RETURNER PROFILES RETURNER PROFILES

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1 THE PROGRAM A summary of the tradition established by Oklahoma baseball including two National Championships, nine College World Series Appearances, Sooners in Major League Baseball, the coaching staff, facilities, the Bedlam Rivalry, Media Attention, Community Service, the university and academics SEASON OUTLOOK A preview of the 008 season. Oklahoma opens the year at UCLA on Feb. and the home opener is slated for Feb. 6. Also included in this section is a breakdown of the Sooners by position and a projected depth chart and the services provided by the OU Athletics Media Relations office. OKLAHOMA STAFF A closer look at the people who run the Sooner baseball program, including the coachesand support staff. Sunny Golloway is entering his third full season as the head coach after taking over at the end of the 005 season. He is joined by third-year assistant coach Tim Tadlock and first-year assistant coach Mike Bell. Each of the 14 returning players from the 007 squad are highlighted with complete bios, including freshman All- American Aaron Baker. Six seniors will look to lead OU back into the postseason after narrowly missing the program s 31st appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 007. NEWCOMER PROFILES Complete bios on each of the 18 newcomers. The 008 roster is filled with plenty of fresh faces, including transfers Jake McCarter (Alabama) and J.T. Wise (Louisiana State). In addition, several other newcomers are expected to compete for starting jobs on opening day, two of whom are freshmen. THE OPPONENTS The Sooners will face 10 opponents that participated in last year s NCAA Tournament, including five 007 Super Regional teams (UCLA, Rice, Wichita State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State). In addition, 9 home games at L. Dale Mitchell Park highlight the schedule. 007 REVIEW Oklahoma narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 003 after finishing the season with a 34-4 overall record. The Sooners finished seventh in the Big 1 regular season standings with an mark and went -1 in the 007 Phillips 66 Big 1 Championship. HISTORY Review the complete history that t has helped OU establish itself as one of the premier collegiate baseball programs in the nation. OU is one of 13 schools to win multiple national titles and it also ranks in the top 15 among College World Series appearances and victories.

2 BRYANT HERNANDEZ Sophomore INF R/R Oxnard, Calif. - St. Bonaventure H.S Totals [FRESHMAN]: Played in 33 games and started 15 games at shortstop (two at third base) Five of his 11 hits came in three games played against Missouri Drove in a season-high two RBIs against Missouri in Big 1 Championship, both off his first career home run Put together a season-high three-game hitting streak from May 1 through May 14 and finished the span 5-for-11 at the plate. Three-year letterwinner at Saint Bonaventure High School under Raul Camacho... Batted.40 with 17 stolen bases as a senior... All-State silver slugger award and all-area team as a senior... Four-time all-county and three-time all-league honoree... Hit.433 with 8 runs and 18 stolen bases as a junior... Area Code Games participant in 005. Full name is Bryant Albert Hernandez... Born March 5, 1985, in Oxnard, Calif.... Parents are Albert and Cecilia Hernandez... Business major. HERNANDEZ BY THE NUMBERS 17 Hernandez made 17 starts as a freshman with 15 of them coming at shortstop. The Camarillo, Calif., native also made two starts at third base, one of seven Sooners to receive a start at that position. 3 Hernandez s longest hitting streak (3) was from May He was 5-for-11 in the three game span. Other career highs include: Runs: 1, 8 times, last vs. Missouri on May 3. Walks: 1, 5 times, last vs. Texas Tech on April 0 Hernandez had a career-high two hits at Missouri on May 1 and May 13. His career high for RBIs is also two, set against Missouri on May 3 in the Big 1 Championship. 76

3 51 MIKE GOSSE 5 Senior INF/OF L/R Pitt Meadows, B.C. - New Mexico J.C Totals [JUNIOR]: Started 14 games as a designated hitter in 007 Hit first career home run against TCU on April 3 Had five multiple-hit games in 18 starts... Hit.500 with bases loaded on the season Hit.389 (7-for-18) during a season-high six-game hitting streak from March 14 to March 5. JUNIOR COLLEGE: Played two years at New Mexico Junior College under Ray Birmingham... Hit.483 with 69 RBIs and was named a 006 first team All-American... Hit.468 with 78 RBIs and helped lead team to junior college national championship in 005. Four-year letterwinner at Pitt Meadows Secondary High School under Bill Green... Hit.415 as a senior and garnered all-province honors... Team won conference his senior year and also placed second at the provincials. Full name is Michael Patrick Gosse... Born May 30, 1986, in British Columbia... Parents are Mike and Susan Gosse... Has one brother, Nick ()... Health and exercise science major. GOSSE BY THE NUMBERS 18 Gosse made 14 starts as the Sooners designated hitter in 007. Three of his four starts in the field came at second base and the other occurred in left field. 6 Gosse enjoyed a season-long six-game hitting streak from March 14 through March 5. In the six games, Gosse hit.389 (7-for-18) and drove in one run off his first career triple against UTPA. Gosse s career high for hits, RBIs and runs scored is two. He had four two-hit games (last vs. Nebraska on April 14) in 007 and two two- RBI games (last vs. OSU on May 4). On two occasions, Gosse scored two runs in a game (last vs. TCU on April 3). 77

4 ALJAY DAVIS 8 Senior OF/INF R/R Lakewood, Calif. - N.E. Oklahoma A&M Totals SUMMER 007: Started summer on the Bourne Braves roster of the Cape Cod League... Did not play due to back injury. 007 [JUNIOR]: Started season opener... All 55 starts came at second base... Recorded a.97 clip with 15 RBIs in Big 1 play... Hit out of the Sooners leadoff spot in 36 games... Reached base in 46 percent of leadoff opportunities... Put together a nine-game hitting streak, a season high, from Feb. 9 through March 3 with 1 hits and five RBIs... Collected hits in 13 of the first 15 games of the season, with multiple-hit performances in five contests... Finished the season ranked fifth on the team with 19 multiple-hit games... Drove in multiple runs against Western Illinois (Feb. 4), Dallas Baptist (March 0), Texas (March 4) and Kansas State (April 1)... Finished DBU game with two hits and three RBIs... Six RBIs against Kansas State was a season high among all Sooners and marked the first time a Sooner drove in six or more runs since Chris Ebright had nine RBIs on March 8, 1987, against Oklahoma City. SUMMER 006: Played for the Denton Outlaws of the Texas Collegiate League and was named the league s Most Valuable Player. JUNIOR COLLEGE: Played two years in the infield under Roger Ward at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M... Preseason All-American in in Two-time first team All-Region player... Hit.404 with 3 stolen bases in 006 and.454 with 46 stolen bases in 005. Three-year letterwinner at Lakewood High School under Spud O Neil... Hit.500 as a senior and stole 6 bases en route to being named to the All-California team and earning conference most valuable player honor... Also placed on the All-CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) team and All-Moore League team. DAVIS BY THE NUMBERS Full name is Aljay Marshall Davis... Born May 17, 1986, in Los Angeles, Calif.... Parents are Ralph and Agnes Davis... Drafted in the 9th round of the 005 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago White Sox... Majoring in multidisciplinary studies The Sooners second baseman in 007 will move from the No. 4 spot on the field to the No. 8 position in center field in 008. Davis was recruited by OU as a center fielder out of N.E. Oklahoma A&M. Davis became the first Sooner to drive in six or more runs since Chris Ebright had nine RBIs (March 8, 1987 vs. Oklahoma City) when he had six RBIs and four hits, both career highs, vs. Kansas State on April 1. Davis stole a season-high three bases on Feb. 3 vs. UTPA. He finished 007 ranked third on the team with 17 stolen bases and is OU s top returning stealer in 008. Other career highs include: Runs: 3, vs. UC Riverside on March ; Hit Streak: 9, Feb. 9-March 3.

5 51 ZACH HEDGES 10 Sophomore INF R/R Bentonville, Ark. - Bentonville H.S Totals SUMMER 007: Played for the Moses Lake Pirates of the West Coast Collegiate League... Named to the league s all-star game and finished the season with a.70 average and 11 RBIs. 007 [FRESHMAN]: One of seven Sooners to start at third base in Made 10 starts at the corner position (all Big 1 games), making first career start at Kansas State on April 0... Was errorless in eight of 10 starts at third... Collected first career hit at Kansas State on April 1... Finished game with two hits... Drove in first run on April 7 versus Kansas... Also had two-hit games against Kansas on April 7 and 8. Four-year letterwinner at Bentonville High School under Todd Abbott... Hit. 435 with 1 homers and 170 RBIs over career... Named to All-State team after hitting.410 his senior year with 46 RBIs conference player of the year and MVP of the all-star game... Posted a.361 batting average, 45 RBIs, and.589 on-base percentage his junior year en route to All-State honors... Tabbed the state s best sophomore player and named to the All-State team after hitting.505 with 44 RBIs... Team won conference championship in 006. Full name is Zach Shon Hedges... Born Dec., 1987, in Little Rock, Ark.... Parents are Stan and Darbie Hedges... Has one brother, Jacob (13)... Also lettered two years in basketball... Business major. HEDGES BY THE NUMBERS 5 Hedges reached base safely in his first five games with four walks and six hits. The freshman was also errorless at third base in his first five contests. 1 On three occasions in 007, Hedges collected two hits in a game, a season high. The last time was versus Kansas on April 8. Other career highs include: Runs: 3, vs. Kansas State (April 1); Hit Streak:, April 7-8 Hedges was one of four true freshmen to make a start last season for the Sooners. Remaining from that group in 008 are Aaron Baker and Bryant Hernandez. 79

6 ANTWONIE HUBBARD 11 RS-Freshman RHP R/R Hooks, Texas - Hooks H.S. YEAR ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO B 3B HR BF B/AVG. WP HBP SFA SHA / Totals / [FRESHMAN]: Received a medical redshirt after making one appearance against Texas-Pan American on March 14. SUMMER 006: Played for the Texarkana American Legion Indians and finished Four-year letterwinner at Hooks High School under Michael Ruth... Tossed five shutouts and three no-hitters as senior... Finished final year with a 5-1 record and a 0.43 ERA with 10 strikeouts and earned second team All-State honors... District MVP (005 and 006) and all-area offensive player of the year as a senior first team all-district... Team won district in 005 and 006. Full name is Antwonie O Keith Hubbard (pronounced ANN-twon)... Born July 30, 1988, in Texarkana, Texas... Parents are Fabian and Taura Hubbard... Also earned three letters in football and basketball first-team all-district quarterback second team alldistrict in basketball... Member of the National Honor Society and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class... Plans to major in human relations... Drafted in the 1th round of the 006 Major League Baseball Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays... From same home town as OU Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims. HUBBARD BY THE NUMBERS 1 Hubbard was drafted out of high school in the 1th round of the 006 Major Leauge Baseball Draft by the Tamp Bay Rays. 3 A three-sport star, Hubbard earned four letters in baseball but also received three letters in both football and basketball. 1 Hubbard made his collegiate debut on March 14 versus Texas-Pan American and lasted an inning with one strikeout. 80

7 51 ANDREW DOYLE 14 Sophomore RHP R/R Rock Island, Ill. - Alleman H.S. YEAR ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO B 3B HR BF B/AVG. WP HBP SFA SHA / Totals / SUMMER 007: Pitched for the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod League... Finished the season tied for first on the club with four wins (4-1)... Posted a.83 ERA with 8 strikeouts. 007 [FRESHMAN]: Made his first appearance on Feb. against Texas State, his longest outing of the season (3 1/3 IP) Ranked third in the Sooner bullpen with 9 1/3 innings pitched on the season... Held the opposition hitless in six outings and scoreless in 13 games... Allowed only three runs and blanked opponents in 10 of the 11 outings, including six straight appearances spanning 6 1/3 IP, in a stretch from March 7 through April 8. SUMMER 006: Played for the Rock Island American Legion team. Four-year letterwinner at Alleman High School under Chris Lemon... Tossed 79 innings and struck out 89 batters as a senior... Went 14-1 (school record for wins in a season) with a 0.88 ERA... Also hit Finished career with a 4-6 record (school record for wins) and a 0.95 ERA... Earned Chicago Tribune All-State honors as a senior and was the Rock Island Dispatch Player of the Year as a senior... All-Western Big Six honors as a junior... Named all-metro in 004 and 005. Full name is Andrew Michael Doyle... Born Nov. 1, 1987, in Rock Island, Ill.... Parents are Peter and Laurie Doyle... Also earned three letters in football... Earned All-State honors in 005 as team was state runner-up in football... All-metro player of the year and All-Western Big Six Quarterback in Earned academic all-conference and All-State honors... Health and sports science major... Drafted in the 39th round of the 006 Major League Baseball Draft by the Washington Nationals. DOYLE BY THE NUMBERS Doyle s longest outing of the season came in his debut that featured 3 1/3 innings and a season-high 54 pitches against Texas State on Feb.. Other season highs include: Strikeouts:, 4 times, last vs. Texas Tech on May 0 The right-hander made 10 appearances in Big 1 play and recorded a.08 ERA in 13 innings pitched. He also struck out 10 batters and recorded his only save of 007 against Texas Tech. Doyle is projected to take over the No. starting position in the Sooners rotation after a solid freshman year throwing out of the OU bullpen. 81

8 AARON BAKER 15 Sophomore INF/C R/R Denton, Texas - Denton H.S Totals SUMMER 007: Played for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League... Hit three home runs and connected for 15 RBIs. 007 [FRESHMAN]: Selected to the 007 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team by Collegiate Baseball and Rivals.com... Sixth Sooner to collect the accolade and the first since Named All-Big 1 honorable mention and was also tabbed the Big 1 s Newcomer of the Year by the Daily Oklahoman and the Fort Worth Star Telegram... Came off the bench on opening day and started every game after for the Sooners at first base (except one start at catcher)... Only Sooner to play in every game in Collected at least one hit in all but 10 games... Tied two school records with five hits and five runs against Western Illinois on Feb Finished the year with an OU freshman record 50 RBIs (second most on the team)... Had a season-high three RBIs in three games... Established an OU freshman record by hitting in 0 straight games... Finished the streak at games, a mark that ranks third all-time at OU... Led Oklahoma with 16 doubles and 14 multiple-rbi games and ranked third with 0 multi-hit contests. SUMMER 006: Played for the Lake Highlands Wildcats in the Connie Mack World Series, where he won the home run derby. Four-year letterwinner at Denton High School under Marty Green... Career.40 hitter with 1 home runs and 10 RBIs... Hit.470 with 1 homers and 40 RBIs as a senior en route to earning first team All-State honors as a catcher... Also named district s offensive most valuable player as a senior (second consectutive season) and was the team captain and MVP... First team all-area catcher as a junior. Full name is Aaron Baker... Born Sept. 10, 1987, in Denton, Texas... Parents are Austin and Sherrie Baker... Also earned letters in football and basketball... District honorable mention in football as a senior... District honorable mention in basketball as a sophomore... Has two brothers, Austin (4) and Abel (16)... Grandfather played for the Kansas City Chiefs... Human relations major... Drafted in the 37th round of the 006 Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins. BAKER BY THE NUMBERS Baker hit in his first consecutive games, a Sooner freshman record and a mark that ranks third all-time at Oklahoma. During the streak, Baker hit.49 with 5 RBIs. 14 As a freshman, Baker led all Sooners with 14 multiple-rbi games, including a season-high three RBIs against Texas-Pan American (Feb. 4), Texas A&M (March 5) and Kansas State (April 1). 5 Baker tied an OU record with five hits in a single game on Feb. 4 against Western Illinois. Baker also tied an OU record for runs scored in the that game with five. 8

9 51 RYAN MOTTERN 16 Senior RHP/OF R/R Palestine, Texas - Palestine H.S Totals YEAR ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO B 3B HR BF B/AVG. WP HBP SFA SHA / / / / Totals / SUMMER 007: Member of the Delaware Cows of the Great Lakes League... Second on the team with a.394 clip. 007 [JUNIOR]: Made career-high nine starts on the mound and had three relief appearances... Started the season as OU s No. 1 pitcher... Recorded season-high seven Ks against Western Kentucky... Did not allow an earned run in three relief appearances... Started 14 games as the designated hitter... Went 4-for-4 with two RBIs vs. Nebraska (April 13)... Drove in a season-high three runs at Kansas State (April ). 006 [SOPHOMORE]: Made eight starts in 006 with a 4- record (did not record a decision in appearances prior to 006 season)... Recorded career-high eight strikeouts vs. TCU in five innings pitched in elimination game of the NCAA Regional... Named to UTPA Classic All-Tournament Team... Made first start of 006 on the mound against Wichita State and first since March, 005, when his season ended at TCU (elbow injury)... Started the season opener for OU as the designated hitter... Named to Fall Big 1 Commissioner s Honor Roll... Pitched for the Kenai Peninsula Oilers (Alaska League) in the summer. 005 [SOPHOMORE - MEDICAL REDSHIRT]: Pitched an inning of scoreless relief with two strikeouts versus Arkansas Pine Bluff (3/9) and combined with five other OU pitchers to record the school s first combined no-hitter (seventh no-hitter in OU history)... Started once at TCU (3/) and struck out three before suffering a season-ending injury (right elbow) in the second inning. 004 [FRESHMAN]: Started four games on the mound, eight as a leftfielder and two more as the designated hitter... Made 15 appearances out of the bullpen... Moved into the Sooners starting pitching rotation beginning with the Texas series (3/19-1)... Held Texas scoreless on two hits in six innings... Recorded a career-high three hits and four RBIs in OU s 7-3 win over No. 4 Wichita State (5/11)... Named to the then-dean s List for the fall and the Big 1 Commissioner s Honor Roll... Pitched in the summer for the La Crosse Loggers in the Northwoods League... Struck out 7 batters in 5 innings pitched. Lettered all four years at Palestine H.S., coached by Jason Farrow... Played every position except catcher... Hit.361 and struck out 34 batters during his career... A three time all-district and all-area first teams... Named to the All-East Texas squad in 001 and Also lettered two years in football... Twice named to the All-East Texas team and first team all-district and all-area teams on the gridiron... Team captain for both baseball and football teams as a senior... Fullback in front of Adrian Peterson. Full name is Ryan Andrew Mottern... Born March 6, 1985, in Palestine, Texas... Parents are John and Ann Mottern... Has two older brothers, John, Jr., and Jason... His great-great uncle played for five different major league clubs from Drafted in the 49th round by the Cleveland Indians in the 006 MLB Draft... Majoring in human relations. MOTTERN BY THE NUMBERS 8 4 Mottern enjoyed one of his best outings on the mound as a Sooner when he recorded a career-high eight strikeouts over five innings in the elimination game of the 006 Norman Regional against TCU. Mottern had a career-high four hits vs. Nebraska on April 13, 007. His career high for RBIs is also four, set twice, and most recently on Feb. 4, 006 vs. UTPA. Other career highs include: Innings: 6., vs. WIU (Feb. 4, 007); Hitting streak: 5 games (April 13-, 007). The senior is one of two Sooners on the roster expected to appear on the mound and at the plate in 008. Freshman Tyson Seng is the other two-way player. Mottern has been a two-way player for OU in each of his previous seasons. 83

10 DREW ROBERTS 17 Senior OF/INF R/R Mesquite, Texas - Grayson County College Totals [JUNIOR]: Made three starts at third base and one at shortstop... Had first career hit against Western Kentucky on Feb Finished first start on Feb. 5 vs. Western Illinois with an RBI single in three at-bats. JUNIOR COLLEGE: Hit.330 (14 B, 34 RBI) at Grayson County College under Dusty Hart... Finished 7-for-11 in the regional tournament. TEXAS TECH: Made Big 1 Commissioner s Honor Roll in the fall 004 at Texas Tech... Played in 17 games (started three) and connected for six RBIs. Four-year letterwinner at Poteet High School under Ted Nowell... Four-time all-district batting average for career... Led the district as a senior with a.460 average en route to earning district MVP honors... Named player of the year by Mesquite Newspaper and to the all-area team (Dallas Morning News). Full name is Drew William Roberts... Born Sept. 19, 1985, Dallas, Texas... Parents are John and Vicki Roberts... Has an older brother, Sean (4)... Health and exercise sports science major. ROBERTS BY THE NUMBERS 7 Roberts was one of seven Sooners to start at third base in 007. He made three starts at the corner and OU was -1 in those contests. Roberts is one of two transfers from Grayson County College. Junior C.J. Blue also pitched at the junior college powerhouse that was coached by current OU assistant Tim Tadlock from Roberts career high for hits, RBIs and runs. Hits: four times, last vs. Nebraska (April 13) RBIs: four times, last vs. Nebraska (April 13) Runs: four times, last vs. UTPA (March 14) 84

11 BRYAN GROTH Sophomore C R/R Spring, Texas - Klein H.S Totals SUMMER 007: Played for the Wichita Falls Roughnecks of the Texas Collegiate League. 007 [FRESHMAN]: Played in three games (Western Illinois, Texas-Pan American and TCU)... Walked and scored a run in his OU debut against Western Illinois on Feb. 4. Four-year letterwinner at Klein High School under Barry Smith... Hit.403 with five home runs en route to earning all-district honors in Also tabbed area defensive player of the year... Threw out 17 of potential base stealers as a senior... Helped 006 team advance to regional final. Full name is Bryan Douglas Groth... Born Nov. 7, 1987, in Conroe, Texas... Parents are Doug and Judy Groth... Has one brother, Matt () and one sister, Callie (15)... Father played baseball at Bowling Green State University and was then drafted by the Cincinatti Reds in Uncle, Jeff Groth, played football for the Miami Dolphins, Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints... Undecided on major. GROTH BY THE NUMBERS 3 Groth saw in limited action with three games played in 007 behind junior Jackson Williams, who was drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft. 1 Groth is related to two former professional athletes. His father, Doug, was drafted by the Cincinnatti Reds in 1981 and his uncle, Jeff Groth, played football for the Miami Dolphins, Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints. With J.T. Wise and Aaron Baker expected to split time between first base and catcher, Groth is expected to fill in as a defensive specialist. 85

12 GARRETT RICHARDS Sophomore RHP R/R Edmond, Okla. - Edmond Memorial H.S. 6 YEAR ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO B 3B HR BF B/AVG. WP HBP SFA SHA / Totals / SUMMER 007: Pitched for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League and finished the season with a 1-1 record... Had 1 strikeouts in 15 appearances. 007 [FRESHMAN]: Made nine saves and combined for three shutouts out of the OU bullpen... Save total ranked fourth in the Big 1 and also ranks in a tie for fourth all-time at OU for a single season (fifth on career list)... Made second most appearances on the staff in Did not allow an earned run in 18 of his 8 appearances... Recorded first save on Feb. 4 vs. UTPA... Won first game with a season-high 4 /3 innings pitched against Texas A&M on March 5... Struck out a season-best three batters in an inning of relief against TCU on April 3... Appeared on the midseason watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award. Four-year letterwinner at Edmond Memorial High School under Kyle Roberts All- Edmond first team All-Edmond second team (.97 ERA, 8-5 record, 106 strikeouts, 7 walks)... Team was regional champions in 005 and 006. Full name is Garrett Thomas Richards... Born May 7, 1988, in Riverside, Calif.... Parents are Tommy and Terri Richards... Undecided on major. RICHARDS BY THE NUMBERS 18 Richards did not allow an earned run in 18 of his 8 appearances in 007. He also combined to pitch in three shutouts. 9 Richards nine saves is tied for fourth all-time at OU in a single season. His total was also the fourth highest in the Big 1 last season. Along with senior Jake McCarter, Richards is expected to help the Sooners in the closer role again in 008. He ranks in a tie for fifth all-time at OU in career saves. 86

13 JAROD FREEMAN Senior INF L/R Oklahoma City - Westmoore H.S Totals SUMMER: Member of the Wichita Falls Roughnecks of the Texas Collegiate League. 007 [JUNIOR]: Made 10 starts at third base and four as OU s designated hitter... Started the season by tying a career-high three-game hitting streak... Finished -for- with a career-high three RBIs vs. Western Illinois on Feb Established a career-best three hits vs. UTPA on March Named to the Academic All-Big 1 second team. 006 SUMMER: Member of the Graham Roughnecks of the Texas Collegiate League... Recorded a.316 batting average with 30 RBIs and 4 runs scored. 006 [SOPHOMORE]: Started the season with a two-game hitting streak against Western Illinois and finished the series -for-5 with an RBI double... Made third career start on April 11 vs. TCU... Finished 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. SUMMER 005: Played for the Highland Park Blue Sox of the Texas Collegiate League with former Sooner teammate Scott Rooker... Played in 34 games and batted.99 with five doubles, 17 RBIs and 17 runs scored... Also made three appearances on the mound... Struck out six in 5.1 innings pitched while allowing two hits and zero earned runs. 005 [FRESHMAN]: Made six appearances and did not record a decision in his only season pitching for OU... Started one game versus Arkansas Pine Bluff (3/8) and lasted three innings (season high) with two strikeouts. A three-year starter and letterman... Played at third and first base as well as pitched... Owned a.391 career batting average and went 14-7 with four saves on the mound in three years... Hit at a.379 clip with 4 runs scored and 39 RBIs as a senior... Had a 3- record with a 1.51 ERA on the mound... An All-State selection by the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association... Named to the The Oklahoman Big All-City first team... Selected to the Stillwater Invitational All-Tournament Team... Recipient of the Ferguson Jenkins Outstanding Student-Athlete Award... Named Westmoore s Male Athlete of the Year... Helped lead team to conference and regional championships in Also started and lettered three years in football... Garnered all-district and all-conference honors his senior year... Helped lead team to district and conference championships in final two seasons. Full name is Jarod Thomas Freeman... Born Jan. 15, 1986, in Oklahoma City... Parents are Tom and Robin Freeman... Has an older sister named Lindsay... Majoring in communication. FREEMAN BY THE NUMBERS Freeman was one of seven Sooners to start at third base in 007. He made 10 starts at the corner position. Freeman has played four positions at OU in his three seasons: pitcher, third base, first base and designated hitter. Primarily a position player, he has not pitched for OU since the 005 NCAA Tournament. Freeman established or tied three career highs in 007. Hits: 3, vs. UTPA on March 14 RBIs: 3 vs. Western Illinois on Feb. 4 Hit Streak: 3 games, Feb. -Feb. 4 87

14 STEPHEN PORLIER Junior RHP R/R Sugarland, Texas - Tulane University 37 YEAR ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO B 3B HR BF B/AVG. WP HBP SFA SHA / Totals / SUMMER 007: On the Brewster Whitecaps roster in the Cape Cod League. 007 [SOPHOMORE]: Named to the All-Big 1 second team by the league s coaches... Started the season in the Sooners bullpen... Quickly moved into the No. 1 spot in the starting rotation with first start on Feb. 10 vs. UNC-Wilmington... Led the team with 15 starts and 99 strikeouts, a mark that led the Big 1 prior to the NCAA Tournament... Led all conference hurlers with 59 strikeouts in Big 1 play... Had five or more strikeouts in 1 of his 15 outings... Finished the season with a 7-5 record, the same mark he recorded in 006 at Tulane... Tossed five scoreless outings, including the first complete-game shutout of his career on April 14 against Nebraska (career-high nine innings)... Lasted five or more innings in 14 of his 15 starts... Recorded a career-high 1 strikeouts vs. Texas A&M on March 3 in seven innings... Had 11 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings at Baylor on April 5. SUMMER 006: Pitched for the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod League... Went -3 with a 4.91 ERA in six starts (seven appearances)... Struck out 35 over 5. innings. TULANE: Finished 006 with a 7-5 record and 4.81 ERA... Made 17 appearances (1 starts) and tossed 76. innings... Struck out 47 and walked Pitched five or more innings in eight of his 1 starts... Struck out season-high nine batters in five innings of relief against Oral Roberts... Lasted season-high seven innings in first start against McNeese State on Feb Struck out seven LSU Tigers in six-inning start on April Appeared in one game as a true freshman in 005 before receiving medical redshirt. Three-year letterwinner at Elkins High School... Rated a top 50 prospect by Collegiate Baseball... Posted an 11-1 career record with a 1.91 ERA and 105 strikeouts (73.1 IP)... Helped team win back-to-back Texas 5-A titles in 00 and Member of the US Junior National Team during 003 domestic tour... Selected for the Area Code Games in 00 and National Honor Society member. Full name is Stephen Burkhardt Porlier... Born Nov. 8, 1985, in Houston, Texas... Parents are Brad and Beth Porlier... Has one sister, Jennifer (5)... Business major... Drafted in the 1st round of the 007 MLB Draft. PORLIER BY THE NUMBERS 99 Porlier led all Big 1 hurlers prior to the NCAA Tournament with 99 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched. His 99 Ks ranked 54th in the nation and topped the 47 he recorded in 006 at Tulane in 76 /3 IP. In 7 starts at both Oklahoma and Tulane, Porlier has recorded quality outings (five or more innings). 5 Tossed five scoreless outings in 007, including the first completegame shutout of his career on April 14 against Nebraska 88

15 51 ZACH SAWYER 40 Senior LHP L/L Plano, Texas - Navarro J.C. YEAR ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO B 3B HR BF B/AVG. WP HBP SFA SHA / Totals / SUMMER 007: Played for the Coppel Copperheads of the Texas Collegiate League... Teamed with current Sooner Jake McCarter to help Coppel win the TCL title... Made one save in seven appearances. 007 [JUNIOR]: Made debut against UC Riverside on March 3... Struck out season-best two batters in longest outing of the season (one inning) on March 14 vs. Texas-Pan American. JUNIOR COLLEGE: Played two years under Skip Johnson at Navarro Junior College... Posted a career.85 ERA over 55 innings pitched as a reliever in two seasons... Team was preseason No. 1 in the country in 006 and finished Three-year letterwinner at Rockwall High School under Randy Talley... Threw 100 innings over career and posted a 1.50 ERA with a 13- record and 10 saves... Tossed 59 innings as a senior... Finished 8-1 with five saves and a 1.1 ERA... Earned all-district honors and was the team captain in final year. Full name is Zach Thomas Sawyer... Born Jan. 1, 1986, in Plano, Texas... Parents are Tom and Rhonda Sawyer... Has one older sibling, Cully (3)... Also lettered two years in wrestling... Team won state title in Father played in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization... Health and exercise science major. SAWYER BY THE NUMBERS 11 3 Sawyer was one of 11 Sooners on the 008 roster to play in the Texas Collegiate League last summer. Along with Jake McCarter, the OU duo helped lead the Coppel Copperheads to the 007 TCL Championship. One of three left-handed hurlers on the 008 roster, Sawyer, along with junior C.J. Blue and freshman Mark Guest, will give OU options to face right-handed opposition in situational matchups. 1 Sawyer s longest outing at OU came against UTPA on March 14, a perfect one-inning relief appearance that also saw him strike out a season-high two batters. 89

16 WHY OKLAHOMA? Several of this year s newcomers shared their thoughts on why they chose to attend the University of Oklahoma and play Sooner baseball. To learn more about the 008 class, turn to the newcomer profiles section on page 91. CHASE ANDERSON OU gave me the best opportunity to play collegiate baseball at the highest level. C.J. BLUE Everything about the tradition and how the fans support their teams. GARRETT BUECHELE To play baseball for one of the top programs in the country. DOUG BUSER I wanted to be a part of something bigger. TRADITION CHAD COLBERT I chose OU because of its rich tradition. RYAN DUKE The tradition and because I wanted to win a national championship. JEREMY ERBEN The facilities and the tradition. MATT HARUGHTY Winning tradition. FACILITIES CASEY JOHNSON I chose OU because I loved everything about the campus and Norman. JAMIE JOHNSON To win a national championship. JAKE McCARTER Because it s a prestigious school and I have always been a fan of OU growing up. MICHAEL ROCHA The tradition. FAN SUPPORT SPENCER SELBY To win a national championship. TYSON SENG Because I have always wanted to go to school here. TREY SPERRING Prestigious athletic programs, excellent education and college tradition. J.T. WISE Because of my relationships formed with the coaches and it was the best fit for me as a student-athlete. PICTURESQUE CAMPUS 90