Sooners Draw Mountaineers in Big 12 Opener

Big 12 Championsip
May 25-29 | Oklahoma City | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark

Oklahoma

West Virginia

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Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 28-25-1 (11-13 Big 12) Coach: Pete Hughes (3rd Season) Career Record/Years: 615-466-3/20 Rank: NR

West Virginia Mountaineers
Record: 33-21 (11-12 Big 12) Coach: Randy Mazey (4th) Career Record/Years: 307-260/10 Rank: NR

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Radio	KREF 1400 AM TuneIn Radio App Toby Rowland
TV	FSSW+/FCS-Central Bill Doleman (PBP) Mickey Tettleton (Color)
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Player to Watch
SS-Sheldon Neuse, Jr. Neuse is a .310 (11-for-29) hitter in seven Big 12 Tournament games. He ranks second in the league in hitting, fourth in OBP and first in slugging with a .376/.464/.672 slash-line.

NORMAN, Okla. – The fifth-seeded University of Oklahoma baseball team opens the Big 12 Championship against four seed West Virginia at 9:00 am on Wednesday, May 25 from Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The Sooners, one of only two teams to participate in all 20 Big 12 Championships, seek their third conference title; having previously won in 1997 and 2013.

Oklahoma finished the regular season winners of eight games in its last 11 and won six of its final eight series. The Sooners, who averaged 8.8 runs per game over the last 11 games, enter tournament play 28-25-1 overall and with an 11-13 Big 12 record. Junior shortstop Sheldon Neuse is hitting a team-best .376 with a .672 slugging and .464 on-base percentage; all of which rank in the top four in the league. He has driven in 46 runs on 15 doubles, 10 home runs and five triples. Senior right fielder Alex Wise is second on the team with a .299 average and third with 14 doubles. Freshman left fielder Steele Walker, who homered twice this past weekend, is hitting .289 with a team-high 16 doubles to go with 30 RBI. On the mound, Oklahoma turns to freshman right-hander Jake Irvin (6-1) in game one. He owns a 3.93 earned run average with 49 strikeouts in 52.2 innings. In three Big 12 starts, Irvin went 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA.

Beginning with a 12-7 victory in Norman on April 24, West Virginia enters the Big 12 Championship winners of 14 of its last 17. The Mountaineers are 33-21 overall and finished a half game up on OU with an 11-12 conference record. Third baseman Ivan Vera is the team's top hitter at .407 followed by right fielder Darius Hill at .348. First baseman Jackson Cramer has hit a team-best eight home runs with 41 RBI on a .303 average. WVU will throw right-hander Michael Grove (2-4), who shut down the Sooners with 8.1-shutout innings and 13 strikeouts when he entered in relief for a 13-7 comeback win. On the year, he has struck out 56 in 44.1 innings with a 2.44 ERA.

Pitching Match-Up

Game	Oklahoma	West Virginia
Wednesday	RHP-Jake Irvin, Fr. (6-1, 3.93, 49 K)	RHP-Michael Grove, Fr. (2-4, 2.44, 56 K)

Last Time They Met

The Sooners claimed a home series over the Mountaineers back in April with a 1-0, 10-inning win in game one and a come-from-behind, 12-6 win in game two. West Virginia salvaged its series by overcoming a seven-run first for Oklahoma to take the finale, 12-7. Senior right fielder Alex Wise hit .571 (8-for-14) in the series for OU. Freshman right-hander Chris Andritsos pitched 7.2-scoreless innings in a no-decision in game one and later drove in the game-tying and go-ahead runs in game two.

All-Time vs. West Virginia

Since West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2013, the series leans a game toward Oklahoma with a 7-6 record, including an even 6-6 mark in regular season match-ups. All-time, OU holds an 8-6 advantage; having won the first ever meeting on March 10, 2012 in Eugene, Ore. at the NIKE Showcase. No. 16 Oklahoma beat WVU, 6-2, behind a complete-game from Dillon Overton.

Sooners in the Tourney

All-time, Oklahoma is 34-31 in the Big 12 Championship. The Sooners won the lone postseason meeting with West Virginia, 6-1, in an early elimination game a year ago. Right-hander Robert Tasin pitched seven innings of one-run ball and added a RBI-single. Sheldon Neuse drove in four, including a bases-clearing double. Anthony Hermelyn went 3-for-4 in the game. WVU lefty Ross Vance took the loss in 7.2 innings of work. Oklahoma has been seeded fifth in the Big 12 Championship just once; in 2005.

2015 Tournament Recap

At Tulsa's ONEOK Field, Oklahoma lost its opener to Kansas State, 7-3, before bouncing back with a 6-1 win over West Virginia. The Sooners the eliminated the Wildcats in a rematch with a 3-1 decision. Tasin went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs, while lefty Jeffrey Curran got the win in 5.1-scoreless innings of relief. OU survived and made it to Saturday where it was eliminated by Oklahoma State for the second year in a row. Despite outhitting the Cowboys, 8-6, the Sooners fell by a 5-1 score. Taylor Alspaugh went 2-for-4 in the game and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team with a .471 (8-for-17) average.

This Side of the Bracket

Oklahoma has totaled a 4-5 record against West Virginia, Texas Tech and Kansas State with series wins over the Mountaineers and Wildcats at home. The Red Raiders, along with Oklahoma State, are the Sooners' most frequent tournament opponent. In 11 match-ups, OU holds an 8-3 lead in the series; having last played in 2014. Oklahoma eliminated Texas Tech with a come-from-behind, 9-8, walk-off win. The Sooners and K-State are even in the Big 12 Championship with a 3-3 record, including a win each last season. Including Big Eight tournaments, OU leads the postseason series, 5-3.

Five-Down to Six-Up

Oklahoma overcame a five-run deficit to win in a 12-6 decision over West Virginia (4/23). It marked the first come-from-behind win of five runs or more since defeating BYU (2/28/15) in Las Vegas. The Sooners trailed 6-1 and chipped away with a three-run sixth and pulled within one on a home run by freshman catcher Domenic DeRenzo. Oklahoma then turned the game upside down with a seven-run inning in the eighth to clinch the series.

Overall	34-31
vs. Baylor	3-3
vs. Kansas	2-1
vs. Kansas State	3-3
vs. Missouri	4-5
vs. Nebraska	0-4
vs. Oklahoma State	8-3
vs. Texas	1-4
vs. Texas A&M	4-4
vs. Texas Tech	8-3
vs. West Virginia	1-0