Sooner Baseball Classic Opens 2015 Season

Sooner Baseball Classic
Feb. 13-15 | Norman, Okla. | L. Dale Mitchell Park

Tickets

Pitching Match-Ups
Game	Oklahoma	Opponent
Friday vs. ND	RHP-Jake Elliott, So. 2-3, 3.56, 36 Ks	RHP-Scott Kerrigan, Sr. 3-1, 1.87, 31 Ks
Saturday vs. SIUE	RHP-Corey Copping, Jr. 2-2, 3.53, 35 Ks	RHP-Jarrett Bednar, Jr. 1-6, 6.71, 35 Ks
Saturday vs. ND	RHP-Alec Hansen, So. 0-1, 4.76, 16 Ks	RHP-Brandon Bielak, Fr.
Sunday vs. ND	LHP-Adam Choplick, RJr. 3-4, 5.35, 76 Ks	RHP-Nick McCarty, Jr. 2-7, 4.47, 36 Ks
Sunday vs. SIUE	TBA	RHP-Alex Padilla, Fr.

On the Air
Radio	1560 AM \| 1400 AM (Friday/Sunday) Toby Rowland (Friday) Chris Plank Ross Hubbard (Sat.-Sun.)
Video	SoonerSports.tv

NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma baseball kicks off the 2015 campaign by hosting the Sooner Baseball Classic at L. Dale Mitchell Park; a six-game run of play featuring five games for the Sooners against Notre Dame and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Oklahoma officially opens its season on Friday, February 13 against the Fighting Irish at 5:00 pm.

Coming off an even 29-29 season and missing the postseason for the first time since 2007, Oklahoma is determined to move forward under second-year head coach Pete Hughes. The Sooners return seven starters from a year ago, including sophomore Sheldon Neuse, who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2014 and frontrunner to start 2015 at shortstop for OU. In the preseason, Neuse has pulled in several All-American honors after hitting .304 and slugging .521 as a rookie. He led the Sooners with 17 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs along with 47 runs batted in. Junior center fielder and leadoff hitter Craig Aikin is the team's leading hitter among returners at .326. He enters the year on a 12-game hitting streak after leading the way for OU with 47 runs scored last season.

Promotions

All weekend long, fans can get in for $4 by donating new or gently worn shoes to benefit the “Soles for Souls” organization. One ticket is good for each double header throughout the classic. On Friday, L. Dale Mitchell hosts a Greek Challenge with $500 going towards the Greek organization with the most students in attendance. Saturday features an OU baseball blanket giveaway to the first 250 fans through the gates.

Scouting the Irish

Notre Dame posted a 22-31 overall record and 9-21 league mark in its first season in the ACC. The Irish dominated on the mound with a 3.05 earned run average, but produced only a .245 collective batting average at the plate. ND lost right-hander and ace Pat Connaughton, who still plays for the Irish basketball team, to the fourth round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Left-hander Michael Hearne returns a season-high 86 innings with a 5-6 record and 2.51 ERA a year ago. Right-hander Scott Kerrigan led ND with a 1.87 ERA and figures to play a part in the rotation after posting a 3-1 record in 14 games, including nine starts. Outfielder Blair Lezynski is the top returning hitter at .296 with 32 RBI.

Last Time They Met

Two years ago, the two teams met on a neutral field at UCLA on March 10, 2013. The No. 22 Irish claimed a back-and-forth, extra-innings win over the No. 10 Sooners, 6-5, in 11 innings. Notre Dame walked off on a pinch-hit single by Kevin DeFillippis and had tied the game in the ninth to force extras on a sac-fly by Trey Mancini to score Conor Biggio. On the mound, lefty Adam Choplick tossed five innings and struck out four in a no-decision. Kolbey Carpenter went 3-for-5- for OU. Oklahoma owns a 2-1 lead in the all-time series against Notre Dame. The Sooners won the first two meetings; 15-3 in 1982 and 5-3 in 2006.

Scouting the Cougars

Senior outfielders Denton Reed and Nick Lombardo anchor a SIUE squad that went 21-33 overall and 16-14 in the OVC last season. Reed hit .344, while Lombardo hit .321 and each stole 13 bases. On the mound, senior right-hander Ryan Daniels returns after registering a perfect 7-0 record in 14 starts with four complete games, a 3.53 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 97 innings of work.