Baylor rolls Oklahoma to set up rubber match

OKLAHOMA 5, LOUISIANA TECH 1

Oklahoma first six batters all recorded hits as the Sooners defeated Louisiana Tech 5-1 in its first game Saturday at ASA Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City.

The game was part of the College Preview Tournament in Norman and Oklahoma City this weekend.

The Sooners scored three runs in the first inning and added two insurance runs in the fifth inning. OU’s chased Louisiana Tech starting pitcher out of the game before she could record an out.

was OU’s leading hitter. She was 3 for 4 with a home run, double and two runs scored.

OKLAHOMA 5, UAB 2

Oklahoma scored all five of its runs in the first three innings as it defeated UAB 5-2 in its second game Saturday at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City.

picked up her second victory during the day in relief as she pitched the final four innings.

who was the starting pitcher for the game, also hit a home run. She finished with two home runs during Saturday’s doubleheader.

OU (27-7) concludes the College Preview Tournament on Sunday in Norman vs. UAB in Norman. First pitch is at 11 a.m.

OKLAHOMA STATE 2, TEXAS 1

Oklahoma State clinched its season-opening Big 12 series with a 2-1 victory vs. Texas on Saturday in Stillwater.

pitched a complete-game victory. She allowed three hits and only one run, a solo home run from Texas’ in the fourth inning.

Similar to Friday’s 1-0 victory, OSU scored all of its runs on one home run.

hit a two-run home run in the second inning.

OSU (21-11, 2-0) will conclude its series vs. Texas on Sunday at 1 p.m.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

John Wozniak’s first taste of major college football arrived Sept. 4, 2004: Oklahoma State at UCLA.

Wozniak had just been hired to Les Miles’ staff as an OSU graduate assistant after spending four seasons as offensive coordinator at Division-III Knox College, Wozniak’s alma mater in Galesburg, Ill. The seating capacity at its stadium, the Harley Knosher Bowl, was 6,000, and now, Wozniak was on the sidelines of the Rose Bowl before nearly 49,000 screaming fans in Pasadena, Calif.

Wonzniak reflected on that moment last week, smiled, and said, “a little jump.”

Turns out, an even bigger springboard for Wozniak’s career. He’s returned to Stillwater this spring as the Cowboys’ first-year running backs coach after a 12-year journey at eight different programs, with each stop providing a foundation that ultimately brought him back to Stillwater.

“There’s a bunch of random connections that led to this,” Wozniak said.

Wozniak followed Miles to LSU as a graduate assistant and then quality control coach. He was on staff with OSU Cowboy backs coach

Oklahoma baseball topped Baylor, 11-3, in its Big 12 opener on Friday.

The Sooners came back from a 3-1 deficit to score 10 runs in the final four innings.

Sophomore Steele Walker led off the sixth inning with a home run to right field. Fellow sophomore Blake Jason McEndoo at Montana State in 2008 as tight ends/special teams coach. In 2010, Wozniak was offensive coordinator at West Georgia where Glenn Spencer previously coached at for a decade. One year after serving as a special teams analyst at Alabama, Wozniak spent four seasons as receivers/special teams coach at Southern Miss — including three under former OSU offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

So, when Mike Gundy needed a running backs coach following Marcus Arroyo’s departure to Oregon, Wozniak’s track record made him an easy choice.

“He’s kind of a selfmade guy,” Gundy said.

“So what that means is the game’s really important to him. Everywhere that I called and checked, people that he had worked for said the same things about him. So I had known him, he had a background in special teams, which can contribute to help (Steve) Hauser, he’s been labeled as a fantastic recruiter Brewster then sent a 3-run shot later in the sixth to put Oklahoma up, 5-3.

The Sooners never looked back, adding two runs in the seventh and four more in the top of the ninth.

Junior left-hander Austin Kerns (2-2) earned the win for Oklahoma after getting the final two outs of the fifth inning. Kerns gave up one and he had been some real good places.

“Worked for Les and worked for Saban and there were some advantages there.”

Wozniak has the luxury of returning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Justice Hill in the Cowboys’ backfield, but not until fall camp, as Hill rehabs shoulder surgery. Jeff Carr leads a stable of running backs this spring competing for secondary roles, and come summer, OSU will add highly touted 2017 signees Chuba Hubbard (Alberta, Can.) and J.D. King (Fitzgerald, Ga.).

The last time Wozniak coached specifically running backs was at UAB in 2011. But that’s little hit in innings pitched.

The Sooners were shutout against the Bears, however, on Saturday.

Baylor rolled Oklahoma, 7-0, to even the weekend series.

Junior right-hander Devon Perez picked up the loss, concern for the college football journeyman.

“I try to come at the game from an angle of really understanding the entire offense,” Wozniak said. “You kind of have to do that as a coach. So there are not a lot of differences or any of that. I just try to teach the guys the whole game within the framework of the running back position.”

Through two weeks of spring practice, Wozniak has received positive reviews from his new players.

“He’s really cool,” Carr said.

“He knows our strengths and he tries to help us getter better every day in whatever way he can.” despite striking out five of the first six batters he faced. Perez let up four runs on six hits in five innings worked. Oklahoma and Baylor face each other at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.

FROM STAFF REPORTS