Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma baseball: What this weekend’s Bedlam series means for Sooners

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma infielder Dakota Harris (10) celebrates after home run during a college baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners at OÕBrate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
Oklahoma infielder Dakota Harris (10) celebrates after home run during a college baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners at OÕBrate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. /
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A month ago, Skip Johnson’s Oklahoma baseball team was mired in last place in the Big 12 and looking down the barrel of a giant slide backwards after ending the previous season as national runner-up in the College World Series.

Prior to sweeping a three-game series with then Big 12-leading Texas in late April, the Sooners stood at 19-19 overall and 4-8 in conference action. Since then, however, OU has gone 10-3 to improve to 29-22 overall and is 10-11 in the Big 12 and in a tie for 6th place with Texas Tech.

OU hosts in-state rival Oklahoma State in a three-game series in Norman this weekend that closes out the regular season and with a lot riding for both teams in terms of postseason implications. That said, however, the stakes are much higher for the host Sooners.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State (35-15, 13-8) have met 312 times on the baseball diamond, including once earlier this season. The Cowboys lead the overall series 166-146 and are 26-25 when playing the Sooners in Norman. Oklahoma State won the earlier game this season, a midweek nonconference contest played in Stillwater, in a 19-8 slugfest.

This is the first time since 1982 that all three games in a Bedlam baseball series have been played in Norman.

Oklahoma currently sits at No. 35 in the Division I baseball RPI and needs to do well and probably win a game or two next week in the Big 12 Tournament to make the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament. What the Sooners can least afford is an Oklahoma State sweep.

What fans need to know about the OU-OSU Bedlam series this weekend

  • This will be a Thursday, Friday, Saturday series.
  • OSU’s best hitter is Tyler Wulfert with a .364 batting average, .410 on-base percentage and .705 slugging percentage. Roc Riggio wields the best power bat in the OSU lineup with 17 home runs and 54 RBI.
  • Kendall Pettis leads the Sooners in hitting with a .336 batting average and a .460 on-base percentage. Bryce Madron is the team home-run leader with 11 and 43 runs batted in.
  • OU’s probable starters on the mound for the Bedlam series are left-hander Braden Carmichael (6-0, 3.73 ERA), right-hander Braxton Douthit (4-4, 4.77 ERA) and left-hancer James Hitt (5-0, 4.05 ERA).

Tale of the tape

OU                      Oklahoma State

Batting average:            .286                         .310

Scoring:                             6.84                         8.76

On-base %:                       .406                        .412

Slugging %:                       .433                        .563

ERA:                                   5.79                        5.34

Fielding %:                        .979                        9.70

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