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GAME 27 • MARCH 29, 2005 • 6:00 P.M. CST

No. 15 BAYLOR (16-10)

vs.

TEXAS SOUTHERN (12-8)

BAYLOR BALLPARK • WACO, TEXAS

THE SERIES

Overall Record: Baylor leads 2-0

Waco: Baylor leads 2-0

Houston: Never Met

Neutral Site: Never Met

Smith vs. TSU: 2-0

First Meeting: at Baylor 10, TSU 3 [4/28/2004]

Last Meeting: at Baylor 11, TSU 3 [5/19/2004]

COACHES

BAYLOR: Steve Smith

Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986

Career Record: 388-244-1 (11th season)

Record at Baylor: 388-244-1 (11th season)

TEXAS SOUTHERN: Candy Robinson

Alma Mater: Grambling State, 1964

Career Record: n/a (14th season)

Record at TSU: n/a (14th season)

BAYLOR RADIO NETWORK

ESPN/KRZI 1660 AM (Waco)

Tom Barfield, play-by-play

Lark Smith, color

INTERNET FEEDS

GameTracker: www.BaylorBears.com

Audio: www.BaylorBears.com

Video: None

BAYLOR NATIONAL RANKINGS

Baseball America 15th

Sports Weekly/ESPN/Coaches 17th

NCBWA 27th

Collegiate Baseball 22nd

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP

BU - RHP Sean Walker (1-3, 4.58 ERA)

TSU - RHP Brandon Stricklen (4-1, 5.21 ERA)

Baylor returns to action Tuesday, March 29, hosting Texas Southern to start at two-week, eight-game home stand. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST at Baylor Ballpark. This is the only scheduled meeting between the Bears and the Tigers for the 2005 season.

Baylor (16-10) dropped two of three at Oklahoma State last weekend, falling 7-1 Friday and 3-2 Sunday with a 6-3 win Saturday. The Bears, ranked 15th in this week's Baseball America Top 25, have lost three of four after a season-long seven-game winning streak.

Texas Southern (12-8) swept Grambling State at home last weekend, winning by scores of 3-2, 2-0 and 20-6. Unranked in any of the four major polls, the Tigers have won five of their last six with only a 15-6 loss last Wednesday at Texas Southern in that time.

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.

LEADING OFF

BAYLOR DROPS FIVE SPOTS IN BASEBALL AMERICA

Baylor dropped five spots to No. 15 in this week's Baseball America Top 25, released by the publication Monday morning. The Bears were 1-3 last week, including a two-games-to-one series loss at Oklahoma State.

The Bears were not the only highly ranked team to struggle last week as seven of the top 10 lost weekend series. Included in that group was previously top-ranked Cal State Fullerton, which dropped to No. 2 after losing two of three at Long Beach State. The Titans descent allowed formerly top-ranked Texas to return to the nation's top spot after a one-week hiatus. Georgia Tech, Tulane, Louisiana State, Florida, Miami, Arkansas and Arizona round out the top 10.

Baylor remains the Big 12 Conference's second-highest ranked team behind the Longhorns. Texas A&M is down two spots to No. 16, while Nebraska remains at No. 20.

Other Baylor 2005 opponents ranked are No. 13 Rice, No. 22 Long Beach State and No. 24 Arizona State, the last two of which re-entered the rankings this week.

In other polls this week, Baylor slid six spots to No. 17 in the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll, tumbled 15 spots to No. 27 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 35, and dropped nine spots to No. 22 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30.

QUICK NOTES ...

• Baylor and Texas Southern meet for the third time Tuesday. The Bears won the previous two meetings, both at Baylor Ballpark last season.

• The Bears dropped five spots to No. 15 in this week's Baseball America Top 25. Baylor remains the second-highest ranked Big 12 team.

• Other polls: 17th in the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll; 27th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 35; 22nd in Collegiate Baseball Top 30.

• Baylor is 6-1 this season on Sunday.

• At 10-1, Baylor owns the nation's best record against nationally ranked opponents.

• The Bears have won a program-best nine consecutive games against Top 25 teams. The previous program best was a six-game streak in 1999.

• Baylor has won a program-best six consecutive games against teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. The previous program best was five in 1999.

• Tuesday's game against Texas Southern ends a gruesome stretch to start the season: 21 of Baylor's first 26 games were against teams ranked in one of the four major polls at some point this season, including 20 consecutive weekend games after the season-opener against as yet unranked Houston.

• The Bears are 14-3 this season when the starting pitcher goes at least 5.0 innings.

• Baylor is 9-1 this season when scoring first.

• Baylor is 6-3 this season in one-run games after going 7-16 in such contests last season.

• Baylor is 7-0 when leading after three innings, 8-0 after four, 9-0 after five and 12-0 when leading after the sixth or later.

• After going winless when trailing later than the sixth inning last season, the Bears already have won four games in such situations this season.

• RHP Mark McCormick has allowed only seven runs, four earned, on 18 hits and 12 walks with 32 strikeouts over his last 32.1 innings. In that time, he has posted a 1.11 ERA and held opposing batters to a .162 average. McCormick's overall ERA has dropped from 10.27 to 3.21 in that time.

• Baylor is 6-1 this season in McCormick's seven starts.

• LHP Trey Taylor saw his streak of 17 consecutive start without allowing more than four earned runs end last Friday, allowing five earned runs in 4.1 innings of Baylor's 7-1 loss at Oklahoma State.

• In Taylor's last 18 starts, he has allowed three or fewer 14 times and two or fewer 12 times. Baylor is 11-4 in Taylor's last 15 starts; he is 6-3 in that time.

• C/DH Josh Ford has reached safely in 21 consecutive games (a career-long streak) and in 25 of 26 games this season.

• RHP Ryan LaMotta has pitched scoreless ball in 11 of 13 appearances this season.

• Baylor's leadoff batter has reached base in 88 of 234 innings this season (37.6 percent); 47 times that base runner has scored (53.4 percent). The Bears have scored in 71 innings this season; the leadoff batter reached base safely in 47 of those innings (66.2 percent).

• 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).

• Since the start of the Big 12 in 1997, the Bears have the league's best conference record at 141-85 (.624). 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).

BAYLOR STARTER

RHP Sean Walker (1-3, 4.58) makes his seventh appearance and earns his sixth start of the 2005 season Tuesday. In 17.2 innings this season, Walker has allowed 13 runs, nine earned, on 13 hits and 14 walks with 13 strikeouts. Opponents hit .217 against Walker.

Tuesday is the 39th start of Walker's career, tying Glenn Nevill (1988-91) and Jared Theodorakos (2000-04) for seventh on Baylor's all-time list. Baylor is 2-3 in Walker's five starts this season and 18-20 in his 38 career starts.

THE TEXAS SOUTHERN SERIES

Baylor and Texas Southern have a brief history: the teams met twice last season at Baylor Ballpark as schedule additions. The Bears won both meetings by scores of 10-3 and 11-3.

THE TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS

Texas Southern (12-8) is coached by Candy Robinson, a 1964 Grambling State graduate. The Tigers are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and won the league's tournament last season. That secured a bid to the NCAA Regionals, where Texas Southern provided the postseason's biggest upset -- a 4-3 first-round victory at Rice.

TSU Notes: Texas State has won five of its last six games, including a three-game sweep of Grambling State at home last weekend. ... Tuesday is the Tigers' second game this season against a ranked team. TSU lost an 8-4 decision March 16 at third-ranked Tulane. RHP Brandon Stricklen, Tuesday's starter, was touched for six runs, three earned, on four hits and five walks with five strikeouts in a 5.0-inning outing that night. ... Texas Southern hits .291 as a team with 11 home runs, 29 doubles, two triples and 28 stolen bases in 40 attempts. The Tigers average 6.1 runs per game. ... TSU pitchers boast a 5.51 staff ERA with eight complete games, one shutout, one save and 145 strikeouts against 66 walks in 148.2 innings. Opponents hit .265 against Texas State pitching. ... The Tigers field at a .946 clip with 35 errors and six double plays turned. Opponents are 22-of-30 in stolen base attempts.

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 141-85 (.624), the Bears are ahead of Texas Tech (139-89-1; .609) and Texas (137-92; .598). 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).

SCHEDULE AGAIN AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST

Baylor's 2005 schedule ranked fourth nationally preseason and was listed as the nation's second-toughest in the latest BoydsWorld.com rankings (March 23). That tough schedule should come as no surprise; Baylor has ranked 13th or better in strength of schedule each of the past six seasons.

Baylor is a national-best 10-1 this season against ranked opponents, including a 6-0 mark against teams ranked in the top 10. In fact, Baylor has won more games against ranked opponents than any other team has played with the exception of Cal State Fullerton and Texas, which have played 10 each.

This weekend's series at Oklahoma State is Baylor's final of six consecutive weekend series against teams ranked nationally in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25. It also ends a streak of 20 consecutive weekend games against teams ranked nationally in one of the four major polls at some point this season.

The 2005 Bears play 25 games against nine teams ranked in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25. Baylor also plays 36 games against 13 teams that appeared in the 2004 regionals. Baylor ranked 10th nationally in strength of schedule last season. In 2003, Baylor's schedule was deemed the nation's toughest in the preseason and was ranked fifth by season's end.

ARSENAL OF OPPOSING ARMS CONTINUES

Through Baylor's first 26 games, only two opposing pitchers this season had a losing record going into the game: UTSA's Ryan Crew (0-1) and Arizona State's Pat Bresnehan (0-1).

In fact, the 26 opposing starting pitchers Baylor has faced this season had a combined line of 39-9 with a 2.34 ERA entering their starts against Baylor. However, the Bears' opposing starting pitchers are 8-12 with 3.77 ERA in their games against the Bears.

Baylor's opposing starters over the past 14 games have entered the games with combined records of 31-3. The Bears are 9-5 in that time, and those starting pitchers went 5-6 against the Bears with a collective 4.01 ERA.

Additionally, Baylor has faced three of the nation's five returning 12-game winners, doing so in successive weekend series against Oral Roberts (Dennis Bigley), Arizona State (Jason Urquidez) and Long Beach State (Cesar Ramos).

FORD, REYNOLDS ON WALLACE AWARD WATCH LIST

1B Kyle Reynolds and C Josh Ford represent Baylor on the watch list for the Wallace Award, which is presented to the nation's top collegiate player by the College Baseball Foundation. Cal State Fullerton catcher Kurt Suzuki won the initial Brooks Wallace Award last season.

The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semi-finalists by May 24. The selection committee then will narrow the list to three finalists following the NCAA Super Regionals.

The selection committee for the Wallace Award is comprised of a national panel of coaches, sports information directors, former winners and media. Screening Committee members will evaluate the candidates and will continue their review throughout the entire baseball season. Additional Wallace Watch candidates may be added as the season progresses. Voting for the three finalists and the Wallace Award winner will be conducted by confidential balloting, with totals tabulated by the J.W. Anderson & Associates accounting firm in Lubbock.

WOODY NAMED TO STOPPER WATCH LIST

RHP Abe Woody has been named to the initial watch list for the 2005 National Stopper of the Year Award, sponsored by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. One of 30 Division I closers from across the nation in the running for the first-year award, Woody joins Texas junior J. Brent Cox as the only Big 12 Conference closers on the list.

A product of Round Rock [Texas] High School, Woody boasts a career record of 11-1 with a 3.58 ERA and 10 saves in 57 career relief appearances. He led the Bears with five saves last season and is currently tied for second in the Big 12 with two saves this season. Woody has tallied 83 career strikeouts in 110.1 innings of work while holding opponents to a .212 batting average.

At the end the regular season, the Division I leader in saves and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as the award's finalists. These finalists will be released June 1, just prior to the beginning of NCAA regional play. From the list of finalists, the NCBWA's All-America Committee will select a winner. The inaugural winner will be announced on June 8, two days prior to the beginning of NCAA Super Regional action.

McCORMICK ON CLEMENS AWARD WATCH LIST

RHP Mark McCormick is among 42 pitchers named to the initial watch list for the 2005 Clemens Award, presented July 14 to the nation's top collegiate pitcher by the Greater Houston Baseball Association.

McCormick, who is projected to be a first-round draft pick in June's First-Year Player Draft, was 2-4 with a 4.70 ERA in 46.0 innings covering 11 appearances and 10 starts last season. However, he missed six weeks of the season due to a shoulder injury. McCormick was named first-team preseason All-America by Baseball America earlier this year.

The list is comprised of all Division I pitchers who were named as pre-season All-Americans by either Baseball America or Collegiate Baseball, in addition to those pitchers who have been honored so far this season as National Pitchers of the Week by the National College Baseball Writers Association. Weekly winners of the writer's award will be added to the list until the start of the first round of voting at the end of April. Additional nominees will be added to the ballot based on notable performances and rankings in the NCAA statistical rankings.

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 388-244-1 (.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.

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. These remaining games will be available in the BearCast package:

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.

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.

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 continues its eight-game home stand this weekend, hosting Oklahoma for a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Sooners meet Friday at 7 p.m. CST, Saturday at 6 p.m. CST and Sunday at 2 p.m. CDT. Fans are reminded that Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday morning.