J.T. Wise

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma (17-5) will begin Big 12 play this weekend at No.22 Nebraska (15-3 overall, 3-0 Big 12) for a three-game set. 

The series begins on Friday, March 22 at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park at 2:05 p.m.  Game two is slated for a 2:05 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and the series will conclude on Sunday at 1 :05 p.m.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live audio for all three games of the Nebraska series will be available on the internet via Oklahoma All-Access, SoonerSports.com's premium paid site.    Saturday's game is slated to be broadcast live on the Sooners' flagship station, KOKC 1520 AM, with Chuck Kelly on the play-by-play.   

WEB CAST
A live web cast for each game of the series will be available on huskers.com (subscription required).  Click the link above for more information.

LIVE STATS
Live stats are available for all games on SoonerSports.com.

UPDATING THE SOONERS
OU has won its last three games, including a two-game, mid week series sweep of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday (6-1) and Wednesday (7-5).  The 2008 season has been one of streaks for Oklahoma.  The Sooners 11-game winning streak, a season high, was recently snapped  by Washington State at home on March 14.  That was the start of three-straight losses for OU, which salvaged the series with a 14-2 win in the series finale last Sunday.

BIG 12 CONFERENCE OPENERS
OU is 8-3 in Big 12 series openers and has won the last three series (2-1 vs. Texas A&M in 2007, 2-1 vs. Baylor in 2006 and 2-1 vs. Texas A&M in 2005).  The Sooners last series defeat came in a three-game set against then-No. 1 Texas in 2004.  The Sooners' only other series defeats in Big 12 openers came in 2003 (at No. 8 Baylor) and during the 1999 season (Nebraska).    Since 1986, Oklahoma is 18-4 in conference series openers.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS
Game 23: Friday, March 21
Johnny Dorn  |  RHP  |  Sr. | 2-0, 1.33 ERA, 27.0 IP, 34 Ks
vs.
Jeremy Erben  |  RHP  |  So. | 0-0, 2.12 ERA, 17.0 IP, 14 Ks

Game 24:  Saturday, March 22
Thad Weber  |  RHP  |  Sr. | 3-1, 5.40 ERA, 23.1 IP, 22 Ks
vs.
Andrew Doyle | RHP | So. | 4-1, 2.25 ERA, 32.0 IP, 29 Ks

Game 25:  Saturday, March 23
Aaron Pribanic  | RHP  | Jr. | 2-0, 0.76 ERA, 23.2 IP, 20 Ks
vs.
Michael Rocha  |  RHP  |  Fr.  | 2-0, 3.60 ERA, 25.0 IP, 15 Ks

LEADING OFF
Since falling to then-No. 9 Rice on Feb. 29, the only player to hit out of the same spot over the last 17 games in OU's lineup has been Mike Gosse.  The senior has hit out of the leadoff spot in each of the last 17 games.  OU is 14-3 in that span  and Gosse is hitting .423 with 4 HR and 20 RBIs.

SOONER TO WATCH - AARON BAKER
The sophomore has hit safely in the last eight games and in 13 of the last 15 contests. The 2007 Freshman All-American is hitting .409 in that span with 19 RBIs, including five multi-hit performances and seven multi-RBI games.

UP NEXT
The Sooners return home to begin an eight-game home stand.  That stretch kicks off with UT Arlington on Tuesday, Feb. 25 and continues with a three-game set with Baylor (March 28-30).  The home stand also features a mid week game against

UPDATING THE SOONERS
The Sooners have won 11 straight games since losing to then-No. 9 Rice on Feb. 29.  OU's only other loss in 2008 came at then-No. 1 UCLA in the season opener. 

OU ranks third in the Big 12 in overall ERA with a 2.99 mark and at the plate, it ranks fourth with a .306 clip.

SCOUTING NEBRASKA
Record:  15-3 overall, 3-0 BIg 12
Ranking:  USA Today - 24, BA - 22, CB - 22
Overall Series: OU leads 111-90 since 1962
Big 12 Series: 21-12

Nebraska enters this weekend having dropped its last outing, 9-4, against Arkansas in Lincoln.  The loss split the two-game, mid week set and ended the Huskers'  14-game winning streak.  Nebraska is ranked as high as No. 22 in this weeks' polls after opening the Big 12 play with a sweep of Kansas State in Manhattan.

Offensively, NU is hitting .300 as a team and is led by senior infielder Jake Opitz.   He collected seven hits in the KSU series last weekend and is hitting .343 overall with a team-leading 17 RBIs.

On the mound, the Huskers hold the conference's second best overall ERA, 2.89.  Nebraska's starting rotation features the Big 12's leader in strikeouts, senior RHP Johnny Dorn.  Dorn has 34 Ks in 27 innings pitched and is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA.  Dorn registered a no decision against KSU last weekend and allowed one run with five Ks in seven IP.

MORE ON THE OU-NEBRASKA SERIES
The Sooners last met the Cornhuskers in a three-game series in 2007 at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman.  OU lost the series despite claiming a 3-0 victory in the opener.  Nebraska won games two and three by scores of 6-4 and 12-5, respectively. 

The Sooners are 34-40 in games played in Lincoln and won the last two series at Hawks Field in 2006 and 2004.  OU is 7-10-6 in conference series against Nebraska.

OU SHOWS POWER AT THE PLATE
Not expected to be one of the team's strengths entering 2008, the Sooners have exhibited home run power after 22 games.  OU's 21 homers ranks second in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma State (29) and the total is over half of what the Sooners produced in 2007 after 58 games (37 HR).  Ten different Sooners have connected for a dinger and senior Mike Gosse and Spencer Selby lead the way with five, which ranks in a tie for third in the conference in overall games.

10 OR MORE IS A PLUS
The Sooners have had 10 or more hits in 14 games this season and own an 11-3 record in those contests.  OU has scored 10 or more runs on six occasions and is undefeated in those contests.  In comparison, opponents have connected for 10-plus hits in eight games.  OU is 5-3 in those games and have not surrendered 10 or more runs in a game this season.

FIRST BIG 12 GAME
The Sooners have lost the last five Big 12 opening games, with the last win coming in 2002 against Missouri.  Despite owning a 5-6 record in the first Big 12 game of the year, OU is 8-3 in conference opening series since the formation of the Big 12 in 1997.

UNFAMILIAR ROAD
For just the second time since the Big 12 formed in 1997, OU will begin the conference portion of the schedule on the road.  The last and only other time the Sooners began Big 12 play on the road was in 2003.  OU lost that series, 3-0, at then-No. 8 Baylor.

SOONERS RANK THIRD IN TEAM STATISTICS
The Sooners rank third in the Big 12 Conference in overall games in team batting average, earned run average and fielding percentage.  OU is hitting .316 and has an earned run average of 3.15.  The Sooners also have posted a .969 fielding percentage after 22 games.  See page seven for complete rankings in each statistic.

QUALITY STARTS AND RELIEF
The Sooners have found success on the mound early as a result of quality starts by their pitchers.  Only five starts have been under five innings, while the OU bullpen has been doing its part as well.  In 83 2/3 innings, the relievers have struck out 74 batters with a 1.72 ERA.  The Sooner pen has a 3-2 record with six saves, led by senior closer Jake McCarter (1-0, 6 saves).

NEWCOMER CONTRIBUTIONS
The OU baseball team has seen immediate results out of the 2008 class with 67 of the Sooners' 149 RBIs driven in by a newcomer.  On the mound, 16 of the 22 starts and 12 of the 17 wins have been recorded by a newcomer.  In addition, 95 of the staff's 157 strikeouts have been recorded by the rookies. 

FREEMAN NAMED A CANDIDATE FOR LOWE'S AWARD
OU senior Jarod Freeman was announced as one of 30 candidates for the 2008 Lowe's Senior Class Award for baseball on Tuesday.  Freeman's nomination marks the second consecutive year that a Sooner has appeared on the list.  In 2007, Aaron Ivey was a finalist for the award.

Presented annually to NCAA® Division I student-athletes in eight sports, the award focuses on the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched in 2001 to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who fulfill their entire athletic eligibility and pursue their degree. Since that time, Lowe's, an official corporate partner of the NCAA®, has expanded the award to include other NCAA sports including baseball.
 
PORLIER TO MISS THE REST OF 2008
Junior right-handed pitcher Stephen Porlier, who missed the first four weeks of the season with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, underwent successful surgery on Thursday, March 13 to repair a partial tear in the labrum in his right shoulder.  Porlier will miss the rest of the 2008 season and is expected to begin his rehabilitation immediately.

Porlier was named to the preliminary watch list for the 2008 Roger Clemens Award.  The Sugarland, Texas, native is one of nine hurlers from the Big 12 Conference to appear on the list (tied with the Pac 10 for the second most behind the SEC).   In 2007, Porlier led OU with 99 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched en route to earning second team all-conference honors with a 7-5 record.