Baseball Travels to Arizona State

March 14, 2011

No. 2 OU (16-1) at No. 8 Arizona State (11-3)
Game 17	Tuesday, March 15 (8:30 p.m. CT)
Game 18	Wednesday, March 16 (8:30 p.m. CT)
Location	Packard Stadium
Radio	Sooner Sports Network \| KREF 1400 AM
TV	Wednesday - Fox Sports Arizona (FS Oklahoma Plus)
Webcast (free)	Tuesday - foxsportsarizona.com
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2011 Media Guide \| Baseball Blog \| Twitter

MIDWEEK PREVIEW
• No. 2 Oklahoma (16-1) hits the road for a two-game midweek series at No. 8 Arizona State (11-3) this week.
• The two-game series starts on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT in Tempe, Ariz. Wednesday's game is also set for an 8:30 p.m. CT first pitch.
• OU is ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 3 by USA Today/Coaches, Baseball America and the NCBWA.
• The Sooners return seven position starters from the 2010 squad that finished 50-18 and advanced to the program's 10th CWS.
• Arizona State returns 17 letterwinners from the 2010 team that finished No. 7 in the nation after appearing in the College World Series with a 52-10 record (20-7 Pac-10 Conference: 1st place). ASU, ranked as high as No. 8 (USA Today/Coaches'), is hitting .349 as a team, led by center fielder Johnny Ruettiger (.403, 11 RBI, 11 stolen bases).
• Sun Devils' rotation: GM1 - TBA; GM2 - TBA

BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU broadcast with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play can be heard this weekend on the Sooners' Flagship station, KREF 1400 AM and at SoonerSports.com. Air time is 30 minutes prior to first pitch.
• Game two will be televised by Fox Sports Arizona (DirecTV ch. 686, Dish Network ch. 425) with Daron Sutton (play-by-play) and Joe Borowski (color) calling the action. The game can also be seen on Fox Sports Oklahoma Plus (Cox Cable channel 257) check you local listings for service in your area.
• Live stats are available on the baseball schedule page. A live webcast of Tuesday's game can be viewed on foxsportsarizona.com.

OU ROTATION
No. 1 TBA
No. 2 TBA

PLAYER TO WATCH - GARRETT BUECHELE
The junior third baseman has hit safely in the last seven games with a .375 average in that span (12-for-32) and eight RBIs. Buechele leads the Big 12 in batting average (.458), homers (5), hits (33), RBIs (25), total bases (49) and slugging percentage (.681). The preseason All-American is one of two Sooners to start every game this season with Cameron Seitzer.
2011 Season Stats: .458, 5 HR, 25 RBI

ARIZONA STATE SERIES
ASU owns a 47-18 advantage in the all-time series, including a 34-10 lead in games played in Tempe. The Sooners and Sun Devils last met during the 2008 Tempe Regional, where ASU advanced to the next round after defeating OU 12-0 in the championship game. Only six Sooners remain from that squad with four seeing action during the tournament (Elliott Blair, Ryan Duke, Casey Johnson and Tyson Seng). See page 13 for career stats versus the Sun Devils. The last regular season meeting was in 2006, when OU defeated ASU 15-8 at Packard Stadium. The win tied the three-game series at one apiece, but game three was rained out.

ON DECK
OU returns home to begin Big 12 play against No. 11 Texas A&M (12-4). The Sooners and Aggies begin the series at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 18 at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Saturday's game is slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch and Sunday's finale will get underway at 1 p.m. The Sooner Sports Network will have complete coverage of the weekend. All three games will be broadcast live on KREF 1400 AM and televised live on Cox Ch. 3 in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

LAST TIME OUT
The No. 2 Sooners hosted Arkansas-Little Rock in a three-game series over the weekend and won two of the three games. OU started things off with an 11-4 victory on Friday behind Michael Rocha's seven innings and fourth victory in as many starts. On Saturday, OU had to come from behind again to record a 2-1 win. On Sunday, the Sooners suffered their first loss of the season in a 7-0 decision to the Trojans.

SOONERS REMAIN No. 2 in COLLEGIATE BASEBALL
OU remained in the No. 2 spot for the third straight week in the Collegiate Baseball poll. The Sooners are No. 3 in the remainder of the polls (USA Today/Coaches', Baseball America and NCBWA). The No. 2 regular season ranking is the highest by an OU team since 1985, when the Sooners were also No. 2 on April 15, as ranked by Baseball America. That season also saw Oklahoma climb to the No. 1 spot two weeks earlier, while enjoying a top five rank on five other occasions that year.

DUKE AND BUSHYHEAD RETURN
Junior shortstop Caleb Bushyhead and senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Duke returned to action last weekend against Arkansas-Little Rock. Bushyhead had two hits and two walks in his first start on Friday after having surgery on his torn ACL (right) in October. On Saturday, Ryan Duke made his first relief appearance of 2011 and did not register a save, but recorded his 14th career win.

16-0 RECORD START
The 16-0 start is the best for a Sooner club, topping the 12 straight wins to begin the 1998 season. Other double-digit undefeated streaks to begin a season include 1984 (11-0) and 1974 (10-0). It marks the longest undefeated streak in the Big 12 era (since 1997), tied with the 2005 Texas team.

The 16-game winning streak is also the best under head coach Sunny Golloway and the sixth double-digit streak in his tenure (13 in 2006, 11 in 2007, 11 in 2008, 10 in 2009 and 10 in 2010). Its also the 25th in program history and longest since 1985 (19).

MISC NOTES
- After 17 games, OU leads the Big 12 in batting average (.365), and ranks fourth in earned run average (2.76) and fifth in fielding percentage (.971).
- OU leads the Big 12 with 17 home runs while the other nine teams in the conference have a combined 46.
- OU leads the conference with 165 runs, the next closest team, Texas Tech, has scored 112 runs. The Sooners lead the Big 12 in hits with 214, while Baylor is second with 173.
- The Sooner offense has outscored the opposition 165-61.
- Garrett Buechele, the Big 12 Player of the Week on Feb. 21 and 28, leads the Big 12 with five homers. With the exception of Texas A&M, Nebraska and Texas Tech, Buechele has more home runs than seven of the teams in the conference.
- Buechele also leads OU and the Big 12 with a .458 batting avg., 33 hits, 25 RBIs, 49 total bases, a .681 slugging pct.
- Max White leads the Big 12 with 19 runs scored, while Tyler Ogle and Cale Ellis are tied for second with 16.
- In 13 of the Sooners' 17 starts, the hurlers have lasted at least five innings, including three complete games by Jordan John, Bobby Shore and Michael Rocha. OU owns three of the six complete games tossed in 2011.
- Seven freshmen saw playing time after 17 games and 10 newcomers overall have taken the field.
- Michael Rocha and the Sooner bullpen limited the Tribe to one hit on Feb.18, the fewest allowed since OU's last no-hitter, a combined effort on March 9, 2005 vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff
- Rocha is tied for the Big 12 lead with four wins and has lasted at least seven innings in each of his four starts. He ranks second in innings pitched (30.0) and opponent batting
average (.158).

TOUGH SCHEDULE
The Sooners are 1-0 in games against Top 25 teams this year with the March 5 win over then-No. 14 Cal (W, 5-3). OU is slated to face seven other teams that appear in this weeks' top 25 polls, to combine for 14 games. Five of those featured this week with No. 8 Arizona State and No. 11 Texas A&M. OU also has Texas, TCU, Arkansas and Baylor left on the schedule.

Overall, OU faces 10 opponents from 2010 NCAA tournament (23 games) in 2011, including five foes with 40-plus wins a year ago. OU also will face two 2010 CWS participants (Ari zona State & TCU) and two Super Regional hosts (Texas and Arkansas).

OGLE ON JOHNNY BENCH WATCH LIST
For the second straight season, junior catcher Tyler Ogle was named to the Johnny Bench watch list for the 2011 season. Ogle caught in 42 games last year as he hit .331 with 11 homers and 46 RBIs, while recording a .992 fielding percentage and throwing out 11 base stealers. The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission released the Watch List for the 2011 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award delivered by Papa John's Pizza on March 10.

THE BIG INNING
OU has hit through the batting order 10 times in 17 games. OU had 23 such occasions in 2010. In addition, the Sooners have plated five or more runs in six different innings, including 14 in the eighth inning on Feb. 22 vs. UAPB. The 14 runs tied an OU record for most scored in an inning with the 1998 Sooners that plated 14 in one frame against Emporia State on Feb. 17.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners recorded 10 or more hits in 10 games this season (42 in 2010 with 38-4 record) and are averaging 12.6 overall on the season.

OU is averaging 9.7 runs per game, featuring eight contests scored in double digits (23 in 2010 with 22-1 record)
OU posted 27 in game one of the UAPB series, the most since exploding for 29 runs on March 22, 2009 at Kansas State.

ONE-RUN GAMES
The Sooners are 2-0 this season in games decided by one run. OU was 14-7 in those situations in 2010 and the Sooners are 65-26-1 (.712) under head coach Sunny Golloway. The Sooners' skipper entered 2011 with the best winning percentage among Big 12 coaches over the last five years in that category.

ESPNU ADDS TEXAS TECH GAME
The Sooners' home game against Texas Tech on April 2 will be televised live from L. Dale Mitchell Park at 7 p.m. Overall, 18 games will be televised in 2011, including three other national/regional broadcasts.

OU NO. 5 IN PRESEASON POLLS
The Sooners were tabbed No. 5 in Baseball America's preseason top 25 poll. Oklahoma was also ranked No. 5 in the preseason by the NCBWA. The Sooners have been ranked in the top 10 by Baseball America, at some point in the season, in each of the last three years. Only the 1984-1987 Sooners can claim a better streak among the nation's top 10 in program history. The 2011 preseason ranking is the highest for OU since 1995 when it was coming off the program's second National Championship and entered the season as Baseball America's No. 3 team in the nation.

Polls: BA | USA | CB | NCBWA

SOONERS FAVORED TO WIN BIG 12 REGULAR SEASON
For the first time since 1995, Oklahoma is the preseason favorite to claim the Big 12 baseball regular season championship heading into the 2011 season, in a vote of the league's head coaches.

In 2010, the Sooners made their 10th College World Series appearance and first trip to Omaha since 1995. It marks the first time since 1995 that OU was selected as the top pick in the preseason poll. The Sooners have twice been picked No. 2 in the Big 12 preseason poll (1999 and 2001) with the highest prediction under Golloway coming in 2010 (fourth). In 1995, OU was the No. 1 team headed into the Big Eight season after winning the program's second National Chamionship the previous year.

WHO's BACK
The Sooners return seven position starters and two weekend starting pitchers from last year's College World Series team that won 50 games for the fifth time in program history. Included in that bunch is 2010 All-American Garrett Buechele at third base, 2010 Freshman All-American Max White at second base and 2009 All-American Ryan Duke (closer). OU welcomes back all but 14 of the 105 home runs hit last year and 32 of the 50 wins registered by the pitching staff.

BLAIR, BUECHELE, OGLE & ROCHA NAMED CAPTAINS
Seniors Elliott Blair and Michael Rocha and juniors Garrett Buechele and Tyler Ogle were voted as the 2011 captains by their teammates back in October during the team's annual visit to Willow Springs Boys Ranch in Chandler, Okla. Buechele is is the only two-time captain (2010).

BUECHELE A PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Junior Garrett Buechele was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Collegiate Baseball preseason All-America teams. It marks the first such selection for Buechele, who was tabbed a second team All-American following the Sooners' 2010 postseason run. Buechele led OU in every offensive category en route to the program's 10th CWS appearance and first since 1995. The Arlington, Texas, was selected in the 18th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers.

He is the second Sooner to be named to a preseason list under head coach Sunny Golloway's watch (Ryan Duke in 2010).

DUKE TIED FOR CAREER SAVES LEAD
Ryan Duke, who is on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list for the second straight year, recorded one save at the 2010 College World Series in OU's opening win over South Carolina and moved into a tie for first place on OU's all-time saves list (below). Duke finished with 12 saves, the nation's 12th best total in 2010 and ranked second in the Big 12. He led the Big 12 in saves with 16 in 2009 (ranked sixth in the nation), the second most in a single season by a Sooner (Jeff Bajenaru - 20, 2000).

Duke is the first Sooner in school history to have 10 or more in two seasons. Below is a look at where he ranks in OU history.

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

BASEBALL ON KREF 1400 AM IN 2011 | PDF of schedule
The 2011 season marks the second with KREF 1400 AM serving as the flagship station of Sooner baseball. The partnership provides expanded coverage for OU fans to listen to 54 regular season games live over the air and extends into postseason play.

Additionally, 23 of the games are set to be carried on the Sooners Sports' Network, enabling fans to listen to OU baseball on the radio state-wide. The state-wide coverage begins on April 1 against Texas Tech and will continue for each of the games in Big 12 play. The network schedule also includes OU's midweek games at home vs. Oklahoma State (April 5) and TCU (April 12).

The entire 56-game regular season schedule will also be broadcast live on the internet via Oklahoma All-Access, OU's premium content site.

2011 TELEVISION SCHEDULE | PDF of schedule
In 2011, 13 baseball games will be televised locally for the 2011 season by Sooner Vision and Sooner Sports Properties. The broadcasts will air via the Sooner Sports Network on Cox Channel 3 in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Local sports personality Toby Rowland from KWTV News 9 (Oklahoma City) will call the play-by-play along with color analyst Kenny Mossman, Oklahoma Associate Athletics Director for Communications.

On top of the local coverage, the Sooners can also be seen nationally for three contests. In the last six years, 69 OU games have been seen on regional or national television, with 20 telecasts in 2010.

Sooner Sports Network-Cox Ch. 3 in OKC/Tulsa)
March 12 - Arkansas Little Rock (2 p.m.)
March 13 - Arkansas Little Rock (1 p.m.)
March 18 - Texas A&M (6:30 p.m.)
March 19 - Texas A&M (2 p.m.)
March 20 - Texas A&M (1 p.m.)
April 3 - Texas Tech (1 p.m.)
April 5 - Oklahoma State (6:30 p.m.)
April 12 - TCU (6:30 p.m.)
April 17 - vs. Oklahoma State (4:05 p.m.)
April 19 - Dallas Baptist (6:30 p.m.)
May 6 - Kansas (6:30 p.m.)
May 8 - Kansas (1 p.m.)
May 15 - New Mexico (1 p.m.)

Fox Sports Southwest
April 30 - at Texas (11:30 a.m.)
May 7 - Kansas (2 p.m.)

ESPNU
May 1 - at Texas (1 p.m.)
April 2 - Texas Tech (7 p.m.)

Cowboy Sports Network
April 15 - vs. Oklahoma State (7:35 p.m.)

SOONERS INK 14 FOR 2012 SEASON
Oklahoma baseball head coach Sunny Golloway announced the signing of 14 student athletes as part of the 2012 signing class on Wednesday. The recruits signed National Letters of Intent in the early signing period and are set to join the Sooners next fall.

Overall, 12 of the 14 recruits are rated by Perfect Game Crosschecker as prospects for the 2011 MLB Draft. Four of the signees have already been selected in the draft, including three last season.

Clayton Blackburn | RHP | 6-2 | 210
Edmond, Okla. (Edmond Santa Fe H.S.)

Brian Brightwell | OF/1B | L/L | 6-0 |185
Oklahoma City, Okla. (Putnam City H.S.)

Tony Calhoun | RHP/ INF | R/R | 6-1 | 180
Temecula, Calif. (Howard College)

Garrett Carey | SS | R/R | 6-2 | 210
Hutto, Texas (McClennan C.C.)

Mason Hope | RHP | R/R | 6-3 | 185
Broken Arrow, Okla. (Broken Arrow H.S.)

Adrian Houser | RHP | R/R | 6-3 | 200
Locust Grove, Okla. (Locust Grove H.S.)

Nick Lee | LHP/ OF | L/L | 6-0 | 190
San Antonio, Texas (Weatherford College)

Hunter Lockwood | C | R/R | 5-11 | 189
Bedford, Texas (Lawrence Dale Bell H.S.)

Damien Magnifico | RHP | R/R | 6-1 | 190
Mesquite, Texas (Howard College)

Austin O'Donnell | RHP | R/R | 6-0 | 210
Magnolia, Ark. (Northeast Texas C.C.)

Steven Okert | LHP | L/L | 6-3 | 215
Rowlett, Texas | Grayson County College

Jacob Rhame | RHP | R/R | 6-0 | 190
Corinth, Texas (Denton Guyer H.S.)

Nick Sawyer | RHP | R/R | Fr. | 5-10 | 180
Carrollton, Texas (Howard College)

Ty Washington | INF | R/R | 5-10 | 165
Richardson, Texas (Plano East H.S.)