University of Oklahoma Athletics

Oklahoma Baseball One Week Away From 2002 Season Opener :: Sooners are ready as can be for Arkansas-Little Rock and the 2002 season.

Oklahoma Baseball One Week Away From 2002 Season Opener :: Sooners are ready as can be for Arkansas-Little Rock and the 2002 season. Oklahoma Baseball One Week Away From 2002 Season Opener

Sooners are ready as can be for Arkansas-Little Rock and the 2002 season.




Senior Charlie Frasier and the Oklahoma baseball team start the 2002 season next Firday against Arkansas-Little Rock.

Feb. 1, 2002

Audio

  • E. Greusel
  • C. Frazier
  • R. Cherry

    NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma baseball team has been working out as a team since Monday and now stands just seven short days away from the 2002 season opening series against Arkansas-Little Rock. The squad will feature a quality group of returning stars and as many as two dozen talented and decorated newcomers. Head coach Larry Cochell is excited about the road ahead based on the first week of practice and is eager to get the season underway.

    "We are making progress every day and these kids are just very eager to get better," said Cochell. "We had a real good week of practice and we are as ready as can be for next weekend's opening series. We played 18 innings of intrasquad ball this week and our pitchers are throwing about 50 pitches each right now. We are planning on playing having more intrasquad competition this weekend and hopefully, we can get our pitchers up to 60 or 65 pitches at a time."

    The squad was forced indoors for much of the week due to the winter weather that Norman endured, and the pitching staff has been battling a variety of injuries. Senior Michael Bradbury is expected to miss three weeks with tendinitis in his right biceps and freshman Jarod McAuliff had emergency appendectomy surgery and should be out 10 to 14 days.

    "We had our field covered, so it should be dry for this weekend," said Cochell. "Michael was having some problems with his arm, so we're going to give him a rest and get him back to full speed as quick as we can. Jarod is doing very well and should be back soon."

    Oklahoma's Home Run Club Banquet will officially begin OU's season. It is planned for Thurs., Feb. 7 at Norman's Holiday Inn on Interstate Drive and the guest speaker will be George Frazier, former Sooner and major leaguer and current television analyst for the Colorado Rockies. For ticket information, please contact the OU Baseball office at (405) 325-8355.