University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU's Mark Roberts Named Phillips 66 Big 12 Pitcher Of The Week :: Sophomore tossed a complete game shutout and struck out career-high nine against K-State.

OU's Mark Roberts Named Phillips 66 Big 12 Pitcher Of The Week :: Sophomore tossed a complete game shutout and struck out career-high nine against K-State. OU's Mark Roberts Named Phillips 66 Big 12 Pitcher Of The Week

Sophomore tossed a complete game shutout and struck out career-high nine against K-State.




Sophomore Mark Roberts was named Phillips 66 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for his play against Kansas State over the weekend.

May 6, 2002

  • Mark Roberts audio

    • NORMAN, Okla. - Oklahoma sophomore Mark Roberts was named Phillips 66 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for his play against Kansas State over the weekend, the league office announced today. Just eight days after suffering a frightening injury when he took a line drive to the base of his neck, Mark Roberts returned to the mound and pitched a masterpiece against Kansas State. The Owasso, Okla., native pitched a complete game shutout, going eight innings, striking out a career-high nine batters and scattering just six hits. Both the complete game and the shutout were firsts on the season for the Oklahoma pitching staff and are all the more remarkable that they were done by a pitcher who was feared lost for the season just a few short days ago.

    Roberts is now 6-3 on the year with a 4.14 ERA and a team-high 63 strikeouts. In Big 12 Conference action, Roberts is 4-1 with an earned run average of 4.02. The pitching award is Oklahoma's second in the last three weeks, as freshman David Purcey won honored as Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on April 22. In addition, OU outfielder Jason Fransz was tabbed Big 12 Player of the Week for his play during the Missouri series on April 8-10.

    On April 27 at Texas Tech, Roberts took a line drive in the neck and suffered a soft tissue injury around the external carotid artery. He stayed at a Lubbock hospital for two nights and returned to Oklahoma the Monday after the incident for further tests and evaluation by OU's team physicians. When it was determined that no further treatment was required, Roberts was cleared to return to play. Usually OU's Friday night starter, Roberts started on Sunday against Kansas State and completely shut down the Wildcat bats en route to his sixth win of the season.