OU and BU Meet Again: Five Things to Watch

May 25, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- No. 25 Oklahoma (37-21, 13-10 Big 12) and No. 3 Baylor (43-13, 20-14) meet again in the 2012 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The No. 4 seed Sooners (2-0) are 4-0 this year against the Bears (2-1), seeded first, after topping them 3-2 in dramatic fashion on Thursday.

Below are five things to watch this week as the Sooners look to advance to Sunday's Big 12 Championship at 1 p.m. on Fox Sports Net.

1. One-Run Games
Three of the four meetings between the Sooners and Bears have come down to one-run decisions, where OU is 3-0, and 12-9 on the season. Look for pitching to once again dominate the fifth game of this series. OU right-hander Jonathan Gray will get the start against the Bears. Gray gave up one run (unearned) with nine strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings two weeks ago against Baylor. The Bears have not announced a starter.

2. Topping the Bears in the Big 12 Tournament
The Sooners were 0-3 when facing Baylor in the Big 12 Championship before Thursday's win. OU is 27-25 overall in the Big 12 Championship while Baylor is 28-25 all-time after beating KSU for the second time this week. OU and BU are the only Big 12 schools to qualify for every championship since 1997 when the league formed. OU holds the longest streak among the current members of appearing in the conference tournament with this year's run marking the 22nd straight appearance.

3. Steven Okert - Mr. Dependable
Lost in the dramatic wins provided by the offense is perhaps the pitching turned in by Oklahoma. While Dillon Overton and Jordan John both turned in solid starts of seven innings, Steven Okert has come out of the pen to sweep up the win in both Big 12 tournament games. Okert is 3-0 with two saves in his last five relief appearances.

No. 25 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Baylor in the Big 12 Championship | Saturday, May 26 at 9 a.m.
Radio: KREF 1400 AM | Bracket/Live Stats/Webcast

4. One Win and OU is In
If the Sooners win on Saturday, they will play for the Big 12 Championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. OU last appeared in the title game in 1997, the program's last conference championship. The Bears have to defeat the Sooners twice tomorrow to knock them out of the tournament. The if-necessary game is slated for 4 p.m. On the other side of the bracket, Missouri is in the driver's seat with a 2-0 mark. The Tigers will play the winner of the late game today between Texas A&M and Kansas.

5. Get Your Tickets
Tickets for the 2012 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship may be purchased by calling the Oklahoma City RedHawks Box Office at (405) 218-1000 or online at Ticketmaster.com. For more information, please visit Big12Sports.com and OKCAllSports.org.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU and BU Meet Again: Five Things to Watch

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