ARLINGTON, Texas – The UTA baseball team will head to Norman, Okla. to take on Oklahoma in a mid-week matchup at L. Dale Mitchell Park. First pitch is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m.

MATCHUP: UTA (11-5) at Oklahoma (13-3)
WHEN: March 12 | 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Norman, Okla. | L. Dale Mitchell Park
LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE (The game will be televised on Fox Sports Oklahoma via SoonerSports.tv)

PROBABLE STARTERS
Oklahoma - RHP-Ben Abram (3-0, 2.25) vs. UTA - RHP-Riley Bost (0-0, 2.25)

SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma leads the all-time series with UTA 21-12. The Sooners won 11-5 last year at Clay Gould Ballpark.

UTA NOTES
• The Mavs are 11-5 overall and has won six out of the last seven, with the only loss coming in game No. 3 against Incarnate Word (March 3).
• UTA is currently second in the Sun Belt in batting average, hitting a combined .276 as a team before conference play begins.
• Connor Aube leads the Mavs in batting average (.380), hits (27), doubles (9) and triples (tied; 1).
• In 11 appearances of relief, Andrew Gross has been a terror for opposing batters. Batters are hitting just .133 against the senior and he has recorded the third most strikeouts on the team (15) despite pitching just 13.1 innings.
• Andrew Gross leads the nation in saves (7),

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | OKLAHOMA SOONERS
• Oklahoma is at least 13-3 to start a season for the second time in three years. In 2017 – when Skip Johnson joined OU as pitching coach – the team started the season 14-2.
• Sophomore Levi Prater was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after tossing eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts in Sunday's win over Rice.
• OU ranks 15th in the country with a 2.60 team ERA. The Sooners rank 11th in the country in triples (7), third in shutouts (4) and fifth in double plays (19).
• Sophomore first baseman Tyler Hardman ranks 15th nationally in RBIs (22), 52nd in total bases (39) and 58th in home runs (4). Junior Jason Ruffcorn ranks 39th in saves (3) and 39th in appearances (8).
• OU leads the Big 12 in ERA (2.60) and walks per nine innings (3.36). Hardman is tied for the league lead in RBIs (22) and is third in hits (22). Brandon Zaragoza is tied for fifth in the Big 12 in runs scored (16). Prater is fourth in opponent batting average (.198) and tied for fifth in strikeouts (25).

UP NEXT
The Mavs will return home for the first time since hosting SFA on the final day of the UTA Classic (Feb. 24), when they host Georgia Southern in a three-game series to open Sun Belt play (March 15-17). Following the three-game set with the Eagles, UTA will battle TCU at Globe Life Ballpark on Tuesday, March 19 (7:00 p.m.).  

LAST TIME OUT | Baseball Picks Up Series Sweep Of Seattle (March. 9)
Another solid outing from Maverick pitchers helped lead UTA to a 2-1 win over Seattle at Bannerwood Park on Saturday.

Will Olson went 3-for-4 at the dish, while Connor Aube finished 2-for-4. Zac Cook went 2-for-4 with a run scored and Josh Minjarez and Boone Montgomery tallied an RBI each.

David Moffat picked up his first win of the season after pitching 7.0 innings. Moffat gave up just three hits and no runs, while racking up three strikeouts. Tristan Tom came in to pitch in the 8th and allowed one hit and recorded a par of Ks. Andrew Gross came in to close things out in the 9th and gave up a pair of hits and an earned run, but was able to hold off SU's comeback attempt and pick up his 7th save of the season.

In the ninth inning, SU's Connor O'Brien delivered a sacrifice fly RBI to plate a run for the home team (2-1). Kyle Sherick followed by drawing a four pitch walk, but the Redhawks could not push another runner across the plate as Gross picked up his second save of the series.

BARK IN THE PARK…ALL SEASON LONG
UT Arlington Department of Athletics officials announced that all 2019 home baseball games at Clay Gould Ballpark and softball games at Allan Saxe Field will be dog-friendly, thanks to a generous partnership with upstart Lone Star Friends of Animals to create 'Casey's Corner.'

Dogs which are leashed, at least six months old and with the proper vaccinations will be permitted at all UTA baseball and softball games throughout the season.
Casey's Corner is a grassy area between the baseball and softball fields, along the 3rd-base line of the baseball stadium. Multiple pet waste stations have been set up, and the space provides fans and dog owners an opportunity to walk and sit with their canine companions while taking in all the Maverick action.

OLSON ON A WATCH LIST
UTA redshirt senior catcher Will Olson was named to the 2019 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List, the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation announced.

The award, created by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, was open to nominations from all Division I baseball programs in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. This year's watch list consists of 30 players representing 26 programs in the five states. The BBCSA is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.

The Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award has had two winners to date, Hunter Hargrove (Texas Tech, drafted by the Oakland A's) and Devlin Granberg (Dallas Baptist, drafted by the Boston Red Sox).

Olson, a native of Sherman, Texas and a graduate of Sherman HS, hit .270 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs last season for the Mavericks. A 2017 Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, Olson also drew a team-high 30 walks and registered 13 doubles and scored 23 runs.

The BBCSA will announce finalists for the award in May. The winner of the third annual Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award presented by SR Bats will be announced in June and honored at a gala in the fall.

PRESEASON POLL
The UTA baseball team was picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference West Division in the 2019 SBC Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released on Wednesday (Jan. 30). The Mavericks garnered 36 total points in the poll.

The reigning Sun Belt baseball regular season and tournament champions, Coastal Carolina, and the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana are the East and West Division favorites, respectively, in the SBC preseason coaches' poll.

Head coach Darin Thomas and the Mavs return three starters from last year's team that finished the season 22-35 overall and went 11-19 in Sun Belt play.

SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2019 UT Arlington baseball season, beginning at just $75. All seating is general admission, and tickets can be secured by logging on to UTATickets.com.

FOLLOW THE MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Baseball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on Twitter @UTArlingtonBSB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTABaseball.