May 10, 2007
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GAMES 49-51 • MAY 11-13 • 6:35 P.M./2:05 P.M./1:05 P.M. CDT
BAYLOR (27-21, 8-13) at NEBRASKA (25-20, 10-11)
HAYMARKET PARK • LINCOLN, NEB.
Baylor baseball returns to action this weekend, traveling to Lincoln, Neb., for a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Nebraska. The Bears and the Cornhuskers meet Friday at 6:35 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 2:05 p.m. and Sunday at 1:05 p.m. All three games will be played at Haymarket Park. Saturday's game will be televised live on Nebraska Educational Television and will be re-broadcast May 14 at 5 p.m. on CSTV.
Baylor (27-21, 8-13) has won three straight and six of its last eight after Wednesday's 16-4 victory over Texas Southern at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears are 7-11 away from home this season, including a 6-7 mark on opponents' home fields. However, Baylor is 5-2 in its last five road games with wins in three of its last four games on an opponent's home turf. The Bears are unranked in all four major polls.
Nebraska (25-20, 10-11) has lost three straight after dropping two games in a rain-shortened series against Coastal Carolina at home last weekend. The Huskers, who are 4-6 in their last 10 games, are 12-9 at home this season, including a 6-6 mark in Big 12 play. Nebraska is unranked in all four major polls.
This weekend's series features the 47th, 48th and 49th meetings between Baylor and Nebraska. The Bears hold a 27-18-1 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to a 9-7 Baylor victory April 4, 1938.
Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1997, the Bears hold a 19-14 advantage in the series. Baylor is 17-8 against the Huskers in regular-season Big 12 games, winning five of eight series and all four series in Waco. The 1998 series was rain-shortened to one game (a Baylor victory), while the 1999 series was completely lost to inclement weather.
Baylor swept the series in 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2006. Nebraska swept the series in 2001. The teams split the series with the home team winning two-of-three in 2002 (at Baylor Ballpark) and in 2003 (at Nebraska). The Bears 6-8 against the Huskers in games played at Lincoln, including a 5-7 mark against at Nebraska since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997.
The Bears and the Huskers have played eight common opponents this season: Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Rice, Texas, UT-Arlington, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Baylor is 9-13 against that octet, while Nebraska is 9-11. The Bears have series wins against Oklahoma and Texas Tech, while the Huskers have series wins against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on Waco's 1660 ESPN Radio. 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 CSTV Network.
Live streaming video also is available for the Nebraska series. For more information, follow the Baylor All-Access link at www.BaylorBears.com.
THE SERIES
Overall Record: Baylor leads 27-18-1
Waco: Baylor leads 18-4-1
Lincoln: Nebraska leads 8-6
Neutral Site: Nebraska leads 6-3
Since Start of Big 12: Baylor leads 19-14
Regular-Season Big 12: Baylor leads 17-8
Smith vs. Nebraska: 20-14
First Meeting: at Baylor 9, Nebraska 7 [4/4/1938]
Last Meeting: Nebraska 3, Baylor 2 [5/24/2006]
COACHES
BAYLOR: Steve Smith
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 481-305-1 [13th season]
Record at Baylor: 481-305-1 [13th season]
NEBRASKA: Mike Anderson
Alma Mater: Northern Colorado
Career Record: 207-95 [5th season]
Record at Nebraska: 207-95 [5th season]
BAYLOR/ISP NETWORK
1660 ESPN RADIO (Waco)
Tom Barfield, play-by-play
Lark Smith, color
INTERNET FEEDS
GameTracker: www.BaylorBears.com
Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Video: www.BaylorBears.com
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Baseball America NR
USA Today/ESPN Coaches NR
NCBWA NR
Collegiate Baseball NR
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, May 11
BU RHP Jeff Mandel (5-7, 4.66 ERA, 75.1 IP, 81 H, 22 BB, 66 K)
NU LHP Tony Watson (5-3, 3.04 ERA, 80.0 IP, 67 H, 21 BB, 70 K)
Saturday, May 12
BU RHP Randall Linebaugh (2-5, 5.72 ERA, 61.1 IP, 66 H, 27 BB, 39 K)
NU RHP Johnny Dorn (7-2, 4.94 ERA, 71.0 IP, 70 H, 23 BB, 49 K)
Sunday, May 13
BU RHP Kendal Volz (5-1, 4.82 ERA, 52.1 IP, 64 H, 12 BB, 40 K)
NU RHP Luke Wertz (2-0, 1.72 ERA, 36.2 IP, 26 H, 9 BB, 41 K)
QUICK HITS
• Since the start of the 2003 season, Baylor is:
- 136-54 (.716) when its starting pitcher lasts at least 5.0 innings
- 35-8 (.814) when its pitching staff records at least 10 strikeouts
- 128-39 (.766) when scoring first
- 148-29 (.836) when out-hitting its opponent
- 142-38 (.789) when holding its opponent to fewer than five runs
- 124-27 (.821) when scoring at least six runs
- 111-19 (.854) when scoring at least seven runs
• Since the start of the 2002 season, Baylor is 176-8 (.957) when leading after eight innings, winning 36 of the last 37, 70 of the last 72 and 105 of the last 108 such games.
• Baylor has won 26 of its last 28 games when hitting at least two home runs.
• Baylor is 14-4 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season.
• The Bears are 52-18 (.743) at Baylor Ballpark since the start of the 2005 postseason.
• Baylor is 19-3 all-time at Baylor Ballpark in finales with a chance to sweep a three-game series (does not include the Texas and Texas A&M split series).
• The Bears have out-scored their opponents 75-37 in the first two innings and 47-19 in the eighth inning this season. However, opponents have out-scored Baylor 42-15 in the third inning.
• Baylor is 19-8 this season when scoring first (8-13 when the opponent scores first).
• The Bears are 0-7 this season in Big 12 Conference series middle games. The Bears have lost nine consecutive weekend middle games.
• Baylor is 3-9 on Saturday this season, going 24-12 elsewhere in the week.
• 16 of Baylor's 21 losses were to opponents ranked at some point this season.
IMPROVED ROAD PLAY: After starting the season 2-9 away from Baylor Ballpark, the Bears are 5-2 in their last seven road games with wins at Kansas (two), at Texas State, at Texas A&M and at TCU. The last two of those opponents both were ranked, giving Baylor consecutive road wins against ranked opponents for the first time since taking the final two games of a three-game series at then-No. 16 Long Beach State in February, 2006.
TRIO EARNS ACADEMIC HONORS: Three Baylor baseball seniors earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI honors, annouced by the College Sports Information Directors of America. C Matt Czimskey, 1B/DH Tim Jackson and RHP Jeff Mandel were all selected to the second team. This marks the second consecutive season in which Mandel has earned second-team honors; Czimskey and Jackson were first-time honorees. At least one Baylor baseball student-athlete has earned academic all-district honors every year since 1998. In that time, 15 Bears have been so honored 22 times. Mandel joins Jason Jennings (1998, 1999), Jon Topolski (1998, 1999), Ross Bennett (2002, 2003), Michael Griffin (2004, 2005, 2006) and Zach Dillon (2005, 2006) as the only Baylor baseball student-athletes to earn academic all-district honors multiple times.
BAYLOR BALLPARK TOPS 90,000 PLATEAU AGAIN: Baylor eclipsed the 90,000 mark in total season attendance Wednesday. This is the fourth consecutive season and the sixth year in Baylor Ballpark's nine-year history that the 90,000 plateau has been eclipsed. Last season, Baylor established a facility record for total regular-season attendance at 96,427. The Bears must average 2,374 per game in the season's final three home games to top 100,000 for the second time in school history.
BEARS IN TELEVISED GAMES: Baylor is 28-26 all-time in televised games, including a 2-1 mark this season (loss at Oklahoma State, wins at home against Oklahoma and at TCU). Baylor is 6-4 all-time in games televised by CSTV, including a 2-0 record this season. The Bears were 2-4 last season on CSTV, losing the final two games of the Texas series and going 2-2 at the NCAA Houston Regional (wins over Arizona State, losses to Rice). In 2005, Baylor defeated Texas in the series finale and won the Saturday game of the series at Nebraska, both on CSTV. The Bears are 24-20 in televised games under head coach Steve Smith. The 2005 Bears established a school record with 12 televised games, 39 percent of the program's all-time televised games prior to the 2005 season.
TRIPLE YOUR PLEASURE: Through games of May 8, Baylor ranks fifth nationally in triples per game with 0.49. Brigham Young is the national leader at 0.69. With 23 three-baggers, Baylor is one of only 18 teams nationally with at least 20 triples this season. Only Jackson State (33), Brigham Young (31), Charlotte (26) and Arizona (25) have more triples than Baylor. Last season, the Bears tied for second nationally with 32 triples, which also tied for the fourth-best season total in school history.
MIDWEEK SUCCESS CONTINUES: Baylor is 11-1 in midweek action this season, losing only to TCU 6-3 in late April. The Bears are 24-5 in midweek action since the start of the 2006 season after going only 7-8 in midweek games in 2005.
BAYLOR AMONG NATIONAL APR LEADERS: Baylor received a public recognition award from the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program for having an Academic Progress Rate (APR) score which ranks among the top 10 percent within their sport. The Bears' most-recent APR score was 983 with an adjusted squad size mark of 992. Baylor was one of 30 Division I programs honored by the NCAA. Head coach Steve Smith's squad was the only of Baylor's 19 varsity teams so honored.
UP NEXT: Baylor returns to action Tuesday, May 15, traveling to Houston, Texas, for a midweek game at fourth-ranked Rice. First pitch between the Bears and the Owls is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CDT at Reckling Park on the Rice campus. The game will be televised nationally on CSTV. This is the second and final scheduled meeting between Baylor and Rice this season. The Owls defeated the Bears 7-0 in Baylor's second game of the season. That game was at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
