January 9, 2009

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

The Sooners compiled a respectable 36-26 overall record last season, but finished Big 12 play with a dismal 9-17 record. So, when the Sooners heard their named called on Selection Monday, there was significant outcry from pundits that didn't believe they deserved to be in the postseason.

With that source of motivation in their minds, the Sooners enter the 2009 season with something to prove.

That could be bad news for opposing teams.

Though the Sooners have holes, as with most teams, entering the spring, they finally have a wealth of experience and consistent contributors at key positions both at the plate and on the mound.

Oklahoma coach Sunny Golloway listed his teams' strengths as a wealth of experience in the field and on the mound. He also believes the starting rotation is in great shape, and that his team will roll out power arms each game.

In terms of weaknesses, Golloway didn't hesitate to point to his catchers, J.T. Wise and Bryan Groth. Golloway said the catchers must improve for the Sooners to reach their goals this season.

The Sooners have some work to do to become a national title contender, but already have enough in the tank to make another NCAA regional.

OKLAHOMA AT-A-GLANCE

Casey Johnson and the Sooners have high hopes this season.

LAST SEASON

Record: 36-26, 9-17 in Big 12
In a nutshell: The Sooners were less than impressive during conference play, but reached an NCAA regional in controversial fashion. Once in the Tempe regional, the Sooners actually played host Arizona State for the regional championship. That essentially set the tone for this season.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Baker

C J.T. Wise/Bryan Groth
1B Aaron Baker
2B Matt Harughty
SS Bryant Hernandez
3B Garrett Buechele
OF Casey Johnson
OF Jamie Johnson
OF Kaleb Herren/Chris Ellison
DH Cam Seitzer
SP Andrew Doyle
SP Garrett Richards
SP Antwonie Hubbard
CP J.R. Robinson
Head coach: Sunny Golloway

2009 OUTLOOK

Oklahoma should have a pretty good team this spring, but it's a bad year to compete for the Big 12 title. Texas A&M is the cream of the crop in the conference, while Texas, Oklahoma State, Missouri and Baylor also will have good teams this season. We're picking the Sooners to finish sixth in the Big 12. But in a year like this, I would say that's an accomplishment. OU probably isn't an Omaha team, but certainly is capable of reaching an NCAA super regional. OU has the ability to make an early statement with a pair of games against San Diego and a home series against UCLA.

The Sooners should be slightly better at the plate than they were last season. Led by Mike Gosse, Casey Johnson and others, OU finished last season with a team batting average of .312.

Though Gosse and Aljay Davis have moved on, the Sooners still have several key hitters back this season.

Casey Johnson is the team's top returning hitter. The sophomore outfielder finished last season hitting .346 with four homers and 24 RBIs. He also recorded nine doubles, a triple and 70 total bases. He also slugged .515 and had an on-base percentage of .422.

The Sooners also welcome back Jamie Johnson, Aaron Baker, Bryant Hernandez and J.T. Wise.

Johnson batted .344 with five homers and 27 RBIs last season, while Baker was one of the league's top hitters, batting .315 with nine homers and 61 RBIs. Hernandez batted .337 in limited action while Wise hit .278 with seven homers and 49 RBIs. He also recorded 18 doubles.

OU needs newcomers Cam Seitzer, Chris Ellison and Kaleb Herren to rise to the occasion to have an elite offense. But even without immediate production from the newcomers, the Sooners still are in good shape.

The Sooners must exceed expectations at the plate to win the Big 12.

Starting pitching

Consistency destroyed the Sooners on the mound last season, but coach Golloway believes his pitching staff ironed out its kinds during fall workouts. If that truly is the case, OU will have a successful starting rotation.

Oklahoma's rotation in order includes Andrew Doyle, Garrett Richards, Antwonie Hubbard and C.J. Blue.

Doyle, a junior right-hander, was impressive down the stretch last season. Still, he finished the season with some unimpressive numbers. Doyle made 15 starts, threw one complete game, had a 9-4 record and a 4.53 ERA in 99 1/3 innings. He also struck out 72 and walked 42, while opponents hit him at a .279 clip.

Richards, a junior right-hander, fought control issues early last season as a relief pitcher, but the Sooners believe he will be much improved this spring with his velocity hovering around 92-93 mph. Richards only threw 20 2/3 innings last season and had a 6.97 ERA. He also struck out 18 and walked 17.

Hubbard, a sophomore right-hander, fought injury as a freshman and only threw 22 2/3 innings last season. He made 13 appearances in '08 and had a 3.97 ERA. He also struck out 28 and walked 19, while opponents hit .210 off him. Hubbard could be a sleeper for the Sooners.

Blue, a senior left-hander, will get the midweek honors to start the season. Blue pitched very well at times last season, but also had some consistency issues. He made eight starts and 15 appearances last season. He also had a 5.37 ERA in 65 1/3 innings of work and struck out 23 batters.

If you're looking at last season's numbers as a measuring stick for the OU rotation, you certainly won't be impressed. But this is a talented rotation with some power arms. Expectations are high with this unit.

Bullpen

The bullpen will be Oklahoma's strength this season.

Though the weekend rotation leaves a little to be desired entering the spring, the bullpen appears to be in great shape with the return of several talented arms.

Junior left-handed transfer J.R. Robinson will be OU's closer entering the season, while the Sooners also believe sophomore right-hander Michael Rocha will have a productive campaign. Robinson was one of the top JUCO pitchers last season while Rocha made 20 appearances and had a 5.70 ERA in 65 1/3 innings.

The Sooners also will rely on Chase Anderson, Jeremy Erben and Ryan Duke. Stephen Porlier, who currently still is not full strength, also will factor into the equation once he's healthy and ready to pitch in live action.

Anderson made 24 appearances last season and had a 5.04 ERA in 64 1/3 innings. He also struck out 64 and walked 31, while opponents hit him at a .256 clip. He finished last season with a 5-4 record.

Duke led the Sooners in ERA last season with a 3.77 mark in 71 2/3 innings. He also struck out 54, walked 33 and held opposing teams to a .274 batting average in 10 starts and 22 appearances.

Erben is the only reliever with much to prove this spring. The junior right-hander made 17 appearances last season, but had a dismal 6.89 ERA in 64 innings of work. He also struck out 50 and walked 37, while opponents hit him at a surprisingly low .260 clip.

The OU bullpen isn't in perfect shape, but the pieces are in place to be one of the Big 12's better units this spring.

Shoes to Fill

Not having much to write in this category usually is a good thing.

The Sooners literally return every key pitcher from last year's team, but the offense has some holes to fill.

OU must find a way to replace Mike Gosse and Aljay Davis.

Gosse finished last season hitting .368 with eight homers and 52 RBIs. He also recorded 23 doubles, a pair of triples and 144 total bases. Additionally, he slugged .569 and had a .417 on-base percentage.

Davis finished last season hitting .345 with a pair of homers and 40 RBIs. He also recorded six doubles, a triple and 92 total bases. He also had a .415 OBP.

Other than Goss and Davis, the Sooners are in good shape in this category.

Must Step Up

I have a strong feeling the offense and bullpen are going to be good, but I still have some reserves about the weekend rotation.

Doyle showed last season he can be dominant at times. He also had some consistency issues. For the Sooners to make a run at the Big 12 title, Doyle must establish consistency early in the season and build on what he accomplished at the conclusion of last season.

Richards, as with Doyle, has the ability to be a dominant pitcher. However, it'll be interesting to see how he handles the workload this spring after only throwing 20 2/3 innings last season.

Hubbard could be the sleeper on the mound. The righty had good numbers last season but flew under the radar because he only threw 22 2/3 innings.

If the weekend rotation rises to the occasion, this could be a very good team.

Impact Newcomer

The Sooners shouldn't have to rely too much on newcomers this season, but junior college transfer J.R. Robinson has been a hit on the mound.

Robinson was dominant in two seasons at New Mexico JC. He led the nation in ERA last season with a 0.83 mark. He also held opposing teams to a .165 batting average and allowed just 5.23 hits per nine innings. He also ranked second in the JUCO ranks with 10 wins.

While Robinson is the top newcomer on the mound, position players to keep an eye on include Kaleb Herren and Chris Ellison.

Herren spent two seasons at North Texas College, where he hit .418 with 15 homers and 56 RBIs last season. He also recorded 18 doubles and was a key contributor on the mound. His role as a pitcher for the Sooners has yet to be determined.

Ellison is a local product from Norman, Okla., and should help the Sooners as a freshman. Ellison was an Oklahoma all-state selection last season and finished his high school senior campaign with a .432 batting average and four homers.

Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Rivals.com and Yahoo! Sports. He can be reached at rogersk@yahoo-inc.com.