Baseball Hosts 19 Ways Invitational

February 21-22 | Norman, Okla. | L. Dale Mitchell Park

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FSOK (Fri./Sun.)

SoonerSports.tv

KREF

Live Stats

Notes

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Midweek Pitching Match-Ups
First Pitch	Oklahoma	Opponent
Friday vs. VU, 3 p.m.	RHP-Jake Irvin, So. (1-0, 0.00)	LHP-Hunter Schryver, Sr. (0-1, 4.50)
>>>Last Start	vs. Long Beach (2/17): W, 7.0 IP, 1 H, 10 K	at Norfolk State (2/17): L, 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 8 K
Saturday vs. NIU, 12 p.m.	RHP-Kyle Tyler, So. (0-0, 3.18)	RHP-Joe Hawks, Sr. (0-0, 0.00)
>>>Last Start	vs. Long Beach (2/19): ND, 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 K	vs. Chicago State (2/17): ND, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K
Satrurday vs. VU, 6:30 pm	RHP-Austin Hansen, So. (0-0, 0.00)	LHP-Tyler Arella, Fr. (0-1, 27.00)
>>>Last Start	vs. Grambling (2/21): ND, 2.0 IP, 0 H, 3 K	First Career Start
Sunday vs. BC, 12 pm	RHP-Dylan Grove, So. (0-0, 1.69)	LHP-Dan Metzdorf, So. (0-1, 6.23)
>>>Last Start	vs. Long Beach (2/18): ND, 5.1 IP, 3 H, 7 K	at Bethune-Cookman (2/19): L, 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 K

Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 4-1 (0-0 Big 12) Coach: Pete Hughes (4th Season) Career Record/Years: 621-469-3/21 Rank: NR

Villanova Wildcats
Record: 0-3 (0-0 Big East) Coach: Kevin Mulvey (1st Season) Career Record/Years: 0-3/1 Rank: NR

Northern Illinois Huskies
Record: 1-3 (0-0 MAC) Coach: Mike Kunigonis (3rd Season) Career Record/Years: 47-68/3 Rank: NR

Boston College Eagles
Record: 0-3 (0-0 ACC) Coach: Mike Gambino (7th Season) Career Record/Years: 135-191/7 Rank: NR

On the Air
TV/Stream	FSOK (Fri./Sun.) FOXSportsGo (Fri./Sun.) Chad McKee (Sun.) George Frazier (Sun.)
Radio	KREF 1400 AM TuneIn Radio App Toby Rowland (Fri.) Mickey Tettleton (Fri.)

Player to Watch
IF-Jack Flansburg, Sr. Through five games, Flansburg is hitting a team-best .571 (8-for-14) with seven runs scored and a slugging percentage of 1.000. He has driven in three, including a two-run homer on Tuesday.

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FIRST PITCH

The University of Oklahoma baseball team hosts Villanova, Northern Illinois and Boston College for its 19 Ways Invitational beginning Friday at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Sooners face Villanova Friday at 3 p.m. for their first game of the weekend before a Saturday noon game vs. Northern Illinois and 6:30 pm nightcap in a rematch with the Wildcats. The weekend comes to a close Sunday at noon when the Sooners take on Boston College. Friday and Sunday's games will be televised on FOX Sports Oklahoma. Three of the four games, with the exception of Saturday evening, will air locally on Sportstalk 1400 AM/99.3 FM.

Weekend Schedule
Date	Time	Match-Up
Friday	12 p.m.	Northern Illinois vs. Boston College
Friday	3 p.m.	Oklahoma vs. Villanova
Saturday	12 p.m.	Oklahoma vs. Northern Illinois
Saturday	3:30 pm	Boston College vs. Villanova
Saturday	6:30 pm	Oklahoma vs. Villanova
Sunday	9 a.m.	Villanova vs. Northern Illinois
Sunday	12 p.m.	Oklahoma vs. Boston College

Promotions
Friday	BOGO hot dogs and soft drinks for first 100 students.
Saturday	$4 admission for OU vs. KU MBB ticket holders.
Sunday	Family Sunday: $4 admission per person in family of four, kids run the bases, face painter, balloon artist at kid zone, postgame autographs with pitchers and catcher.

ABOUT THE SOONERS

Oklahoma is 4-1 after the first full week of action this season, including winning each of its last three games. The Sooners have held the opposition to exactly two runs in all four of their wins and own a +18 run differential overall. Senior infielder Jack Flansburg, who has started four games at third base, is hitting a team-best .571 (8-for-14) with seven runs scored and one of OU's three home runs. Senior first baseman Austin O'Brien is hitting .467 (7-for-15) and has recorded three multi-hit games on the season. He has slugged two doubles and a triple with three RBI. Sophomore center fielder Steele Walker has hit successfully in eight consecutive games, dating back to last season, and owns a .400 (8-for-20) average. On the hill in Friday's opener will be sophomore right-hander Jake Irvin. Irvin pitched seven-shutout innings of one-hit ball to beat No. 17 Long Beach State in the opener a week ago. Three additional sophomore righties round out the Sooner rotation for the weekend.

THE FORECAST

Projected Starters
OU Lineup	BA/OBP/SLG	Stats	Notes
CF-Ben Hollas	.167/.333/.167	2 R, 3 BB	Provided two walk-off knocks in 2016.
2B-Kyle Mendenhall	.154/.389/.231	2B, 3 BB	Summer 2016 Texas Collegiate League All-Star.
LF-Steele Walker	.400/.429/.550	4 R, 2B	Hit safely in all fives games to run hit-streak to eight.
1B-Austin O'Brien	.367/.526/.733	5 R, 3 RBI	Posted two two-hit games vs. Grambling.
3B-Jack Flansburg	.571/.563/1.000	7 R, HR	Holds a 1.563 OPS through first five games.
DH-Brady Lindsly	.200/.294/.267	2 R, 2B	Has started twice at catcher and twice at DH.
C-Renae Martinez	.364/.364/.636	HR, 3 RBI	Hit .423 in final nine games of 2016.
RF-Blake Brewster	.273/.333/.636	HR, 2B	Hit .300 off the bench as a freshman.
SS-Brandon Zaragoza	.167/.231/.167	3 RBI	First Sooner to record RBI in first three games since 2010.

SCOUTING THE FIELD

Villanova is looking to bounce back this weekend after getting swept by Norfolk State on opening weekend. The Wildcats are facing the Sooners for the first time ever on Friday. Right-handed pitcher Hunter Schryver allowed four hits and two runs in his first appearance of the season and gets the ball Friday afternoon. Right fielder Donovan May leads the Wildcats in hits with four in 14 at-bats. May had two hits and a RBI-double last Saturday. The Wildcats had hit totals of eight, 10 and seven in their first three games, respectively.

Northern Illinois is 1-3 after it opened the season on a four-game weekend against South Dakota State and Chicago State. The Huskies began their season with losses of 7-2 and 11-1 in a back-to-back last Friday against SDSU and CSU. NIU recorded nine hits on just one run with Brad Wood going 2-for-4. The Huskies would go on to lose one more to Chicago State, using a late rally to tie the game in the eighth inning before falling in the 12th, 7-6. Wood went 3-for-4 in that game with Jesus Tovar racking up three hits as well. The Huskies played CSU in a make-up on Wednesday to pick up their first win of the year.

Boston College is 0-3 on the year after losing three games on opening weekend to Bethune-Cookman by a total of three runs. Lefty Dan Metzdorf pitched four innings and allowed seven hits and three runs a week ago and gets the ball on Sunday. Michael Strem went 3-for-5 on Sunday with a RBI and recorded his 49th double, tying him for fourth in school history. The Golden Eagles left 28 men on base during the series including 11 during the final game.

WHAT IS 19 WAYS

Coach Pete Hughes brought to Norman a community service program which he developed as the coach at Virginia Tech called “19 Ways”. The program is named in honor of his late mother, Alice, whose favorite number was 19. Each year, the goal of the Sooner baseball program will be to make an impact on the Norman community in 19 different ways. At the start of the 2016 season, there were seven other collegiate baseball and softball programs across the country hosting a 19 Ways initiative. Northeastern baseball became the latest program to get behind the program; joining Notre Dame, Northern Illinois, Virginia Tech, Southern New Hampshire, Tufts softball and Delaware softball.

Next Home Game
Oklahoam vs. Little Rock February 24 \| Norman, Okla. Oklahoam reaches the midway point of its 19-game homestand when the Trojans visit L. Dale Mitchell Park for a 3 p.m. first pitch next Tuesday. TICKETS

HUGHES' COACHING TREE

Boston College head coach Mike Gambino was an assistant coach for Pete Hughes at Boston College from 2003-05 and later at Virginia Tech from 2007-10 before taking over the reins of the Eagles program, where he played for Hughes his final two seasons. Northern Illinois head coach Mike Kunigonis also spent time on a Hughes staff. Beginning as a volunteer and later an assists under Hughes, the two coaches together in Blacksburg from 2008-13.

TOMMY JOHN TRIUMPHS

In OU's opening series, freshman Brandon Zaragoza tied for the team lead with three RBI; notching one in each game. He is the first Sooner freshman on record (2003-present) to have driven in one run in each of the first three games of the season. Zaragoza matched fellow shortstop Danny Black, a JuCo transfer in 2010, as the only newcomer with at least one RBI in each of the first three games of the season.