Sooners Begin Quest for Third National Title

No. 6 OU (49-16) vs. No. 5 South Carolina (48-15) in CWS
Games 66	Sunday, June 20 at 1 p.m. CT
NCAA Brackets	Interactive \| Printable
More Info	OU CWS Central Page
Location	Omaha, Neb. \| Rosenblatt Stadium
Tickets	Call 800-456-GoOU
Radio	KREF 1400 AM in OKC \| Sirius 122 \| XM 143
TV	ESPN (Cox Ch. 720 HD in OKC)
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com
Web Audio	Free on SoonerSports.com
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2010 Media Guide \| CWS Baseball Blog \| Twitter

NORMAN, Okla. -- No. 6 Oklahoma (49-16) will make its 10th College World Series appearance this weekend and opens play in the double-elimination format against No. 5 South Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. The Sooners are coming off a 2-1 series victory at then-No. 1 Virginia in the Charlottesville Super Regional. OU and South Carolina have met once previously on Feb. 9, 2007 in the Hughes Brothers Challenge in Wilmington, N.C. The Sooners dropped a 13-2 decision that day in the only meeting between the schools.

• While OU knocked off the tournament's No. 5 national seed in Virginia, the No. 5 Gamecocks also won on the road against the No. 4 seed Coastal Carolina (W, 4-3 and 10-9). OU and USC are matched up against Clemson and Arizona State in the bracket. Prior to last weekend, USC hosted and won all three games of its regional against Bucknell, The Citadel and Virginia Tech. The Gamecocks are making their ninth CWS appearance and first since 2004 (others: 2003, 2002, 1985, 1982, 1981, 1977 and 1975).

• A winner in 14 of the last 16 outings, OU is ranked as high as No. 6 this week by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA polls, while Baseball America (No. 11) and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' (13) are idle until the conclusion of the tournament. OU has nine previous CWS appearances (1995, 1994, 1992, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972 and 1951) and owns two national titles in 1951 and 1994.

USC STARTER
No. 1 - RHP Black Cooper (12-1, 2.81 ERA)

OU STARTER
No. 1 - RHP Michael Rocha (7-2, 3.57 ERA)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU broadcast with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play can be heard throughout the weekend on the Sooner Sports Network (KREF 1400 AM) in Oklahoma City and Norman and free online at SoonerSports.com.
• Fans inside the stadium can listen to the OU broadcast on 90.9 FM.
• Live stats are available at SoonerSports.com.

• The ESPN family of networks will cover every game of the College World Series. OU's game on Sunday will air on ESPN (Cox Ch. 720 HD in OKC) with Karl Ravech calling the play-by-play, Nomar Garciaparra on the color analysis and Kyle Peterson on the sideline.

PLAYER TO WATCH - BOBBY SHORE
A member of the Norman Regional All-Tournament team, Shore followed up his one earned run allowed in 7 1/3 innings against North Carolina with eight shutout innings against Virginia. Shore has started each of the weekend-clinching games in the NCAA tournament where he is 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA,11 Ks and two walks.

2010 Season Stats: 10-4, 3.86, 91.0 IP, 31 BB, 77 SO

CWS OPENERS
OU lost its last opener in the College World Series in 1995 to Florida State. Overall, OU is 4-5 in CWS openers with its last win coming in the 1994 National Championship run. The Sooners also won the first game in 1974, 1972 and 1951. In addition, the Sooners have played a number of close games to begin the trip in Omaha, with five one-run decisions in five of the games. Most recently, OU lost 3-2 to Florida State in the 1995 opener and also lost 1-0 to Minnesota in 1973. The Sooners' three one-run victories came against Auburn (5-4) in 1994, Temple (2-1) in 1972 and Ohio State (9-8 in 10 innings) in 1951.

OU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
OU is 75-63 all-time in the NCAA Tournament after winning the program's first Super Regional. With 10 College World Series Appearances, the Sooners made their first appearance in the NCAA Super Regional round in 2006 against then-No. 1 Rice (format originated in 1999).

The 2010 Norman Regional was the sixth in the last seven years and 33rd overall. OU won its 11th regional/district title in 2010 and second under current head coach Sunny Golloway.

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.
Besides the 1994 national title run, Golloway was on the 1992 and 1995 coaching staffs that led OU to Omaha.

OU is 16-10 in the NCAA Tournament under Golloway.

MORE ON SOUTH CAROLINA
- 48-15 overall - 2nd in Southeastern Conference
- Ranked No. 5 in Collegiate Baseball and NCBWA
- 26th NCAA Appearance - 11th straight
- Nine College World Series appearances (last: 2004)
- National runner ups in 2002, 1977 and 1975.
- Oklahoma's only meeting with South Carolina came in 2007 during the Hughes Brothers Challenge. The Sooners lost 13-2 on Feb. 9 and finished 1-2 in the tournament.

LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners bounced back after a game one defeat at No. 1 Virginia with victories in games two, 10-7, and three, 11-0. The shutout in the series clincher marked OU's first shutout in the NCAA tournament since blanking Miami in 2002. That win also propelled OU into the College World Series. Virginia had not lost two straight games all year and the last time the Cavaliers failed to score was at Miami (10-0) on April 27, 2008.

QUICK HITS
- OU starts six sophomores, one freshman and two juniors in the lineup after losing a Big 12-leading nine players to the draft in 2009.
- Up until the last two seasons, the last time OU won 40 regular season games in back-to-back seasons was 1988 and 1989.
- OU's 65 games is the most played in a season since Sunny Golloway's first full-year at the helm in 2006. That team finished 45-22. The last time OU won 50 games was its last national title (50-17).
-The Sooners won 25 of their 31 games at home but also had a winning record on the road with a 24-10 mark.
- OU ranks second in the Big 12 in hitting (.312) and third in ERA (3.79) and fielding percentage (.976). OU leads the conference with 100 home runs.
- The OU pitching staff ranks second in the Big 12 with 562 strikeouts and has 26 games with 10 or more K's, including 14 of the last 39 and a season-high 19 versus Arkansas-Little Rock.
- The Sooners have homered in 52 of the 65 contests with 28 multiple-homer games. OU has homered in 20 of the last 23 games, including its second 14-game streak of 2010 (first was March 2 to March 26). OU hit seven HRs in the Super Regional.
- OU 22-1 when scoring 10 or more runs, including 11 of the last 25 games. OU has scored 224 runs in the last 25 games.
- The OU bullpen is 21-2 (lost to Missouri and OSU) with 15 saves on the season and a 2.76 ERA and 276 Ks in 247.2 IP.
- 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 had his second double-digit hit streak of 11 games snapped at Virginia but has hit safely in 33 of the last 37 games.
- Buechele (16) is third in the Big 12 in homers ahead of sophomore Cameron Seitzer and freshman Max White, both with 15 in fourth place.
- 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.
- Cody Reine hit four homers over the weekend at Virginia and has five in the NCAA tourney. His 10 homers gives OU four players with 10-plus in the same season for the second straight year.
- Ryan Duke is 11-for-12 in save situations this year and ranks 21st in the nation in that category (3rd 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 20 of his team-leading 31 relief appearances with a 7-1 record (five saves).
- Zach Neal tossed the Sooners' first complete game of 2010 with a nine-inning performance at Texas Tech. Jack Mayfield followed with a complete-game shutout against Oklahoma State in the series finale.
- Caleb Bushyhead (SS) is the only Sooner to play in all 65 games and he leads the team with 64 starts.
- Bushyhead registered one hit in 22 games last season and has 80 hits in 2010. He is second on OU with 23 multi-hit games and had an 18-game hitting streak (career high) snapped in the Big 12 tournament.

BALANCED OFFENSE
The Sooners have displayed a balanced offensive attack throughout the season with 100 home runs and 65 sacrifice bunts. OU ranks seventh nationally in sacrifice bunts and 26 of the hitters on the 27-man roster have at least one sacrifice bunt. Chris Ellison leads that group with 15, a total that ranks eighth nationally. The Sooners are eighth nationally in home runs with 100 featuring a lineup with four players with 10 or more homers. 16 different players have homered for OU in 2010.

WHITE TABBED FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN
Max White is Oklahoma's eighth freshman All-American and fourth under head coach Sunny Golloway after being selected for the Collegiate Baseball and NCBWA teams last week . A native of Durant, Okla., White has collected at least one hit in 35 of his 49 starts and is tied for fourth in the Big 12 conference with 15 home runs. The OU freshman record for homers in a season belongs to Chris Ebright, who had 17 in 1987. White joins Garrett Buechele (2009), Aaron Baker (2007) and Kody Kaiser (2005) as the other freshman All-Americans under Golloway.

NORMAN REGIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Danny Black, Garrett Buechele, Tyler Ogle, Cody Reine and Bobby Shore were named to the Norman Regional All-Tournament team. Shore, who earned the win in the championship game with 7 1/3 innings, was named the tourney's most outstanding player. The last Sooner to collect that honor was Ryan Rohlinger (2006), an infielder now with the San Francisco Giants.

LATE-INNING PRODUCTION
OU has scored 212 of its 515 runs, or 41 percent, in the sixth inning and later. In addition, the Sooners have outscored the opposition, 95-37, in the eighth and ninth innings combined, which includes 19 home runs.

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.

SCORING FIRST
OU has scored first in 27 of the last 57 games and in 31 overall, with a 26-5 record in those contests. The opposition has tallied the game's first run in 34 games and OU is 23-11. In Big 12 play, OU scored first in just seven games (GM2 at Nebraska, GM1 at Texas Tech, GM3 at Texas A&M, GM2 vs. Kansas State, GM3 vs. Oklahoma State and GM2-3 at Kansas). OU was 6-1 in those contests with the lone loss coming to KSU.

ONE-RUN GAMES
The Sooners have recorded one-run victories in 12 games this year, including each of the last three contests. OU is 13-6 in those situations in 2010 and the Sooners are 62-25-1 (.710) 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).

DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners have recorded 10 or more hits in 42 games this season, including a season-high 19 vs. Mississippi State and UAPB (March 30). OU is 38-4 in those games and is averaging 10.8 hits per game despite losing five regular starters from last season's club. OU is also averaging eight runs per game with 23 games with 10 or more scores, including 11 out of the last 23 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 22-1 when scoring 10 or more runs (lost 11-10 to Mizzou on April 11)

TIME FOR A RALLY
The Sooners have come from behind to win 27 of the 65 games this season. Of Sunny Golloway's 219 wins at OU, 113 (.516) have been in come-from-behind fashion, including 22 last year.

BIG 12 SERIES WINS
The Sooners won seven Big 12 series in 2010, second behind Texas for the Big 12 lead. OU has reached the mark for the fifth time since conference play began in 1997. In each of those five years, OU has hosted a regional (2010, 2009, 2006, 2004 and 2000). Golloway has been the head of three of those campaigns, including the 2006 Super Regional run.

2010 DRAFT SUMMARY
Five members of the 2010 squad were drafted on day two of the MLB Draft on June 8 starting with junior second baseman Danny Black in the 14th round by the Florida Marlins. Black was also selected in 2009 in the 42nd round by the Yankees.

Junior hurler Zach Neal followed in the 17th round and was picked by the Florida Marlins. The 18th round saw sophomore third baseman Garrett Buechele picked by the Texas Rangers, where his father played during part of his professional career and is now a manager at the Double A level. Neal and Buechele were drafted for the first times in their careers.

Senior reliever Jeremy Erben, who leads OU with 31 appearances, was selected in the 22nd round to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Senior reliever Jason Chowning rounded out the group with a 28th round selection to the Houston Astros.

The Sooners also had four recruits drafted:

Jon Gray | RHP | Chandler H.S. (Chandler, Okla.)
13th round to Kansas City

Clay Schrader | RHP | San Jacinto J.C. (Houston, Texas)
10th round to Baltimore

Burch Smith | RHP | Howard College (Big Springs, Texas)
20th round to Cleveland

Dillon Overton | LHP | Weatherford H.S. (Weatherford, Okla.)
26th round to Boston

Connor Sadzeck | RHP | Crystal Lake Central HS (Crystal Lake, Ill.)
45th round to Pittsburgh

WITH TWO OUTS
The Sooners have come up with some clutch hitting throughout the season, hitting .320 as a team with two outs on the board. In addition, OU has connected for 206 two-out RBIs, nearly half of the 477 total on the season. Garrett Buechele (.412) leads the group with 31 RBIs with two outs, including nine home runs. Danny Black follows with 22 and three homers. Max White (20), Chris Ellison (16), Cameron Seitzer (15), Tyler Ogle (15), Cody Reine (13), Caleb Bushyhead (12), Ross Hubbard (12) and Cale Ellis (11) round out the double digits.

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.

EXTRA INNINGS UNDER GOLLOWAY
OU is 3-1 in extra-inning games this season after winning two in the Norman Regional over Oral Roberts and North Carolina. On April 24 at Texas A&M, OU won in 13 innings and 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. The Sooners have won 20 of the last 24 games on the 2010 slate including that contest.

OU is 18-3-1 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.

THE BIG INNING
OU has hit through the batting order already 23 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) , Kansas (GM1) and Kansas State (Big 12 Champ.). 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 24 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), Kansas (GM1) and Kansas State (Big 12 Champ.).

HOME VS. AWAY
The Sooners have recorded 25 of their 47 wins in the friendly confines of L. Dale Mitchell Park. OU is hitting .325 at home with 11 hits per game and 8.5 runs scored per contest, including 51 homers. In addition, the Sooner hurlers have combined for a 3.76 ERA. On the road, OU is 24-10 (16-6 away, 8-3 neutral) and is hitting .301 with 10.7 hits and 7.3 runs per game, including 49 homers. The pitching staff has a 3.81 ERA away from home.

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 third 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 21st in the nation as of June 16 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)

2010 AWARDS
Danny Black, junior, 2B
May 3 Big 12 Player of the Week
Norman Regional All-Tournament Team

Elliott Blair, junior, OF
ESPN Magazine Academic All-American
ESPN Magazine Academic All-District
Big 12 Spring Community of Champions

Garrett Buechele, sophomore, 3B
All-Big 12 First Team (coaches)
All-Big 12 First Team (Oklahoman)
Big 12 Player of the Year (Oklahoman)
All-Big 12 First Team (Austin American Statesman)
All-Big 12 First Team (Waco Tribune)
All-Big 12 Tournament Team
Academic All-Big 12 second team
May 24 Big 12 Player of the Week
Norman Regional All-Tournament Team

Caleb Bushyhead, sophomore, SS
All-Big 12 Second Team (Waco Tribune)
Academic All-Big 12 second team
Quarterfinalist - Brooks Wallace Award (top SS)

Ryan Duke, juinor, RHP
All-Big 12 Second Team (Waco Tribune)
Semifinalist for Stopper of the Year
NCBWA Preseason All-American

Jeremy Erben, junior, RHP
March 9 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week
CBF Pitcher of the Year Watch List

Ross Hubbard, senior, DH
All-Big 12 honorable mention (coaches)

Jack Mayfield, freshman, utility
All-Big 12 Second Team (coaches)
May 10 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

Zach Neal, junior, RHP
All-Big 12 Second Team (coaches)
All-Big 12 First Team (Austin American Statesman)

Tyler Ogle, sophomore, C
Johnny Bench Preseason Watch List
Academic All-Big 12 second team

Cody Reine, sophomore, OF
Norman Regional All-Tournament Team

J.R. Robinson, senior, LHP
Academic All-Big 12 second team

Cameron Seitzer, sophomore, 1B
All-Big 12 honorable mention (coaches)
All-Big 12 First Team (Oklahoman)

Bobby Shore, junior, RHP
Norman Regional All-Tournament Team
MVP of Norman Regional

Max White, freshman, OF
Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American
NCBWA Freshman All-American
All-Big 12 honorable mention (coaches)
All-Big 12 Second Team (Waco Tribune)

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Begin Quest for Third National Title

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