March 25, 2002
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# 10 Baylor Baseball (18-8, 7-4 Big 12) vs. TCU (12-14, 4-2 Conference USA)
Tuesday, March 26 * 6 p.m.
Baylor Ballpark * Waco, Texas
this week in baylor baseball
Coming off a rough weekend at Missouri, 10th-ranked Baylor hosts TCU Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark before returning to the road and to Big 12 play at No. 17 Oklahoma this weekend.
Even after dropping two of three against the Tigers in Columbia, the Bears begin the week tied for first in the Big 12 Conference with Nebraska and Oklahoma. All three teams hold conference winning percentages of .667 -- Baylor at 8-4, Nebraska at 6-3 and Oklahoma at 4-2. Freshman Sean Walker (1-0, 4.00) will make his third straight midweek start on the mound for Baylor.
The Horned Frogs enter the weekend on a high note, having swept East Carolina on the road over the weekend. Junior outfielder Terry Trofholz leads the Horned Frogs with a .457 average, while sophomore righty Clayton Jerome tops the TCU rotation in ERA (2.81), strikeouts (30) and innings pitched (48.0).
baylor vs. tcu
Baylor faced TCU earlier this season in the Bears' third game at the Astros College Classic. After a pair of last-at-bat losses to Rice and Houston in the first two games of the season, Baylor tried to come back once more on Saturday against TCU, and once more, the Bears suffered defeat. The Horned Frogs topped the Bears 6-5 despite a valiant late-inning comeback powered by Michael Griffin's first collegiate homer, a two-run shot in the ninth that cut the lead to one. Jared Theodorakos took the loss for Baylor despite striking out eight batters in six innngs.
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 123-98 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 (211 games), behind Texas (303) and Texas A&M (237). The series began April 21, 1904 (result unknown).
baylor in the rankings
Splitting four games last week against McNeese State and Missouri did little to impress the nation's voters, who dropped the Bears in all three polls. Baylor fell two spots to 10th in the Baseball America poll, three places to 12th in the USA Today Baseball Weekly listing and two places to 12th in the Collegiate Baseball poll.
The No. 8 ranking by Baseball America on March 18 was Baylor's top ranking so far this season and was 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).
last time out
A rough weekend saw the Bears drop two of three on the road at Missouri. Baylor's bullpen faltered Friday night as the Tigers came from behind for a 7-5 win. Baylor held a 4-2 lead through 6 1/2 innings before Missouri batted around and put up a five spot in the bottom of the seventh. A strong start by Steven White was wasted when White tired in the seventh and two Baylor relievers couldn't stop the bleeding.
The woes continued Saturday. A late Baylor comeback was nullified when Missouri scored a single run in the eighth inning to take game two, 7-6. The Bears trailed 6-1 after five innings, but scored two in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the eighth to tie things up. Missouri, however, pushed across a run in the bottom of the eighth against Kyle Edens for the one-run win.
Baylor's bats came alive Sunday, pounding out 13 hits for an 11-8 win over Missouri. Starter Justin Taylor was the recipient of Baylor's offensive output. Taylor went seven innings, allowing four runs (none earned) on five hits for his fifth win of the year. Michael Griffin had three hits, including a double and a triple, scoring twice and driving in two runs.
Jared Clements hit his first collegiate home run and eighth-ranked Baylor defeated McNeese State at Baylor Ballpark Wednesday night, 9-4. Clements finished the day 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Freshman Paul Witt, starting at second base, added three hits and two RBI. Sean Walker started for the Bears before being relieved in the fifth. Paul Thorp, Zane Carlson and Trey Taylor combined to shut out McNeese over the final 4.1 innings.
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 8-4 104-50 .675Texas Tech 23-7 18-11 18-8 18-12 19-10-1 5-7 101-55-1 .643Texas A&M 19-11 21-9 23-6 11-19 15-15 7-5 96-65 .596Oklahoma St. 21-9 15-12 18-9 14-13 16-14 3-3 87-60 .592Oklahoma 18-11 17-11 12-18 20-10 13-16-1 4-2 84-68-1 .552Nebraska 7-23 10-13 16-9 21-9 20-8 6-3 80-65 .552Texas 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 2-7 72-79 .477Kansas State 10-20 9-19 11-18 5-24 10-17 1-2 46-100 .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 25
durbin doing it right
After a slow start in 2002, Chris Durbin has returned to his all-Big 12 form of a year ago. The junior centerfielder enters Tuesday night riding a 10-game hitting streak, the longest on the team this season.
In those 10 games, Baylor has won eight as Durbin has hit .514 (19-for-37) with four doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, nine runs scored and a .784 slugging percentage.
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.
keep your eyes on the charts
Several current Bears are making their ways up the career leaderboards in the Baylor recordbook this season. Among the notable records:
Career Average: Chris Durbin (7th, .343)
Career Doubles: Mike Huggins (9th, 42), Chris Durbin (t-10th, 41)
Career Slugging Pct: Chris Durbin (9th, .567)
Career Games Pitched: Justin Taylor (t-6th, 69), Kyle Edens (t-8th, 64)
Career Wins: Justin Taylor (t-4th, 22)
Career Saves: Zane Carlson (1st, 23), Kyle Edens (3rd, 10)
Career Strikeouts: Justin Taylor (t-10th, 184)
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 14 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 24 batters in 23.0 innings with just two walks. Opponents are hitting a mere .173 against him with only two extra base hits. In his 14 appearances, he has retired the first batter nine times and has allowed only five of 15 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.
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 the runner, 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.
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 24. Kyle Edens led the league in saves with six and in appearances with 14, while Tim Hartshorn's five triples were tops in the Big 12. Top performers were:
Ross Bennett: 7th in hitting (.408)
Zane Carlson: t-5th in wins (4)
Chris Durbin: t-2nd in doubles (10), t-6th in walks (18), 19th in hitting (.359)
Kyle Edens: 1st in saves (6), t-1st in appearances (14)
Michael Griffin: t-3rd in RBI (30)
Tim Hartshorn: t-1st in triples (5), 8th in walks (16)
Mike Huggins: t-4th in triples (3), t-10th in hits (37), 15th in hitting (.370)
Justin Taylor: t-2nd in wins (5), 2nd in innings pitched (55.0), t-2nd in starts (9), 4th in strikeouts (40)
Jared Theodorakos: 5th in strikeouts (39)
Trey Webb: t-6th in hits (38), t-7th in steals (9)
Steven White: 4th in innings pitched (48.1), 10th in opponents BA (.221), 12th in ERA (2.98)
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.
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).
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 282-162-1 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 six 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.
