If it was not obvious already, the Bedlam series starting at 7:35 tonight in Tulsa is important.

OU and Oklahoma State have a lot on the line in terms of seeding for the Big 12 Tournament, and the Sooners have some pride to win back after a non-conference showdown earlier this season.

OU (33-12, 10-9 Big 12) is fighting in a three-team race for a No. 2 seed in the conference tournament at the end of the month, while the Cowboys are fighting for their Big 12 lives.

“Right now we are fourth in the Big 12, and we need to make a big run toward the Big 12 Tournament and get a good seed,” sophomore first baseman Cameron Seitzer said. “We have to come out in these next two series and take care of business.”

As the No. 4 seed, the Sooners trail Texas, who has the No. 1 seed clinched, Kansas State and Texas Tech. OU defeated Kansas State twice last weekend, but lost two of three games against the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas, in mid-April.

So the race for second will come down to who has the best winning percentage between the three teams. The Sooners have two conference series — this weekend’s against Oklahoma State and one against Kansas starting May 21—and if they can come out victorious in both they should have a good shot for No. 2.

OU has won five of its seven Big 12 series, but has failed to sweep any of those five series. The Sooners may have to sweep at least one of those last two series if they want the best seed possible.

But the goal at this point is just to take two of three games from whomever they play, head coach Sunny Golloway said.

The Cowboys (26-18, 7-11 Big 12) hold the eighth and final spot for the conference tournament, which means they will not be a pushover this weekend, even though just about every Bedlam baseball battle is a tough one.

Oklahoma State holds a 7-6 series lead over the Sooners during conference play, and 30 of the 48 games between the two teams have been decided by three runs or less.

OU has won 18 of those 30 games.

The Cowboys hold a psychological edge over the Sooners by defeating them 7-6 in 10 innings on April 13 in Stillwater, and OU still has that loss in mind, sophomore third baseman Garrett Buechele said.

“Going up to their place and losing still leaves a bitter taste in our mouths, but this is when it really counts,” he said. “We know we have to come out and play our best baseball this weekend.”

Even though the midseason loss against Oklahoma State still hurts, the Sooners are poised to have a big offensive weekend. In its last six games, OU has scored 76 runs and has allowed its opponents to score at least six runs twice, both against Kansas State.

And the Sooners’ starting pitching should be able to keep the Cowboys off the scoreboard for most of the series.

Junior pitchers Zach Neal and Bobby Shore will start tonight and Saturday, and senior pitcher J.R. Robinson will make his third-consecutive weekend start.

Neal has been dominant since the start of conference play, and Shore has for the most part been very reliable on the mound even though he has had a couple rocky outings his last few times out. Robinson started the Bedlam game earlier this season, and he allowed five runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 innings.

The final two games of the series will be played at 7:05 p.m. Saturday and 4:05 p.m. Sunday at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, and tonight’s game will be the first Bedlam game played in the Tulsa Drillers’ new stadium.

Buechele said playing in these types of stadiums is a great experience.

“These are great ballparks that people aspire to play when they are further in their baseball career,” Buechele said. “Being able to play in them now, in college, in front of rowdy college fans is a pretty awesome experience for us.”