Baseball Preview: Oklahoma (29-17-1) at Kansas (26-22)
by James Quinn
on May 2, 2008 12:14 PM CDT
in Baseball
vs. 
Kansas Jayhawks (26-22, 5-13) vs. Oklahoma (29-17-1, 6-11-1)
Final Score Game One: Kansas 17 - Oklahoma 15
Final Score Game Two: Kansas 13 - Oklahoma 10
Final Score Game Three: Kansas 9 - Oklahoma 4
Kansas hosts Oklahoma this weekend at Hoglund Park. This will be a very important series for both teams. Oklahoma enters the weekend in 7th place in the Big-12, but they only lead Kansas and Texas Tech by one and a half games. Only the top eight teams make the conference tournament. The post-season will very much be on the minds of both teams this weekend. The Sooners have a tougher remaining schedule than Kansas. They still must play in-state rival Oklahoma State. They cannot be counting on picking up more than one win vs. the Cowboys. I am sure the Sooners know that if they lose in Lawrence the Jayhawks will likely pass them in the standings before the season wraps. On the Kansas side this home series gives them an excellent opportunity to hurt one of the three teams with whom they are competing for the two remaining tournament invitations. This series has all the makings for a terrific weekend of college baseball.
Friday 6PM: Nick Czyz (2-5, 5.72 ERA) vs. Andrew Doyle (6-3, 3.84 ERA)
Saturday 2PM: Andres Esquibel (3-4, 4.68) vs. Jeremy Erben (1-1, 4.47)
Sunday 1PM: T.J. Walz (3-0, 4.17) vs. Ryan Duke (5-3, 3.06)
Media: KLWN AM-1320 will broadcast all three games live. For those outside the Lawrence area steaming audio and video will be available through this site.
Complete Oklahoma stats are located here. Jayhawk stats here.
Scouting Oklahoma
Oklahoma started the year very hot. They entered conference play with a 17-5 record. For me at least this made them one of the two surprise Big-12 teams. I kept waiting for their pitching staff to implode and for them to fall to a level closer my expectations. Despite their struggles in conference play this implosion never really happened. The Sooners have stumbled here and there, including one very embarrassing loss at home to Southern Nazarene, an NAIA opponent, but they have continued to play tough and score occasional upsets. Two recent examples: after losing the first two games vs. Missouri two weekends ago the Sooners stormed back on Sunday to rout the Tigers 22-4. In their first mid-week game since the loss to Southern Nazarene the Sooners pulled off an enormous upset by toppling Wichita State 12-11. OU needs to be taken seriously. The Hawks cannot expect to win this weekend if they are not playing at their highest level.
By the numbers, Oklahoma is hitting .314/.385/.469 and scoring 7.1 runs per game. This gives them an offensive edge over KU. The Sooners starting lineup does not give opponents easy innings. Eight of their nine regulars are dangerous. Only Matt Harughty has an OPS under .800. Oklahoma has a nice balance of power (42 home runs and a .469 team slugging average), speed (60/83 stolen bases) and patience (.385 team on base percentage).
The OU pitching staff also sports impressive numbers. Oklahoma surrenders just a bit over five runs a game, which is a bit better than the NCAA average. Two of the three starters KU will face this weekend (Duke and Doyle) have ERAs under four. The success of the staff does not come through power pitching, instead they hold opponents to a low batting average (.272) and minimize extra base hits (2.3 per game). One area of weakness is that the Sooners have not established an effective closer this year. Jake McCarter leads the team with 23 relief appearances and 9 saves. McCarter has an ERA of 6.60 and has given up nine homeruns in thirty innings.
Oklahoma's defense is below average. Their overall fielding percentage is .964. One other potential factor in this series, the great plains of Kansas. If the game time wind is anything like it has been over the last day KU might be able to exploit the OU "pitch to contact" staff approach. Any fly ball on a gusty day is dangerous. All three KU starters can adjust well to these conditions. Czyz has an excellent flyball/groundball ratio (0.6). This, combined with his high strikeout ratio (9.61 K/9), makes him an ideal pitcher for windy conditions. Esquibel has managed to keep his FB/GB ratio on the positive side as well (0.8), while Walz put together a brilliant start two weeks ago in Lincoln on a windy day.
Be sure to check out bkmhoxx' preview of Oklahoma prospects here in the comments section. Print out a copy and bring it to the game. OU has a few players with real shots at making the bigs.
I am looking forward to seeing some nice crowds at Hoglund this weekend. I should be able to make all three games. Eight of KU's ten remaining games are at home. Soak up as much baseball as you can over these next few weeks. When the season is over all our lives will be that much poorer.
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Oklahoma Pros & Prospects
Johnson was drafted in the 50th round in 06 by Colorado. He is a small guy with a great bat. This year he is hitting .371 with 4 HR, 18 RBI, 8 Doubles, 22 Walks and 23 K's. He also has a ton of speed and has stolen 16 bases. It appears he may have a little pop in his bat too. I will be anxious to see how his bat control is and to see his speed on the bases. I could see Johnson getting drafted (after next year) in the top 5 rounds if he can keep hitting for average, keep stealing a ton of bases and continue to progress with his power.
SR Mike Gosse 5'7, 160 OF/INF
Gosse is even smaller than Johnson and has really had a great year. Im a bit surprised he hasnt gotten more Ntl. attention. He is batting .392 with 5 HR, 40 RBI, 20 Doubles, 12 Walks and only 10 K's. This guy can rake and shows a lot of power potential as well. Im very intrigued to see a guy with such a small frame that can put up these numbers. I dont know why he wont be a sleeper draft pick for an MLB club, possibly as high as round 5.
SR Aljay Davis 5'8, 185 2B
Davis is yet ANOTHER very small OU player that has a very strong bat. He was drafted in the 29th round in 05 by the White Sox. He is batting .358 with 2 HR, 29 RBI, 16 Walks and 17 K's. He also has 10 steals so he does have good speed. I think he is a leadoff type guy and has little pop. He could be a mid round pick possibly somewhere in the 20th.
FR Casey Johnson 5'10, 188 OF
Johnson is only a freshman but is already proving to be a great player. He is approaching 100 at bats and has his average at .330 with 4 HR, 18 RBI, 4 Doubles, 9 Walks and 18 K's. Johnson looks to be a very good hitting player with some pop to develop. He has stuggled a bit more in the Big 12 season but i still am anxious to see him play.
With 3 years left before being draft eligible, its too early to guess a placement.
JR J.T. Wise 6'2, 200 C/INF
Wise was drafted in the 45th in 07 by Oakland. Wise is a transfer from baseball powerhouse LSU. He is batting .301 with 5 HR, 37 RBI, 15 Doubles, 11 Walks and 39 K's. Wise obviously strikes out too much but i think he has a lot of power that is untapped. If he can eventually turn some of those 15 doubles into HR's then this kid could be a monster. I will be watching his swing very close this weekend. It will be interesting to see his draft slot and if he comes back next year.
(FUN FACT: He is the great nephew of Yankee great, Bobby Richardson)
SO Aaron Baker 6'3, 225 C/1B
Baker is a big boy and has a very high ceiling. He has kind of gone through a bit of a sophomore slump after really dominating as a freshman. He was drafted in the 37th in 06 by the Twins. He is batting .281 with 5 HR, 44 RBI, 7 Doubles, 21 Walks and 28 K's. Baker knows how to draw the walk, needs to get his average back up and cut down on a few strikeouts, all while he continues to show flashes of his power. I would guess after a dominating Jr year, he will be one of the top First basemen in the nation and be selected in the top 3 rounds.
SO Spencer Selby 6'1, 200 INF
Selby has very good numbers for a sophomore that received zero looks from MLB teams. He is hitting .279 with 7 HR, 30 RBI, 5 Doubles, 10 Walks and 34 K's. Selby strikes out too much and needs to walk a bit more, but he is young. He has some nice power in his bat. He is a kid i know nothing about, so i will be keeping an eye on him close to see if this is a fluke.
SO Andrew Doyle 6'3, 210 RHP
Doyle is the starter in tonights game. He was drafted in the 39th in 06 by Washington. He has a good pitchers frame and appears to have good control. He has a 3.84 ERA in 70.1 innings, 50 K's, only 28 Walks and has given up 71 hits. His stats would say he is hittable but also does a good job of staying out of trouble. I will see what he throws tonight.
FR Ryan Duke 6'0, 160 RHP
Duke is having a crazy good year for a freshman. He will be the Sunday starter and at this point im not sure if i can make the Sunday game so i may not be able to scout Duke. I would guess he is a skinny kid that has good pitches or can throw some decent heat. He has a 3.06 ERA in 50 innings, 42 K's, 20 Walks and 50 hits. It appears he must have some dominant stuff but goes through spurts where he is very hittable. We shall see.
SO Jeremy Erben 6'0 200 RHP
Erben was drafted in the 41st in 06 by the Reds. Erben is a power pitcher with a 4.47 ERA in 52.1 innings, 36 K's, 29 Walks and 39 hits. He is tough to hit but also loses his command at times and gives up the big inning. He pitches Saturday and i will be curious to see what pitches he brings to the table.
SR Ryan Mottern 6', 195 RHP
Mottern was drafted in the 49th in 06 by Cleveland. Mottern has been dominating Big 12 play from the pen although his overall numbers show some weaknesses. He has a 4.50 ERA in 18 innings, 24 K's, 9 Walks and 16 hits. We should see Mottern at least once this weekend. I think he has something to offer.
SO Chase Anderson 6'1, 175 RHP
Anderson looks to be a skinny kid with some good stuff. He has a 4.50 ERA in 42 innings, 40 K's, 21 Walks and 38 hits. He is a guy that hasnt received much attention but i really like his numbers.
SR Jake McCarter 6'2, 205 RHP
McCarter has been drafted 4 times. In the 40th in 03 by the Reds, In the 28th in 04 by the Yankees, in the 39th in 05 by Washington and in the 45th in 06 by Boston. To be drafted that many times, you have to have something that really translates to the next level. He has a 6.60 ERA and has really struggled in the Big 12. He is usually the closer but doesnt appear to be very dominant. He has 19 K's in 30 innings with 6 walks and 35 hits. It looks like he attacks the stirke zone and has had some very tough outings. I will be watching to see what is ailing him.
FR Antwonie Hubbard 6'3. 210 RHP
Hubbard is a big boy and was drafted in the 12th in 06 by Tampa Bay. He chose college and appears to be very dominant but he hasnt been playing so im guessing he is unjured. He has a 3.20 ERA in 19.2 innings with 24 K's, 14 Walks and 15 hits. I will see what i can dig up on Hubbard.
JR Stephen Porlier 6'3, 210 RHP
Polier was drafted in the 21st last year and trasfered from Tulane. Im pretty sure he has undergone labrum surgery so i hope he can recover. He is a special pitcher with a lot of talent.
See you at the ballpark!
Beak Em Hawks!
by bkmhoxx on May 2, 2008 5:06 PM CDT 0 recs
Final Score: Kansas 17 - Oklahoma 15
RCT's sister Oklahoma blog, The Crimson and Creme Machine, are following the series as well. It got off to a hell of a start last night.
by James Quinn on May 3, 2008 9:57 AM CDT 0 recs
Final Score Game Two: Kansas 13 - Oklahoma 10
by James Quinn on May 3, 2008 5:29 PM CDT 0 recs
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