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Now that OU is finally getting some respect in the national rankings, its schedule is about to take a really tough turn. That starts Tuesday night in Stillwater as the 21-3 Sooners take on the 14-6 OSU Cowboys, winners of seven straight.
The (Probable) Matchup
Tuesday: Nathan Wiles (3-0, 0.60) vs. TBA, 6:30 p.m., YouTube
Wiles will look to keep his ERA minuscule against a Cowboys offense averaging over seven runs a game. A pair of Garretts, left fielder McCain (.364/.479/.571) and third baseman Benge (.356/.484/.658), are the hottest OSU hitters.
The Sooners, meanwhile, are off to their best start since 2010 — they went to the College World Series that year, nbd — and have been excellent on both sides of the ball so far. Second baseman Kyle Mendenhall, outfielder Steele Walker and catcher Renae Martinez look to add to their shared team-high total of 3 home runs. Wiles has thrown 15 innings this season and made just one start, so the OU bullpen, which has struggled to hold leads at times, must be up for the challenge against OSU.
The Sooners likely won’t have Kyler Murray back tonight, but he’s expected on the field soon after resting a strained hamstring.
GAMEDAY⚾️#Sooners at Cowboys at 6:30 p.m. in Stillwater.
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 21, 2017
Preview➡️https://t.co/L5ggf1uW1Z pic.twitter.com/bQC3Ln9P6N
Prediction
The Sooners have dropped consecutive Tuesday contests against Wichita State and Georgia Tech, struggling to find offense in both games. Until they prove they can win one-off games against good teams, I’m inclined to give the advantage to OSU.