Sooners at West Virginia This Weekend

First Pitch

• Oklahoma (25-20, 9-9 Big 12) travels east to Morgantown, W.Va. for a Big 12 conference series against No. 12 West Virginia (34-11, 11-4 Big 12). Game times are set for 5:30 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. CT Saturday and noon CT Sunday at Monogalia County Ballpark.
• The Sooners are playing seven straight games away from home. The Sooners defeated No. 16 Dallas Baptist on Tuesday night in Dallas. Following this weekend series at West Virginia, OU takes a midweek break for finals, then travels to Spokane, Wash., May 12-14, for a three-game non-conference set at Gonzaga.
• 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 Nick Farrell and Tyler Barnette calling the action.
• 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

• Oklahoma leads the all-time series against West Virginia 19-13. OU holds an 8-7 advantage at WVU played in Charleston and Morgantown (a 7-5 advantage in Morgantown).
• The Sooners won three of four meetings against the Mountaineers last season. OU won two of three games during the regular season in Norman and the Big 12 tournament meeting in Arlington, Texas. OU won 15-2 on Friday and 17-7 on Sunday while WVU won the Saturday game 9-8. The Sooners won 6-4 in the Big 12 tournament opener.
• OU won the 2021 series in Morgantown. WVU took the opener 7-1, before the Sooners bounced back to win the next two games, 8-7 (11 innings) and 9-1, played as a doubleheader.
• Oklahoma won two of three games during the 2015 and 2017 series in Morgantown, and WVU won two of three in the schools' first Big 12 series, played in Charleston, W.Va., in 2013.

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 seventh nationally and first in the Big 12. The Sooners, ranked 55th in the RPI as of May 4, have three top-25 wins (3-4) and seven top-50 wins (7-4), which is tied for most top-50 victories among Big 12 programs (tied with Oklahoma State and TCU).
• Due to various injuries and illness, Oklahoma has played 14 of its 45 games with every player on the roster full available for action — the first 12 games of the season and the last two contests. • Oklahoma ranks 11th nationally and third in the Big 12 with its 264 walks, and ranks 16th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 with its 93 stolen bases. OU batters have also been hit by a pitch 57 times, totaling 321 free passes (an average of 7.1 free passes per game). West Virginia leads the Big 12 and ranks eighth nationally with 105 stolen bases.
• The Sooners also rank fourth nationally with their 32 sacrifice flies (tied for the Big 12 lead with Texas Tech) and 21st nationally with 15 triples (second in Big 12; league leader Texas Tech has 18 triples).
• Junior right fielder Bryce Madron has registered 47 walks in 45 games, a figure that leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally. 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, tied for 34th nationally and tied for second among catchers with his four triples, despite missing 10 starts with an illness. Junior infielder Anthony Mackenzie and sophomore center fielder John Spikerman rank 40th nationally and third in the Big 12 with their 21 stolen bases (in 25 and 23 attempts, respectively). Junior Carter Campbell is fourth nationally and first in the Big 12 with his 28 pitching appearances (national leader has made 30 appearances). Graduate pitcher Braxton Douthit leads the Big 12 (ranks 20th nationally) by allowing 6.0 hits per nine innings and sophomore Aaron Weber ranks second in the Big 12 and 31st nationally with his seven saves.
• Mackenzie has reached base in 36 straight contests, while fourth-year junior outfielder Kendall Pettis has reached in 14 straight games. Junior infielder Dakota Harris leads the team with 14 multiple-hit games. Mackenzie has 13 multiple-hit games while Spikerman, Madron, Mackenzie, Carmichael and freshman Rocco Garza-Gongora each have 12 multi-hit games. Harris and Carmichael lead the team with 10 multiple-RBI games while Mackenzie and sophomore second baseman Jackson Nicklaus each have eight multi-RBI contests.
• Harris leads the team with 37 RBIs, Nicklaus follows closely behind with 36, and Carmichael and Madron each have 35 RBIs. Mackenzie has 31 RBIs, despite batting leadoff in 24 of 45 games.
• Mackenzie has notched a team-high 44 runs scored, Madron has scored 43 runs and Pettis has 37 runs scored. Nicklaus ranks second on the team with 41 walks in 45 games.
• 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 contests (and each of OU's last seven games). He is batting .256 with five doubles, a home run, 13 RBIs, 12 runs scored, 11 walks and four steals and three runners caught stealing in 26 total games (22 starts) this season.
• Mackenzie has reached base in 36 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 39 of his 45 contests, and has either scored a run or recorded an RBI in 38 games. Mackenzie is third on the team with his .324 batting average, leads the team in runs scored (44), is fifth with 31 runs scored, fourth with 31 walks and is tied for the team lead with 21 stolen bases.
• Harris, who was named on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List in mid-April, leads Oklahoma with a .358 batting average (44 for 123), and has eight doubles and six home runs in 31 games, despite missing 14 games with an injury. In his last eight games, Harris is batting .392 (11 for 28) with nine RBIs, two home runs and two doubles.
• In the last 25 games, Madron has raised his batting average 98 points from .182 to .280 while going 33 for 95 at the plate (.347) and hitting seven of his nine home runs, six doubles of his nine doubles, recording 27 of his 35 RBIs, 26 of his 43 runs scored. He also has 15 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 19 extra base hits (nine doubles, one triple, nine homers) and is second on the squad with 43 runs scored.
• Pettis is batting .325 (40 for 123) with 37 runs scored, six doubles, three triples, one home run, 25 walks and 12 stolen bases. He has hit .363 (32 for 88) with 24 runs, five doubles, three triples, a home run and eight steals in his last 24 games (23 starts) since March 19.
• In his last 13 games, John Spikerman is batting .362 (17 for 47) with 11 RBIs, nine runs scored and eight walks. Nine of his 21 stolen bases this season (9 for 9) have come in the last 13 contests.
• Nicklaus (six doubles, three triples, six homers) and Spikerman (11 doubles, one triple, three homers) are second on the team with 15 extra base hits. Harris (eight doubles, six homers) has 14 extra base hits.

#CHAOUS

• The Sooners have registered 93 stolen bases in 121 attempts (77%) through the first 45 games of the season. Last year, OU registered 145 steals, the most by an Oklahoma club since 1989 (168 steals).
• Mackenzie and Spikerman lead OU and rank tied for 40th nationally with their 21 steals, Pettis is 12 for 17 in stolen bases and Madron is 11 for 15. Twelve players have stolen at least one base this season and nine players have notched at least 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), and Spikerman stole a career-high three bases on April 22 at Texas (Game 2). On 12 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 16th nationally in steals (93) and 24th in steals per game (2.1), it also ranks 11th nationally in walks (264) and batters have been hit by a pitch 57 times. The Sooners also have 17 sacrifice bunts and 32 sacrifice flies (which ranks fourth in the country). OU opponents have committed 53 errors (.968 fielding percentage).

First Pitch

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Series History

Leading Off

#CHAOUS

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Players Mentioned

Carter Campbell

Easton Carmichael

Braxton Douthit

Rocco Garza-Gongora

Dakota Harris

Anthony Mackenzie

Bryce Madron

Diego Muniz

Jackson Nicklaus

Kendall Pettis

John Spikerman

Aaron Weber

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