Sooners Begin Road Trip Wednesday

Oklahoma

Texas State

Wednesday, March 23 / Bobcat Ballpark / San Marcos, Texas

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Pitching Matchups
First Pitch	Oklahoma	Texas State
Wednesday, 6 p.m.	RHP Javier Ramos	RHP Zeke Wood

First Pitch:
• Oklahoma begins a four-game road trip with a contest at Texas State on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas.
• The Sooners will play five straight on the road. Following Wednesday's contest, Oklahoma will go to Austin, Texas, to open Big 12 conference play against No. 9 Texas Friday through Sunday. OU will then play a non-conference Bedlam game on March 30 against Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
• Oklahoma won its first true road game of the season last Tuesday, defeating No. 1 Arkansas 8-5 in Fayetteville, Ark. All of OU's first nine non-home games this season were played at neutral sites.

Leading Off:
• Oklahoma has totaled 96 runs in its last eight contests, an average of 12.0 runs per game. During that stretch, the Sooners have also averaged 14.0 hits per outing and tallied 46 extra base hits (5.8 XBH per game). Twenty-nine of OU's 47 doubles this season and 14 of its 19 home runs have been hit in the last eight games.
• Oklahoma ranks second nationally in total runs scored (166), third nationally in hits (218) and doubles (47), seventh in batting average (.322) and OBP (.430), 10th in scoring (8.7 runs per game) and 14th in slugging percentage (.488).
• OU has scored at least nine runs in nine of its 19 games this season (all in the last 13 outings, and in six of the last nine), and notched double-digit hits in 12 games (seven of the last eight contests).
• The Sooners have batted .358 (171 for 478) while averaging 10.6 runs and 13.2 hits in 13 games since a 9-3 win over Baylor on Feb. 28.
• Oklahoma's .322 team batting average ranks seventh nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference only to Baylor's .332 average.
• OU is tied for third nationally and tops among Big 12 schools with its 47 doubles this season (2.5 per game), but has registered 40 doubles in its last 12 outings (average of 3.3 per game) and 29 doubles in its last eight contests (3.6 average). The national leader in doubles per game (San Diego) averages 3.0 per game.
• Oklahoma's 19 games have been played against 13 different opponents. The Sooners have faced only five teams – Omaha, UT Arlington, Arizona, Arkansas State and Houston – more than once this season.

Watch/Listen/Follow:
• Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Brant Freeman and Ty Harrington on the call.
• The game will be broadcast locally on Sportstalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF with Mike Capps calling the action. The radio broadcast will also be available via the TuneIn app and Sportstalk1400.com.
• Live stats will be available at OUStats.com.

Series History:
• This will be the 10th meeting between Oklahoma and Texas State, and the first between the programs in San Marcos. OU leads the series 5-4.
• This will be the first meeting between the schools since 2007, when the Bobcats won 8-3 in Edinburg, Texas. The Sooners won 7-6 in 2006, a game also played in Edinburg, Texas.
• Oklahoma and Texas State first met in 1991, a 12-8 victory by OU in Norman.

About the Sooners:
• OU is in its fourth season under the direction of head coach Skip Johnson. Johnson has led the Sooners to an 97-59 record and an NCAA postseason appearance in 2018.
• Tyler Hardman ranks third nationally in hits (35) and ranks 28th nationally in total bases (49). He and Jimmy Crooks are tied for seventh nationally in runs scored (25). Braden Carmichael is tied for fifth nationally with his four wins.
• Jimmy Crooks hit .615 (8 for 13) in the Houston series with two home runs, three doubles, seven runs scored and four RBIs (1.308 slugging, .643 OBP).
• Conor McKenna drove in eight runs and scored four times while going 4 for 11 (.364) with three walks over the weekend.
• Breydon Daniel hit his first home run as a Sooner in OU's win at Arkansas on March 16. His two-run opposite-field homer gave OU a 4-2 lead it would not relinquish. The Kentucky transfer and Bixby, Okla., native also notched four RBIs in OU's 19-1 win over Houston Saturday, hitting a three-run triple off the left center field wall.
• Braden Carmichael earned two wins in his two starts last week, improving to 4-0 on the season. He notched seven strikeouts over 6.0 innings, retiring 12 straight at one point, and left the game with an 8-4 lead. He tossed three shutout innings on Sunday, striking out four and scattering three hits.
• Wyatt Olds turned in a career outing Friday night, striking out 10 batters over 6.0 innings. It tied for his longest start and set a personal best for strikeouts (he had nine K's in 6.0 innings in a start against Illinois State last season). He allowed one run, one walk and four hits in OU's 7-2 series-opening victory.
• Jake Bennett pitched a career-high 6.0 innings, allowing no runs, no walks and only two hits, and struck out six batters in OU's 19-1 victory on Saturday. He pitched 5.0 innings in three of his previous four starts this season.
• Jason Ruffcorn earned his first save of the season on Tuesday (in his first save opportunity). He struck out three batters with two runners on base to secure OU's three-run lead.
• Brandon Zaragoza turned in a career weekend at the plate, notching several benchmarks in the series against Houston. He recorded his 100th RBI on Friday, becoming the 42nd Sooner to register 100 hits, 100 runs and 100 RBIs in his career. On Saturday, in his 200th consecutive start (212 starts overall), he recorded his 200th career hit, going 4 for 5 in the game. On Sunday he hit his first career home run. In the three-game series, he batted .636 (7 for 11) with nine RBIs, three doubles and four runs scored, totaling a 1.182 slugging pct. and a .692 OBP.
• In the three-game series against Houston, the Sooners totaled 38 runs, 42 hits, 21 extra base hits, 14 doubles and six home runs, hitting .416/.512/.752 as a team.
• Perhaps just as impressive as the offensive output, the OU pitching staff limited the Cougars to five runs on 18 hits, striking out 33 batters against just seven walks, and posting a 1.08 team ERA. The three starters combined to allow one run in 15.0 total innings.

Fan Cutouts at L. Dale Mitchell Park:
• This season, the OU Athletics Department is offering fans an opportunity to join the Sooners at L. Dale Mitchell Park even if you can't physically be at the games. For $50, you can get a cutout of yourself placed in open seat areas around the stadium. Cutout opportunities are limited and served on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here to order. The deadline to order a fan cutout for the 2021 season is March 31.
• Proceeds from the fan cutouts will benefit the Sooner Relief Fund, which directly impacts the OU student-athlete experience.