The Texas-Oklahoma rivalry on the diamond may not compare to the gridiron version as far as the hype goes, but when the No. 1 Longhorns (29-6, 6-5 Big 12) face the Sooners (20-12, 5-4) in a three-game series at Disch-Falk Field this weekend, there will still be plenty at stake.
While the outcome of the games may not make or break a season the way it could in football, both teams are vying to move up the Big 12 standings, as Oklahoma sits in fourth place and Texas in fifth.
"This is another very important weekend," Texas head coach Augie Garrido said. "If you look at the statistics overall, they're almost identical for both teams, so it's going to be exciting Big 12 baseball again this weekend. It'll be another dogfight."
The Sooners, who are coming off a 20-10 victory over TCU on Tuesday, boast five starters with batting averages of .300 or better. Third baseman Ryan Rohlinger paces the team with a .378 average, while right-fielder Kody Kaiser leads Oklahoma with five home runs, and first baseman Kevin Smith has the most RBIs with 31.
Last season, Oklahoma ended a nine-game losing streak to the Longhorns, but Texas still won two out of three games in Norman, Okla.
With the series back in Austin this season, Garrido hopes the Longhorn crowd will respond to the importance of the matchup.
"We've got the best fans in America, and the energy that they could bring to [the games] could really confuse Oklahoma," he said. "I don't think [the Sooners have] been in an environment like this. If we could create a regional championship environment this weekend, it could really be helpful."
While playing Oklahoma in any sport is big for Texas fans, baseball players don't think the matchups are much different from any others. Even pitcher Buck Cody, who was born in Oklahoma and went to high school in Oklahoma City, looks at the series as just another set of games.
"Obviously, it's always fun to play against your home school, but I wouldn't say it's special just because it's OU," Cody said.
The Longhorn-Sooner rivalry is lost on Cody and his cousin Dan Cody, a former defensive lineman for Oklahoma and likely first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Instead of giving each other a hard time about the success of their schools, the cousins encourage and support each other.
"He bleeds crimson, and I bleed burnt-orange, but I think the most important thing is, we both want each other to do well," Buck said. "Whenever he's playing, I always want him to have as much success as he can, and I think the same is true when I'm playing."
As competitive as the Big 12 conference is, teams can't afford to put more importance on one series just because the two teams are traditional rivals.
"Once you get into Big 12 play, you just take it one weekend at a time," shortstop Seth Johnston said. "Whoever you're playing that weekend is your biggest rival, so this week it's Oklahoma, and next week it's whoever we've got next week."
BASEBALL OKLAHOMA VS. NO. 1 TEXAS WHEN: April 15, 6 p.m., April 16, 6 p.m., April 17, noon WHERE: Austin INTERNET: www.texassports.com
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