The Sooners rank No. 2 nationally in batting average and won-lost percentage, and No. 4 in runs scored.

“They score. They pound the ball,” Kansas coach Tracy Bunge said. “They don’t have a hole in their lineup. They are one of the most talented offensive teams in the country.”

Kansas has to face the Sooners twice this weekend at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday in Norman, Okla.

“It’s unlikely we’ll shut them down,” Bunge said. “The biggest thing we have to do is score runs.”

Journal-World File Photo

Scoring, however, has been a bugaboo for the Jayhawks all season, particularly during conference games. Kansas is hitting only .185 as a team in its 14 league games (5-9) and has scored only 17 runs.

Compare those numbers to Oklahoma’s .317 batting average in 16 conference games (15-1) and 101 runs.

Putting it another way, the KU-OU two-game series will match the league’s most potent offense against the puniest.

Still, the Jayhawks have a .258 batting average against non-conference foes and are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Wichita State in which they pounded 17 hits.

Kansas and Oklahoma met in late February in a tournament in Norman with the Sooners posting a 3-0 victory. OU managed just four hits off KU pitcher Sarah Clopton in that Feb. 26 contest.

“I don’t think we’ll go in intimidated,” Bunge said. “I don’t think we’ll back down at all.”

After this weekend, the competition won’t drop off. The Jayhawks have to go to Nebraska currently in second place in the Big 12 a week from today for a twinbill.

“It’s going to get really tough now,” KU senior first baseman Shannon Stanwix said. “These next four games are big because the bottom four teams in the league have to play piggy-back games in the tournament.”

The six teams with the best regular-season conference records will earn first-round byes in the Big 12 Tournament starting May 10 in Oklahoma City.

Realistically, Kansas would have to divide its four games with OU and NU to have any chance at all of finishing among the top six.

“It’s do-able,” Stanwix said, “but we’ll need some help. Whatever good things may happen.”

Notes: Sunday’s KU-OU game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net (cable channel 50) Kansas leads the league in fielding. The Jayhawks have made only 11 errors in their 14 Big 12 games. the weekend series will feature the league’s top two base stealers OU’s Christy Ring (27) and KU’s Shelly Musser (24). Musser leads the Jayhawks with a .315 batting average. OU is 53-6 overall. The Sooners’ only league loss was a 1-0 decision to Nebraska.