No. 17 Baseball Opens Big 12 vs. Texas at Home

March 15, 2012

No. 17 OU (11-6) vs. Texas (7-8)
Game 17	Friday, March 16, 6:30 p.m.
Game 18	Saturday, March 17, 2 p.m.
Game 19	Sunday, March 18, 1 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. \| L. Dale Mitchell Park (3,180)
Radio	Sooner Sports Network \| KREF 1400 AM
TV	Sooner Sports Network \| Cox Ch. 3 and Fox College Sports
Live Stats	SoonersSports.com
Promotions	Green cups, green t-shirts and more
Tickets	$8 adult/ $5 youth \| Save Some Green Saturday ($4 off)
Game Info	Game Notes \| 2012 Media Guide \| Baseball Blog \| Twitter

TEXAS PREVIEW
• No. 17 Oklahoma (11-6) begins Big 12 play and a five-game home stand this weekend against Red River rival Texas (7-8). Friday's opener is slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch while game two is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday's finale gets underway at 1 p.m.
• OU is ranked No. 17 by NCBWA, No. 17 by the USA Today/Coaches, No. 21 in Collegiate Baseball, and No. 22 by Baseball America.
• The Sooners return five position starters from the 2011 squad that finished 41-19 overall and third in the Big 12 (14-11).
• The Longhorns return 17 letterwinners from the 2011 team that was 49-19 overall and first in Big 12 (19-8). They advanced to the College World Series. In 2012, Texas is coming off a two-game split with Loyola Marymount and a 6-1 win over Texas State Tuesday.
• UT Rotation: 1 - RHP Nathan Thornhill (2-1, 2.73 ERA); 2 - RHP Ricky Jacquez (1-1, 4.50 ERA); 3 - RHP Parker French (2-0, 2.95 ERA)

PITCHING ROTATIONS
Game 1 - OU: LHP Dillon Overton (3-0, 2.84 ERA) vs. UT: RHP Nathan Thornhill (2-1, 2.73 ERA)
Game 2 - OU: RHP Jonathan Gray (2-2, 4.98 ERA) vs. UT: RHP Ricky Jacquez (1-1, 4.50 ERA)
Game 3 - OU: LHP Steven Okert (2-1, 4.78 ERA) vs. UT: RHP Parker French (2-0, 2.95 ERA)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU radio broadcast with play-by-play announcer Toby Rowland and Ross Hubbard on color can be heard throughout the weekend on the Sooner Sports Network (KREF 1400 AM in Norman/OKC). Every game in 2012 is also online at SoonerSports.com.

• All three games will also be televised by the Sooner Sports Network with Chad McKee and Casey Bookout calling the action. The games can be seen on Cox Ch. 3/703 HD in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and also on Fox College Sports on Friday and Saturday.

• Live stats and a live webcast are also available on SoonerSports.com for this weekend's games.

PLAYER TO WATCH - DILLON OVERTON
As a freshman, Dillon Overton tossed 4 2/3 of scoreless relief to earn the win at then-No. 4 Texas on May 1. The left-hander is the reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after recording two wins last week for the Sooners, including a complete game victory over West Virginia in the Nike College Showcase. He tossed 98 pitches in that win with one earned run, six strikeouts and zero walks.
2012 Season Stats: .3-0, 2.84 ERA, 30 Ks, 31.2 IP, 1 CG

TICKETS AND PROMOS
Sooner baseball fans can celebrate St. Patrick's Day this weekend at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Tickets are available online at SoonerSports.com or by call the office at 800-456-GoOU or locally at 405-325-2424.

The ticket office also announced a special promotion in February for the St. Patrick's Day game. On March 17, Sooner fans can "Save Some Green" that day and purchase reserved seats for $8 (originally $12) and general admission seats for $4 (originally $8).

The first 100 fans throughout the weekend will receive a green St. Patrick's Day Cup at the gate. On Saturday, the Sooners will sport green socks, hats and helmets in honor of the Irish Holiday. The first 500 fans will receive a green t-shirt from the OU IT Store and the Sooners will sign autographs following the game, weather permitting. On Sunday, kids can run the bases after the game and play catch in the outfield, weather permitting.

OU vs. TEXAS SERIES NOTES
- Texas leads overall 124-42-2 and 33-12 in Big 12 play. Since 1962, OU is 13-19 in games played in Norman vs. UT.
- The Sooners won the inaugural Big 12 series in 1997 (2-1) in Austin and followed that up with a three-game sweep in Norman in 1998.
- The Longhorns have won the last 13 conference series.
- The last time Texas entered a series with OU not ranked in the top 25 was 1998.
- Texas leads 33-12 since 1997, but 25 of those games have been decided by three runs or less (UT leads 19-6), including 11 one-run games and three postseason meetings.
- The series was decided in game three in 2002, '04 and '08.
- Texas is 12-3 in the Big 12 series opener (won last nine). OU has won three of the last five series finales.

LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners fell to 11-6 on the season after suffering a 7-6 loss at Dallas Baptist on Tuesday. OU led 6-3 after eight innings but gave up four runs in the ninth as the Patriots won their third straight in the series with the Sooners.

ON DECK
The Sooners conclude a five-game home stand with a two-game midweek series with Air Force on March 20 (6:30 p.m.) and March 21 (3 p.m.). OU then returns to Big 12 play and hits the road for the first time in conference action at Texas Tech over the weekend (March 23-25).

DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners are 7-2 when collecting 10 or more hits in a game with wins over Pepperdine (2/17), Hartford (2/24-25), New Mexico (all 3) and UAPB (3/6). The Sooners lost to Connecticut and Dallas Baptist despite 10 and 11 hits, respectively. OU is also 2-0 when scoring double-digit runs with victories over Hartford (2/25) and New Mexico (3/3). OU is 0-3 when allowing 10-plus runs against Pepperdine (2/18), UTA and Oregon State. The Sooners are 4-6 when giving up 10 or more hits.

OVERTON AND GRAY COLLECT BIG 12 WEEKLY HONORS
Two Sooner hurlers earned Big 12 baseball weekly honors on Monday for games played March 5-11. Dillon Overton earned the Pitcher of the Week award after winning two games last week, including a complete game win against West Virginia in the Nike Showcase. Jonathan Gray was tabbed the Newcomer of the Week after striking out 10 batters in the win over No. 9 Oregon.

JOHN NAMED BIG 12 PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt sophomore reliever Jordan John was named the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 5 after tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings in two games at New Mexico over the weekend. John allowed one hit in the two appearances, combined for a shutout and held opponents to a .059 batting average.

GOLLOWAY GETS WIN No. 600
On Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, the Sooners recorded an 8-3 victory, marking the 600th in head coach Sunny Golloway's career. At OU, Golloway has won 265 games, the third most in school history and just 16 behind Jack Baer, who coached OU to the 1951 National Championship. In his 14 full seasons as a DI head coach, Golloway's teams have averaged 42.14 wins per year.

OU PICKED THIRD IN BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
The Sooners were picked to finish third in the 2012 Big 12 Coaches' Preseason Poll on Feb. 14. It marks the fourth straight year that the Sooners were picked in the top four spots in the preseason poll.

Texas A&M was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2012 Big 12 baseball regular season title, followed by Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma State,Texas Tech, Kansas and Kansas. A complete poll is listed on page 5.

PRESEASON TOP 25 POLLS
Oklahoma is ranked in the top 25 preseason polls for the fourth straight year, with its highest recognition coming from the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) at No. 14. OU is also ranked No. 15 by the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll, No. 16 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 19 by Baseball America. Turn to page four for all the preseason listings.

WHO'S BACK
The Sooners return 15 letterwinners and seven starters (five position players, two pitchers) from the 2011 team. In the offseason, the coaching staff signed a class of 21 players that were ranked as high as No. 4 (Collegiate Baseball) in the recruiting rankings. View the listing of each player on page 3.

2011 DRAFT RECAP
OU will feature some new faces in 2012 as 11 Sooners were drafted last June, a mark that led the Big 12 and marks the most taken in program history, topping the 10 selected in 1998 and 1995. The 11 selections ranked in a tie for second place in the nation behind Vanderbilt (12). Arizona State, Florida and South Carolina also had 11 while Texas was eighth with nine selections. The most players drafted in the Sunny Golloway era was nine, accomplished twice in 2009 and 2006. Overall, 43 Sooners have been drafted on Golloway's watch, including at least four in every season but one. In addition, 22 of the players came to Norman undrafted in their careers. Of the 11 Sooners taken in 2011, eight were selected for the first time and two others improved their draft status by at least four rounds.

DRAFTED PLAYERS ON 2012 ROSTER
Below is a look at the nine players taken in the Major League Baseball Draft on the current roster. It spans the last three years and includes seven players taken a year ago, including two-time draftees Jonathan Gray and Steven Okert.

Chris Burgess (2011 - 30th round - Tampa Bay)
Adam Choplick (2011 - 17th round - Arizona)
Jonathan Gray (2011 - 10th round - NY Yankees and 2010 - 13th round - Kansas City)
Jordan John (2011 - 28th round - Houston)
Hunter Lockwood (2011 - 17th round - LAA Angels)
Damien Magnifico (2009 - 5th round - NY Mets)
Steven Okert (2011 - 33rd - Milwaukee and 2010 - 43rd round - Milwaukee)
Dillon Overton (2010 - 26th round - Boston)
Drake Roberts (2011 - 49th round - Minnesota)

BREAKDOWN OF 2012 SCHEDULE
- 30 home games, including four Big 12 series
- Home Big 12 series with Texas, KSU, Missouri & Baylor
- Non-conference home games vs. Oral Roberts, Air Force, Arkansas, DBU and TCU
- Other key non-conference games vs. Pepperdine, New Mexico, Connecticut, Oregon, West Virginia, Oregon State and Oklahoma State.
- Bedlam Series in Tulsa and OKC, May 4-6
- 12 opponents from 2011 NCAA Tourney (28 games)
- 8 teams that finished 2011 ranked in top 25
- Seven foes with 40-plus wins a year ago
- Two 2010 CWS participants (Texas & Texas A&M)
- Three other Super Regional teams (DBU, Oregon State and Connecticut)
- First time opponents in Oregon, Connecticut, West Virginia, Alabama State, Hartford and Samford

BASEBALL ON KREF 1400 AM IN 2012
The 2012 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 50-plus regular season games live over the air and extends into postseason play.

Additionally, 18 of the 24 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 March 30 against Kansas State. Overall, 23 games will be carried on the network with non-conference games against Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts and TCU.

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

2012 TELEVISION SCHEDULE
The University of Oklahoma announced the television schedule thru the month of March for the 2012 Sooner baseball schedule. Eight baseball games produced by the Sooner Sports Network will be televised in the state of Oklahoma on Cox Communications Cable (Cox Ch. 3/703 HD) and nationwide on DirecTV via Fox College Sports (Ch. 617 or 623).

Each of the games will be televised live from Norman with local sports personality Chad McKee calling the play-by-play and additional contests will be added throughout the season. Please check your local cable or satellite provide for coverage in your area.

The Sooners are also scheduled to appear in two games on Fox Sports Southwest. The first of the two nationally televised games will be played on Friday, May 4 in Tulsa, Okla., for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Bedlam Series. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa. The second game comes during the final Big 12 series of the year against Baylor. The Sooners and Bears will tangle at 2 p.m. on Saturday May 12 on FSN.

Sooner Sports Network-Cox Ch. 3 in OKC/Tulsa)
March 16 - Texas (6:30 p.m.)
March 17 - Texas (2 p.m.)
March 18 - Texas (1 p.m.)
March 20 - Air Force (6:30 p.m.)
March 21 - Air Force (3 p.m.)
March 30 - Kansas State (6:30 p.m.)
March 31- Kansas State (2 p.m.)

Fox Sports Southwest
May 4 - vs. Oklahoma State (7 p.m. in Tulsa)
May 12 - Baylor (2 p.m.)

ESPNU
April 7 - at Texas A&M (3:30 p.m.)

SOONERS INK 15 FOR 2013 SEASON
Oklahoma signed 15 student athletes as part of the 2013 incoming class back in November.

The OU coaching staff inked 11 high school players, including four of the state of Oklahoma's best in Jacob Evans, a two-way player from Broken Arrow H.S., Taylor Hawkins, a catcher from Carl Albert H.S., Carson McPherson, a left-handed pitcher from Ardmore H.S., and Colt Pickens, an infielder/outfielder from Yukon H.S.

The Sooners also plucked three of the best south of the Red River in Kolbey Carpenter (infielder from West ISD), Ralph Garza (RHP/INF from New Braunfels H.S.) and Huntey Haley (INF/OF from Central Heights H.S.), while adding Justin Burba (OF from Wichita Campus High), the No. 3 recruit from the state of Kansas.

Overall, 11 of the 15 recruits are from the high school ranks while the Sooners also added four junior college players.

Craig Aiken | OF | R/R | 5-10 | 160
Coppell, Texas (Coppell H.S.)

Justin Burba | OF/1B | L/L | 6-0 | 185
Wichita, Kan. (Wichita Campus H.S.)

Kolbey Carpenter | INF | R/R | 6-0 | 175
Waco, Texas (West H.S.)

Ralph Garza Jr. | RHP/INF | R/R | 6-3 | 185
New Braunfels, Texas (New Braunfels Senior)

Hunter Haley | INF/OF | R/R | 5-10 | 175
Nacogdoches, Texas (Central Heights H.S.)

Taylor Hawkins | C | R/R | 5-11 | 185
Oklahoma City, Okla. (Carl Albert H.S.)

Kyle Hayes | INF/RHP | R\L | 6-2 | 210
Santee, Calif. (Santana H.S.)

Anthony Hermelyn | INF | R/R | 6-1 | 200
McKinney, Texas (McKinney H.S.)

Hayden Jones | 1B/LHP | L/L | 6-1 | 190
Houston, Texas (Langham Creek H.S.)

Hector Lorenzana | INF | R/R | 5-11 | 190
San Diego, Calif. (Howard College)

Carson McPherson | LHP | R/R | 6-0 | 190
Ardmore, Okla. (Ardmore H.S.)