OU baseball: Sooners' Jason Ruffcorn, Brett Squires earn Big 12 weekly awards

Redshirt senior right-hander Jason Ruffcorn and redshirt sophomore outfielder Brett Squires both earned Big 12 honors this week, being awarded Pitcher of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, respectively.

Both were key contributors in OU’s series win over Oklahoma State last weekend. Ruffcorn pitched in the second game of the series, entering for starter Jake Bennett in the third inning. It was the earliest he’d ever come into a game in his career, and he delivered.

Ruffcorn pitched six-and-two-third innings, striking out a career-high 10 batters on his way to his fourth pitching win of the season. So far this season, Ruffcorn leads all OU pitchers with a 1.19 earned run average in 17 appearances. His 45 strikeouts also rank third on the team.

Squires hit three home runs in the Bedlam series — one in each game — including a go-ahead two-run home run in OU’s 5-3 win over OSU on May 1. In total, Squires collected six hits in 15 at-bats in the series, driving in five RBIs.

Squires is second among all Sooners in batting average and slugging percentage at .337 and .684, respectively. He also has six home runs, 28 RBIs, and 33 hits on the season.

The Sooners (22-20, 6-9 Big 12) will play next at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday in Amarillo against No. 8 Texas Tech (30-11, 10-8) on ESPN+.