Feb. 6, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
#16 Baylor (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Astros College Classic
vs. #11 Rice * Thursday, Feb. 7 * 7 p.m.
vs. Houston * Friday, Feb. 8 * 4 p.m.
vs. TCU * Saturday, Feb. 9 * 9 a.m.
Enron Field * Houston, Texas
this week in baylor baseball
After getting rained out of their first scheduled game of the season Tuesday against Southwest Texas, the Bears open the 2002 season Thursday at 7 p.m. against Rice in the Astros College Classic, held at Enron Field in Houston. Baylor is 5-2 under head coach Steve Smith in season openers and 6-1 under Smith in home openers. Since 1970, the Bears are 20-12 in season openers and 24-8 in home openers.
Senior RHP Justin Taylor is expected to start on the mound for the Bears Thursday. Taylor won his last three starts in 2001 and finished the year with an 8-2 record and a team-leading 2.86 ERA.
Junior preseason all-American Steven White will start Friday against Houston at 4 p.m., with junior LHP Jared Theodorakos starting Saturday at 9 a.m. against TCU.
baylor in the rankings
The Bears open the 2002 season in familiar territory, ranked among the top 25 in all three polls. In preseason rankings, the Bears are 16th in Baseball America, 16th in the USA Today Baseball Weekly coaches' poll and 18th in Collegiate Baseball.
Baylor finished the 2001 season ranked 22nd in Collegiate Baseball, 25th in USA Today Baseball Weekly and unranked by Baseball America.
The highest preseason ranking in Baylor history came in 2000 (No. 10, Baseball America). The best final ranking in program history is No. 6 (Collegiate Baseball, 1978), while the highest ranking at any point was No. 3 (Baseball America, May 8, 2000).
baylor at the astros college classic
In the inaugural Astros College Classic in 2001, then-No. 17 Baylor dropped the first game of the tournament to then-No. 12 Rice 1-0. Jesse Roman's solo home run in the bottom of the 10th off Justin Taylor spoiled Josh Scott's seven shutout innings. Scott matched Rice's all-American ace Kenny Baugh pitch for pitch before being relieved by Taylor.
The Bears rebounded to clobber Houston 16-7 on Friday and TCU 12-4 on Saturday. Catcher Kelly Shoppach was named tournament MVP after hitting .316 in three games with three doubles, a home run and six RBI. Second baseman Trevor Mote and LHP Josh Scott were also named to the all-tournament team.
baylor at a glance
* The Bears open the season ranked 16th in Baseball America, 16th in the USA Today Baseball Weekly coaches poll and 18th in Collegiate Baseball.
* Baylor is 5-2 under head coach Steve Smith in season openers and 6-1 under Smith in home openers. Since 1970, the Bears are 20-12 in season openers and 24-8 in home openers.
* The Bears return 19 of 24 letterwinners from a year ago, including 10 of 12 pitchers and their top two conference starters.
* Since moving into Baylor Ballpark early in the 1999 season, the Bears have compiled an impressive 76-24 record (.760 winning percentage).
baylor vs. rice
Last season, Rice claimed five of six games against Baylor, including the 1-0, 10-inning win in the opener of the 2001 Astros College Classic.
The Owls claimed all three regular season meetings between the two teams. After beating Baylor in the season opener, then-No. 1 Rice claimed a second 10-inning victory in Houston in March, 8-7. In April, the Owls trekked to Waco to beat the Bears, 5-1.
One month later, Baylor was sent to Houston and Rice's Reckling Park for the NCAA Regional. Baylor finally broke through and beat Rice in the team's fourth meeting. The Bears trailed Rice 9-0 after seven innings in the game, but Baylor scored five runs in the eighth and six runs in the ninth for perhaps the most exciting win in Baylor baseball history.
Rice won its elimination game against UT-Arlington, creating a rematch against Baylor with the Bears just needing to beat the Owls once more to advance to the Super Regional. In the first championship game, Rice beat Baylor 7-4, but the Bears looked to be on their way with a 4-2 lead headed to the bottom of the ninth in the final game. The Owls, however, scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth off the Baylor bullpen to steal a 5-4 win and send the Bears home.
Baylor is 124-76-1 all-time against Rice, dating back to the Southwest Conference. Rice is Baylor's fourth-most-played opponent in program history (201 games), behind Texas (300), Texas A&M (237) and TCU (210). The series began with a on April 25, 1919 (result unknown).
baylor vs. houston
In 2001, Baylor went a perfect 4-0 against Houston, outscoring the Cougars 49-18 in the four games.
The two teams squared off in game two of the Astros College Classic, with the Bears pulling off a 16-7 victory. In March, freshman David Murphy's first collegiate home run, a grand slam, powered Baylor to a 16-4 win in Waco. A month later, Matt Williams hit two home runs and drove in five runs as Baylor won, 10-6. The final match-up came in the NCAA Houston Regional. Justin Taylor went the distance for his first career complete game in a 7-1 Bear victory.
Baylor is 79-52 all-time against Houston, another former Southwest Conference school. The series began in 1953 with a 5-3 Houston win.
baylor vs. tcu
Baylor's only meeting against TCU in 2001 came in the third game of the series and the Bears' final game of the Astros College Classic.
In that game, a 12-4 Baylor win, sophomore Steven White won his first game of the season, scattering three hits over five innings of work. Catcher Kelly Shoppach went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored.
Baylor is 123-97 all-time against TCU, the third former SWC school the Bears will face in 2002. TCU is Baylor's third-most-played opponent in program history (210 games), behind Texas (300) and Texas A&M (237). The series began April 21, 1904 (result unknown).
preseason honors
Baseball America included RHP Steven White in its preseason all-America listing (third team). White and OF Chris Durbin were picked to repeat their 2001 all-Big 12 first team selections. White was named the top draft prospect in the Big 12 for 2002, with Durbin ranking fifth in the conference. OF David Murphy was named the fourth-best prospect in the league for the 2003 draft. LHP Trey Taylor was predicted to be the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Baseball America picked the Bears to finish third in the Big 12 and earn their fifth straight NCAA tournament selection. Durbin was ranked as having the strongest outfield arm in the Big 12, and SS Mark Saccomanno was named as the best infield arm in the conference.
The Dallas Morning News named Durbin and RHP Justin Taylor to its preseason all-Big 12 first team and included White on the second team. The publication predicted the Bears would finish fifth in the Big 12 Conference in 2002.
white-washing the opponents
Junior RHP Steven White was named preseason all-America (third team) by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball prior to the 2002 season. A first team all-Big 12 selection as a sophomore, White went 10-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 2001 and returns as Baylor's staff ace.
In its preseason issue, Baseball America named White the top draft prospect in the Big 12 for the 2002 amateur draft.
murphy missing
Sophomore outfielder David Murphy will miss the first four-to-six weeks of the season after breaking the hamate bone in his right (non-throwing) hand. Murphy had surgery on Jan. 22 and will be sidelined until late February. After his cast comes off, he will require 2-to-5 weeks of rehab before returning to the line-up.
bears in the pros
Catcher Kelly Shoppach topped a list of five Baylor players taken in the 2001 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Shoppach was taken in the second round by the Boston Red Sox (48th overall), and was actually Boston's first pick of the draft.
Seniors Trevor Mote (15th round, Houston Astros), Matt Williams (15th round, St. Louis Cardinals) and Josh Scott (25th round, Philadelphia Phillies) each signed after completing their careers at Baylor.
Junior first baseman Mike Huggins was taken in the 25th round by the Colorado Rockies, but elected to return for his senior season.
Three Baylor signees were also taken. Outfielder Alan Moye (3rd round, Cincinnati Reds) and infielder Josh Barfield (4th round, San Diego Padres) each chose to go pro, while LHP Trey Taylor turned down the Rockies, who used a supplemental pick before the third round on him.
Baylor alums and former first-round draft picks Jason Jennings and Kip Wells will enter 2002 contending for spots in major league rotations -- Jennings with the Colorado Rockies, and Wells with the Pittsburgh Pirates (after an offseason trade).
In all, 15 former Bears are active at some level of professional baseball.
ruling the roost
In the last 28 Big 12 conference series it has played, Baylor holds an amazing 24-4 record. The Bears have lost conference series only to Texas A&M (2-1, 1998), Texas Tech twice (3-0, 2000, 2-1, 2001) and Nebraska (3-0, 2001).
home is where the wins are
Since moving into Baylor Ballpark early in the 1999 season, the Bears have compiled an impressive 76-24 record (.760 winning percentage).
o captain, my captain
Seniors Tim Hartshorn and Ron Zboril and junior Mike Huggins were elected co-captains by their teammates for the 2002 season. Combined, the triumvirate has been with the team for 10 years and played in 320 games entering the spring.
three mlb parks in one season
If Baylor qualifies for the Big 12 Tournament in 2002, they will become what is believed to be the first NCAA team to play in three major league stadiums in one season. The Bears' first two weekends are to be spent at Enron Field in Houston for the Astros College Classic and at Dodger Stadium (three-game series vs. USC). The Big 12 Tournament will be played at the Ballpark in Arlington for the first time in 2002, previous Big 12 Tournaments were played at the minor league park in Oklahoma City.
working their way up the charts
Every save recorded by junior closer Zane Carlson adds to his school record for saves. Carlson begins the 2002 season with 23 saves, he set the single season and career record with 15 saves as a freshman and added eight more as a sophomore. Carlson also begins the season with 48 career appearances, 10 shy of cracking the top 10.
Junior outfielder Chris Durbin began 2002 with the 10th best career batting average in school history at .338 and the eighth best career slugging percentage at .574. He has 31 career doubles (10 short of 10th place) and 17 career home runs (four shy of 10th place).
Senior reliever Kyle Edens begins 2002 as the school record holder for career winning percentage with a 9-1 record (.900). He also ranks seventh in Baylor history in career games relieved with 44, and his four career saves are tied for 12th all-time.
Junior Mike Huggins' 36 career doubles are five short of 10th place in school history.
Senior RHP Justin Taylor ranks fifth in career games relieved (49), sixth in career winning percentage (17-6, .739) and eighth in career games pitched (60). His 17 wins are three shy of 10th place.
Junior Jared Theodorakos begins 2002 eighth in career winning percentage (8-3, .727).
Junior RHP Paul Thorp ranks 10th in school history in career relief appearances (38).
head coach steve smith
Head coach Steve Smith is in his eighth season as head coach at Baylor, in that time, he has compiled a 262-154-1 record. Smith led the Bears to their first-ever 50 win season in 1999 and a Big 12 Championship in 2000, and has piloted the team to four straight NCAA appearances. Through the 2001 season, Smith ranked 40th among active coaches in winning percentage with a .629 mark.
The 2000 Big 12 Coach of the Year, Smith came to Baylor from Mississippi State, where he was an assistant under Ron Polk for five seasons. Prior to that, he served as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M.
A former standout pitcher at Baylor in 1982-1983, Smith led the Southwest Conference with a 1.72 ERA as a junior, bettering league foes and future major leaguers Norm Charlton, Roger Clemens, Doug Drabek and Calvin Schiraldi.
An accomplished pitching coach, Smith has tutored five pitchers in the last 10 years who were selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. He has also had at least one pitcher named to the all-conference first team in each of the last 10 years. In 1999, right-hander/designated hitter Jason Jennings won the Golden Spikes Award and was the 16th overall pick by the Colorado Rockies.
In Smith's seven full seasons as head coach, the Bears have produced three first-round draft picks, eight all-Americans, five GTE/CoSIDA Academic all-Americans, one GTE/CoSIDA Academic all-American of the Year, 21 first-team all-conference performers, three freshman all-Americans, and three conference players of the year. Baylor has also placed 25 players on the Academic All-Big 12 first team in the past five seasons.
experience counts
In 2002, Baylor returns 19 of 24 letterwinners from a year ago. Most notably, the Bears lost only one member of the pitching staff from last season. Two-thirds of the starting rotation from 2001 returns intact, with preseason all-American Steven White and 2001 all-Big 12 selection Justin Taylor.
baylor on the air
Catch every inning of Baylor baseball in 2002 on the flagship station for Baylor athletics, News/Talk Radio KRZI 1660/1580-AM.
John Morris, Baylor's Director of Broadcasting, heads up the team as he begins his seventh season as the "Voice of the Bears." Morris is also the signature voice for Baylor's football and men's basketball broadcasts and serves as co-host of the weekly TV show "Inside Baylor Sports."
Mark Rogers, a former Baylor pitcher and currently a sports reporter for KCEN-TV in Central Texas, enters his third season providing color commentary for the baseball broadcasts.
Pete Kenworthy, Sports Director and weekday sports anchor for KWTX-TV, Tom Barfield, Program Director and on-air personality for flagship station KRZI, and Trent Weaver, a Baylor baseball letterman in 1988-89, will also be a part of the broadcast team for several games.
All Baylor Baseball games in 2002 will be available world-wide on the internet at www.gobaylorbears.com. Baylor baseball is also a staple of the daily "Baylor SportsBeat" hosted by John Morris and airing weekdays at 7:25am and 5:25pm on KRZI 1660/1580-AM.
last time out
First team all-America catcher and Johnny Bench award recipient Kelly Shoppach led the Bears to their fourth straight NCAA Regional appearance in 2001, but Baylor fell just short of advancing to the second super regional in team history, finishing as the runner-up at the Houston regional to host Rice.
