ONEOK Field (Tulsa Drillers) - Tulsa, OK

What started as a simple trip to Tulsa to watch my girlfriend, Kelcee, play softball and catch a Tulsa Drillers (AA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies) game before coming back to Arkansas quickly turned into a much more exciting trip.

I arrived in Broken Arrow, where Kelcee’s games were, without incident. Her first game ended in a 4-4 tie, as she went 0-for-2 with a walk. However, she gave me a few more gray hairs. In the bottom of the last inning (they played hour and 35 minute games and they hit the 1:35 mark during her at bat), Kelcee was batting with a runner on third with two outs and the score tied. She worked the count full and fouled off three two-strike pitches before finally grounding out to the pitcher to end the game. Although they lost their next game 15-5, Kelcee played a lot better, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

After eating dinner with Kelcee and her family, I headed into downtown Tulsa for the Drillers game…at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon. The traffic, coupled with several streets that my phone was telling me to take being closed, was enough to frustrate me enough to park in the first parking lot I found. It just happened to be about half of a mile from the ballpark.

Walking to the stadium, I realized there was a bicycle race going on, which was why several of the streets were closed. Once at the park, I bought my ticket at went inside. If you have never been to a game at ONEOK Field, I highly recommend you do; it’s beautiful. Opened in 2010, it’s only a few years old and the Tulsa skyline in right field looks pretty cool at night.

My first mission inside the stadium was to try to get 3-time NL All-Star Roy Oswalt’s autograph. Oswalt is getting in shape for a midseason call-up to the Rockies’ pitching rotation. Unfortunately, I struck out, as he never came into the dugout before I got kicked out and forced to go to my seat. Instead, I had former Razorback Brett Eibner sign my baseball when I got to my seat, which was close to the Naturals’ dugout.

The game itself wasn’t too exciting. The Drillers crushed the Naturals 8-1 and three of their first four hits of the game were solo home runs. The most excitement came in the bottom of the 3^rd, when Tulsa centerfielder Rafael Ortega lined a foul ball that ricocheted off the boxes in the upper deck and nailed the lady sitting two seats away from me in the back. The ball bounced off her into the seat between us, where I picked it up. I felt bad for her, but I really didn’t want to give her my ball!

The Drillers were having postgame fireworks, but I didn’t have any interest in that and I thought I could beat the traffic by leaving before they started. Little did I know, I’d run into the freakin’ Tour de Tulsa (okay, it’s not really called that, but that’s what I nicknamed it – I have no idea what the race was actually called). That dang bicycle race was STILL going on! And it had ballooned into a huge crowd and a lot more bicyclists. In order to get to my car, which was a half-mile away, I had to weave in and out of the race course, through the stench of alcohol, cigarette smoke and possibly other illegal scents, while avoiding the bicyclists, the pace VW Beetle and the trail motorcycles. It appeared to me that not many of the “fans” cared much about the race. I did get a few “Go Hogs!” yelled in my direction because I was wearing a Razorback shirt, though.

When I finally got back to my car, I got the heck out of there before the race and fireworks ended. I was extremely happy to find my car and even happier when I made it home. Nothing beats laying in your own comfortable bed after a long day of travel and sports!

TAT: Allen Named Starter After Spring Practice

This article originally appeared in the 2013 Orientation Issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

After going into spring practice with two quarterbacks at the top of the depth chart, Arkansas named redshirt sophomore Brandon Allen as their starter at the end of the 15 practices.

Allen, who has appeared in five games and started one for the Razorbacks, separated himself from senior Brandon Mitchell over the three-week spring practice period.

“Brandon Allen really made progress all the way along,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “The last two weeks (of spring practice) were exceptional.”

Last season, he completed 21 out of 49 passes (42.9 percent) for 186 yards and one touchdown.

Some Arkansas fans are weary about Allen as the starting quarterback. They point to his performance in his only start, against No. 1 Alabama, when he was 10-for-18 for 60 yards.

However, Allen’s high school quarterback coach and former Razorback Zak Clark don’t think this is fair.

“That’s a tough spot. It’s always tough going into the game after an injury and then to start against (Alabama), who is really good on defense,” Clark said. “I’m proud of him. You can forget what the fans are saying. In my opinion, he played really well for his first start.”

The decision to name Allen the starter came down to protecting the football, Bielema said.

In the Red-White game, Allen did not commit a turnover, while Mitchell threw an interception.

“One thing we can’t do is turn the ball over and I think Allen did a much better job of that overall,” Bielema said.

Allen credits his success to his confidence, which has been aided by the extra reps he has received in practice compared to past years.

“I think my confidence has grown a lot from the beginning of spring to the end,” Allen said. “I’m the kind of guy that needs to get those reps in on the field.”

Because he had taken a majority of the first team reps, being named the starter “wasn’t really a shock” to the other players, senior center Travis Swanson said.

Being in that role has forced Allen to take more leadership responsibilities, as well.

While he was working on his on-the-field leadership ability, Allen also recognized the importance of being a leader off the field.

“As a quarterback, you’re always expected to put in extra work,” Allen said. “I’m trying to learn how to be the real quarterback, and that’s not just on the field, but it’s behind the scenes.”

Even his teammates are noticing his locker room presence.

“I feel this year he just really stepped up and has become a huge leader in the locker room and letting his voice be heard,” senior kicker Zach Hocker said.

Allen thinks being the starter is an “honor,” but he is not satisfied, he said. This summer, he will continue to throw passes with his receivers and study film.

He will also have the opportunity to pick the brain of offensive coordinator Jim Chaney.

Before coming to Arkansas, Chaney was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee, where he helped guide quarterback Tyler Bray to a 3,619-yard, 34-touchdown season in 2012.

He was also the offensive coordinator at Purdue when Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees led the NCAA in total offense in 2000, with 349.1 yards per game.

“He’s had great quarterbacks in the past, so obviously he knows what it takes to be a great quarterback,” Allen said. “He’s definitely someone that I can write down everything he says.”

Following the announcement that Allen was the starter, Mitchell decided to “utilize the NCAA graduate transfer exception” and was granted his release from the football team May 6, according to a statement by Bielema.

With Mitchell gone and Chaney as the offensive coordinator, Allen could have a solid season.

“I played against him in high school and I hated playing him because he was so athletic on the field,” Hocker said.

Allen’s athleticism will be on display for the first time as the full-time starter August 31, when the Razorbacks play Louisiana-Lafayette in Fayetteville.

TAT: Berna Preparing for Another Solid Season

This article originally appeared in the 2013 Orientation Issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

Following a sophomore season in which she broke the UA single-season assists record, Arkansas’ starting point guard said she knows the women’s basketball team did not play as well as they could have.

Junior Calli Berna collected 208 assists last season, breaking Amy Wright’s record of 205, but the Razorbacks lost in the second round of the Women’s NIT.

“We were a little disappointed with the end of our season,” Berna said. “We knew what we were capable of, but it never happened for us.”

At Fayetteville High School, she won three conference championships and one state championship and in her freshman season, Arkansas went 24-9 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, so this was Berna’s first experience on a team that struggled during the season.

“It’s a humbling experience and definitely something to learn from,” Berna said. “It’s cliché, but when you get knocked down, you have to get back up.”

Despite the Razorbacks’ struggles, they finished with a 20-13 record. Eight of their 13 losses were by six or fewer points and eight were against top 25 teams.

In order to turn those close losses into victories, they must work on creating a better team chemistry on the court during the offseason, Berna said.

“It’s going to take everyone being on the same page,” Berna said. “We had games where one person is on, but we need to have games where everyone is on.”

In addition to the assists record, she also led the team in minutes played, with 35.4 per game. She played just over 87 percent of Arkansas’ total minutes. The next closest player averaged only 26.9 minutes per game.

“A lot of people ask, ‘Aren’t you tired?’ But that’s just part of it,” Berna said. “Getting to play that much is just going to give me more experience, and ultimately I’ll get better from it.”

With the extra minutes, Berna nearly doubled her scoring. In just 25.8 minutes per game last season, she averaged 3.6 points per game.

This season, she averaged seven points per game, and she plans to increase her scoring again next season.

“One thing I need to work on is getting my shot off quicker,” Berna said. “Overall, I think I need to score a little more. My role is going to be different because of losing the seniors.”

The Razorbacks will lose their top two leading scorers, Sarah Watkins and Quistelle Williams, as well as their second leading player in assists, Erin Gatling, to graduation. Kelsey Hatcher was also a senior.

Those four players accounted for 45.8 percent of the team’s scoring and 34.4 percent of the team’s rebounds.

“(The seniors) were vital players to our team, so it’ll be hard to replace them, but I feel like we have players that are willing to step up,” Berna said.

She said she thinks junior Jhasmin Bowen and sophomore Joey Bailey could help fill the holes left by last year’s seniors. Bowen and Bailey averaged 6.8 and 1.1 points per game, respectively.

Arkansas also had the No. 20 recruiting class, according to ESPN. The class is headlined by the No. 17 recruit in the country, Jessica Jackson from Jacksonville, Ark.

“We were excited to get Jackson,” Berna said. “She was a very wanted player.”

Because she is from Fayetteville, Berna has the opportunity to play in front of family and friends at Bud Walton Arena, like she did at Fayetteville High just down the road.

“My family has been my rock. They came to every game in high school and now I’m here,” Berna said. “It’s a great program where my family can come watch.”

Berna and the rest of the women’s basketball team begin their season in November.