OU and Nebraska Meet in Norman this Weekend

April 21, 2011

No. 11 OU (27-11, 7-7 Big 12) vs. Nebraska (25-14, 5-7 Big 12)
Game 39	Friday, April 22 (6:30 p.m.)
Game 40	Saturday, April 23 (2 p.m.)
Game 41	Sunday, April 24 (1 p.m.)
Location	Norman, Okla. \| L. Dale Mitchell Park
Tickets/Promos	$8 and $12 \| Pack the Park, Military Appreciation Day and Easter
Radio	Sooner Sports Network \| KREF 1400 AM
TV	Sunday: Fox College Sports (DirecTV Ch. 617)
Webcast	Friday and Saturday: All-Access on SoonerSports.com
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com
Game Information	Game Notes \| 2011 Media Guide \| Baseball Blog \| Twitter

WEEKEND PREVIEW
• No. 11 Oklahoma (27-11, 7-7 Big 12) hosts Nebraska (25-14, 5-7) in a crucial three-game Big 12 Conference series in Norman.
• Friday's series opener at L. Dale Mitchell Park is slated for 6:30 p.m. Saturday is set for 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale is at 1 p.m.
• OU is ranked No. 11 by the NCBWA, No. 15 by USA Today/Coaches, No. 16 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 17 by Baseball America.
• The Sooners return seven position starters from the 2010 squad that finished 50-18 and advanced to the program's 10th CWS.
• The Cornhuskers return 20 letterwinners from the 2010 team that finished 27-27 overall and ninth in the Big 12 (10-17).
• Nebraska is fifth in the league in hitting behind OU at .279, led by sophomore outfielder Kash Kalkowski (.333, 5 HR, 30 RBI).
• NU Rotation - Friday: RHP Matt Freeman (5-3, 3.99 ERA) | RHP Jon Keller (2-3, 2.55 ERA) | RHP Tyler Niederklein (5-1, 4.09 ERA)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU broadcast with Chuck Kelly (play-by-play) and Ross Hubbard (color) can be heard throughout the weekend on the Sooners' Flagship station, KREF 1400 AM and at SoonerSports.com.
• Sunday's game will be televised nationally on Fox College Sports (DirecTV Ch. 617) with Steve Physioc (play-by-play) and Joel Klatt (color) calling the action live from Norman.
• Live stats are available on the baseball schedule page and a live webcast can be found on OU All-Access (Friday and Saturday).

OU ROTATION
No. 1 RHP Michael Rocha (7-1, 1.09 ERA, 11 BB, 56 SO)
No. 2 RHP Burch Smith (6-2, 4.11 ERA, 16 BB, 54 SO)
No. 3 TBA

PLAYER TO WATCH - RYAN DUKE
The senior closer ranks seventh in the Big 12 with four saves and is OU's all-time career leader with 32. Duke also ranks third in OU history with 82 career appearances. His next outing will tie him for second place all-time at Oklahoma with Evan Greusel (1999-2002), while he is 14 shy of Jarod McAuliff (2002-2004) in first place. Duke has blanked the opposition in eight of his nine appearances in 2011 with a 1-0 record.
2011 Season Stats: 1-0, 4 saves, 4.15 ERA

PROMOS - Friday, April 22
Theme: Pack the Park Crimson
Giveaway: 500 Free Crimson OU student t-shirts

Saturday, April 23
Theme: Military Appreciation Day
Promotion: Show valid military ID and receive $4 individual and family admission
Autograph Saturday (weather permitting)
Giveaway: 250 Free OU Camo Hats

Sunday, April 2
Theme: Easter Celebration
Promotion: Easter Egg Hunt
Kid's run the bases (weather permitting)

Single game tickets are on sale online and by calling 800-456-GoOU.

OU-NEBRASKA SERIES
While OU won last year's series, 2-1, in Lincoln, and the 2009 meeting in Norman, 2-1, the home team has not fared well in recent history. In the previous eight series meetings, the visiting team has won the three-game set on six occasions. In addition to OU winning the 2009 set in Norman, Nebraska claimed a 2-0-1 series victory in 2008. In fact, in 14 Big 12 series meetings, the home team has only won five of three-game sets. OU is 43-29 all-time in Norman since 1962, but 8-16 since Big 12 play began in 1997. In 42 all-time Big 12 games, OU and Nebraska have played 23 of those games decided by three runs or less, including 10 of the last 16 meetings. In those 23 games, OU and NU have split them right down the middle with a tie in game three of the 2008 series in Lincoln.

April 21, 2011 | Video: Sooners Focused on Nebraska
The Sooners improved to 27-11 overall Wednesday night, the same record as last season at this point, and look towards this weekend's series with Nebraska (25-14, 5-7 Big 12).

Despite the Sooners' recent struggles, they still find themselves in the top half of the Big 12 standings at 7-7 and ahead of last year's pace in league play. After 14 conference games in 2010, the Sooners were 6-8 after dropping a series-opener in College Station, Texas, to the Aggies. However, OU rallied with a 13-inning win on Saturday and a series clincher on Sunday to propel them on a hot streak to close out the year.

On Wednesday night, OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway and juniors Garrett Buechele and Cameron Seitzer talked about the team's focus on the final month of the season. View video from Wednesday's postgame from Coach Golloway, Buechele and Seitzer.

ON DECK
The Sooners travel to No. 7 TCU for the first road midweek game since March 16 at then-No. 8 Arizona State. OU and TCU start at 6:30 p.m. in Fort Worth on April 26. The Sooners and Horned Frogs met on April 12 in Norman, with OU recording a 13-6 win.

Next weekend, OU travels to No. 4 Texas for a three-game Big 12 series (April 29-May 1).

LAST TIME OUT
OU split a pair of midweek game at home starting with a 3-2 loss to Dallas Baptist on Tuesday. The Sooners were the fourth midweek victim of the Patriots after they also beat Rice, TCU and Oklahoma State earlier in 2011. On Wednesday, OU snapped a two-game skid with a 5-2 win over Bacone, a game scheduled to make up for rain out at Arkansas on March 29.

MISC NOTES
- After 38 games, OU leads the Big 12 in batting average (.331), and ranks fourth in earned run average (3.18) and sixth in fielding percentage (.973).
- OU leads the Big 12 with 31 home runs, almost double the total recorded by five teams in the conference.
- OU leads the conference with 297 runs, the next closest team, Texas Tech, has scored 240 runs. The Sooners lead the Big 12 in hits with 434 and OSU is second with 398.
- The Sooner offense has outscored the opposition 297-151.
- OU has outscored opponents 42-20, 48-28, 41-13 and 46-19 in the third, fifth, sixth and eighth innings, respectively.
- Garrett Buechele, the Big 12 Player of the Week on Feb. 21 and
28, leads the Big 12 with 46 RBIs and ranks second with a .386 batting average and 61 hits ... He also ranks third with 88 total bases and seven homers.
- In 21 of the Sooners' 38 starts, the hurlers have lasted at least five innings, including four complete games by Jordan John, Bobby Shore and Michael Rocha (2). OU owns four of the 15 complete games tossed in 2011.
- Seven freshmen have seen playing time 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 struck out 13 batters in the March 18 shutout vs.Texas A&M, the most by a Sooner since Daniel McCutchen also sat down 13 Aggies on April 7, 2006.
- Rocha, a two-time 2011 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, has lasted at least seven innings in seven of nine starts with five or more strikeouts in eight outings. Rocha has also limited the opposition to three hits or less in four of his starts … He leads the Big 12 with a 1.09 ERA (seventh nationally) and two complete games ... He also ranks second with 66.1 innings and is third with seven wins (eighth nationally).

SCORING FIRST
OU is 17-4 when scoring first this season, including a 6-3 mark in Big 12 play. The Sooners have scored first in seven of the last 12 contests with a 7-5 record in that span.

THE BIG INNING
OU has hit through the batting order 17 times in 38 games. OU had 23 such occasions in 2010. In addition, the Sooners have plated five or more runs in nine 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.

ONE-RUN GAMES
The Sooners are 3-4 this season in games decided by one run, including three losses in the last five outings. OU was 14-7 in those situations in 2010 and the Sooners are 66-29-1 (.707) 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.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners recorded 10 or more hits in 22 games this season with a 18-4 mark (42 in 2010 with a 38-4 record), including 11 out of the last 14 and are averaging 11.4 hits per game this season.

OU is averaging eight runs per game, featuring 14 contests scored in double digits with a 13-1 record. (23 in 2010 with 22-1 record). OU scored 27 in game one of the UAPB series, the most since exploding for 29 runs on March 22, 2009 at Kansas State.

OGLE COLLECTS FIRST BIG 12 WEEKLY HONOR
Junior Tyler Ogle was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on April 18 after collecting 11 hits (3 HR) and 11 RBI in four games played. It was a career first honor for Ogle and also represents the sixth time a Sooner has been recognized by the Big 12 this season, a league best. In 2011, Garrett Buechele has twice been named the player of the week (Feb. 21 and 28), Michael Rocha was tabbed the pitcher of the week twice (March 7 and April 4) and Jordan John was tabbed the newcomer of the week (Feb. 28).

SHUTOUTS
Michael Rocha's 13 strikeouts and Ryan Duke's first save of 2011 led OU to a 1-0 shutout over then-No. 11 Texas A&M on March 18. The Sooners have two shutouts in the books, also blanked SDSU 4-0 on March 3, after posting three in 2010. OU has also limited opponents to one run in eight games. The most shutouts recorded in a single season during the Sunny Golloway era is five, recorded in 2009, 2007 and 2006.

DUKE AND BUSHYHEAD RETURN
Junior shortstop Caleb Bushyhead and senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Duke returned to action against Arkansas-Little Rock. Bushyhead had two hits and two walks in his first start on March 11 after having surgery on his torn ACL (right) in October. On March 12, Ryan Duke made his first relief appearance of 2011 and did not register a save, but recorded his 14th career win.

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.

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).

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 Arizona
March 16 - at Arizona State (8:30 p.m.)

Fox Sports Midwest
March 27 - at Missouri (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 - vs. 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.)