Baseball Returns to OKC for Big 12 Championship

No. 12 Oklahoma (42-14, 15-10) at Big 12 Championship
Location	AT&T Bricktown Ballpark \| Oklahoma City
Game 57	vs. Kansas - Wednesday, May 26- 7:30 p.m.
Game 58	vs. Baylor - Friday, May 28- 7:30 p.m.
Game 59	vs. Kansas State - Saturday, May 29 - 4 p.m.
Radio	Sooner Sports Network - KREF 1400 AM
Internet Audio	FREE on SoonersSports.com
Live Stats	Big12Sports.com
Webcast	Big12Sports.com
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2010 Media Guide \| Baseball Blog \| Twitter

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
• The No. 12 Sooners (42-14, 15-10 Big 12) will begin the 2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship against No. 7 seed Kansas (31-24-1, 11-15-1) on Wednesday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. OU, the tournament's No. 2 seed for the second straight year, continues pool play on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 6 seeded Baylor (31-21, 12-13). On Saturday, OU will play the third and final opponent in its pool, No. 3 seeded Kansas State (35-18, 14-12), at 4 p.m.

• The Big 12 introduced a two-division, pool play format for the championship in 2006. Each of the eight teams competing is guaranteed a minimum of three games. The two teams with the best record within their pool will advance to the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m., with the winner earning the Big 12's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.

• Oklahoma is 6-6 in the format and 22-22 all-time in the Big 12 Tournament after claiming the conference's initial crown in 1997.

• A winner in 16 of the last 20 outings, including a current seven-game winning streak, OU is ranked as high as No. 12 this week by Baseball America poll (No. 12-NCBWA, No. 13-Collegiate Baseball and No. 15 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches' ). After 56 games, OU is two games ahead of the pace set a year ago when it hosted its fourth regional out of its last seven appearances in the postseason. OU also earned its first national seed in 2009. The 42 regular season wins is the most by an OU team since 1989.

OPPONENT'S ROTATION vs. OU
Kansas - RHP T.J. Walz (8-4, 5.05)
Baylor - TBA
Kansas State - RHP Justin Lindsey (4-3, 5.46 ERA)

OU ROTATION
No. 1 RHP Michael Rocha (7-1, 3.33)
No. 2 RHP Zach Neal (8-2, 4.15)
No. 3 TBA

BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU broadcast with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play can be heard all week long on the Sooner Sports Network (KREF 1400 AM) in Oklahoma City and Norman and free online at SoonerSports.com. Live stats are available on SoonerSports.com.
• Fans inside the park can listen to OU's broadcast on 91.9 FM.
• Live stats are available on SoonerSports.com via the baseball schedule page.
• A live webcast for all three games will be available on Big12Sports.com.

KANSAS SERIES
The Sooners swept the 2010 three-game series by scores of 14-4, 8-7 and 9-6 last weekend in Lawrence. OU trailed late in all three games but rallied to win its first series at Kansas since 2006. OU and Kansas last met in the Big 12 Championship in 2006, a 7-2 Jayhawk victory. It marks the only meeting in the tournament between OU and Kansas.
- OU leads 119-62-1
- Sooners have scored 10 or more runs versus the Jayhawks in 15 of the 42 Big 12 meetings.
- 22 games have been decided by three runs or less in the Big 12 era (OU leads 16-6), including eight one-run games where the Sooners are 7-1

BAYLOR SERIES
The Sooners won the lone game in 2010, 7-6, after rain wiped out games two and three in Norman. OU and Baylor have met once previously in the Big 12 Championship back in 2007. Baylor won that game, 7-6 and ended OU's bid to play for the Big 12 title.
- OU leads 28-26
- OU has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including each of the last four games.
- Seven of the last 10 games were decided by three runs or less.

KANSAS STATE SERIES
OU and Kansas State split the first two games of the 2010 series in Norman before the Sooners topped the then-No. 20 Wildcats, 15-11 in the finale. OU and KSU have never met in the Big 12 Championship.
- OU leads 144-49
- The Sooners have won 21 of the last 28 games.
- OU has scored in double digits in 24 of the 42 Big 12 games against KSU, including the 29 scored off a school record 11 home runs in the meeting on March 22, 2009 in Manhattan.
- OU is 23-8 in one-run games decided with KSU since 1962.

PLAYER TO WATCH - CALEB BUSHYHEAD
The sophomore shortstop has hit safely in the last 18 games with a .368 average and eight multi-hit games and 13 RBI. The streak is tied for the 10th longest in OU history and the second longest this season behind Garrett Buechele's 19 games, also a career high. Bushyhead has hit safely in 27 of the last 28 games and ranks third on the team with a .336 batting average.

2010 Season Stats: .336 BA, 5 HR, 32 RBI

QUICK HITS
- The last time OU won 40 regular season games in back-to-back seasons was 1988 and 1989.
- OU ranks second in the Big 12 in hitting (.315 and third in ERA (3.78) and fielding percentage (.976). OU leads the conference with 86 home runs.
- The OU pitching staff ranks second n the Big 12 with 494 strikeouts and has 24 games with 10 or more K's, including 12 of the last 30 and a season-high 19 versus Arkansas-Little Rock.
- The Sooners have homered in 46 of the 56 contests with 24 multiple-homer games. OU has homered in 14 straight games, the second 14-game streak of 2010 (March 2 to March 26).
- OU 19-1 when scoring 10 or more runs, including eight of the last 17 games. OU has scored 167 runs in the last 17 games.
- The OU bullpen is 17-2 (lost to Missouri and OSU) with 14 saves on the season and a 2.68 ERA and 250 Ks in 222 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 second in the Big 12 with 14 homers and fifth with a .646 slugging percentage.
- Garrett Buechele's career-high 19 game hitting streak ended on May 8. It included 10 multiple-hit games, five homers, 23 RBIs and a .391 batting average (34-for-87).
- Buechele (13) is tied for fifth in the Big 12 in homers behind Seitzer and freshman Max White (14). Both White (.660) and Buechele are tied for third in slugging percentage in the Big 12.
- Ryan Duke is a perfect 11-for-11 in save situations this year and ranks eighth in the nation in that category (2nd in Big 12).
- Jeremy Erben's scoreless streak ended after 22 2/3 innings on April 1 vs. Texas. He has not allowed a run in 16 of his team-leading 25 relief appearances with a 6-1 record (three saves).
- Zach Neal tossed the Sooners' first complete game of 2010 with a nine-inning performance at Texas Tech. He has 49 Ks and 10 walks in his last nine starts (62 IP).
- Caleb Bushyhead (SS) is the only Sooner to play in all 56 games and he leads the team with 55 starts.
- Bushyhead registered one hit in 22 games last season and has 71 hits in 2010. He is second on OU with 20 multi-hit games and has hit safely in the last 18 games, a career high.

UP NEXT
The Sooners will await the announcement of the NCAA 64-team field on Monday at 12:30 p.m. EST on ESPN . The 16 regional site selections will be released on the evening of May 30.

LAST TIME OUT
The No. 15 Sooners extended their winning streak to seven games after posting five wins in five games last week. The final week of the regular season began with a 5-2 win over No. 14 Arkansas at home on Tuesday. OU also topped Texas Southern, 13-1, in midweek action. Over the weekend, OU completed its first Big 12 series sweep of the year with three victories at Kansas. OU rallied in all three outings, starting with Friday's 14-4 win. On Saturday and Sunday, Oklahoma rallied in the ninth to win 8-7 and 9-6, respectively.

BUECHELE HEADLINES ALL-BIG 12 TEAMS
Sophomore third baseman Garrett Buechele earned his first All-Big 12 first team selection as the all-conference team was announced at a media luncheon in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. The teams were voted on by the league's coaches. In 2010, the Arlington, Texas, native has hit safely in all but nine games and in 26 of the last 28 to finish the regular season. He leads OU in batting average (.387), hits (82), doubles (15), runs (47) and RBIs (59) and ranks second in homers with 13. He ranks in the top 10 in six Big 12 statistics (batting average, homers, hits, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage) and was recently named the conference's last player of the week of the season.

The Sooners also placed two members on the second team, junior right-hander Zach Neal and freshman utility player Jack Mayfield.

Neal finished his first regular season in the Big 12 with an 8-1 record, including six wins in conference play as the Sooners' Friday night starter. Mayfield, who recently took over a weekend spot in the pitching rotation, has a 4-0 record and a 2.13 ERA, while also making several appearances in the OU lineup as an infielder/designated hitter. In addition, senior designated hitter Ross Hubbard (.318, 4 HR, 28 RBI), sophomore first baseman Cameron Seitzer (.331, 14 HR, 51 RBI) and freshman outfielder Max White (.321, 14 HR, 39 RBI) were honorable mentions. Seitzer was also named to The Oklahoman's All-Big 12 first team.

BLAIR NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
Oklahoma junior outfielder Elliott Blair was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Third Team on May 25. It marks the 12th time a member of the OU baseball program has collected Academic All-America honors. Blair, a petroleum engineering major, is one of four players from the Big 12 to appear on the first, second or third team. He was tabbed All-District VI first team honoree on May 6 by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Aaron Ivey (2007) was the last Sooner to be named an Academic All-American.

LATE-INNING PRODUCTION
OU has scored 190 of its 456 runs, or 42 percent, in the sixth inning and later. In addition, the Sooners have outscored the opposition, 85-33, in the eighth and ninth innings combined, which includes 16 home runs.

SCORING FIRST
OU has scored first in 22 of the last 48 games and in 26 overall, with a 22-4 record in those contests. The opposition has tallied the game's first run in 30 games and OU is 20-10. In Big 12 play, OU has scored first in just seven games (GM2 at Nebraska, GM1 at Texas Tech, GM3 at Texas A&M, GM2 vs. Kansas State and GM3 vs. Oklahoma State). OU is 4-1 in those contests.

ONE-RUN GAMES
The Sooners have recorded one-run victories in eight games this year. OU is 9-5 in those situations in 2010 and the Sooners are 58-24-1 (.705) 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).

MIDWEEK SUCCESS
The Sooners have had success in the midweek games under head coach Sunny Golloway. OU won 13 out of 14 midweek games this season with three wins over ranked opponents (twice over TCU and once versus Arkansas). OU is 13-1 this season and 57-10 all-time under Golloway. OU was 12-3 in midweek contests last season.

BUECHELE NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Garrett Buechele was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for games played through May 23 as voted on by media members covering the league office.

It marks the first career honor for the Arlington, Texas, native and the fourth by a Sooner this season after Jack Mayfield and Jeremy Erben were named pitchers of the week on May 10 and March 9, respectively, and Danny Black was named player of the week on May 3.

Buechele has hit safely in 26 of the last 28 games, including all five games last week to post a .522 batting average in the five Sooner victories. Buechele collected seven of his 12 hits in the weekend series at Kansas as the Sooners completed a three-game sweep of the Jayhawks to finish second in the Big 12 for the second straight year. Buechele hit .538 against KU and drove in five runs off two doubles and a homer, good for a .923 slugging percentage. Buechele also hit his 13th homer of the year against Kansas, his fourth in conference play.

The sophomore had multiple-hit games in all five contests last week and had RBIs in all but one outing, including four in the game two, series-clinching win on Saturday against Kansas. On top of sweeping Kansas on the road, Buechele and the No. 15 Sooners also upset No. 14 Arkansas on Tuesday. Buechele collected 20 total bases in the five games last week and posted a .870 slugging percentage. He also did not commit an error last week and is errorless in the last 38 games.

WITH TWO OUTS
The Sooners have come up with some clutch hitting throughout the season, hitting .328 as a team with two outs on the board. In addition, OU has connected for 186 two-out RBIs, nearly half of the 422 total on the season. Garrett Buechele (.427) leads the group with 27 RBIs with two outs, including seven home runs. Max White follows with 19 RBIs and six homers. Danny Black (18), Cameron Seitzer (15), Chris Ellison (14), Tyler Ogle (13), Ross Hubbard (12), Cody Reine (12), Cale Ellis (11) and Caleb Bushyhead (11) round out the double digits.

HOME VS. AWAY
The Sooners have recorded 22 of their 39 wins in the friendly confines of L. Dale Mitchell Park. OU is hitting .326 at home with 11 hits per game and nine runs scored per contest, including 48 homers. In addition, the Sooner hurlers have combined for a 3.73 ERA. On the road, OU is 20-8 (14-6 away, 6-2 neutral) and is hitting .306 with 11 hits and 7.4 runs per game, including 38 homers. The pitching staff has a 3.84 ERA away from home.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners have recorded 10 or more hits in 36 of the first 56 games of the season, including a season-high 19 vs. Mississippi State and UAPB (March 30). OU is 32-4 in those games and is averaging 10.9 hits per game despite losing five regular starters from last season's club. OU is also averaging eight runs per game with 20 games with 10 or more scores, including eight out of the last 17 games. OU posted 26 in game one of the UAPB series, the most since exploding for 29 runs on March 22, 2009 at Kansas State. OU is 19-1 when scoring 10 or more runs.

TIME FOR A RALLY
The Sooners have come from behind to win 22 of the 56 games this season. Of Sunny Golloway's 212 wins at OU, 108 (.509) have been in come-from-behind fashion, including 22 last year.

THE BIG INNING
OU has hit through the batting order already 22 times this season, including three times in game one of the UAPB series, twice in game two of the SDSU series and twice against Dallas Baptist in Norman. Other games include Richmond, Mississippi State, Texas A&M-CC, UMass (GM2), Nebraska (GM1), UAPB (GM2), Missouri (GM3), TCU (GM2), Texas A&M (GM3), Kansas State (GM1 and 2), Arkansas-Little Rock, Memphis (GM2 and 3) and Kansas (GM1). 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 23 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, against Dallas Baptist in Norman and in game three vs. Kansas State. OU had one each versus Valparaiso, Western Illinois, Mississippi State, Baylor, Nebraska, Missouri, TCU, Texas A&M, Kansas State (GM1 and 2), Arkansas-Little Rock, Memphis (GM2 and 3) and Kansas (GM1).

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.

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 is second in the Big 12 with 11 saves and is the first Sooner in school history to have 10 or more in two seasons. He ranks eighth in the nation as of May 19 with 11 saves. Below is a look at where he ranks in OU history.

1. 28 - Jeff Bajenaru (1999-00)
2. 27 - 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.

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 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.

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

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