Sooners on the Road for Series at Gonzaga

First Pitch

• Oklahoma (26-22) travels west to Spokane, Wash., for a three-game non-conference series at Gonzaga (18-27). Game times are 8 p.m. CT Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. CT Sunday at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field.
• The Sooners are concluding a stretch of seven straight games away from home. OU defeated No. 16 Dallas Baptist May 2 in Dallas, and won one of three games of its Big 12 series last weekend at West Virginia.
• 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 streamed via Stadium/WCC TV.
• Toby Rowland will have the radio broadcast, which will be carried 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 via OUStats.com

Series History

• Gonzaga leads the all-time series against Oklahoma, 3-1. All four previous meetings were played at neutral sites.
• The Sooners and Bulldogs last met in 2014 at the Surprise Classic in Surprise, Ariz. GU won that game 6-4.
• OU won the first meeting between the schools, 4-1, in 1991 at the Spartan Classic in San Jose, Calif.
• Gonzaga won two other games played in Surprise, Ariz. (season-opening Coca-Cola Classic Spring Tournament) in 2004 (15-5) and 2005 (8-5).

Leading Off

• Oklahoma's overall strength of schedule is ranked eighth in the country and first among Big 12 schools while its non-conference strength of schedule is ranked seventh nationally and first in the Big 12. The Sooners, ranked 41st in the RPI as of May 9, have seven top-25 wins (7-6) and nine top-50 wins (9-5), which is tied for most top-50 victories among Big 12 programs (tied with Oklahoma State and TCU). OU's seven RPI top-25 victories tie for the fourth-most top-25 wins nationally. The Sooners also have 17 top-100 victories, which is second among Big 12 schools.
• Due to various injuries and illness, Oklahoma has played 17 of its 48 games with every player on the roster full available for action — the first 12 games of the season and the last five contests.
• Oklahoma ranks 16th nationally and third in the Big 12 with its 278 walks, and ranks 22nd nationally and fourth in the Big 12 with its 96 stolen bases. OU batters have also been hit by a pitch 58 times, totaling 336 free passes (an average of 7.0 free passes per game).
• The Sooners also rank sixth nationally with their 32 sacrifice flies (second in the Big 12 to Texas Tech's 35) and 19th nationally with 17 triples (second in Big 12; league leader Texas Tech has 19 triples).
• Junior right fielder Bryce Madron has registered 50 walks in 48 games, a figure that leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally. He also ranks 13th nationally and second in the Big 12 by averaging 1.04 walks per contest. Freshman catcher Easton Carmichael ranks second in the Big 12 (tied for 43rd nationally) and tied for second nationally among catchers with his four triples, despite missing 10 starts with an illness. Junior infielder Anthony Mackenzie and sophomore center fielder John Spikerman rank fourth in the Big 12 with their 21 stolen bases (in 25 and 23 attempts, respectively).
• Junior Carter Campbell is fifth nationally and first in the Big 12 with his 29 pitching appearances (national leaders have made 32 appearances). Graduate pitcher Braxton Douthit ranks fourth in the Big 12 by allowing 6.6 hits per nine innings (Big 12 leader allows 6.3 hits/9 innings) and sophomore Aaron Weber ranks second in the Big 12 and 35th nationally with his seven saves.
• Anthony Mackenzie has reached base in 39 consecutive games, and has reached base in all but one game this season (March 3 vs. California is the only exception). He has at least one hit in 41 of his 48 contests, and has either scored a run or recorded an RBI in 40 contests. His reached base streak ranks second in the Big 12 (West Virginia's J.J. Wetherholt has a 43-game streak) and tied for seventh-longest in the nation. Mackenzie is batting .316 with 46 runs scored, 31 RBIs, eight doubles, five home runs and is tied for the team lead with 21 stolen bases.
• Dakota Harris, who was named on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List in mid-April, leads Oklahoma with a .356 batting average (48 for 135) and 40 RBIs, and has nine doubles and seven home runs in 34 games, despite missing 14 games with an injury. In his last 11 games, Harris is batting .375 (15 for 40) with 12 RBIs, three home runs and three doubles.
• In the last 28 games, Bryce Madron has raised his batting average 120 points from .182 to .302 while going 40 for 106 at the plate (.377) and hitting nine of his 11 home runs, eight doubles of his 11 doubles, recording 30 of his 38 RBIs and 31 of his 48 runs scored. He also has 18 walks in that span. He drew a ton of walks by comparison in the first 20 games of the season (32 walks, 12 hits, five extra base hits). He leads the team with 24 extra base hits (11 doubles, two triples, 11 homers) and 48 runs scored, and is second on the squad with 38 RBIs.
• Fourth-year junior outfielder Kendall Pettis is batting .324 (44 for 136) with 39 runs scored, six doubles, three triples, one home run, 26 walks and 13 stolen bases. He has hit .356 (36 for 101) with 26 runs, five doubles, three triples, a home run, 12 walks and nine steals in his last 27 games (26 starts) since March 19.
• In his last 16 games, John Spikerman is batting .310 (18 for 58) with 11 RBIs, 10 runs scored and 10 walks. Nine of his 21 stolen bases this season (9 for 9) have come in the last 16 contests.
• Harris (nine doubles, one triple, seven homers) is second on the team with 17 extra base hits. Jackson Nicklaus (six doubles, three triples, six homers) and Spikerman (11 doubles, one triple, three homers) each have 15 extra base hits.
• Fifth-year senior utility player Diego Muniz was presented with the Mitchell Whitaker Award prior to Sunday's Go Mitch Go game vs. Kansas. The program's most prestigious honor is given each year to the player that works hard and embodies the qualities of Oklahoma Baseball. In his career, Muniz has started games in left field, right field, at third base and second base, and this season has made 18 starts at catcher, including in his last 14 starts. He is batting .253 with five doubles, a home run, 13 RBIs, 12 runs scored, 11 walks and four steals and three runners caught stealing in 27 total games (22 starts) this season.