Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma baseball: Sooners host K-State seeking 3rd Big 12 series win

By Chip Rouse

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 28: A detail shot of batting practice balls at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 28, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 28: A detail shot of batting practice balls at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 28, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /
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Coming off of a series sweep of the other Big 12 school from the Sunflower State, the Oklahoma baseball team hopes to do the same this weekend in hosting Kansas State this weekend at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

The Sooners (25-14, 7-5) are tied with West Virginia in fifth place in the Big 12 standings entering this weekend. Kansas State comes to Norman with a 3-9 conference record and 21-19 overall.

Oklahoma and Kansas State have met 234 times previously on the baseball diamond with the Sooner holding a 171-64 advantage. OU is 79-17 when the two teams play in Norman. The two teams have not played each other at OU since 2018. The last two series between the Sooners and Wildcats, in 2019 and 2021, were played at K-State. The 2020 season, which would have been a home year for OU in this series, was cancelled because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

OU swept the 2018 series in Norman. The last time Kansas State won a conference series against the Sooners in Norman was over 50 years ago, in 1971.

What fans need to know about the OU-Kansas State weekend series

  • Redshirt sophomore first baseman Blake Robertson, this week’s Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, has been on a hitting terror for the Sooners in recent weeks. He leads OU with a .386 batting average, but since April 12 Robertson is hitting .492 with a .615 on-base percentage and an .814 slugging percentage. He currently ranks second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally with a .519 on-base percentage.
  • A week ago, against Kansas, Robertson was 11 for 17 at the plate along with eight runs and 11 RBI.
  • Redshirt sophomore Peyton Graham has 10 home runs this season and leads the Sooners with a .643 slugging percentage
  • On paper, OU and K-State appear fairly evenly matched. The Sooners are hitting .291 as a team, third best in the Big 12; Kansas State is fourth in the conference with a .289 batting average. Sooner pitching has a collective ERA of 5.25; the Wildcat staff is at 5.44.
  • Kansas State left fielder Dominic Johnson leads the team in hitting with a .358 batting average. The Wildcats’ biggest long-ball threat is first baseman Dylan Phillips, who has 11 four-baggers this season.
  • Left-hander Jake Bennett has been OU’s best starter this season. He will get the call in the series opener on Friday. He enters the contest with a 3.68 ERA in 58 2/3 innings and a team-best 64 strikeouts. The rest of the weekend rotation for the Sooners will be right-handers David Sandlin (3-2, 4.99) on Saturday and true freshman Cade Horton (2-1, 4.66) in the series finale on Sunday.
  • Through 39 games, Oklahoma is 12-9 against teams in the RPI top 100 and 6-8 against teams in the top 50.
  • Kansas State is coached by former Oklahoma skipper Pete Hughes. Hughes is in his fourth season as head coach at Kansas State. He has a record of 90-82 overall at K-State and 21-29 in Big 12 play. In four seasons at the helm at Oklahoma, Hughes compiled a record of 127-105-1 overall and 44-51 in the Big 12.
  • Kansas State is 0-6 on the road in the Big 12 this season.

Prediction

These two teams are too evenly matched to expect a series sweep by either school. Because this series is being played at OU, though, I believe the Sooners will take two of three and maybe move up in the conference standings with a 9-6 record. Next weekend, OU will face a major test in a series at No. 20 TCU.

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