• Dunigan big at the plate as OU ties series with A&M

By John Shinn

Transcript Sports Writer

Oklahoma had a meeting of the minds before Saturday’s game with Texas A&M.

The question was: Who should be hitting third in the lineup?

OU, coming off a series-opening loss to Texas A&M, needed some offensive production. The consensus answer was Joe Dunigan.

And the consensus was right.

The junior outfielder went 3-for-5 with four RBIs to help power the Sooners to a series-evening 9-3 victory of the Aggies at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

Dunigan had been batting second in the order most of the season, but he’s put up heart-of-the-order numbers. He leads the team with five home runs and entered the day with 27 RBIs.

He left the ballpark with a team-leading 31 RBIs and lifted his batting average to .365.

About the only thing he didn’t increase was his confidence level. It was already sky high.

“Everyday when I come to the park I know I’m going to start,” Dunigan said. “I’m confident at the plate because I’ve put in a lot of work … It’s turning into a good year.”

A career year to be more precise.

OU’s been trying to unlock Dunigan’s vast potential since he arrived in 2005. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Chicagoan has raw strength rarely seen in college baseball.

But he hit only five homers and drove in 36 runs in his first two seasons.