Bedlam Comes to L. Dale Mitchell Park

First Pitch

• Oklahoma (29-22, 10-11 Big 12) returns home to L. Dale Mitchell Park for a Bedlam Big 12 conference series against Oklahoma State (35-15, 13-8 Big 12) this weekend. Game times for the regular season finale are 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday.
• This will be the first time a Bedlam conference series is played entirely in Norman since 1982.
• The Sooners are coming off of a two-week stretch of seven consecutive road games. OU went 5-2 during the road swing, defeating Dallas Baptist in Dallas (for the first time since 2010), West Virginia once in Morgantown and sweeping Gonzaga in Spokane last weekend. Thursday's contest will be Oklahoma's first at Mitchell Park since April 30.
• 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).

Tickets/Promotions

• A limited number of single-game tickets remain available through the OU Athletics Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchase via SoonerSports.com. The L. Dale Mitchell Park ticket office and entrance gates will open two hours prior to the scheduled game time. The ticket office and will call windows are located behind home plate, along W. Imhoff Rd.
• On Thursday, the first 250 fans (aged 21+) can pick up an OU Baseball beer bat and fill it up for $10. The first 250 fans overall can also receive a commemorative 1975 College World Series pennant. The Devon Sports Lab will be on site inside the Mitchell Park gates from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Additionally, new OU soccer head coach Matt Mott and new OU wrestling coach Roger Kish will throw the ceremonial first pitch.
• On Friday, the first 250 fans can receive a commemorative 1972 College World Series pennant. Friday Night Fireworks will follow the game.
• Saturday is Senior Day. The Sooners will honors members of the senior class in a pregame ceremony on the field. Additionally, the first 250 fans can receive a 1951 College World Series pennant, commemorating OU's first CWS appearance and first national championship.

Watch/Listen/Follow

• The games will be televised via SoonerVision on ESPN+. Chad McKee and Toby Rowland will have the call on Thursday, McKee and Blake Brewster will call the action on Friday, and Rowland and Brewster will be on the call Saturday, with Carly Murray reporting from the sidelines for all three games.
• The radio broadcast 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). Rowland will have the radio call for all three games, along with McKee on Thursday (simulcast) and Brewster on Saturday (simulcast).
• Live stats will be available via OUStats.com.

Series History

• Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have met 312 times. OSU leads the series 166-146. The Cowboys hold a 26-25 edge in Norman.
• OU and OSU split four games last season. The Sooners won the midweek contest, played in Tulsa, 7-6 and won the first game of the Big 12 series in Stillwater 8-7. The Cowboys won the next two games 8-7 and 9-4, and also won earlier this season 19-8 in a midweek non-conference contest in Stillwater.
• Oklahoma won two of three games of the teams' 20212 Big 12 series, split between Stillwater and Norman. OU won 16-2 on Friday night in Stillwater and 5-3 in Norman on Saturday, before OSU won the finale 8-7 in 12 innings.
• This will be the first Bedlam conference series played entirely in Norman since 1982. Oklahoma won the first of that four-game set before OSU won the final three contests.

Leading Off

• Oklahoma's overall strength of schedule is ranked 19th in the country and first among Big 12 schools while its non-conference strength of schedule is ranked 11th nationally and first in the Big 12. The Sooners, ranked 35th in the RPI as of May 16, have four top-25 wins (4-6) and 11 top-50 wins (11-9), which is the second-most top-50 victories among Big 12 programs (West Virginia has 12). The Sooners also have 17 top-100 victories, which ranks second among Big 12 schools.
• Due to various injuries and illness, Oklahoma has played 20 of its 51 games with every player on the roster fully available for action — the first 12 games of the season and the last eight contests. With Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist Dakota Harris in the lineup, OU is 24-13.
• Oklahoma ranks 16th nationally and third in the Big 12 with its 302 walks, and ranks 24th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 with its 102 stolen bases. OU batters have also been hit by a pitch 63 times, totaling 365 free passes (an average of 7.2 free passes per game).
• The Sooners also rank seventh nationally with their 34 sacrifice flies (second in the Big 12 to Texas Tech's 36) and 23rd nationally with 17 triples (second in Big 12; league leader Texas Tech has 19 triples).
• Junior right fielder Bryce Madron has registered 53 walks in 51 games, a figure that leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally, and is tied for the 10th-most in program history. He also ranks 11th nationally and second in the Big 12 by averaging 1.04 walks per contest. Freshman catcher Easton Carmichael ranks second in the Big 12 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 10th nationally and first in the Big 12 with his 30 pitching appearances (national leaders have made 35 appearances). Graduate pitcher Braxton Douthit ranks sixth in the Big 12 by allowing 7.2 hits per nine innings (Big 12 leader allows 6.4 hits/9 innings) and sophomore Aaron Weber ranks second in the Big 12 with his seven saves.
• In last weekend's road sweep at Gonzaga, Oklahoma totaled 44 hits over the three games, 37 of which were singles. Fifteen of OU's 20 hits on Saturday and all 15 hits on Sunday were single-base hits.
• Anthony Mackenzie has reached base in 42 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 44 of his 51 contests, and has either scored a run or recorded an RBI in 42 contests. His reached base streak ranks second in the Big 12 (West Virginia's J.J. Wetherholt has a 46-game streak). Mackenzie is batting .328 with 50 runs scored, 35 RBIs, eight doubles, six home runs and is tied for the team lead with 21 stolen bases.
• Dakota Harris, who was named a Brooks Wallace Award Semifinalist this week, is batting .333 (50 for 150) and is tied for the team lead with 43 RBIs. He has 10 doubles, one triple and seven home runs in 37 games, despite missing 14 games with an injury.
• In the last 31 games, Bryce Madron has raised his batting average 132 points from .182 to .314 while going 46 for 119 at the plate (.387) and hitting nine of his 11 home runs, nine of his 12 doubles, recording 35 of his 43 RBIs and 35 of his 52 runs scored. He also has 21 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 25 extra base hits (12 doubles, two triples, 11 homers) and 52 runs scored, and is tied for the team lead with 43 RBIs.
• Fourth-year junior outfielder Kendall Pettis leads the Sooners with a .336 batting average (49 for 146) and has 42 runs scored, six doubles, three triples, one home run, 29 walks and 15 stolen bases. He has hit .369 (41 for 111) with 29 runs, five doubles, three triples, a home run, 15 walks and 11 steals in his last 30 games (29 starts) since March 19.
In his last 19 games, John Spikerman is batting .324 (23 for 71) with 15 RBIs, 12 runs scored and 13 walks. Nine of his 21 stolen bases this season (9 for 9) have come in the last 19 contests.
• Harris (10 doubles, one triple, seven homers) is second on the team with 18 extra base hits. Jackson Nicklaus (eight doubles, three triples, six homers) has 17 extra base hits and Spikerman (12 doubles, one triple, three homers) has 16 extra base hits this season.

First Pitch

Tickets/Promotions

Watch/Listen/Follow

Series History

Leading Off

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Carter Campbell

Easton Carmichael

Braxton Douthit

Dakota Harris

Anthony Mackenzie

Bryce Madron

Jackson Nicklaus

Kendall Pettis

John Spikerman

Aaron Weber

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics