Living on Tulsa Time

May 10, 2013

No. 13 Oklahoma (34-14, 11-7 Big 12) vs. No. 19 Oklahoma State (34-12, 9-8 Big 12)
Game 1	Friday, May 10, 7 p.m. CT \| ESPNU
Game 2	Saturday, May 11, 2 p.m. CT \| FSN
Game 3	Sunday, May 12, 1 p.m. CT \| FS Southwest Plus
Location	Game 1: Tulsa, Okla. \| ONEOK Field Game 2 & 3: Oklahoma City \| Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark
Radio	Sooner Sports Network
Live Stats	SoonerSports.com
Additional Info	Twitter \| Instagram \| Media Guide \| Game Notes


	Hunter Haley

Ready for the Weekend
Just in time for the Bedlam Series, OU returns junior lefthander Dillon Overton and freshman outfielder Hunter Haley from injuries.

Overton (8-2, 2.52 ERA) is expected to make the start Sunday after missing two weeks due to a strained forearm.

"We're in a really tough, precarious position," Golloway added. "Tied for first, so we've got to win now but we've got to be smart and not overdo it with our guys and keep an eye on their pitch counts so they'll be strong in the postseason, too."

Haley was back in the lineup in the series finale at West Virginia as designated hitter after missing six games with a high ankle sprain. Haley's return to the defensive side is day-to-day.

"Hunter is still hobbled a little bit. When he runs in a controlled straight line, he's pretty good. Defensively, we're still evaluating him moving around to make that stagger step or that adjustment step to catch the ball; it might be a little tricky. But we know he can swing the bat and that, of course, will help us."

NORMAN, Okla. -- Throw out the records, the rankings, the expert's predictions, the scouting reports or whatever it is you use to determine your favorite. This is Bedlam.

Oklahoma sits first in the Big 12 standings and is ranked as high as No. 13. Oklahoma State is sixth in the conference and in 19th in two polls. OU senior southpaw Jake Fisher (1-2, 1.91 ERA) is scheduled to make a start opposite OSU's sophomore righty Jason Hursh (4-4, 2.63 ERA).

None of that matters.

"Why is that? It's really simple," OU head coach Sunny Golloway said. "It's played at a neutral site. In the first inning, somebody's going to get a hit and the place is going to crazy like it was a grand slam in the ninth. That's just how it is. Everybody is ready for something to happen. When it does, the place goes crazy."

More than 10,000 packed the Tulsa Drillers' 7,833-seat stadium last year and a similar number is expected again this year. Capacity crowds at Bricktown Ballpark reach 16,000.

"It's unbelievable," Weatherford native Dillon Overton, OU's scheduled starting pitcher for Sunday, said. "When someone gets an infield single, maybe, it sounds like a home run. The fans are great on both sides. The teams, their adrenaline is pumping so much. It's crazy."

The crazy atmosphere is what teams have to defend themselves against as much as their opponent. Oklahoma's starting lineup has five newcomers to Bedlam, including four freshmen.

"As a freshman," Golloway said, "you have to be able to differentiate what's actually happening on the field and the involvement that the fans give. They're very enthusiastic fans. Friday night (in Tulsa) has a lot of ability to drain you of energy if you allow it to."

The Sooners' players agree keeping focus in Game 1 is the key to winning the weekend. The team that has won in Tulsa has claimed seven straight series. OU has just two series wins in the span - in 2009 and 2011.

"Friday's huge and we're going to have (Jake) Fisher on the mound out there," OU senior shortstop Jack Mayfield said. "He's just a bulldog and throws strikes and lets his defense work.

"After that, we have our two big horses going so we're looking forward to it. The first thing is to focus on Friday right now and then we get to hand over the ball to (Jonathan) Gray and Overton.

Oklahoma State has 153 wins against the Sooners and Oklahoma has 147 victories over the Cowboys. The weekend has made and broke seasons for both teams. The 300th meeting means as much as any of the 299 played before.

"Winning the series is a big thing," Mayfield added. "It's a great tradition in Oklahoma and a great rivalry. We kind of say that it's not just about this year, it's about the tradition. We lost last year, so we're trying to come back to get a little revenge."