The Basics
Game #24
Oral Roberts (15-8, 4-2) vs. No. 9 Oklahoma (20-3, 4-2)
Dates: Mar. 24^th | 6:00 p.m.
Location: Chapman Park (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Watch: Summit League Network | LiveStats: Sidearm LiveStats
 
Tulsa, Okla. – The Oral Roberts baseball team welcomes their second ranked opponent to Chapman Park as they face off with the 9^th ranked team in the country, the Oklahoma Sooners.
 
 The Golden Eagles completed their second series sweep of the year this past weekend against Omaha defeating the Mavericks 10-1, 10-0 (F/7), and 5-3.  ORU got multiple quality starts from Easton Teel throwing 7.0 innings striking out a career high 8 Friday night, and then Nathan Love tossing six scoreless innings Saturday afternoon.
 
Oklahoma comes off a series win over Mississippi State at home taking two of three from the Bulldogs improving to 4-2 in their first season in the SEC.  They have also taken two of three from South Carolina earlier in the season to open conference play. 
 
This is the first of two meetings between the Golden Eagles and the Sooners as ORU will head down to Norman to finish off a nine-game road trip on April 22^nd.  Oral Roberts is 9-6 against OU at home and 6-14 on the road.
 
Pitching Matchup: 
RHP Luke Puffinbarger (0-1, 5.40) v. RHP Jacob Gholston (6.75, 1-0)
 
Inside the Series:
Oral Roberts trails the all-time series 20-16 with the Sooners losing two of three matchups with Oklahoma last season.  The two teams last met in the Norman Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament where the Sooners were victorious 14-0, but the Golden Eagles got the better of OU last time out in Tulsa winning 3-1.  ORU is 4-6 in their last 10 meetings with the Sooners. 
 
Quick Hits: 
-           ORU toppled OU last time out in Tulsa by a final of 3-1
-           The Golden Eagles are 3-2 in mid-week games, both losses to then No. 3 Arkansas
-           Head Coach Ryan Folmar is now 15 wins away from becoming the all-time winningest coach in ORU Baseball history (429 wins)
 
Scouting the Opponent:
The Oklahoma Sooners come into this matchup ranked ninth in the country coming off of a series win over Mississippi State.  OU is 20-3 overall and has only lost one non-conference game to then No. 21 Dallas Baptist 11-0 in seven innings. 
 
Oklahoma is led in batting average by Trey Gambill at .356 with seven RBIs.  He does not strike out much, only six times to 19 walks.  Jaxon Willits highlights the lineup with a .326 average and a team-leading seven homers and 23 RBIs.  The Sophomore had hits in all three games against the Bulldogs with one homer and four runs driven in.  Overall this is a lineup that likes to run stealing 64 bases on 75 attempts this season ranking 8th in the country.  The Sooners hit .299 as a team, 68^th in the country, and have hit 27 homers, tied for 86^th in the country.
 
The Sooners' pitching staff is led by right-hander Kyson Witherspoon with a 5-1 record and 1.80 ERA, ranking 27^th in the country, punching out 58 in 35.0 innings of work.  However, the last time OU played a mid-week game it was a bullpen day started by lefty Cameron Johnson who only threw one inning.  Johnson is 2-0 with a 5.59 ERA this season in six appearances all being starts.  Oklahoma's team ERA sits at 4.10 ranked 40^th in the nation and have struck out 236 batters, equating to 10.6 strikeouts per nine, which ranks 21^st in the country. 
 
Oklahoma was picked to finish 11^th in the SEC in the pre-season coaches poll getting 101 votes and zero first-place votes.  They've played the 77^th hardest schedule in the country with an opponent record of 251-216.  The Sooners' best wins include Mississippi State (twice), South Carolina (twice), then No. 7 Oregon State, and then No. 2 Virginia.   

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