Oklahoma has a huge road series this weekend at Kansas State. The Sooners are sitting .500 in conference play (6-6) so a series win would come in pretty handy this week and a sweep of the (20-22, 5-7) Wildcats would be down right spectacular.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: OU RHP Nathan Wiles (6-2, 3.71 ERA) vs. KSU RHP Griffin Hassall (2-1, 2.33 ERA)
Saturday: OU LHP Levi Prater (6-3, 2.20 ERA) vs. KSU RHP Caleb Littlejim (4-1, 3.76 ERA)
Sunday: OU RHP Ben Abram (6-1, 3.10 ERA) vs. KSU LHP Jordan Wicks (5-1, 2.52 ERA)
Series History
Oklahoma and Kansas State have played 229 times. OU leads the series, 168-61.
The Sooners have won the last four meetings and eight of the last nine, including a three-game sweep last season in Norman.
OU has won two of three games in its last two trips to Manhattan (2015 and 2017). KSU won two of three games in 2011 and 2013.
Getting It Done In The Field
Oklahoma ranks 15th in the country with a 3.26 team ERA. The Sooners rank 17th in the country in double plays (38), 25th in triples (14), 21st in shutouts (4) and 14th in fielding percentage (.980).
OU has allowed three or fewer runs in 23 of 42 games this season, and allowed one or zero runs 13 times.
Oklahoma’s starting pitchers have a combined 2.94 ERA and have struck out 219 batters and allowed 199 hits in 229.1 innings.
On The Watch Lists
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 .272 with a team-high 35 runs scored and is third on the team with 25 RBIs. He has totaled seven doubles and 30 walks and posted a .960 fielding percentage in 173 chances. He is on a nine-game hitting streak and has reached base in each of his last 15 contests.
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 3.10 ERA in 10 starts, with 47 strikeouts to 10 walks and a .234 opponent batting average in 52.1 innings.
Junior Jason Ruffcorn is on the Stopper of the Year award mideseason update. He earned saves in both the Saturday and Sunday wins last week at Minnesota. He leads the Big 12 and ranks seventh nationally in saves (10). He also leads the league and ranks ninth nationally with 24 appearances.
Oh, What A First
Junior out fielder 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. He then drove in three runs in OU’s 9-4 win at Wichita State on Tuesday. He has 17 RBIs on the season, six of which have come in the last two games. Harlan, a December 2018 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.
Mr. Automatic
Sophomore first baseman Tyler Hardman has reached base in 14 straight games. He leads the Sooners with a .320 batting average, 33 RBIs, five home runs, 11 doubles, 17 multiple hit games and eight multiple RBI games.
Scouting The Wildcats And A Familiar Face
Kansas State is in its first year under head coach Pete Hughes, who has led the Wildcats to a 20-22 record this season. Hughes is the former head coach at Oklahoma, where he posted a 128-107-1 record from 2014-17.
The Wildcats have won seven of its last 10 games, including two of three games each of the last two weekends at Texas and at home against TCU. KSU won 9-2 at Omaha on Tuesday.
KSU is hitting .261 as a team, and averaging 4.95 runs and 2.8 extra base hits per game. Zach Kokoska leads the team with a .329 batting average and has six home runs, 26 RBIs and 28 runs scored. Will Brennan is hitting .306 with 13 doubles, 24 RBIs and 29 runs scored.
Kansas State has a 5.21 team ERA and 353 strikeouts against 180 walks in 366.0 innings.