So far, the OU baseball team has breezed through its first 36 games, posting a 28-8 record. But the Sooners are rolling into a pivotal stretch where they must continue to win every series they play.

Here are some reasons why it’s all the more important in the upcoming stretch:

1. The conference is on the line — After the Sooners host TCU in their mid-week contest Tuesday night, they travel to Austin for a rivalry series with Texas.

This year, it has profound implications. OU, at 8-4 in the Big 12, sits only half of a game ahead of the Longhorns, who are tied with Baylor at 9-6 in the conference, heading into a crucial series.

The winner will likely have a share of the conference lead, if not outright possession of first place. And for the Sooners, they play Baylor as their next Big 12 opponent immediately following the Longhorns.

If OU could take a pair of series victories against Texas and Baylor, it would be in good shape, having defeated each of the other current top four teams in the Big 12.

2. OU is playing for a home regional — The Sooners, with their 28-8 record, including a 17-2 mark at home, are vying for one of the 16 regional spots when the 2009 NCAA Baseball Regional brackets are released in about a month and a half.

In last week’s Baseball America poll, OU sat just outside the Top 10 in the 11th slot, one behind Miami.

And should the Sooners continue to roll through conference play, they might be working their way towards a national top eight seed, which could guarantee them a Super Regional, should they win a regional they host.

3. Winning keeps the momentum — Baseball is a quick season. Here we are already halfway through it, which makes it all the more important to keep the course because one bad game can turn into several bad games and kill a good stretch. In college baseball, momentum is a huge thing.

Right now, despite the Sooners’ 5-1 Saturday loss in their series finale against Texas Tech, they have momentum.

Between the third inning of the finale against Missouri and the third inning of the final game against Tech, OU posted 36 straight innings of shutout baseball. The Sooners should be feeling good about themselves right now.

But this makes it all the more important for the Sooners to continue winning as they head into the middle portion of April with some major opponents lurking in the near future.