Baseball Opening Weekend

Feb. 15-17 | Norman, Okla. | L. Dale Mitchell Park

Oklahoma

Cal Poly

Tickets

SoonerSports.tv

KREF 1400

Live Stats

Notes

Twitter

Weekend Pitching Match-Ups (2018 stats)
First Pitch	Oklahoma	Cal Poly
Fri. 3 p.m.	RHP-Cade Cavalli (3-2, 6.75)	RHP-Jared Zill (0-1, 3.00)
Sat. 2 p.m.	RHP-Nathan Wiles (7-3, 3.54)	RHP-Bobby Ay (0-1, 13.50)
Sun. Noon	LHP-Levi Prater (3-4, 4.09)	RHP-Darren Nelson (5-4, 4.79)

FIRST PITCH

• Oklahoma opens the 2019 season this weekend with a three-game series against Cal Poly at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Game times are 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
• All three games will be broadcast on Sportstalk 1400 AM/99.3 FM KREF. A live video stream will be available on SoonerSports.com.

LEADING OFF

• OU is in its second season under the direction of head coach Skip Johnson. Johnson lead the Sooners to a 38-25 record and an NCAA postseason appearance in his first year leading the program.
• Since 1962, Oklahoma is 38-19 on opening day and 25-3 when playing the first game of the season at home.
• Oklahoma returned 15 players from the 2018 squad, but must replace lost starters at second base and all three outfield positions. The Sooners welcomed 19 newcomers for the 2019 season, including nine transfers and 10 freshmen.
• The Sooners will replace 60 percent of its innings pitched and 56 percent of its run production from 2018.
• Sophomore right-hander Cade Cavalli will toe the rubber for the Sooners on opening day. He will be making his third career start. As a freshman in 2018, he went 3-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 11 appearances, and struck out 18 batters in 17.1 innings.
• Junior right-hander Nathan Wiles will get the ball on Saturday, making his 23rd career start. Last season, he went 7-3 with a 3.54 ERA in 86.1 innings across 16 appearances.
• Sophomore left-hander Levi Prater will make his fifth start on Sunday. In 2018 he set a school freshman record with 33 appearances on the mound. He went 3-4 with a 4.09 ERA and struck out 64 batters in 50.2 innings.
• Senior Brylie Ware is Oklahoma's leading returning hitter. In 2018 he batted .331 with 20 doubles, 41 RBI, 29 runs scored and a .411 on-base percentage.

PROMOTIONS

• Opening Weekend is Faculty and Staff Appreciation. OU faculty and staff can receive a $5 ticket with their OU ID.
• On Sunday – and every Sunday home game throughout the season – kids can run the bases and play catch on the field after the game.

CLEAR BAG POLICY/STADIUM ENTRY FOR 2019

• Consistent with all University of Oklahoma Athletics events, a clear bag policy is in effect for the 2019 baseball season at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
• The approved clear plastic bag size is a maximum of 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches or a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag. Stadium policy will allow non-transparent clutch purses that are no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches.
• In addition, metal detectors will be located at each stadium entrance gate.
• For more information, visit SoonerSports.com/gameday.

TICKETS/GATES

• General admission seats with chair backs are available in boxes 6, 8 and 10-18, as well as bleacher sections. General admission tickets are $10 while reserved seats are $15.
• The ticket office and gates open 90 minutes prior to the scheduled game time. The ticket office and will call windows are located behind home plate, along W. Imhoff Rd.

ABOUT THE SOONERS

• Oklahoma is seeking its third straight NCAA postseason appearance in 2019. The Sooners reached the finals of the Tallahassee Regional last season before falling to eventual College World Series participant Mississippi State.
• Oklahoma returns full-time starters at third base (Brylie Ware) and shortstop (Brandon Zaragoza), as well as both catchers (Brady Lindsly and Justin Mitchell) for the 2019 season. In addition, Tyler Hardman made 16 of his 37 starts at first base and Blake Brewster started 10 games in the outfield.
• On the mound, senior Ryan Madden and junior Nathan Wiles brings experience to the pitching staff, which features six returning sophomores and seven newcomers. Junior Braidyn Fink will miss the 2019 season with an arm injury, head coach Skip Johnson announced this week.
• Ware carries a seven-game hitting streak into the 2019 season. In the final seven contests of 2018, he went 10-for-27 (.370) with four walks three hit by pitches and seven runs scored.
• Zaragoza carries a five-game hitting streak into 2019. He was 8 for his last 24 to end 2018 (.333) with four RBI and three runs scored.

REPLACING PRODUCTION

• Oklahoma must replace significant production both offensively and on the mound from last year as it enters the 2019 season.
• Included are all three outfield positions held by juniors drafted in 2018, a four-year senior at second base and a total of eight pitchers.
• Oklahoma will replace 60 percent of its innings pitched (339 of 570 innings), 67 percent of its starts (42 of 63 starts), 61 percent of its strikeouts (370 of 608) and 63 percent of wins on the mound (24 of 38).
• Offensively, the Sooners will replace 56 percent of RBI (197 of 354) and runs scored (215 of 386), 34 of its 47 home runs and 51 percent of hits (300 of 593).

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

• Cal Poly is based in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and a member of the Big West Conference.

• The Mustangs are coached by Larry Lee, who is entering his 17th season at the school. He has posted a 513-391-2 record in 16 years at Cal Poly, and has an overall career record of 973-636-5 in 32 seasons as a head coach.

• Cal Poly posted a 30-27 overall record and a 15-9 mark in the Big West last season. The Mustangs return 18 letterwinners, including five position starters and eight pitchers, and feature 11 newcomers to the roster for 2019.

• Sunday starter Darren Nelson is the most experienced in the rotation. Last year he started 16 games, going 5-4 with a 4.79 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 77.0 innings. Friday starter Jared Zill went 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in five appearances (all starts). Saturday starter Bobby Ay was 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in limited action (one appearance, one start, 2.2 innings) in 2018.

SERIES HISTORY

• Oklahoma and Cal Poly have played twice in their history, both in the 1986 season in Norman. The series is tied, 1-1.

• The Mustangs won the first meeting 12-10 on March 22. The Sooners rebounded two days later with a 19-4 victory.