Sooners Head to Stillwater for Bedlam Baseball

Oklahoma

¹⁶Oklahoma State

Tuesday, March 30 / 6 p.m. / O'Brate Stadium / Stillwater, Okla.

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Pitching Matchups
First Pitch	Oklahoma	Oklahoma State
Tuesday, 6 p.m.	RHP Javier Ramos	RHP Bryce Osmond

First Pitch:
•   Oklahoma (13-10) travels to Stillwater Tuesday for a non-conference Bedlam matchup against Oklahoma State (15-6-1) at O'Brate Stadium. Game time is set for 6 p.m., and it will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
•   This will be the first Bedlam baseball contest since the 2019 season. The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic before the inital scheduled game of the season between OU and OSU.
•   The Sooners have played seven games against ranked opponents so far this season and are 3-4 in such games.
•   Oklahoma is playing seven straight games against Big 12 opponents. OU played last weekend at Texas and, after Tuesday's non-conference game at OSU, will host TCU in a conference series this weekend.

Leading Off:
•   Tuesday's contest will be Oklahoma's fifth straight on the road. The Sooners played at Texas State and at Texas last week. Following this game, OU will begin a nine-game homestand.
•   OU has scored at least eight runs in 11 games this season (averaging 7.8 runs per game overall), and notched double-digit hits in 13 games.
•   Oklahoma's .307 team batting average ranks 10th nationally and leads the Big 12. OU also ranks second nationally in hits (251; trailing only Arizona [258]), 10th nationally in total runs scored (180) and 13th in team OBP (.413).
•   OU ranks fourth nationally and tops among Big 12 schools with its 53 doubles this season (2.3 per game), and has registered 46 doubles in its last 16 outings (average of 2.9 per game). The national leader in doubles per game (San Diego) averages 2.9 per game.
•   Thirty-one percent of Oklahoma's hits (79 of 251) have gone for extra bases. The Sooners have totaled 53 doubles, five triples and 21 home runs in 23 games, an average of 3.4 extra base hits per contest.

Watch/Listen/Follow:
•   The game will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ via OSU with Dave Hunziker (play-by-play) and Tom Holliday (analyst).
•   Toby Rowland will call the game on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (locally on Sportstalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF). The radio broadcast will also be available for free via the TuneIn app.
•   Live stats will be available at OUStats.com.

Series History:
•   This will be the 302nd meeting between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the baseball diamond.
•   OSU leads the series 159-142 and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings.
•   The Sooners won the Saturday game during the 2019 series, 3-2 in 10 innings at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.
•   OU is seeking its first victory in Stillwater since 2014 (a 12-9 win in 18 innings).

About the Sooners:
•   Over the last two weekends (a span of six games), OU starting pitchers have totaled 33.0 innings, allowing just 24 hits and five walks (0.88 WHIP) and eight earned runs (2.18 ERA) while notching 37 strikeouts.
•   As a staff, the Sooners turned in a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (27 to nine) in the series against Texas, after posting a 4.7 ratio (33 strikeouts to seven walks) in the Houston series. That is a combined 70 strikeouts to 16 walks (4.4 ratio) over the last two weekends.
•   Sixteen of Oklahoma's 22 scheduled games between March 9 and April 14 will be played at the friendly confines of L. Dale Mitchell Park, but six of the Sooners' nine contests from March 16-30 will be played on the road.
•   OU is in its fourth season under the direction of head coach Skip Johnson. Johnson has led the Sooners to an 98-62 record and an NCAA postseason appearance in 2018.
•   Oklahoma's first 23 games of the season were played against 15 different opponents. In that time, the Sooners faced only six teams – Omaha, UT Arlington, Arizona, Arkansas State, Houston and Texas – more than once this season.
•   In the series at Texas, Wyatt Olds struck out eight batters over 6.0 innings, allowing no walks in the game and no hits after the second inning. Jake Bennett walked none in his 5.0 innings and Braden Carmichael allowed just one run in 7.0 innings – the longest outing for a starter this season.
•   Tyler Hardman continued tear streak at the plate, batting .533 (8 for 15), registering six RBIs, five extra base hits and four walks in four games last week. He reached in all five plate appearances Sunday, going 3 for 3 with two intentional walks and homered twice on Saturday.
•   In 17 games since Feb. 28, Hardman is hitting .544 (37 for 68) with 18 RBIs, 24 runs scored, four home runs, eight doubles and two triples. He leads the nation with his 43 hits on the season, ranks third with his 67 total bases and 13th with 27 runs scored. He is also ninth nationally and second in the Big 12 with 21 walks (Elijah Nunez of TCU has 23 walks).
•   Jimmy Crooks ranks fourth nationally and second in the Big 12 with his 10 doubles (national leader is Austin Knight of Charlotte with 15 and Big 12 leader is Phillip Sikes of TCU with 11 doubles). Crooks is also sixth nationally and third in the Big 12 with his 30 runs scored (Dru Baker of Texas Tech has scored 32 runs).
•   Jason Ruffcorn leads OU pitchers with 10 appearances this season. He is 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA and one save, notching 20 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. Only one run has been scored against him this season (March 14 vs. Arkansas State). It was his first run allowed since May 5, 2019 vs. Texas Tech (a streak of 18.2 innings and 15 scoreless appearances [beginning with the ninth inning on 5/5/19; the run was scored in the eighth inning of that game]).
•   Peyton Graham has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games and has registered a hit in 11 of his last 12 contests.
•   Conor McKenna leads the Sooners with nine multiple RBI games, and with his 25 RBIs on the season. McKenna (1.1 RBIs per game), Hardman (22 RBI, 0.95 per game) and Brandon Zaragoza (21 RBIs, 0.9 per game) are all averaging around one RBI per team game played.
•   Zaragoza has already registered 21 RBIs in 23 games this season. His career high prior to this year was 30 RBIs in 2019.

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.