BEDLAM! OU vs OSU Series Preview
The two rivals have a lot on the line this last weekend of the regular season.
“Bedlam” - for those on either side of the OU/OSU rivalry that word conjures up so many feelings. No matter the sport, both Sooners fans and Cowboys fans tend to perk up a little more than when their teams play other teams.
That is no different with this weekend’s series between the Crimson & Cream and the Orange & Black when they play a 3 game set in Norman.
Big 12 Conference Ramifications
There is more on the line during this series than bragging rights. Where each team finishes in the Big 12 and subsequently where they are seeded in the Big 12 Tournament next week will be determined.
As you can see, OSU still has a chance to win the conference. If OSU sweeps OU and West Virginia gets swept by Texas, the Cowboys will win the conference outright.
If OSU ends up in a tie with the Mountaineers, the Cowboys would be the #1 seed in Arlington next week based on their series win over WVU.
For OU, the Sooners could finish anywhere from 2nd to 7th. There are too many scenarios to go over, so just trust us when we say that.
At The Plate
Looking at the offensive stats, these 2 squads couldn’t be more different.
OSU relies on its big bats to produce runs. They score and average of 8.76 runs/game! The Cowboys are slashing .310/.412/.563 as a team for a whopping .985 OPS. They have belted 94 HRs on the year with 409 of their 438 total runs being driven in.
The Cowboys have 4 players that qualify statistically (minimum of 2 PA/G and 75% games played) that have OPS over 1.000. (Two more are .900 or above.) The are led at the plate by Roc Riggio who is slashing .361/.489/.760 with 17 HR and 54 RBI. Nolan Schubart isn’t too far being Riggio. The freshman is slashing .347/.463/.682 with 14 bombs and 60 RBIs.
The Sooners get it done at the plate very differently. They score a respectable 6.35 runs/game. It’s how they get there that is different. OU is slashing .286/.406/.433 as a team for an OPS of .839. They have 44 HRs on the year with 316 RBIs.
An advantage that OU has over the Cowboys is on the base paths. OU has stolen more bases (102) than OSU has attempted (56).
Leading the way for the Sooners at the plate is Bryce Madron. The 2022 NJCAA POY is slashing .314/.478/.578 for an OPS of 1.056. Madron has hit 11 HRs with 43 RBIs. Dakota Harris is also having a big year for OU. He’s slashing .333/.406/.553 (.959 OPS). He has 7 bombs with 43 HRs.
What the offensive numbers don’t tell about the Sooners is how they’ve missed several key players due to injury during the season. Kendall Pettis (6), Easton Carmichael (9), Rocco Garza-Gongora (6), Wallace Clark (12), Dakota Harris (14) have missed a total of 47 games between them. It isn’t out of the question to think OU would have better numbers and some more wins if those players were healthy and didn’t miss all those games.
On the Mound
These 2 teams have had similar results from their pitching staffs. OSU’s team ERA is 5.34 while OU’s is 5.79. OSU’s WHIP is 1.50 while OU’s is 1.58. OSU has had a little better command as their K/BB is 514/203 while OU’s is 368/230.
Juaron Watts-Brown and OU transfer, Ben Abram have been the workhorses for the Cowboys. Watts-Brown has logged 67.2 IP in 13 starts while Abram has 58 IP in 14 appearances with 11 of them starts.
Isaac Stebens has been a stud for the Cowboys out of the bullpen. In 24 appearances, his has pitched 52 innings with a 2.60 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.
OU has had a “time” finding it’s weekend starters during the season, but they have settled on Braxton Douthit, Braden Carmichael, and James Hitt over the last month or so. Douthit has the most innings pitched for the Sooners at 66 (4.77 ERA), and the most starts (13). Carmichael has 60.1 IP in 15 appearances with 8 of them starts, but has the team’s lowest ERA at 3.73.
Outlook
These games are so hard to predict. OSU has been the better and more consistent of the 2 teams this season. But OU is 10-3 since their midweek loss to OSU in Stillwater on April 18.
The Sooners’ starting pitching has settled into a groove. So it comes down to which bullpen will show up for OU. Will it be the shut down pen or the pen that throws BP to the opposing team?
The Sooners fan in me says OU sweeps, but the unbiased, realistic observer in me says that won’t be the case. I do think the games will be close with OSU winning 2 of 3.
(I hope I’m wrong.)