OU Returns to Big 12 Play at Baylor

First Pitch

• Oklahoma (16-14, 2-4 Big 12) returns to Big 12 conference play this weekend with a three-game series Thursday through Sunday at Baylor (10-19, 2-7 Big 12) in Waco, Texas. Game times are 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.
• The Sooners split four games last weekend against No. 7 Stanford in Norman and defeated Oral Roberts 12-2 on Tuesday in Tulsa. The Bears ended a seven-game losing streak with a 10-3 win over Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday.
• 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

• The games will be televised via Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with John Morris and Pat Combs on the call.
• Toby Rowland will have the radio call, which will be broadcast on the Sooner Radio Network (locally on Sportstalk 99.3 FM/1400 AM KREF, Sportstalk1400.com and the Varsity Network app anywhere).
• 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 173-118 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.
• Oklahoma ranks eighth nationally and third in the Big 12 with its 181 walks, and ranks 15th nationally and third in the Big 12 with its 64 stolen bases. OU batters have also been hit by a pitch 40 times, totaling 221 free passes (an average of 7.4 free passes per game).
• The Sooners also rank second nationally with their 25 sacrifice flies (second in the Big 12 to nation-leading 28 by Texas Tech) and 27th nationally with 10 triples (third in Big 12 to Tech's 13 triples).
• Junior right fielder Bryce Madron has registered a nation-leading 38 walks in the season's first 30 games. He also ranks third nationally and first in the Big 12 by averaging 1.3 walks per contest. Freshman catcher Easton Carmichael leads the Big 12, is tied for 10th nationally and ranks second among catchers with his four triples. Junior infielder Anthony Mackenzie ranks 20th nationally and third in the Big 12 with his 17 stolen bases (in 18 attempts). Junior Carter Campbell is third nationally and first in the Big 12 with his 18 pitching appearances. Graduate senior Braxton Douthit now ranks ninth in the country and leads the Big 12 by allowing 4.9 hits per nine innings.
• Carmichael leads the team with 33 RBIs and is batting .327 (36 for 110). He has thrown out seven baserunners stealing. Mackenzie is batting .359 (42 for 117) and leads the team with 31 runs scored. Fourth-year junior outfielder Kendall Pettis is batting .323 (21 for 65) with 22 runs scored, four doubles, 19 walks and eight stolen bases. He has hit .433 (13 for 30) with nine runs, three doubles, a home run and four steals in his last nine games (eight starts) since March 19.
• Oklahoma is batting .287 and averaging 6.7 runs, 9.4 hits, 2.7 extra base hits, 6.0 walks and 2.1 stolen bases per game, and has a 5.50 team ERA and a .967 fielding percentage. OU opponents have batted .260 and averaged 6.3 runs, 9.0 hits, 3.2 extra base hits, 4.6 walks and 7.0 strikeouts per contest.
• The Bears are batting .260 and averaging 5.4 runs, 8.9 hits, 2.8 extra base hits and 4.1 walks per game and have a 7.07 team ERA and .969 fielding percentage. Baylor opponents have batted .306 and averaged 8.6 runs, 11.1 hits, 3.8 extra base hits, 5.5 walks and 9.2 strikeouts per contest.
• Mackenzie and Madron have each reached in 21 straight contests and Madron has a 10-game hitting streak. Carmichael and junior infielder Dakota Harris lead the team with 11 multiple-hit games and Mackenzie has 10. Carmichael leads the team with 10 multiple-RBI games while Harris has eight.

Series History

• Oklahoma leads the series against Baylor 51-44. The Sooners won two of three games in Norman last year (each of the first two), including a 9-5 victory on Saturday in which Tanner Tredaway hit a game-tying grand slam in the eighth inning and Peyton Graham hit a walk-off grand slam in the ninth.
• OU won three of four games against Baylor in 2021 — one in Round Rock, Texas, and two of three in Waco.
• Oklahoma and Baylor have split the last six games played in Waco — the Bears won two of three in 2019 and the Sooners won two of three in 2021. OU has won two of the last three series played in Waco (also won two of three games in 2017).

#CHAOUS

• The Sooners have registered 64 stolen bases in 83 attempts (77%) through the first 30 games of the season, which is about the same as its pace through 25 games of the 2022 season (65 for 83). Last year, OU registered 145 steals, the most by an Oklahoma club since 1989 (168 steals).
• Anthony Mackenzie leads the Sooners and ranks 20th nationally with his 17 steals (in 18 attempts). John Spikerman is second on the team with 12 steals (12 for 14) and Kendall Pettis is 8 for 12 in stolen bases. Twelve players have stolen at least one base this season and six players have notched at leas four stolen bases.
• Mackenzie has stolen three bases in a game twice this season (vs. Abilene Christian on Feb. 22 and vs. Rider on Feb. 25). On 11 occasions, an OU player has stolen at least two bases in a game. Oklahoma registered a season-high eight steals against Rider on Feb. 25 and has stolen at least three bases seven times this season.
• #CHAOUS is not only about just stealing bases, but also about being aggressive on offense and putting pressure on the defense. While Oklahoma ranks 15th nationally in steals (64) and 18th in steals per game (2.1), it also ranks eighth nationally in walks (181) and batters have been hit by a pitch 40 times. The Sooners also have 12 sacrifice bunts and 25 sacrifice flies (which ranks second in the country). OU opponents have committed 35 errors (.969 fielding percentage).

First Pitch

Watch/Listen/Follow

Leading Off

Series History

#CHAOUS

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Carter Campbell

Easton Carmichael

Braxton Douthit

Peyton Graham

Dakota Harris

Anthony Mackenzie

Bryce Madron

Kendall Pettis

John Spikerman

Tanner Tredaway

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics