Oklahoma baseball: Sooners looking for Big 12 jump start against Baylor
By Chip Rouse
The Oklahoma baseball team continues its extended homestand this weekend as Baylor comes to Norman for a three-game series at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
It is a double-diamond weekend for the Sooners and Baylor as the Bears are the visiting team for both OU baseball and softball over the weekend.
Oklahoma (12-7) is looking to rebound after losing two of three games last weekend to visiting New Orleans. So far in this 12-game homestand, the Sooners are 7-2. Baylor comes in with an overall record of 11-9. The Bears opened their Big 12 season losing two of three at home to then- No. 21 TCU.
The all-time series between OU and Baylor has been relatively close, with the Sooners holding on to a 49-43 advantage. The Sooners won two of three games with Baylor in Waco a year ago. The last time the Bears came to Norman, they swept three games over the Sooners.
Oklahoma is hitting .290 as a team entering conference play, third best in the Big 12 and averages 5.9 runs while allowing opponents 5.8 per game. Five Sooner regulars are hitting above .300 through 19 games, led by junior utility player Diego Muniz at .357 and freshman infielder Jackson Nicklaus at .327.
During an eight-game stretch this month, Oklahoma scored at least seven runs in eight straight games. The Sooners won seven of the eight games.
The Sooner pitching rotation in the Baylor series will be left-hander Jake Bennett (1-0, 0.90 ERA) on Friday, right-hander David Sandlin (2-1, 1.22) on Saturday and Chazz Martinez (2-2, 1.77) in the series finale on Sunday.
Baylor is hitting .250 as a team and is averaging 5.2 runs per game. The pitching staff has compiled an ERA of 3.86 and is holding opponents to a .226 batting average. Bears’ second baseman Tre Richardson has wielded a hot bat in recent games. Over his last five games, Richardson is hitting .458 (11 of 24) and has raised his team-best batting average to .313.
The Sooners will go up against Baylor’s best starting pitcher, Tyler Thomas in the first game of the series on Friday night. Thomas is 2-2 in five starts with an ERA 0f 1.30. Kobe Andrade (2-0, 2.57) and Will Rigney (1-0, 3.10) are the scheduled starters for games two and three. Thomas and Andrade are left-handers, Rigney throws from the right side.