OU Weekly Sport Notes - May 12

A weekly look at the news and notes surrounding the University of Oklahoma athletics...

BASEBALL (31-21-1 overall, 8-15-1 Big 12)

Last Week: OU was 2-1 last week and started things off with a 6-4 loss to Kansas State at home on Friday.  The Sooners rebounded in games two and three of the series and combined for 20 runs to claim the series victory.  OU won game two, 10-5, behind Andrew Doyle’s pitching performance and Aaron Baker’s four RBIs.  On Sunday, OU closed things out with a 10-2 win and again received a strong start on the mound as Ryan Duke held KSU scoreless for the first seven innings.

This Week: The Sooners will return to action next weekend to play No. 8 Oklahoma State in the Ford Bedlam Series.  The series opener will take place at Drillers Stadium in Tulsa at 7:30 p.m. before the series shifts to Oklahoma City on Saturday and Sunday.  Game two is slated for a 7:35 p.m. first pitch on Saturday at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark and the series will conclude on Sunday at 4 p.m.

Notes: Trey Sperring extended his season-best hitting streak to 10 games on Sunday and has hit safely in 15 of the last 16 contests ... OU has scored 10 or more runs in five of the last six games ... J.T. Wise has driven in 12 runs in the last eight games after his four RBI performance on Sunday ... J.T. Wise and Mike Gosse each drove in five runs off six hits in the KSU series and combined for three homers over the weekend ... OU finished 21-10 in games played at L. Dale Mitchell Park in 2008.

Web: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-basebl/okla-m-basebl-body.html

SOFTBALL (43-12)

Last Week: The second-seeded Sooners dropped their first game of the Big 12 Championship on Saturday as they lost to 10th-seeded Nebraska, 6-5, in the quarterfinals.  Junior Samantha Ricketts earned All-Tournament honors as she went 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI against Nebraska.  

This Week: Oklahoma will be hosting the Norman Regional this weekend at the OU Softball Complex.  The Sooners are the No. 10 overall seed in the country and will be joined by Arkansas, Tulsa and Oregon in the four-team regional in Norman.  Oklahoma is the top seed in the regional followed by Arkansas, Tulsa and Oregon.  The regional is double elimination and will begin on Friday and end on Sunday at the OU Softball Complex.  Game times have been set for the Friday contest as OU will face Oregon at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night and Arkansas and Tulsa will meet at 5 p.m. in the first contest.

Notes: Oklahoma is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament ... For the second straight year Oklahoma has been selected as one of the top 16 national seeds in the tournament ... The winner of the Norman Regional will match up with the winner of the Hempstead Regional between No. 7 Arizona, Hofstra, Long Island and Canisius in the Super Regionals (May 23-25) ... Oklahoma has faced all three teams in the Norman Regional this season and lost at least one game to each of them.  However, Oklahoma split with Arkansas and Tulsa ... Senior Savannah Long was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week while seven Sooners earned All-Big 12 recognition ... Long, D.J. Mathis, Samantha Ricketts, Lindsey Vandever and Amber Flores earned first team All-Big 12 honors while Susan Ogden and Lauren Eckermann picked up second-team honors.

Promotions: The Athletics Ticket Office will begin selling public tickets to the NCAA Softball Regional at 8 am on Monday, May 12. Tickets will be sold as all-session packages until the start of Regional action on Friday, May 16. Ticket prices are as follows: Reserved all session - $40, General Admission all session - $25, Youth all session (ages 2-12) - $20. Children 1 and under are admitted free of charge.

Once the tournament begins, all tickets must be claimed at the OU Softball Complex. Single session tickets will be sold based upon availability beginning Friday, May 16 at the OU Softball Complex approximately two hours prior to the first game. Single session prices are as follows: Reserved - $15, General Admission - $10, Youth - $8. However, due to anticipated demand, fans are encouraged to purchase all-session tickets in advance to guarantee their opportunity to take part in the NCAA Regional.

Web: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/051108aac.html

TRACK & FIELD

Last Week: The University of Oklahoma Track and Field program closed out the 2008 regular season at home Saturday with the 2008 Sooner Twilight.  OU athletes recorded 12 NCAA Regional qualifying marks just five days before heading to Boulder, Colo., for the 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

This Week: Regular-season action comes to a close with the Sooner Twilight.  The 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships are next, May 16-18, in Boulder, Colo.  The OU men are defending Big 12 outdoor champions.  Shardae Boutte (triple jump), Scottesha Miller (long jump) and Marcus Pugh (100-meter dash) all return this season to defend their 2007 conference titles.

Notes: Amy Backel recorded a personal best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the women's shot put en route to a title in the event ... Latoya Greaves and Latoya Heath finished 1-2 in the women's 100-meter hurdles ... Heath also took first in the women's triple jump with a season-best jump of 42-4.00 (12.90) ... OU women swept the top four spots in the long jump as Ti'Anca Mock, Scottesha Miller, Carli Wester and Dominique Jacobs finished in that order ... Marcus Pugh recorded the fastest time, 10.38, in the men's 100-meter dash to win the event ... Zach Dawson posted an NCAA Regional qualifying time in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.28 en route to finishing first in the event. 

Web: http://soonersports.com/sports/c-track/recaps/051008aaa.html


MEN’S GOLF

Last Week: The University of Oklahoma men's golf team concluded its regular season with a ninth-place finish at the 17th annual Perry Maxwell Intercollegiate in Ardmore, Okla., on Sunday.  The Sooners shot a final-round team score of 289 (+9) at the par-70, 6,453-yard Dornick Hills Country Club.

This Week: OU returns to action May 15-17 at the NCAA West Regional in Bremerton, Wash., at the Gold Mountain Golf Club. The Sooners will battle the field for one of 10 spots into the NCAA Championship.

Notes: Leading the way for the Sooners at The Maxwell was freshman Liam Logan who finished 27th after rounds of 72, 72 and 74 (+8).

Web: http://soonersports.com/sports/m-golf/recaps/051108aaa.html

WOMEN’S GOLF

Last Week: The University of Oklahoma women's golf team closed out one of the most successful seasons in school history Saturday, finishing with a 303 (+15) in the final round of the NCAA Championships West Regional in Lincoln, Calif. The 14th-seeded Sooners placed 15th at the 6,338-yard, par-72 Orchard Course at Lincoln Hills Golf Club with a three-round score of 905 (+41).

Notes: Freshman Ellen Mueller was the Sooners’ top finisher in California, tying for 22nd place. Her three-day score of 221 (+5) marked the best 54-hole tournament of her young career … Junior Kendall Dye closed with a final-round 73 (+1) Saturday to tie for 35th place and carded the Sooners' best score for the second straight day. Dye finished with a three-round total of 223 (+7) … Senior Kelly Jacques ended her OU career with a 78 (+6) in the third round at Lincoln Hills. Jacques, one of the most successful players in school history, finished in a tie for 69th place at 229 (+13) … Heather Wright also played the final round of her Sooner career on Saturday. The senior from Houston, Texas, fired a 77 (+5) to finish in a tied for 80th place at 232 (+16) … Ryanne Elmer had the best round of her week Saturday, posting a final-round 82 (+10). The sophomore from Edmond, Okla., finished in 107th place at 252 (+36) … OU finished the 2007-08 season with three tournament victories, tied for the most in school history. The Sooners' run included their first victory at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic in Norman since 2004, and the school's first NCAA Regional appearance since 2004.

Web: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/w-golf/recaps/051108aaa.html