Baseball Welcomes Columbia for Four-Game Set

March 1-2 | Norman, Okla. | L. Dale Mitchell Park

Oklahoma

Columbia

Tickets

SoonerSports.tv

KREF 1400

Live Stats

Notes

Twitter

Pitching Matchup
First Pitch	Oklahoma	Columbia
Fri. 1 p.m.	RHP-Cade Cavalli (1-0, 1.59)	LHP-Josh Simpson (0-0, 0.00)
Fri. 4:30 p.m.	RHP-Nathan Wiles (2-0, 1.29)	RHP-Jordan Chriss (0-0, 0.00)
Sat. 1 p.m.	LHP-Levi Prater (1-1, 2.53)	LHP-Ben Wereski (0-0, 0.00)
Sat. 4:30 p.m.	TBA	RHP-Sean Higgins (0-0, 0.00)

FIRST PITCH

• Oklahoma continues its homestand with a four-game series against Columbia Friday and Saturday at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Sooners and Lions will play doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. each day.
• The Sooners were scheduled to play six games in six days this week, with two midweek contests and four games Friday through Sunday. Winter weather forced the cancellation of Wednesday's game against UAPB and condensed the OU-Columbia series to four games in two days.
• Live video streaming for all four games will be available via SoonerSports.tv, and live stats will be available via SoonerSports.com.
• Oklahoma is 7-1 for the second time in three years. Prior to 2017 – when Skip Johnson joined the Sooners as pitching coach – OU had not started a season 7-1 or better since it began the 2013 season 10-0.
• A pair of OU players earned Big 12 honors this week. Tyler Hardman was named the Big 12 Player of the Week and Nathan Wiles was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. It was the first weekly honors of the season for the Sooners.
• OU ranks seventh in the country with a 1.62 team ERA. The Sooners have allowed just 17 runs this season, 13 of which have been earned.

TICKETS/GATES

• This Weekend is Super Sooner Weekend, with 16 home athletics events on campus Friday through Sunday. Fans can use their ticket stub from any event over the weekend at another event for free or discounted admission, including baseball.
• For more information click here.
• 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.

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.
• Lawn chairs and metal frame seats with chairbacks are allowed in L. Dale Mitchell Park, and will be required to go through appropriate security screening at the main gate west entrance.
• For more information, visit SoonerSports.com/gameday.

ABOUT THE SOONERS

• OU is in its second year under the direction of head coach Skip Johnson. Johnson is 45-26 as OU head coach, and led the Sooners to an NCAA regional appearance last season.
• OU ranks seventh nationally with a 1.62 ERA. The Sooners also rank 18th with nine double plays turned. That figure includes four double plays in the game at San Diego on Feb. 22. Sophomore first baseman Tyler Hardman ranks 19th in the nation with his 14 RBIs.
• Hardman has hit safely in each of the last seven games, and over the last four contests is batting .500 (8 for 16) with 11 RBIs, four runs scored, two home runs, a double and a triple. He has driven in 11 of the Sooners' 21 runs in those four games.
• Hardman, junior shortstop Brandon Zaragoza and junior infielder Conor McKenna have reached base safely in eight straight games. Senior outfielder Blake Brewster has reached base in seven straight games.
• Sophomore Cade Cavalli was excellent over 7.0 innings last Friday, shutting out the Toreros after the first inning and notching seven strikeouts and allowing just four hits and one walk. He has posted a 1.59 ERA and struck out 10 batters in 11.1 innings over two starts this season.
• Junior Nathan Wiles has pitched seven innings in each of his two starts, struck out 13 batters and allowed just two earned runs, including no runs in 7.0 innings at San Diego State last week.
• In two career starts, freshman Ben Abram has pitched 9.0 innings and allowed one earned run, seven hits and no walks, and has struck out nine batters.
• Hardman and sophomore catcher Justin Mitchell lead the Sooners with .400 batting averages. Mitchell is second on the team with six runs scored. Sophomore outfielder Jordan Vujovich is batting .333 and has two doubles and four RBIs. McKenna leads OU with eight runs scored and matches Hardman with three doubles.
• The OU bullpen has pitched in 27.0 innings this season, allowing just five runs and 18 hits while striking out 25 batters and posting a 1.67 ERA.

ABOUT THE LIONS

• Columbia is opening its season this weekend in Norman.
• The Lions are coached by Brett Boretti, who is 274-323-1 and beginning his 14th year at Columbia.
• Columbia won the Ivy League in 2018 with a 20-30 overall record and a 13-8 conference mark, and played in the NCAA Regional at Florida, where the lost in two games to Florida and FAU.
• Last season, the Lions batted .263 and averaged 5.1 runs, 9.2 hits and 2.4 extra base hits per game. CU posted a 6.02 team ERA and allowed a .303 opponent batting average.

SERIES HISTORY

• This will be the first meeting between Oklahoma and Columbia.
• This will be Oklahoma's first baseball games against a member of the Ivy League.