 overall. OU has a 12-2 record in those contests. The opposition has tallied the game's first run in 15 games and OU is 11-4 with a loss to Nebraska on March 28 and three against Texas.

ONE-RUN GAMES
The Sooners have recorded one-run victories in six games this year. OU is 5-1 in those situations this year and the Sooners are 55-20-1 (.730) 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 11 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 (GM3) and UAPB (GM2). 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 10 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 and Nebraska.

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.

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.

TIME FOR A RALLY
The Sooners have come from behind to win 11 of the 29 games this season. Of Sunny Golloway's 196 wins at OU, 97 (.499) have been in come-from-behind fashion, including 22 last year.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners have recorded 10 or more hits in 17 of the first 29 games of the season, including a season-high 19 vs. Mississippi State and UAPB (March 30). OU is averaging 10.34 hits per game despite losing five regular starters from last season's club. The Sooners are also averaging 7.65 runs per game with nine 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.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Prior to the season, OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway discussed the fact that the 2010 team was the deepest he has tutored in 13 years as a DI head coach. During the opening weekend, Golloway used all 33 players that traveled to San Diego, including 15 newcomers. OU used 30 in week two at the Jacksonville Invitational. Only two players on the 2010 35-man roster have not seen action (Jordan John and Michael Whitney).

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 third this week in the nation as of April 6 with eight saves and currently leads the Big 12 with nine.

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

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 Back in Big 12 Play at Home Friday

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