Five Things to Watch: Baseball vs. Samford

May 17, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- No. 24 Oklahoma (33-20) concludes the regular season at home with Samford (34-19) in a three-game series this week at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Thursday's series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday's contest is at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday's finale is set for 2 p.m.

Below are five things to watch this weekend when the Sooners and Bulldogs meet for the first time in series history.

1. Get the Offense Back on Track
The OU offense was rolling on Sunday against then-No. 2 Baylor with a season-high 15 hits and a season-high 12 runs but was silenced on Tuesday against TCU. The Sooner bats have shown it can compete with the nation's best throughout 2012 and need to get the timely hits in order to end the regular season with a series win over Hartford. It wont be easy in the series opener as the Bulldogs' No. 1 starter Josh Martin ranks third in the nation with 10 victories. OU will counter with Jordan John and his eight victories in 2012.

2. OU's Strong Starting Pitching
The Sooners' starting pitching has been the strength throughout the season and OU will need the arms to step up once again as Samford brings a potent offense to Norman. The Bulldogs topped No. 3 Florida at home on Tuesday by a score of 12-7 and rank in the top 20 in the nation in runs and hits. Samford also ranks 11th in the nation with 55 home runs, led by the nation's leader in Brandon Miller with 20, and Saxon Butler with 11.

3. Okert Spectacular in Relief
While the starting pitching has stolen the show as of late, the Sooner bullpen has been led by Steven Okert. The reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, became the first Big 12 pitcher to defeat Baylor in 2012 after 1 1/3 scoreless innings in OU's 1-0 victory in the series opener on Saturday. In game two of the doubleheader on Saturday, Okert again appeared in relief and tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings for his third save of the season. In addition to recording a win and a save in the same day, Okert had three strikeouts with one hit and zero walks.

No. 24 Oklahoma vs. Samford | Thursday, May 17 - Saturday, May 19
Game Preview | Radio: KREF 1400 AM | Live Stats/Webcast

4. Protect the Home Field
OU is 21-7 at home this season and is averaging nearly six runs per game at home. The Sooners are also limiting opponents to just under four runs per game at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Five has been the magic number all season as the Sooners are 29-7 on the season when holding opponents to five runs or less and 3-13 when the opposition scores six or more.

5. Senior Day
The 2012 senior class consisting of Caleb Bushyhead, Evan Mistich, Cody Reine, Erik Ross and Tanner Toal will be honored prior to Saturday's 2 p.m. game. Look for the seniors to lead the way in the finale series as OU looks to finish off the season strong. Bushyhead, Reine and Ross were all part of OU's 2010 College World Series team. The five players have combined to play in 629 games with 489 starts.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Five Things to Watch: Baseball vs. Samford

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