University of Oklahoma Athletics

Oklahoma Baseball Team To Battle Lamar In Three-Game Set This Weekend :: Sooners look to continue hot start against Cardinals.

Oklahoma Baseball Team To Battle Lamar In Three-Game Set This Weekend :: Sooners look to continue hot start against Cardinals. Oklahoma Baseball Team To Battle Lamar In Three-Game Set This Weekend

Sooners look to continue hot start against Cardinals.




OU pitcher Buddy Blair and the Sooner baseball squad will take on Lamar at home in a three-game series this weekend.

A. Thomas Audio

Scouting Lamar
OU takes on the Cardinals of Lamar this weekend, a team that is 5-4 to date in 2002 and that went 37-24 and finished sixth in the Southland Conference a year ago. Lamar lost 12 letterwinners from its 2001 squad, however head coach Jim Gilligan brought in a talented group of 19 newcomers. Gilligan will look to first baseman Micah Hoffpauir to lead his offensive attack. The native of Jacksonville, Texas, batted .391 with eight home runs, 65 runs batted in and 25 doubles in 2001 and has already accumulated four doubles, two homers and 10 runs driven in. He is joined in the infield by third baseman Mickey Hernandez (.405 with 12 RBI in 2002), shortstop Anthony Hayes (.407, 3 HR, 13 RBI) and Blake Justice (.385). Matt Gowan primarily handles the catching duties and the Lamar outfield is comprised of senior Jereme Havard, junior Shawn Stanton and sophomore Jordan Foster.

The Sooners can expect to see some combination of pitchers Josh Gray, Thomas Atlee and Jesse Floyd. Gray is a 6-3, 180-pound lefty from Orange, Texas, and on the year, he is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA. Atlee is a 5-10, 180-pounder from Houston, while Floyd has already won two games and posted a 3.68 ERA. Senior Clay Hensley (Pearland, Texas) and junior Christopher Coy (Austin, Texas) are two righthanded relievers who the Cardinals rely on often.

Oklahoma Sweeps Southeast Missouri State
Oklahoma continued its hot start by sweeping Southeast Missouri State in a three-game set in Norman. The Indians gave the Sooners a scare on Friday, scoring four runs in the fourth inning to take a 4-2 lead on OU. However, Oklahoma scored two in the fifth to tie the game and after coming in as a pinch runner, Matt Arkison stole a base and scored on a throwing error in the 10th inning. Mark Roberts picked up the win for the Sooners, throwing 2.1 innings of one-hit, scoreless ball.

On Saturday, Rocky Cherry went seven innings and gave up just one hit to the Indians, while striking out eight. After dominating his way to his first win in 2002, Cherry saw his younger brother, Zack, come in and close the deal in the ninth inning. OU's bats came alive on Sunday, hitting five home runs, cranking out 19 hits and scoring 18 runs. Charlie Frasier (his third on the year), Tyler Johnson (two), Brandon Jones (one), Chris Jakubasuskas (two) and Ryan Richardson (one) all went deep for the Sooners. Buddy Blair picked up his second win on the young season, going five innings, giving up just one run.

Sooners Take Two Of Three From Arkansas-Little Rock
Oklahoma opened the 2002 season by winning two out of three games with the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans. The Sooners won their 19th season-opener in a row, a 10-4 decision on Friday afternoon. Senior Evan Greusel pitched five innings of three-hit ball and got the win for Oklahoma, while Charlie Frasier went 3-for-3 with a home run and five runs batted in. On Saturday, OU brought out the big bats, hitting four home runs, racking up 18 hits and rolling to a 16-6 win over the Trojans. Buddy Blair was the winning pitcher for the Sooners, and Frasier, Jason Fransz, Chris Jakubauskas and Denver Kitch all homered in the win. Arkansas-Little Rock won Sunday's game, 4-2, as Santino Dewreede drove in two runs and Scott Sharpe pitched six innings, giving up just one run. Mark Roberts pitched admirably in relief of starter Rocky Cherry, but the Sooners squandered rallies in both the seventh and eighth innings. In all, OU left 11 men on base for the game.

Oklahoma's Best Buddy
Sophomore Buddy Blair has started the 2002 season on a roll, picking up two of Oklahoma's five early wins. Blair started against Arkansas-Little Rock and pitched four innings of shutout ball en route to the win. He followed that performance with a win on Sunday against Southeast Missouri State. He went five innings and gave up just one run to the Indians.

'Mook' Shuts 'Em Down
Sophomore Mark Roberts, nicknamed "Mook," has been slamming doors on OU opponents quite often to start the 2002 season. Once thought to have been Oklahoma's top starter, Roberts went back to the bullpen, where he thrived as a freshman, and has continued his excellent relief work. He has pitched nine innings and boasts a perfect 0.00 ERA. He has given up just three hits and one run, and picked up the win in OU's thrilling 5-4 triumph in extra innings over Southeast Missouri State.

Big David Lives Up to Hype
Coming out of Trinity Christian Academy in Dallas, David Purcey turned down a sizable bonus from the Seattle Mariners' organization to attend OU on a baseball scholarship. He has not disappointed, throwing 7.1 innings, striking out 10 and giving up just one run. He currently has a 1.17 ERA. Six-foot-five, 230-pound lefties who can throw in the mid-nineties are always useful once the Big 12 Conference schedule kicks off. Like the Mariners need any more help!

Stealing Sooners
As has been his philosophy for many years, Larry Cochell has his players running. OU has stolen 11 bases so far this season, being caught only four times. Sophomore Denver Kitch is the Sooners' leading base stealer, going 4-for-4 in 2002. Junior Reggie Willits also blazes on the basepaths, stealing three of five bags this season. Jason Fransz, Eddie Cornejo, Spencer Wyman and Matt Arkison all have one stolen base.

Frasier's On Fire To Start 2002
Senior Charlie Frasier got off to a hot start, going 7-for-9 (.778), hitting two home runs and driving in nine runs in the Arkansas-Little Rock series. He narrowly missed winning the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week award and followed that effort with by adding a home run and five runs batted in against Southeast Missouri State. He is currently batting .500, second on the team to only Jason Fransz (.526).

Experienced Arms
The Sooners boast one of the most experienced pitching staffs in the Big 12. Over the last three seasons, OU's six returning pitchers (seniors Rocky Cherry, Evan Greusel and Michael Bradbury, junior Austin Mix and sophomores Mark Roberts and Buddy Blair) have combined for 271 appearances, 896 innings pitched, 57 wins and 678 strikeouts.

Rocky Rolling
Senior Rocky Cherry, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection a year ago, has been solid for the Sooners to date in 2002. In his outing against Arkansas-Little Rock, Cherry pitched 5.1 innings, striking out four. He followed that with a seven inning masterpiece against SEMO, giving up just one hit and no runs. During last season, Cherry became OU's all-time leader in appearances with 72 when he started against Centenary on April 29, 2001.

Fransz Brings Big Stick to Norman
Junior Jason Fransz brought some very impressive numbers to Norman from his two-year stint at Riverside Community College, also the Big Stick Award. The award is given annually to the top hitter in the junior college ranks and after two consecutive championships at Riverside, Fransz is ready to bring his winning ways to Oklahoma. He has not missed a beat at Oklahoma. He is the team's leading hitter (.526) and boasts a slugging percentage of 1.053. He has struck out just once in his 19 at bats and has scored 11 runs.

OU Brings In Blue-Chips
Oklahoma's current group of newcomers was ranked as the 11th-best recruiting class in the nation in a recent issue of Collegiate Baseball. It marks the third consecutive year in which Oklahoma had a top 30 recruiting class, according to Collegiate Baseball. OU's 2001 class was rated 17th, while the 2000 group was tabbed 29th in the nation.

OU's class also ranks as the highest in the Big 12 Conference, as Texas (12th), Oklahoma State (15th), Texas Tech (16th), Baylor (25th) and Texas A&M (30th) also found themselves in the publication's top 30.

Virtually every incoming player garnered some form of all-star recognition, whether it be all-conference, all-state or all-American honors.

"We're excited about how others see the players who have chosen to join our program," said Oklahoma head coach Larry Cochell. "But recruiting is just a part of the equation. Now, these players must go out and perform the way our coaching staff and other people think they can. We are excited about the potential they bring to OU."