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Feb. 10, 2005

Games 1-3 • Feb. 11-13, 2005

10 BAYLOR (0-0)
at
Minute Maid Park College Classic
Minute Maid Park • Houston, Texas

10 BAYLOR vs. HOUSTON
Friday, Feb. 11, 2005 • 3:30 p.m. CST

THE SERIES
Overall Record: Baylor leads 82-57
Waco: Baylor leads 34-26
Houston (at Houston): Baylor leads 39-25
Neutral Site: Baylor leads 5-2
Unknown Sites: Tied 4-4
Smith vs. Houston: 16-12
Last Meeting: at Houston 10, Baylor 4 [3/1/04]

10 BAYLOR vs. TENNESSEE
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2005 • 3:30 p.m. CST

THE SERIES
Overall Record: Never Met
Waco: Never Met
Houston: Never Met
Neutral Site: Never Met
Smith vs. Tennessee: Never Met
10 BAYLOR vs. 19 RICE
Sunday, Feb. 13, 2005 • 2:30 p.m. CST

THE SERIES
Overall Record: Baylor leads 124-80-1
Waco: Baylor leads 71-29
Houston (at Rice): Rice leads 46-44-1
Neutral Site: Rice leads 3-0
Unknown Sites: Baylor leads 10-2
Smith vs. Rice: 11-14
Last Meeting: Rice 6, at Baylor 4 [5/18/04]

BAYLOR RADIO NETWORK
ESPN/KRZI 1660 AM (Waco)
Tom Barfield, play-by-play
Lark Smith, color

INTERNET FEEDS
Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Video (BearCast): None

Baylor opens its 2005 season this weekend at the Minute Maid Park College Classic, hosted by the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The 10th-ranked Bears face Houston at 3:30 p.m. CST Friday, Tennessee at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and No. 19 Rice at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Bears are ranked 10th in this week's Baseball America Top 25, marking the eighth consecutive season in which Baylor has ranked in the top 10 nationally in at least one of the four major college baseball polls at some point in the season.
Junior RHP Mark McCormick gets the start for the Bears in Friday's opener. A first-team preseason All-America pick by Baseball America, McCormick makes his first career opening-day start at the collegiate level. He was 2-4 with a 4.70 ERA in 2004; however, he missed six weeks due to shoulder stiffness.
Senior LHP Trey Taylor gets the nod for Saturday's game against Tennessee. Taylor was an All-Big 12 Conference selection in 2004 after going 6-3 with a 3.16 ERA along with a 3-0 mark in league play.
Sunday's starter is to be determined.
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on ESPN/KRZI 1660 AM in Waco. Live streaming audio and GameTracker also are available for all Baylor baseball games online at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the College Sports Network.

QUICK NOTES
• Seven Bears open the 2005 season carrying hitting streaks from the 2004 campaign. CF Chase Gerdes has the longest streak of four games, while 1B Kyle Reynolds starts 2005 on a three-gamer. LF Reid Brees, C Josh Ford, 2B Michael Griffin, RF Mike Pankratz and OF Kevin Sevigny each hit safely in the final two games last season.

• The Bears return eight of nine starters and 10 of 13 pitchers in 2005, losing only four letterwinners from the 2004 squad.

• The 2005 Bears boast 41 letters earned and 1,449 games played making this the most experienced team in the program's 100-year history.

• Baylor makes its fourth appearance at the Minute Maid Park College Classic this season. The six-team, three-day event, formerly known as the Astros College Classic, is one of the nation's premier early season college tournaments. The Bears posted a 2-1 mark at the 2001 event and a 2-1 record again in 2003.

• Baylor plays 25 games against nine teams ranked in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25. Along with three ranked Big 12 opponents, the Bears face No. 9 Arizona State, No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Rice, No. 21 TCU, No. 22 Long Beach State and No. 24 Oral Roberts.

• From the weekend of Feb. 18-20 to the weekend of March 25-27, the Bears have five consecutive weekend series against teams ranked in the preseason Top 25.

• The Bears play 36 games against 13 teams that appeared in the 2004 NCAA Regionals.

• According to BoydsWorld.com, Baylor's 2005 schedule is the nation's fourth most-difficult behind only Southern California, Arizona and UCLA.

• Baylor Ballpark has ranked 21st or better nationally in average attendance every year since the facility's opening in 1999, including a program-best ninth in 2001. Baylor ranked 19th nationally in average attendance last season.

• Entering the 2005 season, 2B Michael Griffin is the NCAA active career leader in games played (189), at bats (782) and hits (243). He also is third and one shy of the lead in doubles (50), second and two shy of the lead in RBI (166), and third and four shy of the lead in total bases (405).

• Baylor and LSU are the only NCAA Division I teams to enter the 2005 season with two players who have amassed at least 25 career home runs each. For Baylor, that tandem is C Josh Ford and 2B Michael Griffin, both of whom have 28 career round-trippers.

• Baylor's 2005 roster features five players who have previously been drafted: LHP/1B Drew Jeffcoat (2003-Los Angeles-36th Round), RHP Mark McCormick (2002-Baltimore-11th Round), IF Kyle Reynolds (2002-Arizona-50th Round), LHP Trey Taylor (2001-Colorado-2nd Round; 2003-Chicago Cubs-20th Round) and LHP Cory VanAllen (2003-Los Angeles-3rd Round).

• Since the start of the Big 12 in 1997, the Bears have the league's best conference record at 137-83 (.623). Baylor leads all conference schools in both first-team All-Big 12 selections (21) and first-team Academic All-Big 12 selections (47), and the Bears are the only Big 12 Conference program to have ranked in the top 10 nationally at some point during each of the past eight seasons (1998-2005).

PRESEASON HONORS
Reid Brees
• First-Team All-Big 12 Conference (InsideBig12Baseball.com)

Josh Ford
• First-Team All-Big 12 Conference (Baseball America)
• "Best Raw Power in the Big 12 Conference" (Baseball America)
• First-Team All-Big 12 Conference (InsideBig12Baseball.com)

Michael Griffin
• Third-Team All-America (Collegiate Baseball)

Mark McCormick
• First-Team All-America (Baseball America)
• Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year (Baseball America)
• First-Team All-Big 12 Conference (Baseball America)
• "Best Fastball in the Big 12 Conference" (Baseball America)

Mike Pankratz
• First-Team All-Big 12 Conference (Baseball America)

Trey Taylor
• First-Team All-Big 12 Conference (InsideBig12Baseball.com)

Abe Woody
• Second-Team All-Big 12 Conference (InsideBig12Baseball.com)

BAYLOR AT THE MINUTE MAID PARK CLASSIC
This is Baylor's fourth appearance at the Minute Maid Park College Classic, formerly known as the Astros College Classic. Baylor is 4-5 all-time at the event, posting a 2-1 record in the 2001 and 2003 Classics. The Bears were 0-3 at the 2002 Classic, losing all three games by one run.
A Bear has been named MVP in each of the three events in which Baylor has appeared, even in 2002 when the Bears did not win a game -- C Kelly Shoppach (2001), OF Tim Hartshorn (2002) and OF Michael Griffin (2003) have been so honored.
Baylor is 0-3 against Rice at the MMPCC, 2-1 against Houston, 1-1 against TCU and 1-0 against Louisiana-Lafayette.

THE HOUSTON SERIES
Baylor and Houston meet for the 140th time Friday with the Bears holding an 82-57 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1951 season. The Bears are 16-12 against the Cougars during head coach Steve Smith's tenure.
Because the game is played at Minute Maid Park, it is considered a neutral-site contest. The series is tied 4-4 in neutral-site meetings.
The Baylor-Houston series is the sixth-most played rivalry in Baylor baseball history behind Texas (312), Texas A&M (249), TCU (227), Rice (205) and SMU (168).

THE HOUSTON COUGARS
Houston (0-0) is in its 11th season under the direction of head coach Rayner Noble, a 1988 Houston graduate. Noble has amassed a 361-253 career, all coming at his alma mater.

UH Notes: The Cougars open their 2005 season this weekend. ... Houston was 30-29 last season and finished tied for fourth in Conference USA at 19-11. The Cougars 2004 schedule ranked 21st nationally. ... Houston returns 13 of 30 letterwinners, four starters and seven of 13 pitchers from its 2004 squad. ... The Cougars are projected to finish fifth in C-USA this season by Baseball America. ... RHP/3B Kevin Roberts is projected as C-USA's fifth-best 2005 MLB Draft prospect, and RHP/1B Brad Lincoln is projected as C-USA's second-best 2006 prospect according to Baseball America. The publication also tabbed OF Jake Stewart and OF Travis Tully as the fastest baserunner and the best baserunner, respectively, in C-USA this season.

THE TENNESSEE SERIES
Baylor and Tennessee meet for the first time ever in baseball this weekend.

THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Tennessee (0-0) is in its 16th season under the direction of head coach Rod Delmonico, a 1980 Liberty graduate. Delmonico has a 588-326 career record, all at Tennessee.

UT Notes: The Volunteers open their 2005 season this weekend. ... Tennessee was 38-24 last season and finished fifth in Southeastern Conference's East Division at 14-16. The Vols finished third at the NCAA Regional in Kinston, N.C. ... Tennessee returns 16 of 28 letterwinners, seven starters and eight of 10 pitchers from its 2004 squad. ... The Volunteers are projected to finish fifth in the SEC East this season by Baseball America; UT ranked 34th nationally in the publication's preseason rankings and is projected by the publication to earn an NCAA bid this season. ... RHP Luke Hochevar, who is scheduled to start Friday against Rice, is projected by Baseball America as the SEC's top 2005 MLB Draft prospect and the nation's third-best 2005 junior prospect.

THE RICE SERIES
Baylor and Rice meet for the 206th time Sunday, making this the fourth most-played series in Baylor baseball history behind only Texas (312), Texas A&M (249) and TCU (227). Baylor holds a 124-80-1 advantage the all-time series, which dates back to April 25, 1919. Rice has won the last six meetings.
Because the game is played at Minute Maid Park, it is considered a neutral-site contest. Rice has won each of the three previous neutral-site meetings, all of which were played at Minute Maid Park (2001, 2002 and 2003).

THE RICE OWLS
Rice (1-0) is led by head coach Wayne Graham, a 1970 Texas graduate who was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco earlier this week. Graham is 583-238 in 14 seasons at Rice; he has a 25-year career record of 1,158-351.

RICE Notes: Rice is ranked 19th nationally in this week's Baseball America Top 25. ... The Owls opened their 2005 season Feb. 5 with a 5-2 victory over Division II powerhouse Central Missouri State. In the game, Rice pitchers recorded a school-record 21 strikeouts, inlcuding 10 in 4.0 innings of work by starter Joe Savery. ... Rice was 46-14 last season and won the Western Athletic Conference at 31-6. The Owls finished second at the NCAA Regional in Houston, Texas. ... Rice returns 15 of 23 letterwinners, six starters and seven of 11 pitchers from its 2004 squad. ... The Owls are projected to finish first in the WAC this season by Baseball America; Rice ranked 18th nationally in the publication's preseason rankings and is projected by the publication to earn an NCAA bid this season. ... OF Lance Pendleton, DH Adam Rogers, LHP Matt Ueckert and RHP Bryce Cox were preseason All-WAC selections by Baseball America. The publication also named Savery its preseason WAC Freshman of the Year.

BAYLOR IN SEASON OPENERS
The Bears are 5-5 in season openers under head coach Steve Smith, including last year's 8-7 loss at home against Loyola Marymount. Baylor has lost four consecutive season openers, dating back to a 7-0 victory over Northwestern State in 2000.
Three other times Baylor has opened four consecutive seasons with a loss. In the recorded history of Baylor baseball (since 1920), the Bears have never lost five straight season openers.
Since 1970, Baylor is 20-15 in season openers.

SCHEDULE AGAIN AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST
Baylor ranked 10th nationally in strength of schedule last season, and 2005 does not appear to be any easier. The Bears' 2005 schedule ranks as the nation's fourth most-difficult, according to BoydsWorld.com. In 2003, Baylor's schedule was deemed the nation's toughest in the preseason and was ranked fifth by season's end.
Southern California's 2005 schedule ranks as the nation's toughest entering the season; the Trojans are followed by Arizona, UCLA and Baylor. The Bears are the only team in the top 14 spots that is not from the state of California or does not play in the Pac-10. Texas A&M, the next highest-ranked Big 12 schedule, is 15th.
The 2005 Bears play 25 games against nine teams ranked in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25. Along with three ranked Big 12 opponents, the Bears face Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Rice, TCU, Long Beach State and Oral Roberts. Baylor also plays 36 games against 13 teams that appeared in the 2004 regionals.
From the weekend of Feb. 18-20 to the weekend of March 25-27, the Bears have five consecutive weekend series against teams ranked in Baseball America's Preseason Top 25.

BEARS BEST IN THE BIG 12
Baylor has the best conference record of any team in the Big 12 Conference since the league's start in 1997. At 137-83 (.623), the Bears are ahead of Texas Tech (137-86-1; .614) and Texas (133-89; .599). Included in the first eight seasons for Baylor are one Big 12 championship (2000) and a pair of runner-up finishes (1998, 1999).
On top of that, Baylor is the only Big 12 Conference school to have ranked in the top 10 nationally during each of the past eight seasons (1998-2005). Baylor joins Oklahoma State as the only schools to have never finished below .500 in Big 12 play.
Including the 2004 totals, Baylor leads all conference schools in Big 12 history in both first-team All-Big 12 selections (21) and in first-team Academic All-Big 12 selections (41).

HEAD COACH Steve Smith
Steve Smith begins his second decade as head coach at Baylor in 2005. In his first decade, Smith guided the program to near unprecedented heights, including the most successful six-year run in the program's 100-year history.
Smith has compiled a 372-234-1 (.614) career record, all at Baylor. He holds the best winning percentage of any coach in Baylor baseball history, and he ranks second among the program's 18 head coaches in career victories. Smith has led Baylor to six NCAA Regional appearances, two NCAA Super Regional appearances and the 2000 Big 12 Conference title. He also has coached 12 All-America selections and seven USA Baseball National Team members while at Baylor.
In January 2005, Smith was named head coach of the USA Baseball National Team for the upcoming summer. Smith is just the second Big 12 Conference coach to serve as head coach of the national team. He also previously served as an assistant coach under his former Mississippi State boss Ron Polk on the 1998 USA Baseball National Team that posted an overall record of 30-12.
Smith led the Bears to their first-ever 50-win season in 1999 and a Big 12 championship in 2000, and piloted the team to six straight NCAA appearances from 1998 to 2003. His Bears have the best conference record in the Big 12 since the league began. Through the 2004 season, Smith ranked 47th nationally among active coaches in winning percentage with a .628 mark, fourth among Big 12 coaches.
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. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1983 Major League Draft by the San Francisco Giants and played four years of pro ball before moving into the coaching ranks.
An accomplished pitching coach, Smith has tutored six pitchers in the last 12 years who were selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. He also had at least one pitcher named to the all-conference first team for 11 straight years (1992-2002).
In Smith's 10 seasons as head coach, the Bears have produced four first-round draft picks, 10 All-Americans, six Academic All-Americans, one National Player of the Year, one GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, 25 first-team all-conference performers, nine freshman All-Americans, and three conference players of the year. Baylor has also placed a league-leading 41 players on the Academic All-Big 12 first team in the past eight seasons.

BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the College Sports Online network, which currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including four Big 12 schools.

STREAMING VIDEO AVAILABLE FOR SELECT GAMES
Live streaming video is available for select games during the 2004 season. A total of 24 games will be available online at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor athletics and a member of the College Sports Online network. Seventeen of the 24 webcasts will be against Big 12 Conference opponents, including the Bears' three-game league sets against Oklahoma, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Missouri, as well as the home portion of the Texas series.
Fans may purchase the games for $4.95 per game or $9.95 for a three-series. Fans also have the option of purchasing monthly ($6.95) or annual ($49.95) subscriptions which include all BearCasts in that time period. The following games will be available in this year's Baylor webcast package:
Feb. 18 and 20 - Oral Roberts
March 4, 5 and 6 - Long Beach State
March 15 - TCU
March 19 and 20 - Texas
April 1, 2 and 3 - Oklahoma
April 5 - Houston
April 8, 9, 10 - Kansas State
April 29, 30, May 1 - Texas Tech
May 13, 14, 15 - Texas A&M
May 20, 21, 22 - Missouri

BAYLOR BASEBALL RADIO NETWORK
Catch every inning of Baylor baseball in 2005 on the flagship station for Baylor athletics, ESPN/KRZI 1660 AM Waco.
Tom Barfield and Lark Smith are in their fourth season together as the primary play-by-play and color men for Baylor baseball. Barfield, the operations manager for KRZI/KRZX and KLRK-FM in Waco, is best known as co-host of the afternoon "You Make the Call" call-in show. Barfield saw his first action calling Baylor baseball in 2002, when he and Smith called the Bears' sweep of Southern California at Dodger Stadium.
Smith, whose attachment to Baylor baseball dates back to the days of coach Dutch Schroeder, was Sports Director for the Baylor campus radio station in the late 1970s and served as play-by-play voice for the Bears' 1977 and 1978 College World Series teams. After nearly two decades in broadcasting, Smith now works for the Heart O'Texas Federal Credit Union in Waco.
Live streaming audio for all 2005 Baylor baseball games are available on the Internet at www.BaylorBears.com. BU baseball is also a staple of the daily "Baylor SportsBeat" hosted by John Morris and airing weekdays at 7:25am and 5:25pm on ESPN/KRZI 1660 AM.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and the region. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Net Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on FSN Southwest.

UP NEXT ...
Baylor plays its first of 30 home games Tuesday, Feb. 15, hosting Texas-Arlington for a 6 p.m. CST first pitch at Baylor Ballpark.