GAMES 32-34 • APRIL 8-10, 2005
No. 15 BAYLOR (19-12, 6-3)
vs.
KANSAS STATE (15-12, 2-7)
BAYLOR BALLPARK • WACO, TEXAS
THE SERIES
Overall Record: Baylor leads 21-6
Waco: Baylor leads 13-1
Manhattan: Baylor leads 8-4
Neutral Site: K-State leads 1-0
Since Start of Big 12: Baylor leads 20-5
Smith vs. K-State: 20-5
First Meeting: at Baylor 2, K-State 0 [3/28/1966]
Last Meeting: at K-State 4, Baylor 2 [5/2/2004]
COACHES
BAYLOR: Steve Smith
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 391-246-1 (11th season)
Record at Baylor: 391-246-1 (11th season)
KANSAS STATE: Brad Hill
Alma Mater: Emporia State, 1985
Career Record: 41-42 (2nd season)
Record at K-State: 459-133 (11th 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: www.BaylorBears.com
BAYLOR NATIONAL RANKINGS
Baseball America 15th
Sports Weekly/ESPN/Coaches 17th
NCBWA 24th
Collegiate Baseball 21st
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, April 8
BU - LHP Trey Taylor (2-3, 3.72 ERA)
KSU - RHP Chase Mitchell (3-3, 4.57 ERA)
Saturday, April 9
BU - RHP Mark McCormick (3-2, 3.21 ERA)
KSU - LHP Mitch Walter (2-2, 3.98 ERA)
Sunday, April 10
BU - LHP Cory VanAllen (5-2, 3.91 ERA)
KSU - RHP Adam Cowart (6-1, 2.18 ERA)
Baylor returns to action this weekend, hosting Kansas State for a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Wildcats meet Friday at 7 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Baylor (19-12, 6-3) dropped a 9-3 decision Tuesday night at home to Houston. The Bears, ranked 15th in this week's Baseball America Top 25, have won 11 of their last 16 games. Baylor is currently third in the Big 12 standings, one-half game behind Missouri and Nebraska.
Kansas State (15-12, 2-7) saw its Tuesday game at home against Washburn get washed out. The Wildcats defeated Texas 5-3 last Sunday to salvage the series finale at Austin. K-State enters the weekend last in the Big 12 standings, one-and-a-half games behind ninth-place Kansas.
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.
BearCast live streaming video also is available for the Kansas State series at $4.95 per game or $9.95 for the weekend series. For more information, see the BearCast link at www.BaylorBears.com.
LEADING OFF
BEARS RANK SECOND IN PSEUDO RPI RANKINGS
Through games of April 3, Baylor ranks second nationally in the pseudo RPI rankings at www.BoydsWorld.com. With a 0.641 rating, the Bears trail only Tulane (0.651) and rank just ahead of Mississippi (0.639) and Florida (0.638).
A large reason for Baylor's high RPI ranking is its strength of schedule and the Bears' record against strong opponents. Baylor holds the nation's best record against nationally ranked opponents at 10-1, and the Bears' schedule ranks as the nation's fourth-toughest entering the week.
Of Baylor's 31 games this season, 29 were against teams ranked in the RPI top 100 with 17 games against the RPI top 50 and 12 games against the RPI top 20. The Bears are 9-4 against the top 20, including a 3-0 mark against the top 10.
QUICK NOTES ...
• Baylor and Kansas State meet for the 28th, 29th and 30th times this weekend. The Bears hold a 21-6 advantage in the all-time series.
• According to the latest rankings at www.BoydsWorld.com (March 30), Baylor ranks second nationally in RPI and eighth in ISR (Iterative Strength Rating).
• Baylor's strength of schedule ranks fourth nationally, according to www.BoydsWorld.com.
• Baylor is 11-6 against the latest RPI top 50, including a 9-4 mark against the top 20 and a 3-0 mark against the top 10.
• Through games of April 3, Baylor's opponents have a combined record of 419-241 (.635). The Bears' opponents have played 166 games against each other, giving Baylor's opponents an adjusted winning percentage (total record minus games each other and all games vs. Baylor) of .700 (325-139).
• 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.
• The Bears are 16-4 this season when the starting pitcher goes at least 5.0 innings.
• Baylor is 7-1 this season on Sunday.
• Baylor is 8-1 this season in gold jerseys.
• Baylor is 13-1 this season when scoring first.
• Baylor is 8-0 when leading after three innings, 10-0 after four, 11-0 after five, 15-0 after six and 16-0 when leading after the seventh or later.
• RHP Mark McCormick has allowed only 11 runs, six earned, on 21 hits and 17 walks with 35 strikeouts over his last 38.0 innings. In that time, he has posted a 1.42 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 6-2 this season in McCormick's seven starts.
• In LHP Trey Taylor's last 19 starts, he has allowed three or fewer earned runs 15 times and two or fewer 12 times. Baylor is 12-4 in Taylor's last 16 starts; he is 6-3 in that time.
• C/DH Josh Ford has reached safely in 26 consecutive games (a career-long streak) and in 30 of 31 games this season.
• RHP Ryan LaMotta has pitched scoreless ball in 13 of 15 appearances this season. Currently, LaMotta has pitched 18.0 consecutive scoreless innings.
• Baylor's leadoff batter has reached base in 103 of 276 innings this season (37.3 percent); 59 times that base runner has scored (57.3 percent). The Bears have scored in 87 innings this season; the leadoff batter reached base safely in 59 of those innings (67.8 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 143-86 (.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 ranks 28th nationally in total wins since 2000, third among Big 12 Conference teams, with 211 wins through games of April 3, 2005.
• Since 1998, Baylor also is third in the Big 12 in total wins with 302 victories behind only Texas (332) and Nebraska (322) through games of April 3, 2005.
BAYLOR STARTERS
LHP Trey Taylor (2-3, 3.72) makes his ninth start of the season Friday, his sixth Friday start this year. In 48.1 innings this season, Taylor has allowed 25 runs, 20 earned, on 43 hits and 21 walks with 38 strikeouts. Opponents hit .247 against the southpaw. ... Friday's start is the 43rd of his career. Baylor is 27-15 in Taylor's previous 42 starts.
RHP Mark McCormick (3-2, 3.21) earns his ninth start of the 2005 season Saturday, his fourth Saturday start this year. In 47.2 innings this season, McCormick has allowed 22 runs, 17 earned, on 31 hits and 28 walks with 45 strikeouts. Opponents hit .185 against McCormick. Baylor has a 6-2 record in his eight starts this season, including a 5-1 mark in his last six starts. ... Saturday is McCormick's 34th career start. Baylor is 21-12 in McCormicks previous 33 starts.
LHP Cory VanAllen (5-2, 3.91) closes out the series with his eighth start of the season Sunday, his fifth Sunday start of the season. In 46.0 innings this season, VanAllen has allowed 21 runs, 20 earned, on 47 hits and 14 walks with 29 strikeouts. Opponents hit .272 against VanAllen, who has won three straight decisions in a four-start span. ... Sunday is VanAllen's 13th career start. Baylor is 7-5 in his previous 12 starts.
THE KANSAS STATE SERIES
Baylor and Kansas State meet for the 28th, 29th and 30th times this weekend. The Bears hold a 21-6 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to a 2-0 Baylor victory March 28, 1966.
The Bears are 20-5 against the Wildcats as Big 12 Conference opponents, 20-4 in regular-season meetings. Baylor is 13-1 all-time against Kansas State in Waco. The Bears have won 17 of the last 21 meetings, including a three-game series sweep at Baylor Ballpark two years ago and taking two of three at Manhattan last season.
THE KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
Kansas State (15-12, 2-7) is under the direction of second-year head coach Brad Hill, a 1985 Emporia State graduate. The Wildcats are 41-42 during Hill's tenure. Prior to arriving at Manhattan, Hill spent nine seasons as head coach at Central Missouri State, where he led the Division II Mules to seven College World Series appearances with a 418-91 overall record.
K-State Notes: The Wildcats are 3-7 in their last 10 games after opening the season at 12-5. Nine of those 10 games were against Big 12 foes. The lone non-conference game was a 6-5 victory over perineal power Wichita State. ... Kansas State is 2-4 against three common Baylor opponents, defeating UT-Arlington, losing to Northwestern State and dropping two of three at Oklahoma State. Baylor is 1-5 against those three opponents, losing to both UT-Arlington and Northwestern State and dropping two of three at OSU. ... K-State's strength of schedule ranks 97th nationally. ... The Wildcats hit .322 as a team with 20 home runs, 65 doubles, nine triples and 37 stolen bases in 47 attempts. K-State scores 7.8 runs per game and produces 22.8 bases per game with a 1.477 offensive efficiency rating. ... Kansas State boasts a 3.38 staff ERA with one complete game (thrown by Saturday starter LHP Mitch Walter), four saves and 155 strikeouts against 77 walks in 232.0 innings. Opponents hit .255 against K-State pitching. ... The Cats field at a .955 clip with 48 errors and 29 double plays turned. K-State has not turned a non-ground-ball double play this season. Opponents are 14-of-19 in stolen base attempts.
SMITH NEARS ANOTHER MILESTONE
Baylor head coach Steve Smith enters this weekend's series against Kansas State nine wins shy of victory No. 400 in his collegiate career, all coming at Baylor. Now in his 11th season at the helm of the Baylor program, Smith is 391-246-1.
WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND
Baylor is 16-8 this season in weekend games but only 3-4 in midweek games. A large reason for the difference in success has been pitching. Baylor boasts a 3.10 ERA in weekend games this season with a .233 opponents' batting average and 3.96 walks per nine innings. Additionally, the Bears' weekend starters have combined to go 10-7 with a 3.61 ERA and a .235 opponents' batting average.
In midweek games, meanwhile, Baylor's staff ERA is 4.57. Opponents still hit just .235 against the Bears in midweek games but with 4.86 walks per nine innings. Baylor starters in midweek games have a combined 6.20 ERA with a .236 opponents' batting average and 19 walks in 20.1 innings.
BEARS STAND PAT IN BASEBALL AMERICA
Baylor did not move in this week's Baseball America Top 25, remaining the nation's 15th-ranked team according to the publication.
The Bears remain the second highest-ranked Big 12 Conference team behind top-ranked Texas and ahead of No. 17 Nebraska and No. 18 Texas A&M. Missouri entered the rankings for the first time this season this week, landing at No. 23.
Other 2005 Baylor opponents in this week's rankings are No. 11 Rice (0-1 vs. Baylor), No. 21 Long Beach State (2-1), No. 24 Arizona State (2-1) and No. 25 Tennessee (0-1), which entered the poll for the first time this season.
Cal State Fullerton remained No. 2 this week, followed by Tulane, Georgia Tech, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Louisiana State, Mississippi and Stanford.
In this week's other polls, Baylor remained 17th in the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches' Poll, climbed three spots to No. 24 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association Top 35 and moved up one spot to No. 21 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30.
BAYLOR SCHEDULE AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST
Baylor's 2005 schedule ranked fourth nationally preseason and is so ranked in this week's rankings at www.BoydsWorld.com after one week as the nation's toughest. 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.
Last weekend's series against Oklahoma ended Baylor's streak of six consecutive weekend series against teams ranked nationally in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25. It also ended a streak of 20 consecutive weekend games against teams ranked nationally in one of the four major polls at some point this season.
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 143-86 (.624), the Bears are ahead of Texas Tech (140-91-1; .606) and Texas (139-93; .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).
ARSENAL OF OPPOSING ARMS CONTINUES
Through Baylor's first 31 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 31 opposing starting pitchers Baylor has faced this season had a combined 52-14 record entering their starts against Baylor. However, the Bears' opposing starting pitchers are 10-15 in their games against the Bears.
Baylor's opposing starters over the past 19 games have entered the games with combined records of 44-8. The Bears are 12-7 in that time, and those starting pitchers went 7-9 against the Bears.
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 391-246-1 (.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 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 returns to the road this week, traveling to Arlington, Texas, for a Tuesday game at Texas-Arlington. First pitch between the Bears and the Mavericks is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT at Clay Gould Park.
