Baseball Begins USD Tournament Thursday

March 2, 2011

No. 2 OU (10-0) at USD Tournament
Game 11 and 14	Thursday, March 3 (8 p.m.) and Sunday, March 6 (noon) vs. SDSU
Game 12	Friday, March 4 (3 p.m.) vs. San Diego
Game 13	Saturday, March 5 (3 p.m.) vs. No. 14 Cal
Location	Tony Gwynn Stadium
Radio	Sooner Sports Network \| KREF 1400 AM
TV	none
Webcast	Games 11 and 14
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2011 Media Guide \| Baseball Blog \| Twitter

GAME PREVIEW
• No. 2 Oklahoma (10-0) continues its five-game road stand this weekend in the USD Tournament in San Diego, Calif.
• The Sooners will play four games vs. San Diego State (March 3 and 6), San Diego (March 4) and California (March 5).
• OU is ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball this week and No. 3 by Baseball America ,USA Today/Coaches 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.
• San Diego State (1-6) returns 13 letterwinners from the 2010 team that finished 28-28 overall (13-11 in the Mountain West Conference: third). SDSU will start RHP Steven Moranda (0-0, 5.06 ERA) and RHP T.J. Kendroza (1-1, 7.45 ERA) against OU.
• San Diego (3-4) returns 14 letterwinners from the 2010 team that finished 37-21 overall (19-2 in the West Coast Conference: first). USD will start RHP Calvin Drummond (1-0, 2.45 ERA) against the Sooners on Friday. The game will be played on USD's campus at Cunningham Stadium, the only one on the weekend played away from Tony Gwynn Stadium.
• No. 14 Cal (5-1) returns 14 letterwinners from the 2010 team that finished 29-25 overall (13-14 in the Pac-10 Conference: fifth). Cal will start LHP Justin Jones (1-0, 1.93 ERA) against the Sooners on Saturday.

THE SERIES
• Refer to page 11 for a complete game-by-game listing of the series history with this weekend's opponents
• San Diego State:OU leads 7-1 after winning the last five games, including a four-game sweep at SDSU last season.
• San Diego: OU leads 3-2 after splitting the two-game series in 2009 at Cunningham Stadium.
• California: OU leads 3-1 and won the last meeting, 9-6, in Norman in 2009.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU broadcast with Chuck Kelly (play-by-play) can be heard throughout the weekend on the Sooners' Flagship station, KREF 1400 AM and at SoonerSports.com. Air time is 30 minutes prior to first pitch. Live stats are available on the baseball schedule page.
• A live webcast of games 11 and 14 vs. SDSU will be online at goaztecs.com.
• Fans inside the stadium this weekend can listen to the OU broadcast 89.1 FM.

OU ROTATION
No. 1 RHP Michael Rocha (2-0, 1.29 ERA, 14 SO, 1 BB)
No. 2 RHP Bobby Shore (1-0, 6.57 ERA, 7 SO, 7 BB)
No. 3 RHP Burch Smith (1-0, 2.45 ERA, 15 SO, 1 BB)
No. 4 TBA

PLAYER TO WATCH - MAX WHITE
The freshman All-American picked up right where he left off last year and is currently riding a career-best nine-game hitting streak dating back to 2010. White has collected multiple-hit performances in five of those contests (four-multi-RBI games). In addition to ranking third on the team with a .469 batting average, White leads the Big 12 with 14 runs scored.
2011 Season Stats: .469, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 14 runs

ON DECK
The Sooners return home to host Arkansas-Little Rock in a three-game series over the weekend (March 11-13). First pitch on Friday is set for 3 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Games two and three of the series mark the first of 13 set to be televised by the Sooner Sports Network (Cox Ch. 3 in OKC and Tulsa).

LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners rallied in the seventh inning to tie UT-Arlington on the road and score the go-ahead run in the eighth to complete a 4-3 victory. It marked OU's first road game of the year.

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.

SOONERS MOVE UP TO NO. 2
OU moved up to No. 2 in the Collegiate Baseball poll this week and is No. 3 in the other three major polls. 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. April 1, 1985 marks the only time OU has enjoyed a No. 1 regular season ranking on record. The only other time that the Sooners were the nation's No. 1 team was in 1994 and 1951, when they celebrated national titles.

10-0 STARTS
The 10-0 start is the best for a Sooner club under head coach Sunny Golloway. OU was 5-0 each of the last two seasons. The last time an OU team started a season 10-0 was in 1998 when the Sooners rattled off 12 straight wins to begin the campaign. The 1998 team holds the longest undefeated streak to start a season with a 12-0 mark. Other undefeated streaks to begin a season include better than the current mark include 1984 (11-0) and 1974 (10-0).

The 10-game winning streak is the sixth double-digit streak under head coach Sunny Golloway (13 in 2006, 11 in 2007, 11 in 2008, 10 in 2009 and 10 in 2010) and the 27th in program history.

OU LEADS BIG 12 IN HITTING
After 10 games, OU leads the Big 12 Conference in batting average (.407), hits (143), runs (123), homers (15) and slugging percentage (.644).

TIME FOR A RALLY
In the 10 victories in 2011, the Sooners have come from behind in five of those contests. Of Sunny Golloway's 230 wins at OU, 118 (.513) have been in come-from-behind fashion, including 22 last year. Below is a breakdown of the 2011 comebacks:

MISC NOTES
- OU leads the Big 12 with 15 home runs while the other nine teams in the conference have a combined 24.
- OU also leads the conference with 123 runs, the next closest team, Texas Tech, has scored 76 runs. The Sooners lead the Big 12 in hits with 143, while Texas Tech is second with 109.
- The Sooner offense has outscored the opposition 123-40.
- OU hit around the batting order for the eighth time this season on Feb. 27 vs. Oakland (23 in 2010).
- The Sooners have recorded double-digit hits in seven of the last eight games and scored 10 or more runs in six of those contests.
- Garrett Buechele, the Big 12 Player of the Week on Feb. 21 and 28, leads the Big 12 with five homers. Nebraska, OSU and Texas A&M rank second in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma.
- Max White leads the Big 12 with 14 runs, while Chris Ellison and Evan Mistich have scored 12 each. The combined 38 runs is more than three teams in the Big 12 (KSU, MU, and KU).
- In eight of the Sooners' 10 starts, the hurlers have lasted at least five innings, including seven frames from Michael Rocha, Dillon Overton and Jordan John.
- OU has won its last 16 games at home dating back to last season
- Seven freshmen saw playing time after 10 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
- OU will face 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
(Arizona State & TCU) and two other Super Regional hosts (Texas and Arkansas).

CROWD ON OPENING DAY
The Sooners opening day win came in front of a crowd of 1,522 at L. Dale Mitchell Park, the largest attendance at an OU home opener since 1999 (1,680 vs. Emporia State). OU averaged 1,473 in the four games last weekend.

ONE-RUN GAMES
The Sooners were victorious in their first one-run game this year on March 1 at UT-Arlington. OU finished 14-7 in those situations in 2010 and is 64-26-1 (.705) under head coach Sunny Golloway. The Sooners' skipper entered 2011 with the best winning percentage among Big 12 coaches over the last five years (.716) in one-run games.

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.)