March 18, 2002
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# 8 Baylor (17-6, 7-2 Big 12) vs. McNeese State (10-8, 1-2 Southland)
Wednesday, March 20 * 6 p.m.
Baylor Ballpark * Waco, Texas
this week in baylor baseball
Eighth-ranked Baylor will look to continue its seven-game winning streak this week, as the Bears host McNeese State Wednesday at 6 p.m. before heading to Columbia to face the Missouri Tigers in a weekend series. After losing three-straight one-run games at the Astros College Classic to open the 2002 season, Baylor has won 10 of 11 games against non-conference foes. The only loss in that streak came to the Cougars in Houston.
McNeese State dropped three of four games last week, falling 7-6 on the road against then-No. 8 Houston and losing the first two games against Southland Conference foe Nicholls State before rebounding for a 17-4 win Sunday.
baylor vs. mcneese state
Baylor has won the last two meetings between the Bears and Cowboys, but those two victories only managed to even the all-time series against McNeese State at 7-7. Baylor swept a doubleheader from the Cowboys in the first meeting between the teams, taking 8-1 and 6-5 wins on April 13, 1982.
The last meeting between the two teams came March 31, 1999 -- a 14-13 Baylor victory. In that game, Baylor took an early lead and refused to relinquish it. Jace Brewer had three hits, Matt Williams had two home runs, and four other Bears totaled two hits as the Bears outslugged the Cowboys.
baylor in the rankings
Winning five games last week seemed to impress the nation's voters, as the Bears leaped in all three polls. Baylor moved up to eighth in the Baseball America poll, ninth in the USA Today Baseball Weekly listing and 10th in the Collegiate Baseball poll.
The No. 8 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. 8 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).
cardiac kids
The Bears have won six games already this season in their last at-bat, including four exhilarating walk-off wins. Baylor has six wins when trailing after six innings and four when trailing after seven innings.
The heroics began Feb. 23 against Oral Roberts, when Paul Richmond singled in the winning run for a 9-8 win. The next afternoon, Richmond hit a three-run home run for a 4-2, come-from-behind Baylor victory.
In March, a pair of walk-off hits led to a three-game sweep of Kansas. In the Friday game (March 15), Chris Durbin's bases-loaded blast in the bottom of the 9th first appeared to be a game-winning grand slam. Durbin passed the runner on first base, however, and the play was sorted out as a three-RBI single. Durbin was called out for passing Richmond, but since the out was only the second of the inning, three runs scored and Baylor came away with the victory. The Sunday game against Kansas (March 17) was much simpler, Paul Witt singled up the middle in the 11th inning, plating Trey Webb for a 5-4 win.
last time out
Baylor extended its win streak to seven in a row by sweeping Kansas over the weekend. Friday night saw one of the odder endings to a game in Baylor history, as Chris Durbin's bases-loaded blast in the bottom of the ninth drove in three runs for a 5-3 comeback win. On first glance, Durbin's hit appeared to be a game-winning grand slam, but things got complicated when Durbin passed the runner on first base. After much confusion, the play was sorted out as a three-RBI single for Durbin. Durbin was called out for passing Richmond, but since the out was only the second of the inning, three runs scored and Baylor (15-6, 5-2 Big 12) came away with the victory.
Saturday, Baylor scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth as the Bears beat Kansas 15-9. With one out and runners on second and third in the eighth, Mike Huggins doubled to left center, putting Baylor on top 11-9. Later in the inning, Chris Durbin drove in Huggins with a sacrifice fly and Michael Griffin connected for a three-run homer to give the Bears some breathing room. Zane Carlson threw 2.1 shutout innings for the win.
In game three of the series, Paul Witt's RBI single in the 11th inning drove home Trey Webb to give Baylor a 5-4 win and the series sweep of the Jayhawks. Down 4-2 to the Jayhawks in the eighth, the Bears took advantage of an error and two Kansas wild pitches to plate the tying runs. With one away in the eighth, Huggins and Richmond hit consecutive singles, but Durbin struck out for the second out. David Murphy followed with a grounder to the right side that trickled through the second baseman legs, scoring Huggins. With Michael Griffin at the plate, Davis then threw two consecutive wild pitches to move Richmond to third and then send him home with the tying run. Three innings later, Witt's hit concluded the sweep.
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.
bears earn quartet of big 12 weekly honors
In the first five weeks of the season, Baylor 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 12 games, converting six of seven save opportunities and picking up three wins 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 21 batters in 20.1 innings without a walk. Opponents are hitting a mere .157 against him with only two extra base hits. In his 12 appearances, he has retired the first batter eight times and has allowed only two of 12 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.
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.
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 17. Kyle Edens led the league in saves with six and in appearances with 12, while Tim Hartshorn's five triples were tops in the Big 12. Top performers were:
Ross Bennett: 4th in hitting (.431)
Zane Carlson: t-3rd in wins (4)
Chris Durbin: t-2nd in doubles (9)
Kyle Edens: 1st in saves (6), t-1st in appearances (12)
Michael Griffin: 5th in RBI (24)
Tim Hartshorn: 1st in triples (5)
Mike Huggins: t-4th in triples (3), 15th in hitting (.390), t-8th in hits (32)
Justin Taylor: t-3rd in wins (4), 2nd in innings pitched (48.0), t-2nd in starts (8), t-7th in strikeouts (33)
Jared Theodorakos: t-3rd in strikeouts (36), 20th in ERA (3.64)
Trey Webb: t-8th in steals (7)
Steven White: 4th in innings pitched (42.1), 4th in opponents BA (.203), 8th in ERA (2.55)
bears best in the big 12
Now 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).
Big 12 conference records, year-by-year and cumulative
Team 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Totals Pct.Baylor 18-12 18-10 20-7 23-7 17-10 4-2 103-48 .682Texas Tech 23-7 18-11 18-8 18-12 19-10-1 4-5 100-53-1 .653Texas A&M 19-11 21-9 23-6 11-19 15-15 5-4 94-64 .595Oklahoma St. 21-9 15-12 18-9 14-13 16-14 1-2 85-59 .590Oklahoma 18-11 17-11 12-18 20-10 13-16-1 3-0 83-66-1 .557Nebraska 7-23 10-13 16-9 21-9 20-8 4-2 78-64 .549Texas 12-15 11-18 17-13 19-10 19-11 5-4 83-71 .539Missouri 15-14 17-12 14-13 13-14 11-19 0-6 70-78 .473Kansas State 10-20 9-19 11-18 5-24 10-17 0-0 45-98 .315Kansas 12-18 7-20 4-26 10-20 7-23 1-5 41-112 .268Iowa State 6-21 10-18 2-28 7-23 11-15 -- 36-105 .255
totals through games of March 17
rpi stays sky high
Baylor ranks 4th in the nation in the pseudo-RPI from BoydsWorld.com, through games of March 17. The Bears stand behind only Clemson, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, and ahead of conference foes Nebraska (7th), Texas A&M (22nd), Texas Tech (27th), Texas (31st) and Oklahoma (45th) among the top 50. Other 2002 opponents near the top of the charts include Houston (5th), Rice (26th) and Southern California (34th).
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.
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 280-160-1 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.
