OU Baseball Notebook April 26

Record: 20-19, 4-8 Big 12

LAST WEEK RESULTS: 1-2
L 1-4 home vs. Georgia Southern (Norman, Okla.)
L 2-3 home vs. Georgia Southern (Norman, Okla.)
W 14-3 (8) home vs. Georgia Southern (Norman, Okla.)

SCHEDULE THIS WEEK:
Friday, April 30 vs. No. 20 Oklahoma State – 6 p.m. (Stillwater, Okla.) – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Saturday, May 1 vs. No. 20 Oklahoma State – 3 p.m. (Norman, Okla.) – Bally Sports Oklahoma
Sunday, May 2 vs. No. 20 Oklahoma State – 4 p.m. (Norman, Okla.) – ESPNU

KEY NOTES OF THE WEEK:

It's Bedlam baseball week in Oklahoma. The Sooners and Cowboys face off this weekend for three Big 12 games in Stillwater and Norman. Friday's contest is set for 6 p.m. at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater. Saturday (3 p.m.) and Sunday (4 p.m.) will be played at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman.
Oklahoma ranks third nationally in doubles (87), fifth in hits (397), ninth in walks (201), 12th in doubles per game (2.23), 14th in runs scored (284), 21st in OBP (.398), 26th in batting average (.296), 28th in slugging (.465), 35th in scoring (7.3 runs per game) and 33rd in strikeouts per nine innings (10.1).
OU leads the Big 12 in doubles and doubles per game, ranks second in hits, sacrifice flies (19) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.55), and third in batting average and OBP.
The Sooners have outscored opponents in the last two-thirds of games (innings four through nine) this season by a total of 183 to 133. In the first three innings of games, OU has outscored opponents 100 to 99.
Tyler Hardman continues to lead the nation in hits (67). He ranks third in total bases (111), fifth in batting average (.432) and hits per game (1.72), eighth in OBP (.524), 23rd in runs (40) and slugging (.716), 29th in doubles (13) and 43rd in walks (28).
Hardman has notched multiple hits in 22 of OU's 39 games this season, and has at least one hit in 35 contests (a hit in all but four games). His batting average (.432) has been higher than .400 since March 14 (first game of the Arkansas State doubleheader when he hit for the cycle with five hits). He maintained an average of .458 or better for 20 games (from March 14 through April 14), and his average was .460 or better for all but one game in that stretch (following March 26 series opener at Texas).
In 27 games since March 14, he has batted .454 (49 for 108) with all nine of his home runs, both of his triples and 12 of his 13 doubles on the season. In the first 12 games of the season from Feb. 21 through March 9, he batted .383 (18 for 47).
Peyton Graham has reached base in 35 consecutive games. The last game in which he did not reach base was Feb. 23 vs. Stephen F. Austin – OU's third game of the season. Over the last six contests, he has batted .435 (10 for 24) with a home run, four doubles, six runs scored and two RBIs.
Brett Squires has registered 27 hits in 22 starts this season. Seventeen of those hits have gone for extra bases (12 doubles, two triples, three home runs). He has a hit in 11 of his last 14 games. In that span since April 3, he has batted .347 (17 for 49) with 12 of his 17 extra base hits (eight doubles, one triple, three home runs).
Brandon Zaragoza led OU with four RBIs during the three-game series against Georgia Southern. He hit two doubles, including the game-ender on Sunday and batted .400 (4 for 10) on the weekend.
Breydon Daniel had 13 RBIs on 10 hits, including two home runs and two doubles, in his 13 starts this season. He went 2 for 3 with an RBI and scored a run after entering the game as a pinch hitter on Sunday against Georgia Southern.
Jake Bennett has started the last series openers (at Kansas State and vs. Georgia Southern) and turned in two of his sharpest outings of the season. In those two starts, he recorded 11 strikeouts in 9.1 innings and posted a 3.86 ERA.
In his last three outings, Wyatt Olds has posted a 2.76 ERA and struck out 19 batters over 16.1 frames (his appearance at Kansas State was a 5.1-inning relief outing) while surrendering just 12 hits and two extra base hits.
Jason Ruffcorn pitched a season-high 3.2 innings in relief on Sunday, retiring all 11 batters he faced, and earned the victory. He entered with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning and ended the threat with a strikeout and a groundout.
Hardman and Conor McKenna lead the Sooners with 11 multiple RBI games apiece while Jimmy Crooks has eight multiple RBI contests. Hardman has registered a team-high 36 RBIs, while McKenna has 35 RBIs.
Zaragoza has already registered 30 RBIs on the season, tying a career high. His career high prior to this year was 30 RBIs in 2019.
Thirty-five percent of Oklahoma's hits (137 of 397) have gone for extra bases. The Sooners have totaled 87 doubles, nine triples and 41 home runs in 39 games, an average of 3.5 extra base hits per contest.
Pledged contributions for every home run that OU hits this season (41 through 39 games) will go towards the stadium renovation project. For more information or to make a pledge, visit TheSoonerClub.com/LaunchPad.

Players Mentioned

Jake Bennett

Jimmy Crooks

Breydon Daniel

Peyton Graham

Tyler Hardman

Conor McKenna

Wyatt Olds

Jason Ruffcorn

Brett Squires

Brandon Zaragoza

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