NCAA Baseball

5 things to know about Oral Roberts

Oral Roberts' Derrian James bats during this undated photo.

— Arkansas will face Oral Roberts in its first game at the Stillwater regional Friday.

The Golden Eagles have been one of the best teams from a non-major conference this year, going 41-14 overall and 15-5 in the Summit League. They won the regular-season conference championship and the conference tournament.

Here are five things to know about Oral Roberts heading into Friday’s matchup:

Experience: In college baseball, athletes usually don’t play their senior year because they lose leverage with signing professional contracts. However, Oral Roberts has gone against that trend, as five of their nine regular position starters are seniors. All five are batting at least .305, with three of them hitting .340 or better.

Proximity: Oral Roberts is closer to Baum Stadium than any other Division I baseball program, at just two hours due west from Fayetteville, according to MapQuest. It is also close to host school Oklahoma State. Stillwater is only 70 miles west of Tulsa, a 1-hour, 20-minute drive. Because of Arkansas’ proximity to the Golden Eagles, the two teams have played 100 times in school history, with the Razorbacks holding a 65-35 edge. Arkansas has won the last five matchups and is 3-2 against Oral Roberts in the postseason.

Well-tested: The Golden Eagles are 8-6 against top-80 RPI teams this season, including 2-0 against Oklahoma State, the regional host. Oral Roberts beat the Cowboys 4-2 on March 31 in Tulsa and 15-5 on April 15 in Stillwater to sweep the season series. They also won two out of three against Memphis (RPI No. 68) and Texas Tech (No. 79), while beating Oklahoma (No. 77) in their only matchup. The only top-80 RPI team Oral Roberts didn’t beat was Dallas Baptist (No. 3), which swept a four-game series against the Golden Eagles. The performance has earned them a No. 39 ranking in the RPI.

Close games: Despite playing two fewer games than Arkansas, Oral Roberts played in several more close games than the Razorbacks. In games decided by two runs or less, the Golden Eagles were 15-8, while the Razorbacks were 8-9. Arkansas’ record in such games was aided at the SEC Tournament, where the Razorbacks won their first two games by one run.

Stud: As a team, the Golden Eagles are hitting .321, which ranks second in the country. The success is well distributed through the lineup, with nine regulars batting .303 or better, but senior designated hitter Anthony Sequeira is arguably the best hitter. His .343 batting average is .0004 behind Matt Whatley for the team-lead, while his 10 home runs and 54 RBIs are by far the most on the team. He is also an ace out of Golden Eagles’ bullpen, with a 1.50 ERA in 30 innings and a team-leading 11 saves.

Bonus: Mason Mantle, a third cousin of New York Yankees’ legend and MLB Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, is on the Golden Eagles’ roster, but has played sparingly. He is 8-for-17 (.471) with four doubles, four RBIs, four runs scored and three walks in 10 games played. Korbin Polly, a two-time All-State pitcher at Cedarville High in Arkansas, is also on Oral Roberts’ roster, but is redshirting this season.