| Pitching Matchup | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Pitch | Oklahoma | Wichita State |
| Tues. 6 p.m. | RHP-Ben Abram (6-1, 2.68) | RHP-Ryan Stuempfig (1-1, 6.46) |
FIRST PITCH
• Oklahoma continues its 11-game road swing with four games in the state of Kansas this week, beginning Tuesday at Wichita State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Eck Stadium.
• The Sooners lead the overall series against the Shockers, 16-13, but WSU holds a 10-3 series advantage in Wichita.
• The Sooners return to Big 12 play this weekend at Kansas State, which will conclude the 11-game road swing that began April 12 at Baylor. Only four home games at L. Dale Mitchell Park remain for OU this season.
• OU ranks 15th in the country with a 3.24 team ERA. The Sooners rank 12th in the country in double plays (38), 24th in triples (14), 20th in shutouts (4) and 17th in fielding percentage (.979). OU batters have drawn 209 walks, a total that ranks 29th nationally.
• Oklahoma is No. 35 in the most recent NCAA RPI rankings through April 21 games. The Sooners are 10-9 in road games and have 12 wins in 22 games against opponents in the top 100 of the RPI rankings. OU is one of six Big 12 schools in the RPI top 50, joining Texas Tech (16), West Virginia (19), Oklahoma State (21), Texas (39) and Baylor (32). With TCU (73), Kansas State (77) and Kansas (92), every Big 12 school ranks in the top 100 of the RPI.
• All 13 of Oklahoma's remaining regular season games are against teams currently ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA RPI, including nine games against teams in the RPI top 50. Four of those contests will be played at home, two at neutral sites and seven will be played on the road.
ON THE AIR
• The game will air on Sportstalk 1400 AM/99.3 FM and the Sooner Sports Network with Toby Rowland on the call.
• A live video stream for the game will be available on Yurview.com/Kansas.
ABOUT THE SOONERS
• OU is in its second year under the direction of head coach Skip Johnson. Johnson is 65-39 as OU head coach, and led the Sooners to an NCAA regional appearance last season.
• Oklahoma won its 2,600th game in program history on March 24. The Sooners are 2,606-1,511-12 (.633) all-time in their 119th season of competition.
• OU has allowed three or fewer runs in 23 of 41 games this season, and allowed one or zero runs 13 times.
• OU leads the Big 12 in fewest walks per nine innings (3.69) and is second in ERA (3.24; leader WVU is at 3.22). Offensively, OU is fourth in the conference in on base percentage (.383), first in triples and third in doubles (77).
• OU is batting .266 as a team and averaging 5.7 runs per game, with 77 doubles, 14 triples and 19 home runs. The Sooners allow opponents 3.7 runs per game and a .235 batting average.
• The Sooners have a 3.24 team ERA with 349 strikeouts to 150 walks in 366.1 innings. The starting pitchers have a combined 2.85 ERA and have struck out 218 batters and allowed 197 hits in 227.1 innings.
• Sophomore Cade Cavalli is on the midseason watch list for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award and the National Pitcher of the Year award, which are presented by the College Baseball Foundation. On the mound, he is 5-2 with a 3.10 ERA in 10 starts, with 49 strikeouts and a .244 opponent batting average in 52.1 innings. At the plate, he is batting .319 with five doubles, four home runs, two triples, 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored and nine walks in 72 at bats.
• Freshman Ben Abram is also on National Pitcher of the Year award watch list. He is 6-1 with a 2.68 ERA in nine starts, with 46 strikeouts to nine walks and a .233 opponent batting average in 50.1 innings.
• Junior shortstop Brandon Zaragoza is on the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, given by the College Baseball Foundation to the nation's top shortstop. He is batting .271 with a team-high 33 runs scored and is third on the team with 24 RBIs. He has totaled seven doubles and 29 walks and posted a .958 fielding percentage in 168 chances. He is on an eight-game hitting streak and has reached base in each of his last 14 contests.
• Junior outfielder Brady Harlan hit his first collegiate home run on Sunday – a three-run shot that gave the Sooners a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning. Harlan, a graduate of the University of Texas who is playing his first season since 2016, did not homer in his one season playing at UT. He only hit one home run in high school.
• Junior Jason Ruffcorn earned saves in both the Saturday and Sunday wins. He leads Big 12 and ranks seventh nationally in saves (10). He also leads the league and ranks fourth nationally with 24 appearances.
• Freshman Wyatt Olds ranks 12th nationally and second in the Big 12 with 23 appearances. He has pitched 19 scoreless outings in his 23 appearances this season.
ABOUT THE SHOCKERS
• Wichita State won two of three games at home against UCF last weekend, winning 8-6, 11-3 and 6-4. That stopped a six-game losing streak, which was preceded by a seven-game winning streak.
• WSU is hitting .284 as a team, and averaging 6.1 runs and 2.9 extra base hits per game. Jordan Boyer leads the team with a .368 batting average and 31 RBIs while Luke Ritter hits .364 with 13 doubles, seven home runs, 29 RBIs and 35 runs scored.
• The Shockers have a 5.61 team ERA and 311 strikeouts against 210 walks in 350.0 innings.
SERIES HISTORY
• The Shockers have won the last two meetings, including 2-1 last year in Wichita and 4-2 in 2017 in Norman.
• Prior to 2017, the Sooners won nine of 10 against Wichita State between 2006-16, including seven straight between 2006-09.
• The series dates to 1970, when Oklahoma won 8-2 and 3-1 in Norman. The other 27 meetings have all been since the 1991 season.
