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March 12, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- Two Sooner hurlers earned Big 12 baseball weekly honors on Monday for games played March 5-11. Dillon Overton earned the Pitcher of the Week award after winning two games last week, including a complete game win against West Virginia in the Nike Showcase. Jonathan Gray was tabbed the Newcomer of the Week after striking out 10 batters in the win over No. 9 Oregon. 

Jake Brown (Kansas State) and Robbie Rea (Oklahoma State) shared the player of the week nod.  It marks the second straight week that a Sooner was honored by the conference office.  Jordan John was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on  March 5.

Overton is the lone player in this week's group to collect his second weekly award.  He was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on May 2 in 2011.

Overton made two appearances last week (one start) and picked up two wins in 11 innings of work that featured eight strikeouts, zero walks, six hits and one earned run allowed (0.82 ERA).  He tossed a complete game, the first of his career, on Saturday against West Virginia with six strikeouts and zero walks.  Overton gave up one earned run off six hits against Oregon and retired 18 straight batters that stretched from the third to the ninth inning.  On Tuesday, Overton tossed two perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts for the win against Arkansas Pine Bluff.  In the two appearances, Overton limited the opposition to a .158 batting average.  On Saturday, Overton tossed 98 pitches and did not exceed 10 pitches in each of the final seven frames.

Overton (3-0) ranks first in the Big 12 in wins (3) and innings pitched (30.2), fifth in strikeouts with 28 and 15th in ERA (2.93).  He is one of three hurlers in the Big 12 to throw a complete game.

Gray tossed the best game of his young Sooner career on Saturday with 10 strikeouts in seven innings pitched to defeat No. 9 Oregon in Eugene.  Gray did not walk an Oregon batter and gave up two runs off eight hits.  It marked the first meeting between the Sooners and Ducks. Gray had at least one strikeout in all but one of his seven innings pitched and had two punch outs in the first, second, fifth and seventh frames.

Gray has won each of his last two starts after starting the year 0-2 in his first three appearances.  He leads the Big 12 with five starts and ranks 10th in strikeouts with 22.

The Sooners return to action on the road Tuesday at Dallas Baptist at 6:30 p.m.

The midweek game is followed up by the start of Big 12 play as Texas travels to Norman for a three-game set over the weekend.  Friday's opener is set for 6:30 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park.  Game two is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday and the finale gets underway at 1 p.m.  All three games against Texas will be televised by the Sooner Sports Network on Cox Ch. 3/703 HD in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.  Friday and Saturday will also be carried on Fox College Sports, check your local cable or satellite provider for coverage in your area.