March 14, 2002
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#10 Baylor Baseball (14-6, 4-2 Big 12) vs. Kansas (10-3, 1-2 Big 12)
Friday, March 15 (5:30 p.m.) * Saturday, March 16 (3 p.m.)
Sunday, March 17 (1 p.m.)
Baylor Ballpark * Waco, Texas
this week in baylor baseball
With two wins under their belt already this week, the 10th-ranked Bears return to conference play this weekend against Big 12 foe Kansas.
In the first two weekends of conference play, Baylor has taken two-of-three games from both Texas and Nebraska - the top two favorites to win the Big 12 in 2002. Kansas, meanwhile, opened the season with 10 straight wins, including a 5-4 victory over Texas A&M in the Jayhawks' conference opener. Since then, Kansas has lost three games in a row (5-3 and 10-6 to the Aggies and a 15-7 loss at Southwest Missouri State).
The Baylor-Kansas series begins Friday at 5:30 p.m., allowing Bear fans to attend the game at Baylor Ballpark before trekking across the parking lot to the Ferrell Center to watch the Lady Bears' NCAA Tournament first-round game against Bucknell. The Bears and Jayhawks square off again Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
baylor vs. kansas
Baylor enters the weekend having won 13 straight games against Kansas. The Bears' last loss to the Jayhawks came in 1997, when Kansas took a pair of one-run games from the Bears in Lawrence.
Last season, Baylor swept Kansas for the fourth straight year, outscoring the Jayhawks by a combined 30-5 score. On Friday, Matt Williams went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a home run to lead the Bears past the Jayhawks, 11-2. Steven White picked up his sixth win of the season and dropped his ERA to an incredible 0.98.
Kelly Shoppach went 3-for-5 and Williams nearly hit for the cycle as Baylor blanked Kansas 12-0 in eight innings Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, Williams continued his hot streak, ripping a two-out, three-run home run to cap a five-run Baylor first inning as the Bears defeated Kansas 7-4.
Baylor is 18-2 all-time against Kansas. The series began with an 8-1 Baylor win in 1957 (exact date unknown).
last time out
In a pair of mid-week games, Baylor beat Southwest Texas 9-6 at Baylor Ballpark on Tuesday, then held off Texas-Arlington for an 8-7 win in Arlington on Wednesday.
Against SWT, Ross Bennett knocked out four hits and Michael Griffin drove in four runs in the 9-6 win. Starter Justin Taylor gave up nine hits in his 5 1/3 innings but struck out six and walked none to earn his fourth win of the year. Paul Thorp relieved Taylor in the sixth and closed out the game, hurling 3.2 innings for his first save of the year.
Baylor jumped on UTA early and hung on for dear life Wednesday, pulling out the 8-7 win. The Bears led 8-2 after 3 1/2 innings, but the Mavericks refused to fold. Sean Walker lasted 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs (only two earned) in his first collegiate start. Zane Carlson followed Walker and picked up the win, as he was the only Baylor pitcher on the day to go unscored upon. Trey Taylor and closer Kyle Edens followed Carlson, with Edens earning his sixth save of the season.
Baylor took two of three from then-No. 8 Nebraska over the weekend at Baylor Ballpark. With all-America pitcher Shane Komine on the mound, theHuskers pounded the Bears 15-4 on Friday night, handing the Bears their first home loss of the year. Justin Taylor faltered on the mound and the relief corps did little better.
Saturday, the mound work settled down and Steven White won a pitcher's duel, 2-1. A Paul Richmond double in the seventh and a Trey Webb sacrifice fly in the eighth drove in all the runs Baylor needed. White picked up his third win, throwing eight innings and allowing just five hits Kyle Edens pitched the ninth and earned his fourth save of the year.
In the pivotal third game, the Bears put up a six spot in the first inning and cruised to a 9-6 win. Chris Durbin keyed the early scoring, hitting a three-run homer for his second round-tripper of the weekend, and Jared Theodorakos threw six innings and gave up just one run for the win. The bullpen again faltered, but Edens was solid in 1.2 innings and picked up the save.
baylor in the rankings
Taking two of three from Nebraska pushed the Bears into the top 10 in Baseball America (10th), and nudged the Green and Gold up three spots in USA Today Baseball Weekly to 14th, but Baylor didn't budge in the Collegiate Baseball poll, holding at No. 14.
The No. 10 ranking by Baseball America this week is Baylor's top ranking so far this season and is the Bears' highest seat since they checked in at No. 9 in the Baseball Weekly coaches' poll April 9, 2001.
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).
bears earn quartet of big 12 weekly honors
In the first five weeks of the season, Baylor has had four players honored by the Big 12 for their weekly performances. Senior Tim Hartshorn was named Big 12 Player of the Week (Jan. 25-Feb. 10) after earning Most Outstanding Player honors at the Astros College Classic. Junior LHP Jared Theodorakos was named National and Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 11-17) after he carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning Feb. 16 in an 8-1 Baylor win over No. 6 USC at Dodger Stadium.
After a week "off", first baseman Mike Huggins added his name to the list in week four (Feb. 25-March 3) as he helped the Bears take two of three from No. 9 Texas. Steven White became the latest Bear to be honored when he was named Pitcher of the Week after holding No. 8 Nebraska to one run in eight innings in a 2-1 Baylor win.
The four weekly honors ties the Baylor record for most players/pitchers of the week in a season, a mark set in 1996 and matched in 1998 and 2000.
bring in 'da funk, bring in 'da... heat?
Hard-throwing reliever Kyle Edens has laid a strong claim on the closers' role this season. A four-year lettermen who has spent most of that time in middle relief, Edens has matured into a solid closer this season. Edens has appeared in 10 games, converting six of seven save opportunities and picking up a win along the way. His six saves already this year are the fifth-best single-season total in school history, and he has moved into third-place all-time in career saves with 10.
Edens, whose fastball tops out at a lofty 96 MPH, has struck out 18 batters in 16.1 innings without a walk. Opponents are hitting a mere .158 against him with only two extra base hits. In his 10 appearances, he has retired the first batter seven times and has allowed only one of nine inherited runners to score.
theo throwing it
Junior LHP Jared Theodorakos was named National Player of the Week (Feb. 11-17) by Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger (one of three), the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and CollegeBaseballInsider.com after he carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and finished with a one-hitter Saturday in an 8-1 Baylor win over #6 USC at Dodger Stadium.
The lefty held USC hitless for seven-and-a-third innings before allowing the first hit. Theodorakos recorded his first career complete game and struck out a career-high 11 batters. Theodorakos also earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors for his performance.
hartshorn starts season with bang
Senior co-captain Tim Hartshorn opened the season with a bang at the Astros College Classic (Feb. 7-9). Batting in the leadoff spot all three games, Hartshorn went 10-for-15 with a double, two triples, a home run, four runs scored and four RBI.
For his efforts, the senior was named Most Outstanding Player for the tournament. Hartshorn followed in the steps of former Bear Kelly Shoppach, who earned the same honor last season in the inaugural Astros College Classic. Hartshorn also was named Big 12 Player of the Week for games played Jan. 25-Feb. 10.
bears among big 12 statistical leaders
A number of Bears ranked among the Big 12 Conference leaders in a variety of statistics, through games of March 11. Kyle Edens led the league in saves with five, while Tim Hartshorn's five triples were tops in the Big 12. Top performers were:
Kyle Edens: 1st in saves (5), t-2nd in appearances (9)
Tim Hartshorn: 1st in triples (5), t-5th in runs (21), t-6th in walks (12), 10th in total bases (44)
Mike Huggins: 7th in hitting (.410), t-8th in hits (25), 8th in OBP (.493)
Justin Taylor: 3rd in innings pitched (36.2), 3rd in starts (6), 8th in strikeouts (26)
Jared Theodorakos: t-5th in strikeouts (31), 7th in opponents BA (.208), 9th in ERA (2.42)
Trey Webb: t-5th in hits (29)
Steven White: 8th in ERA (2.41), 4th in innings pitched (33.2), 4th in opponents BA (.197)
baylor among elite programs
The recent success of the Baylor baseball program is reflected in the Three-Year ISRs (a mock-RPI rating) compiled at BoydsWorld.com. Baylor ranked fifth in the nation in that listing, which measures a program's success over the past three years (1999-2001). The top 10: Stanford, Cal State Fullerton, USC, Florida State, Baylor, Miami, LSU, Rice, Nebraska and South Carolina.
simply the best
As has become the norm for teams under head coach Steve Smith, the Bears are facing yet another tough schedule in 2002. Baylor opens the season playing 17 of the team's first 20 games against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
Ten of the Bears' 2002 opponents qualified for the NCAA Tournament a year ago: Rice, Houston, USC, Oral Roberts, UT-Arlington, Texas, Winthrop, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. USC and Nebraska were two of the eight College World Series participants last year.
bears best in the big 12
Nwo in its sixth season as a member of the Big 12 Conference, the Bears have the best conference record of any program in the league since the conference's inception. Earlier this season, Baylor became the first school in the Big 12 to record 100 conference wins.
Through five full seasons, Baylor leads all schools in both first team All-Big 12 selections (15) and first team Academic All-Big 12 selections (25).
rpi stays sky high
Baylor ranks 15th in the nation in the pseudo-RPI from BoydsWorld.com, through games of March 10. The Bears stand behind Big 12 rival Texas A&M (4th) and ahead of conference foes Texas Tech (31), Texas (33), Nebraska (38th) and Oklahoma (40th) among the top 50. Other 2002 opponents near the top of the charts include Houston (2nd) and Rice (11th).
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 were 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.
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.
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.
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.
First baseman Mike Huggins was taken in the 25th round by the Colorado Rockies, but elected to return for his junior 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 Colorado 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 Rockies, and Wells with the Pittsburgh Pirates (after an offseason trade). In all, 15 former Bears are active at some level of professional baseball.
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 277-160-1 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.
