Completed Event: Baseball versus (2) Georgia Tech on May 31, 2026 , Win , 15, to, 8


April 19, 2018 | Baseball
| Weekend Pitching Match-Ups | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Pitch | Oklahoma | Texas Tech |
| Fri. 2 p.m. | RHP-Jake Irvin (5-0, 2.96) | RHP-Davis Martin (6-2, 2.35) |
| >>>Last Start | vs. Texas (4/13): ND, 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 K | vs. K-State (4/13): W, 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 7 K |
| Sat. 2 p.m. | RHP-Devon Perez (4-0, 2.78) | RHP-Caleb Kilian (5-1, 1.27) |
| >>>Last Start | vs. Texsa (4/14): ND, 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 K | vs. K-State (4/14): W, 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 K |
| Sun. 2 p.m. | RHP-Nathan Wiles (3-2, 3.32) | RHP-John McMillon (4-1, 3.32) |
| >>>Last Start | vs. Texas (4/15): W, 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 K | vs. K-State (4/15): ND, 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 K |
The Oklahoma baseball team gets back on the road to visit Texas Tech for a weekend series beginning Friday, April 20 at 2 p.m. in Lubbock. The No. 14 Sooners play the No. 4 Red Raiders at Rip Griffin Mark in their second top-25 match-up in as many weeks. Voice of the Sooners Toby Rowland will call the series across the Sooner Sports Network and locally on Sportstalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM. Former Sooner Ross Hubbard (color) joins Rowland in the broadcast booth. The games can also be streamed online at Sportstalk1400.com or on the TuneIn mobile app. Texas Tech will televise the games to FSSW+ and FSSW (Saturday). Robert Giovannetti (pbp) and Mike Gustafson (color) will call the game from the TV side.
Oklahoma is tied for first in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State at 9-3; a game ahead of 8-4 Texas Tech. The Sooners are 26-13 overall after their first series loss of the season to No. 17 Texas at home last weekend. Junior right fielder Steele Walker is hitting a team-high .338 and slugging .572 with nine home runs and 37 RBI. He has homered seven times in the last 10 games and became the first OU player since 2012 to go yard three games in a row; capped by a long ball against Texas (4/13). Sophomore catcher Brady Lindsly is second with a .333 average, 10 doubles and 21 RBI. Junior third baseman Brylie Ware is hitting .331 with 13 doubles and 29 RBI. Lindsly posted two three-hit games against the Longhorns and Ware totaled five hits and four RBI in the series. Junior right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin anchors the Sooner rotation with a 5-0 record out of the Friday night role. He owns a 2.96 earned run average, .190 batting average against and 10.04 strikeouts per nine innings.
First-year Sooner head coach Skip Johnson and Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock grew up playing youth baseball together in Denton, Texas. Prior to returning to his alma mater on the coaching staff in 2012, Tadlock was an assistant coach at OU from 2006-11.
| Projected Starters | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| OU Lineup | BA/OBP/SLG | Notes | |
| LF-Cade Harris | .299/.453/.490 | Second in NCAA in walks (39) and 10th in runs (43). | |
| SS-Brandon Zaragoza | .275/.353/.309 | Made 87 consecutive start at shortstop. | |
| RF-Steele Walker | .338/.446/.572 | Hit seven home runs in the last 10 games. | |
| CF-Kyler Murray | .279/.384/.484 | First career two-HR game at TCU (4/6). | |
| C-Brady Lindsly | .333/.411/.441 | Walk-off double to beat Baylor (3/30) in the 10th. | |
| 3B-Brylie Ware | .331/.402/.446 | Career-high four hits vs. Oral Roberts (4/11). | |
| 2B-Kyle Mendenhall | .324/.371/.439 | Fifth player in OU history to turn 100 double plays. | |
| 1B-Cade Cavalli | .250/.385/.362 | Hit second HR of the season vs. Baylor (3/31). | |
| DH-Tyler Hardman | .227/.287/.320 | Thre of four multi-hit games have come in Big 12 play. | |
Oklahoma went 30 games between multi-home run games having gone yard three times opening day vs. Indiana (2/16) and Kyler Murray's two long balls at TCU (4/6). The Sooners then homered in six consecutive games; marking the first stretch of five or more games since 2010 and the first in the BBCOR (2011-present) era. Steele Walker hit two vs. TCU (4/8) and Little Rock (4/10) as the Sooners matched their season-high with three. Oklahoma added two more vs. Oral Roberts (4/11) and another Walker home run vs. Texas (4/13). The last 10 OU home runs have been hit by four OU outfielders.
Cade Harris, who is second in the nation with 39 walks this season, drew the 100th base on balls on his career vs. Texas (4/15) to become the 14th player in program history to reach that mark, the first since Casey Bookout (1996-99) and tie Baine Brooks (1986-87) for 13th all-time.
Oklahoma salvaged its series with Texas (4/15) behind sophomore right-hander Nathan Wiles' 7.2-scoreless innings. The Sooners' 6-0 win marked their first shutout of the Longhorns since March 16, 1957. Wiles was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (4/16) after scattering five hits and issuing just one walk, which came in his final inning of work. He did not allow a runner to reach third and saw only four runners in scoring position; all with two outs.
| Next Home Game |
|---|
May 4-6 | Norman, Okla. The Sooners welcome Kansas State to town for their final home series of the season, including "Senior Day" on Sunday, May 6. TICKETS |
Texas Tech enters the weekend series on a four-game winning streak, in which they have outscored their opponents, 76-25. Overall, the Red Raiders are 30-8 and 8-4 in conference action plus 19-1 at home. Left fielder Grant Little has a team-high .410 batting average, .729 slugging percentage, .508 on-base percentage and eight home runs. Third baseman Josh Jung enters the weekend hitting .403 with seven home runs and 52 RBI. On the mound for Tech, right-hander Davis Martin leads the way with a 6-2 record, 2.35 ERA and has struck out 56. RHP Caleb Kilian who has a 5-1 record, 1.27 ERA in 35.1 innings.
Dylan Grove: Two wins, 3.46 ERA, 11.77 K/9 in two starts... seven-inning complete game to eliminate TTU (5/27/16) at 2016 Big 12 Championship... struck out a career-high 11 (3/31/17). Jake Irvin: Struck out the side on 13 pitches in a perfect inning of relief in his only career appearance vs. TTU (3/26/16). Ryan Madden: 3.00 ERA, nine innings in two relief appearances. Kyle Mendenhall: Career .407/.448/.593 hitter in eight games, all starts... two three-hit games (3/21/15 and 3/26/16)... walk-off home run (4/2/17). Steele Walker: Career .407/.467/.481 hitter in seven games... hits in all seven games with four multi-hit games.
The No. 15 Sooners walked-off a 5-4 winner against No. 2 Texas Tech behind a ninth-inning home run from second baseman Kyle Mendenhall. Closer JB Olson tossed three-shutout innings in relief and earned the win. The victory clinched the series vs. the Red Raiders and marked the first time, prior to this season, since 2014 that the Sooners had won their first two Big 12 series. Dylan Grove struck out 11 in six innings as OU won the opener, 6-2. Lefty Steven Gingery pitched Tech to a series-evening, 9-4 win in game two with 10 strikeouts as the Red Raiders took advantage of five Oklahoma errors.