OU Visits Houston for Three-Game Set

First Pitch

• Oklahoma (8-5) is in Houston this weekend for a three-game series against the Houston Cougars (5-7) at Schroeder Park. Game times are 6:30 p.m. Friday, 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
• This weekend will represent Oklahoma's first true road games of the season. OU's March 1 contest scheduled to be played at UT Arlington was canceled due to weather. The Sooners have, however, played four games away from home in the first three weeks: vs. Abilene Christian at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and in the Frisco College Baseball Classic last weekend at Riders Field in Frisco, Texas.
• Oklahoma is celebrating its 125th anniversary season in 2023. The program was established in 1898, and OU has competed in 118 seasons since (including 2023).

Watch/Listen/Follow

• All three games will be televised via ESPN+ with the call provided by Matt Pederson and Kyle Rogers. The games will also be broadcast locally on Sportstalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF with Toby Rowland on the call.
• Live stats will be available at OUStats.com.

Leading Off

• Oklahoma is in its sixth season under the direction of head coach Skip Johnson (including the 2020 season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Johnson, who spent the 2017 season on staff as an assistant coach, has led the Sooners to a 165-109 record, two NCAA Tournament appearances, the 2022 Big 12 tournament championship and the 2022 College World Series finals since taking over as head coach prior to the 2018 season.
• The Sooners won two midweek home games over UNLV at L. Dale Mitchell Park. On Tuesday, Oklahoma scored 11 runs over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to break a scoreless tie and won 11-6. OU overcame a 6-1 deficit after four innings on Wednesday by scoring two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth inning, and then taking the lead in the eighth inning on its was to am 8-7 victory.
• Oklahoma went 2-1 at the Frisco College Baseball Classic last weekend, defeating California (9-5) and Mississippi State (15-9) before falling to Ohio State (12-9) on Sunday. Junior shortstop Dakota Harris was named tournament MVP after batting .588 (10 for 17) with six RBIs. Freshman catcher Easton Carmichael, sophomore second baseman Jackson Nicklaus and sophomore center fielder John Spikerman were also named to the all-tournament team.
• Harris notched four hits in each of Oklahoma's first two contests in Frisco. Nicklaus hit a pair of two-run home runs in OU's win over California on Friday and went 5 for 13 with six runs scored in the tournament. Carmichael went 5 for 11 (.488) with eight RBIs, his first collegiate home runs and a double. He drove in five runs in OU's win over Mississippi State. Spikerman doubled twice, walked five times, drove in three runs, stole three bases and scored four runs. Freshman Rocco Garza-Gongora went 6 for 10 at the plate with two extra base hits, three RBIs and four runs scored. He came off the bench at designated hitter on Saturday to hit his first career homer and also tripled in the game, and then received his first career start at first base on Sunday.
• Through 13 games, junior transfer first baseman Anthony Mackenzie leads the Sooners with a .431 batting average (22 of 51), 15 runs scored and 10 stolen bases (10 of 11). Harris paces OU with 19 RBIs and four doubles, and is hitting .390 (23 for 59). Carmichael is batting .391 (18 for 46) with two homers, two triples, two doubles and 17 RBIs. Junior transfer right fielder Bryce Madron has registered 20 walks in the season's first 13 games and has scored 13 runs.
• Oklahoma is batting .306 and averaging 7.2 runs, 10.0 hits, 2.9 extra base hits, 6.4 walks and 2.6 stolen bases per game. OU opponents have batted .254 and averaged 5.5 runs, 8.8 hits, 2.5 extra base hits, 3.8 walks and 7.8 strikeouts per game.
• The Sooners returned 12 letterwinners from the 2022 squad and brought in 25 newcomers for the 2023 season. Ten of the newcomers are freshmen, eight of the 25 newcomers are position players and 17 are pitchers.
• Eighteen of OU's newcomers have seen game action this season (seven position players and 11 pitchers). A total of 17 pitchers have appeared in a game this season, and 13 pitchers have made an appearance in at least two of OU's 11 contests.

Series History

• Oklahoma and Houston have played 30 times. Oklahoma leads the series 23-7, and has won the last nine contests.
• The Sooners and Cougars last met during the 2021 season (March 19-21) in Norman. OU won all three games by scores of 7-2, 19-1 and 12-2.
• The 2021 series was the first meeting between the Sooners and Cougars since 2008, an 8-5 (10 innings) win by Oklahoma in the Houston College Classic. OU also defeated UH 8-6 in the 2006 NCAA Norman Regional at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
• Oklahoma last visited the Houston campus during the 2000 season (a 3-1 OU win). The Sooners played in an annual invitational at UH from 1997-00, defeating the Cougars in three of those four seasons (1998-00).
• The schools first met in 1951 and 1952 in Houston. OU won the first four of those six contests.

First Pitch

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Leading Off

Series History

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Players Mentioned

Easton Carmichael

Rocco Garza-Gongora

Dakota Harris

Anthony Mackenzie

Bryce Madron

Jackson Nicklaus

John Spikerman

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