University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Host Baylor, Bark in the Park

Sooners Host Baylor, Bark in the Park

March 28, 2018 | Baseball

By: Athletics Communications

March 29-31 | Norman, Okla. | L. Dale Mitchell Park
Baylor
bayloroklahoma
Oklahoma
tickets Tickets tv FSOK/FSOK+ (Thur./Sat.) video SoonerSports.tv (Fri.) listen KREF 99.3/1400 quotes Live Stats pdf Notes twitter Twitter
Weekend Pitching Match-Ups
First Pitch Oklahoma Baylor
Thur. 6:30 p.m. RHP-Jake Irvin (4-0, 2.27) LHP-Cody Bradford (3-2, 2.95)
>>>Last Start vs. WVU (3/23): W, 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 9 K vs. Kansas (3/23): L, 6.1 IP, 6 ER, 5 K
Fri. 6:30 p.m. RHP-Devon Perez (3-0, 2.01) RHP-Hayden Kettler (3-2, 2.72)
>>>Last Start vs. WVU (3/24): W, 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 K vs. Kansas (3/24): W, 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 2 K
Sat. 4 p.m. RHP-Nathan Wiles (1-1, 4.68) RHP-Jacob Ashkinos (0-1, 3.68)
>>>Last Start vs. WVU (3/24): ND, 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 K vs. SHSU (3/13): ND, 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 K
Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 17-10 (3-0 Big 12)
Coach: Skip Johnson (1st Season)
Career Record/Years: 17-10/1
Rank: NR
Baylor Bears
Record: 13-9 (3-3 Big 12)
Coach: Steve Rodriguez (3rd Season)
Career Record/Years: 472-361/15
Rank: NR
On the Air
TV/Stream FSOK (Thur.)
SoonerSports.tv (Fri.)
FSOK+ (Sat.)
FOXSportsGO (Thur./Sat.)
Chad McKee
Ross Hubbard
Radio KREF 1400 AM
TuneIn Radio App
Toby Rowland
Player to Watch
PTWLF-Cade Harris
Harris, the Sooner leadoff hitter, ranks third in the nation with 28 walks and seventh with 12 doubles. He is hitting .311 with a team-high 29 runs scored.

FIRST PITCH

A seven-game homestand and stretch of 24 of 26 games at home comes to a close for the Oklahoma baseball team this weekend with a three-game series vs. Baylor at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Due to the Easter holiday the series begins Thursday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. Game two is Friday at 6:30 and Saturday's 4 p.m. contest will be the Sooners' annual “Bark at the Park” game. Voice of the Sooners Toby Rowland will call the series across the Sooner Sports Network, which will air locally on Sportstalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM. The games can also be streamed online at Sportstalk1400.com or on the TuneIn mobile app. Sooner Sports TV will broadcast games one and three on the FOX Sports Oklahoma and FSOK+. Veteran OU broadcaster Chad McKee (play-by-play) and former Sooner Ross Hubbard (color analyst) will be in the booth on the TV side of the broadcast. Friday's game will be streamed at SoonerSports.tv with the other two games streamed to the FOXSportsGo app.

ABOUT THE SOONERS

Oklahoma won its fourth series in a row, swept its first in Big 12 play since 2015 and first to open the conference slate since 2013 and is 17-10 on the season. Junior right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin leads the Sooner rotation with a 4-0 record, 2.27 earned run average and 43 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. Senior RHP Devon Perez has won three consecutive starts, is 3-0 overall, with a 2.01 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. Sophomore righty Nathan Wiles fills out the OU rotation. He is 1-1 with a 4.68 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 25 innings. At the plate, sophomore catcher Brady Lindsly is hitting a team-leading .366. Junior right fielder Steele Walker is hitting .340 with 20 runs and 19 RBI. Senior second baseman Kyle Mendenhall is hitting .308 with a team-high 26 RBI and three home runs.

BARK AT THE PARK

The Sooners will host “Bark at the Park” for the series finale on Saturday at 4 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring their dog to the park to enjoy the game. A waiver for all participants plus additional information is available at SoonerSports.com. All fans can use the promo code “BARK” when purchasing tickets online. Game two of the series will feature Friday night fireworks.

THE FORECAST

Projected Starters
OU Lineup BA/OBP/SLG Notes
LF-Cade Harris .311/.459/.495 Second in the NCAA in walks (26) and doubles (10).
SS-Brandon Zaragoza .305/.342/.333 Made 71 consecutive start at shortstop.
RF-Steele Walker .340/.434/.456 Sitting on 99 career RBI and 98 career runs.
CF-Kyler Murray .260/.379/.455 Grand slam vs. TAMCC first for OU since April 4, 2017.
C-Brady Lindsly .366/.447/.493 First LHH catcher at OU since Ross Hubbard ('10).
3B-Brylie Ware .333/.397/.461 Reached base in creer-best 20 consecutive games.
2B-Kyle Mendenhall .308/.350/.442 Second in the Big 12 in runs batted in (23).
DH-Cade Cavalli .243/.394/.351 First to pitch or hit in start at OU since Robert Tasin ('15).
1B-Tyler Hardman .224/.277/.345 Went 3-for-6 with two doubles vs. Texas Southern.

SOCIAL FEED

MLB OPENING DAY STARTERS

Brewers RHP Chase Anderson (2008-09), Rockies RHP Jon Gray (2012-13) and Angels RHP Garrett Richards (2007-09) will represent the Sooners as MLB opening day starters for their respective teams. The University of Oklahoma is the first college to have three alumni start at pitcher on MLB's opening day in recorded history. OU pitchers have combined for five opening day starts in the last three years, the longest in that period and tied for the most with Vanderbilt (David Price-3, Sonny Gray-2) since 2014.

WINNING COMPARISON

In 34 games, including 28 starts, Jake Irvin owns a 16-5 record. His career 16 wins tied Jacob Evans for the fifth most by a Sooner pitcher to take the mound in the last 10 years. Michael Rocha (2008-11) won the most games over that period with 27 followed by Dillon Overton (2011-13) with 23. Overton won his 16th in the 47th game and 25th start of his career, while Rocha's 16th win came in his 54th game as a Sooner.

DOUBLE TAKE

As a freshman, Steele Walker was one shy of the Sooner rookie record with 17 doubles. His six this season has pushed his career total to 39. Walker is one away from cracking that top-20 list in the OU record book, which would tie him with Tommy Thompson (1976-79). In the Big 12 era, he is tied with Garrett Buechele (2008-11) for the eighth most since 1997.

Next Home Game
Oklahoma vs. Little Rock
April 10 | Norman, Okla.
The Sooners return home after visiting TCU next weekend for a pair of midweek games in Norman beginning with Little Rock. TICKETS

SCOUTING THE BEARS

Baylor is 13-9 under third-year head coach Steve Rodriguez and 3-3 in the Big 12 after losing its series against Kansas at home last weekend. The Bears are coming off a win over Prairie View A&M, 17-5 in the midweek. First baseman Andy Thomas is hitting .400 with 18 runs scored and 30 hits. Thomas has had a seven-game on-base streak and three-game hitting streak. Third baseman Davis Wendzel has scored 17 runs with 12 RBI on a .316 average. Sophomore LHP Cody Bradford gets the nod in game one. He is 3-2 with 35 strikeouts across 39.2 innings in six starts.

ALL-TIME VS. BAYLOR

Last 10 Meetings
Year Result Location
2017 Win, 3-0 Waco
  Loss, 0-7 Waco
  Win, 11-3 Waco
2016 Win, 7-6 (11) Norman
  Loss, 1-6 Norman
  Win, 4-3 Norman
2015 Win, 13-3 Waco
  Loss, 2-7 Waco
  Loss, 0-3 Waco
2014 Loss, 5-10 Norman

Oklahoma snapped a stretch of three consecutive series losses to Baylor by winning each of the last two. The Sooners lead the all-time series, 42-37. Oklahoma took two out of three the last two years after Baylor claimed two out of three in the three previous series. In the 2013 Big 12 Baseball Championship opener, Jon Gray pitched OU to a 2-0 victory in a complete-game, 12-strikeout effort. The Sooners last hosted the Bears in 2016; claiming the series behind a Sunday walk-off provided by Jack Flansburg's game-winning hit in the 11th. OU also walked off the Friday night affair in 2016 as Sheldon Neuse singled and scored from second on a sac-bunt/E1 off the bat of pinch-hitter Renae Martinez.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Oklahoma clinched the series at No.14 Baylor winning the first game 11-3 and the last 3-0. Kyle Mendenhall drilled a three-run home run in the top of the second inning that stood up in the Sunday shutout. Right-hander Nathan Wiles earned the win despite pitching just 4.1 innings. He held the Bears scoreless, surrendered five hits and three walks and struck out five. OU was shorthanded in the series without Jake Irvin and Austin O'Brien.

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Players Mentioned

Cade Cavalli

RHP/INF
/ Baseball

Jack Flansburg

INF
/ Baseball

Jack Flansburg

INF
/ Baseball

Tyler Hardman

INF
/ Baseball

Tyler Hardman

INF
/ Baseball

Cade Harris

INF
/ Baseball

Jake Irvin

RHP
/ Baseball

Jake Irvin

RHP
/ Baseball

Brady Lindsly

C
/ Baseball

Brady Lindsly

C
/ Baseball

Brady Lindsly

C
/ Baseball

Kyle Mendenhall

INF
/ Baseball

Kyle Mendenhall

INF
/ Baseball

Kyler Murray

OF
/ Baseball

Kyler Murray

OF
/ Baseball

Austin O'Brien

INF
/ Baseball

Austin O'Brien

INF
/ Baseball

Devon Perez

RHP
/ Baseball

Devon Perez

RHP
/ Baseball

Steele Walker

OF
/ Baseball

Steele Walker

OF
/ Baseball

Steele Walker

OF
/ Baseball

Brylie Ware

INF
/ Baseball

Brylie Ware

INF
/ Baseball

Nathan Wiles

RHP
/ Baseball

Nathan Wiles

RHP
/ Baseball

Brandon Zaragoza

INF
/ Baseball

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