Sooners host Minutemen on Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m.
MIDWEEK PREVIEW
• The No. 13 Sooners (15-2) have won 10 of their last 11 games and begin a five-game home stand on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Massachusetts (0-4). OU and the Minutemen will play again on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. It marks the first meeting between the two.
• OU sits atop the Big 12 standings and is off to its best start under Sunny Golloway and is ranked as high as No. 13 this week by the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll.
• UMASS returns 18 letterwinners from the 2009 team that was 27-26 overall (16-11, 4th in Atlantic 10) ... The Minutemen (0-4) opened the 2010 season over the weekend with a four-game set against Oklahoma State.
Tuesday starter: Mike Gedman (0-0, 3.38) | Wednesday starter: TBA
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The OU broadcast with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play and Kenny Mossman providing color analysis can be heard for both games on the Sooners Sports Network (KREF 1400 AM) and free online at SoonerSports.com. In addition, both games will be televised live by the Sooner Sports Network on Cox Channel 7 in Oklahoma City and Channel 3 in Tulsa. The game will be simulcast with the audio from the radio broadcast and a live webcast is available on OU All-Access.
• Live stats are available on SoonerSports.com via the baseball schedule page.
PROMOTIONS/TICKETS
Tuesday marks the second $.50 hot dog and coke night of the season … On Wednesday, the first 500 fans will receive an OU green baseball hat in celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day … Tickets are on sale can be purchased online at SoonerSports.com or by calling 800-456-GoOU.
PLAYER TO WATCH - ROSS HUBBARD
The senior captain hit safely in all five games last week for the Sooners. The catcher/designated hitter also had an RBI in all but one of those games and doubled his season total to 16. Hubbard recorded two multiple-hit and multiple-RBI games last week, including a career-high four RBIs in the win over Mississippi State.
2010 Season Stats: .361, 1 HR, 16 RBI
UP NEXT
OU concludes the five-game home stretch with the first conference series of the season. Friday’s Big 12 opener at L. Dale Mitchell is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is at 1 p.m. The Sooners swept the Bears last year in Waco and have won the last two Big 12 series.
LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners went 4-1 and extended their winning streak to 10 games before falling 5-2 in the finale of the Whataburger Collegiate Classic to No. 10 UCLA on Sunday. Prior to the second loss of the season, OU recorded three victories away from home (Dallas Baptist, Mississippi State and Texas A&M-CC), while topping Houston Baptist at home on Wednesday.
QUICK HITS
- OU ranks third in the Big 12 in batting (.328) and ERA (3.36).
- The Sooners have homered in nine straight contests with 13 in that span, including three multiple-homer games.
- After playing 11 of the first 17 games of the season away from home, the Sooners will play 13 of the next 17 games in the friendly confines of L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman.
- OU has stolen 19 bases in the last nine games after starting off the year with 11 swipes in the first eight games. The Sooners stole eight base on march 13 vs. TAMUCC, the most in a game since OU had eight on Feb. 12, 2006 versus Western Illinois.
- Garrett Buechele is tied for the Big 12 with 29 hits and five homers and ranks in the top five of eight offensive categories overall.
- Buechele (5) and Cameron Seitzer (5) are tied for the Big 12 lead, respectively, in homers in the Big 12. Both have surpassed their 2009 totals.
- Ryan Duke is a perfect 6-for-6 in save situations this year and leads the Big 12 in that category. Duke led the Big 12 in 2009 after registering 16 saves in 18 opportunities.
- Jeremy Erben leads the Big 12 with five wins and ranks second with a 0.45 ERA. Erben entered 2010 with a career 1-4 record.
- Buechele (3B) and Caleb Bushyhead (SS) are the only Sooners to start every game.
- Bushyhead registered one hit in 22 games last season and already has 23 hits after 17 games in 2010. Bushyhead ranks second on OU with eight multiple-hit games.
- Chris Ellison has led off each of his last three starts by reaching base safely. Since returning to the leadoff role, Ellison has five hits and three walks and four stolen bases.
- Oklahoma has started 18 different players in the lineup after Jack Mayfield made his first start on Sunday vs. UCLA.
- Buechele, Erben, Ross Hubbard and Chris Ellison were named to the Whataburger Collegiate Classic all-tournament team.
BEST START SINCE 1998
After 17 games, OU is off to its best start under head coach Sunny Golloway. The last time the Sooners started a season with a 15-2 record was in 1998.
LATE-INNING PRODUCTION
OU has scored 58 of its 140 runs or 41 percent in the sixth inning and later. In addition, the Sooners have outscored the opposition, 31-7, in the eighth and ninth innings combined, which includes six home runs.
SCORING FIRST
OU has scored first in six of the last nine games and in 10 overall. OU has a 8-2 record in those contests. The opposition has tallied the game’s first run on seven occasions, but OU is 7-0 in those games.
ONE-RUN GAMES
The Sooners have recorded one-run victories in four of the last 10 games. OU is 4-1 in those situations this year and the Sooners are 54-20-1 (.727) under head coach Sunny Golloway. The Sooners’ skipper entered 2010 with the best winning percentage among Big 12 coaches over the last five years.
BULLPEN IN LAST 10 GAMES
The Sooner bullpen combined to throw 32.2 innings in the last 10 games with a 1.10 ERA. In that span, the relievers have allowed four earned runs off 22 hits and 12 walks, while striking out 46 hitters. Jeremy Erben recorded three wins in that span while Ryan Duke posted three saves.
THE BIG INNING
OU has hit through the batting order already five times this season, twice in game two of the SDSU series, once against Richmond, Mississippi State and Texas A&M-CC. OU accomplished the feat on 23 occasions last year. That 2009 team also scored five or more runs in 22 different frames. In 2010, OU has scored five or more runs in five different frames, twice in game two of the SDSU series and once versus Valparaiso, Western Illinois and Mississippi State.
TIME FOR A RALLY
The Sooners have come from behind to win seven of the 17 games this season. Of Sunny Golloway’s 185 wins at OU, 93 (.503) have been in come-from-behind fashion, including 22 last year.
DOUBLE DIGITS
The Sooners have recorded 10 or more hits in 12 of the first 17 games of the season, including a season-high 19 vs. Mississippi State. OU is averaging 11.65 hits per game despite losing five regular starters from last season’s club. The Sooners are also averaging 8.24 runs per game with six games with 10 or more scores, including the 17 posted in game two of the San Diego State series, the most since exploding for 29 runs on March 22, 2009 at Kansas State. OU leads the Big 12 with 23 homers and 198 hits and ranks second in RBIs (129), runs (140) and third in batting average (.336).
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Prior to the season, OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway discussed the fact that the 2010 team was the deepest he has tutored in 13 years as a DI head coach. During the opening weekend, Golloway used all 33 players that traveled to San Diego, including 15 newcomers. OU used 30 in week two at the Jacksonville Invitational. Only two players on the 2010 35-man roster have not seen action (Jordan John and Michael Whitney).
DUKE MOVING UP SAVES LIST
Ryan Duke recorded two saves on the opening weekend to move into sole possession of second place on OU’s all-time saves list (below). Duke led the Big 12 in saves with 16 last year (ranked sixth in the nation), the second most in a single season by a Sooner (Jeff Bajenaru - 20, 2000).
He currently leads the Big 12 lead in 2010 with six saves.
1. 28 - Jeff Bajenaru, 1999-00
2. 22 - Ryan Duke, 2008-present
DRAFTED SOONERS
Eight current Sooners have been drafted in their careers (third most in Big 12 this season), including four newcomers on the 2010 squad that were selected in 2009. (Danny Black, Ryan Gibson, Chad Kettler and Bobby Shore). Last season, OU led all Big 12 programs with nine players selected off the 2009 roster. Below is a look at the eight Sooners and when and where they were drafted:
Danny Black 2009 - New York Yankees - 42nd Rd.
Jason Chowning 2007 - New York Yankees - 43rd Rd.
Jeremy Erben 2006 - Cincinnati Reds - 41st Rd.
Ryan Gibson 2009 - Florida Marlins - 48th Rd.
Kaleb Herren 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers - 44th Rd.
Chad Kettler 2009 - Los Angeles Dodgers - 24th Rd.
J.R. Robinson 2008 - Toronto Blue Jays - 31st Rd.
Bobby Shore 2009 - Baltimore Orioles - 40th Rd.
Michael Whitney 2005 - Baltimore Orioles - 18th Rd.
BASEBALL ON KREF 1400 AM IN 2010 | RADIO SCHEDULE (PDF)
The 2010 season marks the first with KREF 1400 AM serving as the flagship station of Sooner baseball and the new partnership provides expanded coverage for OU fans to listen to 50-plus regular season games over the air. Additionally, 22 of the Big 12 games are set to be carried on the Sooners Sports’ Network, enabling fans to listen to OU baseball on various stations across the state starting on April 1, nearly double the amount from previous seasons.
The entire 56-game regular season schedule will be broadcast live for free on SoonerSports.com.
SOONER SPORTS NETWORK TO TELEVISE 20 OU GAMES | TV SCHEDULE (PDF)
The University of Oklahoma will locally televise 20 home baseball games for the 2010 season. The broadcasts will air via the Sooner Sports Network on Cox Channel 7 in Oklahoma City and Cox Channel 3 in Tulsa. The games will be simulcast with the OU radio broadcast on the Sooner Sports Network with Chuck Kelly calling the play-by-play and DeWayne Vaughn providing the color analysis. The first game can be seen on Wednesday, March 10 against Houston Baptist at 3 p.m.
OU FOURTH IN BIG 12 COACHES' POLL | Big 12 Coaches' Poll | Feb. 16 Media Teleconference
The No. 22 Oklahoma baseball team was picked fourth in the 2010 Big 12 Coaches' preseason poll released on Feb. 16. The Sooners' projected finish is the highest under head coach Sunny Golloway and the best since a third-place vote in 2003.
