Sooner baseball officially starts Friday when Oklahoma travels to San Diego to play four games. They'll play once Friday (8:00pm CST), twice Saturday (3:00pm/7:00pm CST) and once Sunday (3:00pm CST). Its a series that will put all of Oklahoma's weekend starters in action and will go deep into the bullpen as well. We should have a pretty good indication of what kind of hurlers the Sooners are putting on the mound this season by the end of the weekend.
Two of OU's three slated weekend starters are junior college transfers who come to Norman with lots of accolades and accomplishments already under their belts. There are some talented freshmen in the mix for the mid-week starters and Ryan Duke is one of the better closers in the Big 12.
Weekend Starters
Zach Neal (RHP), Jr. - Had a perfect 13-0 record last season at Howard College while leading the team to the NJCAA National Championship. Was a second team NJCAA All-American after recording 104 strikeouts to only 9 walks in 89 2/3 innings pitched. Finished the season with a 3.21 ERA.
J.R. Robinson (LHP), Sr. - Came on strong for the Sooners down the stretch last season. Struck out six batters in appearances against Missouri (2 1/3 innings) and Texas Tech (3 innings) while not allowing a run. Started 7 games last season and appeared in 23 others.
Bobby Shore (RHP), Jr. - Was a two-time Pitcher of the Year (2008-09) at Palomar College where he recorded an 11-1 record last season in leading the team to a conference championship and a 6th ranked finish to the season. Pitched a total of 97 2/3 innings with 91 strikeouts to 25 walks and a 2.40 ERA.
Mid-Week Starters
Ryan Gibson (LHP), Fr. - Was a four-time letter winner at Yukon (OK) High School and was named first team Collegiate Baseball All-American along with first team Oklahoma Big All-City in 2009. Pitched 64 2/3 innings, as a senior, with a 7-4 record, 113 strikeouts and 0.70 ERA.
Jordan John (LHP), Fr. - Was a three-time letter winner at Calallen (TX) High School. Was also named as a USA Today and Collegiate Baseball First Team American in 2009. Recorded a 13-0 record as a senior with 125 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched with a 0.26 ERA. Also recorded 9 games with 10 or more strikeouts and threw two no-hitters.
Drew Verhagen (RHP), Fr. - Was a three-time letter winner at Heath (TX) High School. Batted .333 with four home runs as a senior but was unable to pitch because of a recovery from surgery.
Closer
Ryan Duke (RHP), Jr. - Was named as a second team All-Big 12 selection after leading the conference with 16 saves. Was successful in 16 of 18 save attempts (10 in conference play) in 2009. Appeared in 26 games last season and didn't allow runs in 20 of those appearances. In nine of his appearances he didn't allow a hit. Recorded 43 strikeouts.
Bullpen
| Righties | Lefties |
| Jason Chowning | Brandon Bargas |
| Jeremy Erben | Anthony Collazo |
| Kaleb Herren | |
| Jack Mayfield | |
| Michael Rocha | |
| Jarrett Selmer | |
| Derek Vaughn | |
| Max White |