No. 4 Oklahoma (40-7, 14-4 Big 12) looks to guarantee at least a share of the Big 12 title this weekend as it hosts No. 8/10 Texas (40-8, 14-6) in a series that could determine the 2012 Big 12 Champion. The Sooners and the Longhorns sit in first and second, respectively, in the Big 12 standings entering the three-game series that begins on Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m. before the two teams wrap up the series Sunday at 12 p.m.
Friday and Saturday’s games will be televised statewide on by the Sooner Sports Network on Cox Channel 3 and 703 HD with Chad McKee and Kenny Mossman calling the action. Sunday’s game will be on ESPN with Pam Ward and Michelle Smith on the call.
With six games remaining, OU enters the series first in the Big 12, 14-4, while Texas sits in second with a record of 14-6. Missouri is currently third in the league at 14-7. Following the Oklahoma series, Texas has just one Big 12 game remaining, vs. Baylor, while Missouri hosts Oklahoma State for a three-game series.
Oklahoma’s pitching staff continues to sport the nation’s top ERA, 0.99, while the team is the Big 12’s second best hitting team with a cumulative batting average of .315. Texas leads the Big 12 and is sixth nationally with a batting average of .338 while ranking fourth in the Big 12 with an ERA of 2.27.
OU leads the Big 12 and is fourth nationally with 71 home runs and has six players with at least five home runs led by Big 12 leader Lauren Chamberlain who broke the OU single season record for home runs with two last week to up her total to 22 this season. The freshman also leads the Big 12 in runs batted in (58), total bases (124) and slugging percentage (.886). Keilani Ricketts leads the Sooners with a batting average of .385 and leads the Big 12 with an on base percentage of .535.
In the circle, the Sooners are led by the one-two punch of Ricketts (25-6) and Michelle Gascoigne (14-1). The two rank second (0.97) and fourth (1.12), respectively, among Big 12 pitchers for ERA in all games while ranking second (1.16) and first (1.12), respectively, in conference only games. Ricketts ranks second nationally in ERA, hits allowed per seven innings (3.68) and strikeouts per seven innings (10.9) while ranking third in strikeouts (305).
The Longhorns are led at the plate by Lexy Bennett with an average of .400. All nine of UT’s starters are hitting at least .306 as the team leads the Big 12 in hits, triples, RBIs and total bases. Taylor Hoagland leads the team with 15 of its 54 home runs this season.
In the circle, Blaire Luna (17-3) and Rachel Fox (12-0) pace the Longhorns with respective ERAs of 2.22 and 2.04. Luna is fourth in the Big 12 with 192 strikeouts this season.
This post was edited by James Hale on 5/3/2012 at 8:50 AM
Go get em Sooners. Should be a great series. Interesting that the top 2 horn pitchers have only 3 losses between them while the team has 8 losses, including 6 in the Big 12.
Mizzou won 2 of 3 from the whorns in Austin so hopefully that bodes well for us. I think Patty knows what's at stake this weekend and will have them pumped! If we win at least 2 of 3, we'll more than likely win the conference title as we will only have 3 games left at last place Iowa State and would have a 3 game lead. Boomer Sooner!
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