Feb. 26, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAMES 6-8 • FEB. 27-MARCH 1 • MINUTE MAID PARK • HOUSTON, TEXAS

No. 6 BAYLOR (4-1) at HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC

FRIDAY: vs. Houston, 3:30 p.m. CST - 1660 ESPN Radio Waco

SATURDAY: vs. No. 9 UCLA, 3:30 p.m. CST - 104.9 FM Radio Waco

SUNDAY: vs. No. 10 Rice, 2:30 p.m. CST - 1660 ESPN Radio Waco

Baylor returns to action this weekend, traveling to Houston, Texas, for the ninth-annual Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park. This is Baylor's sixth appearance in the event; the Bears also participated in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Baylor plays Houston at 3:30 p.m. CST Friday, UCLA at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Rice at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

The Bears (4-1) have won three straight after a 15-4 victory over Houston Baptist at home Wednesday night. Baylor took two of three against Pacific at home last weekend and defeated BYU 7-6 at home Monday night. The Bears are ranked sixth nationally in this week's Baseball America Top 25. Baylor also is ranked 20th in the NCBWA Top 30 and 15th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. The Bears were ranked 17th in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll.

Houston (2-3) split a pair of midweek games, winning 7-5 Tuesday at Stephen F. Austin and falling 9-2 Wednesday at Rice. The Cougars lost two of three at home against Kansas State last weekend. Houston is unranked in all four major polls.

UCLA (2-3) has lost three straight after an 11-1 loss to UC Riverside at home Wednesday. The Bruins won the first two games of a three-game series at home against UC Davis last weekend but dropped Sunday's series finale 8-7 in 11 innings. UCLA fell 7-6 Tuesday at UC Santa Barbara. The Bruins are ranked ninth in this week's Baseball America Top 25. UCLA also is ranked 22nd in the NCBWA Top 30 and 21st in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. The Bruins were ranked 22nd in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll.

Rice (2-2) lost two of three at Cal Poly last weekend, winning the opener 10-7 before losses of 10-3 and 7-6 in a doubleheader last Saturday. The Owls topped Houston 9-2 at home Wednesday. Rice is ranked 10th in this week's Baseball America Top 25. The Owls also are ranked ninth in the NCBWA Top 30 and 10th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. Rice was ranked 3rd in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll.

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 CBS College Sports Network.

HOUSTONCOLLEGECLASSIC SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, FEB. 27

Texas A&M vs. UC Irvine, Noon

Houstonvs. BAYLOR, 3:30 p.m.

UCLA vs. Rice, 7:00 p.m.

SATURDAY, FEB. 28

UC Irvine vs. Houston, Noon

BAYLOR vs. UCLA, 3:30 p.m.

Rice vs. Texas A&M, 7:00 p.m.

SUNDAY, MARCH 1

UCLA vs. UC Irvine, 11:00 a.m.

BAYLOR vs. Rice, 2:30 p.m.

Houston vs. Texas A&M, 6:00 p.m.

NOTE: Home team listed second

HOUSTONCOLLEGECLASSIC TICKETS

Tickets for the College Classic may be purchased online (www.Astros.com), at the Minute Maid Park Box Office, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1.877.9ASTROS. Tickets may also be purchased at all of the Astros regular Houston-area Ticketmaster outlets. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST.

Tickets are $13 for daily admission and $30 for the three-day tournament. Children's tickets (ages 4-14) are $6 daily and $15 for the tournament. Student tickets are also $6 and are available at the MMP Box Office with the presentation of proper student ID. A season ticket holder discount ($6.50 per day) is available at the MMP Box Office only. Reserved seating in the Diamond Club is $30 per game (subject to availability) and is available at the MMP Box Office. Reserved seating is also available in the Club Level for evening games only for $20 for Adults and $10 for kids.

Special ticket options are available, including the College Classic Student Ticket Package sponsored by Coca-Cola. For $10, high school and college students, and kids ages 4-14 can purchase a daily lower-bowl general admission ticket, which is good for all three games played that date. The ticket package also includes a voucher for one 16-ounce Coca-Cola product and a regular hot dog. This ticket package is only available at the Minute Maid Park Box Office with the presentation of proper ID.

SERIES INFORMATION

HOUSTONCOUGARS

Overall: Baylor leads 84-60

Waco: Baylor leads 35-27

Houston: Baylor leads 39-26

Neutral Site: Baylor leads 6-3

Unknown Site: Tied 4-4

Smith vs. Houston: 18-15

First Meeting: Houston 5, Baylor 3 [1951]

Last Meeting: at Baylor 12, Houston 6 [4/3/2007]

UCLA BRUINS

Overall: Never Met

Waco: Never Met

Los Angeles: Never Met

Smith vs. UCLA: 0-0

RICE OWLS

Overall: Baylor leads 125-86-1

Waco: Baylor leads 71-30

Houston: Rice leads 50-44-1

Neutral Site: Rice leads 4-1

Unknown Site: Baylor leads 9-2

Smith vs. Rice: 12-20

First Meeting: result unknown [4/25/1919]

Last Meeting: at Rice 13, Baylor 0 [5/15/2007]

BAYLOR-ISP SPORTS NETWORK

1660 ESPN RADIO (Waco)

Tom Barfield, play-by-play

Lark Smith, color

INTERNET FEEDS

GameTracker: www.BaylorBears.com

Audio: www.BaylorBears.com

Video: None

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY

Baylor: RHP Shawn Tolleson, So. (0-0, 7.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 5 BB, 2 K)

Houston: LHP Wes Musick, Jr. (0-1, 6.75 ERA, 4.0 IP, 0 BB, 3 K)

SATURDAY

Baylor: RHP Kendal Volz, Jr. (0-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 BB, 5 K)

UCLA: RHP Gerrit Cole, Fr. (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 BB, 7 K)

SUNDAY

Baylor: RHP Craig Fritsch, So. (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 1 BB, 0 K)

Rice: LHP Taylor Wall, Fr. (1-1, 8.53 ERA, 6.1 IP, 4 BB, 3 K)

QUICK NOTES

• Saturday's game against ninth-ranked UCLA starts a 10-game stretch in which Baylor plays eight games against teams currently ranked in Baseball America's top 10.

• Baylor is 7-8 all-time at the Houston College Classic. The Bears have lost three straight after a four-game winning streak.

• Baylor has three last-at-bat victories in five games this season after only two such wins last year.

• Baylor has two extra-inning victories in five games this season after only one such win last year.

• Baylor is 10-4 on Sunday since the start of the 2008 season.

• Baylor is 12-4 against left-handed starters since the start of the 2008 season.

BAYLORHOUSTON COLLEGECLASSIC HISTORY

This is Baylor's sixth appearance at the Houston College Classic, formerly known as the Astros College Classic and the Minute Maid Park College Classic. Baylor is 7-8 all-time at the event, including a 3-0 mark in 2005. The Bears were 2-1 in 2001, 0-3 with three one-run losses in 2002, 2-1 in 2003 and 0-3 in 2007.

A Bear has been named MVP in three of the five events in which Baylor has appeared, even in 2002 when the Bears did not win a game. Kelly Shoppach (2001), Tim Hartshorn (2002) and Michael Griffin (2003) have been so honored.

Baylor is 3-2 against Houston at the event, 1-4 against Rice, 1-1 against TCU, 1-0 against Louisiana-Lafayette, 1-0 against Tennessee and 0-1 against Vanderbilt.

BAYLORHOUSTON COLLEGECLASSIC ALL-TIME RESULTS

Date Opponent Result

Feb. 1, 2001 Rice L 0-1 (10)

Feb. 2, 2001 Houston W 16-7

Feb. 3, 2001 TCU W 12-4

Feb. 7, 2002 Rice L 9-10 (12)

Feb. 8, 2002 Houston L 2-3

Feb. 9, 2002 TCU L 5-6

Feb. 14, 2003 Houston W 14-4

Feb. 15, 2003 Rice L 3-4

Feb. 16, 2003 Louisiana-Lafayette W 12-4

Feb. 11, 2005 Houston W 8-6

Feb. 12, 2005 Tennessee W 3-2

Feb. 13, 2005 Rice W 6-1

Feb. 9, 2007 Houston L 2-4

Feb. 10, 2007 Rice L 0-7

Feb. 11, 2007 Vanderbilt L 4-7

BAYLOR-HOUSTON SERIES HISTORY

Baylor and Houston meet for the 145th time Friday with the Bears holding an 84-60 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1951 season. The Bears are 18-15 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. Baylor holds a 6-3 advantage in neutral-site meetings.

The Baylor-Houston series is the sixth-most played rivalry in Baylor baseball history behind Texas (329 meetings), Texas A&M (262), TCU (238), Rice (212) and SMU (168).

BAYLOR vs. CONFERENCE USA

Baylor is 219-151-1 all-time against programs currently playing as members of Conference USA. Most of that has come against Houston (84-60) and Rice (125-86-1). Baylor also is 4-2 against Memphis, 3-1 against Southern Mississippi and 3-2 against Tulane.

BAYLOR-UCLA SERIES HISTORY

Baylor and UCLA have never met.

BAYLOR vs. THE PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE

Baylor is 17-15 all-time against programs currently in the Pacific-10 Conference. The Bears are 3-6 against Arizona, 4-6 against Arizona State, 0-1 against California, 1-0 against Oregon State, 6-2 against Southern California, 1-0 against Stanford and 2-0 against Washington State. After Saturday's game against UCLA, Baylor will have played all Pac-10 programs save Washington and Oregon.

BAYLOR-RICE SERIES HISTORY

Baylor and Rice have met 212 times on the baseball diamond, making this the fourth most-played series in Baylor baseball history behind only Texas (329), Texas A&M (262) and TCU (238). Baylor holds a 126-86-1 advantage the all-time series, which dates back to April 25, 1919. However, Rice has won 11 of the last 12 meetings, including five straight.

Because the game is played at Minute Maid Park, it is considered a neutral-site contest. Baylor is 4-1 against Rice in neutral-site meetings. The lone victory was at the 2005 Houston College Classic, which also was Baylor's last victory at any site over the Owls.

Baylor is 12-20 against Rice during head coach Steve Smith's tenure.

VOLZ LOOKING FOR SUPPORT

In his last seven starts (dating back to last season), RHP Kendal Volz has posted a 3.02 ERA (14 earned runs over 41.2 innings). He worked into the sixth inning in all but one of those starts - the lone exception was against Texas last year when he left after 3.0 innings with seven strikeouts and a strained oblique muscle. Yet, Volz is 0-4 in those seven starts, and Baylor is 2-5. The Bears have not scored more than four runs in a Volz start since the first Big 12 game of last season. He had a no-decision in that game, leaving with the lead before the Bears lost 6-5.

YOUNGSTERS MAKE NOISE IN SEASON'S FIRST WEEK

For all the ballyhoo about the draft potential of Baylor's 2009 upperclassmen, several of the Bears' freshmen and redshirt freshmen have made quite an impression in the season's first week. At the plate, Baylor newcomers are hitting .375 (18-for-48); on the mound, Baylor newcomers are 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA (4 ER, 17.1 IP).

Leading the way at the plate is IF Joey Hainsfurther, who is 8-for-15 on the year with two doubles, a triple and four RBI. Meanwhile, RHP Logan Verrett is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA; he has allowed three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

Furthermore, freshmen produced game-winning hits in two of the season's first three games; both were bases-loaded, walk-off singles in the bottom of the 10th inning. Redshirt freshman DH Dan Evatt did the deed in the season opener, while true freshman OF Lucas Hileman singled through a five-man, drawn-in infield in the Pacific series finale.

DICKERSON, HORNUNG OFF TO HOT STARTS

1B Dustin Dickerson and LF Adam Hornung are hitting .457 (16-for-35) collectively through the season's first five games. The duo are tied for the team lead in hits along with IF Joey Hainsfurther, each with eight. Dickerson is hitting .421 (8-for-19) with two doubles, three RBI, four runs and five walks against three strikeouts. Hornung is hitting .500 (8-for-16) with three home runs, seven RBI, three doubles, four runs and three walks against three strikeouts.

Hornung, who did not hit his third home run until April 9 last season, leads the team in round-trippers, doubles, total bases (20), slugging percentage (1.250), extra-base hits (6) and on base percentage (.579). He has reached safely in all five games and has hit safely in four of five. Hornung's two-homer game Wednesday night against Houston Baptist was Baylor's first since he accomplished the feat May 18, 2008, at Texas Tech. With that being the case, Hornung has five home runs in his last nine Baylor games.

Dickerson, meanwhile, has hit safely in all five games this season and has hit safely in 10 consecutive games dating back to last season. Hornung, Dickerson and 3B Shaver Hansen share the team lead with two three-hit games each through the season's first five games.

BAYLOR PITCHERS STINGY WITH TWO OUTS

Baylor pitchers held opposing batters to a .068 average (3-for-44) with two outs during the season's first five games. RHP Trent Blank allowed a pair of two-out hits Wednesday night against Houston Baptist. RHP Kendal Volz allowed one two-out single in six such at bats last Friday against Pacific. The rest of the staff has not allowed a two-out hit in 30 such at bats. RHP Logan Verrett has been the stingiest, holding opponents to an 0-for-6 clip.

EXTRA SPECIAL

Baylor is 17-7 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season. After limping to a 1-3 record last season, the Bears already are 2-0 in extra frames this year. The Bears' 10-inning, 2-1 victory over Pacific in the 2009 season opener snapped a three-game losing streak in such games.

Five of the 17 wins over the past six-plus seasons have come on an opponent's home field (Arizona twice, Arizona State, Texas and Vanderbilt). Three of the 15 wins were either neutral-site games or games at Baylor Ballpark in which the Bears were the visitor. Four of the 15 wins have come in postseason play, including two at the Big 12 Tournament and one at the College World Series.

Baylor's luck was not as good in 2002 when the Bears were 1-5 in extra-inning games, including a span of three consecutive games lost in extra innings in mid-May.

VOLZ, MILLER NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA

RHP Kendal Volz and OF/LHP Aaron Miller were named preseason All-America by Baseball America. Volz was one of four pitchers named first team, while Miller was a third-team selection as a utility player (position and pitcher). The Baseball America preseason All-America teams are determined by a vote of Major League Baseball scouting directors.

Volz was 3-6 with a 4.20 ERA in 12 starts last season. He led the Big 12 and ranked 18th nationally with 10.83 strikeouts per nine innings, a Baylor single-season record. However, Volz made his biggest waves last summer as the USA Baseball National Team's closer. He posted a 0.00 ERA and converted all eight save opportunities, guiding the National Team to a 24-0 record.

Miller hit .295 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI last season. He led the Bears in home runs, doubles (18), extra-base hits (31), slugging percentage (.562), walks (34) and on base percentage (.425). He saw limited action on the mound in 2008, going 1-1 with a 14.40 ERA over 5.0 innings. However, he expected to pitch more this season.

Volz and Miller are the sixth and seventh Baylor players to earn Baseball America preseason honors; Volz is the program's second first-team selection. Previous Baylor players so honored were Kip Wells (1998, second team), Jeremy Dodson (1998, third team), Steven White (2002, third team), Michael Griffin (2004, third team) and Mark McCormick (2004, second team; 2005, first team). Baseball America began selecting preseason All-America teams in 1982.

Volz and Missouri right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson were the only first-team selections from the Big 12 Conference. Other Big 12 honorees were catcher Trevor Coleman (Missouri, second team), left-handed pitcher Andrew Oliver (Oklahoma State, second team) and Miller.

BIG 12 COACHES PICK BAYLOR THIRD

Baylor was slotted in a third-place tie in the 2009 Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bears (32-26, 11-16 in 2008) earned 59 points along with Oklahoma State. This marks the second consecutive year in which the league's coaches picked Baylor to finish third.

Defending Big 12 champion Texas A&M was a unanimous choice to defend its title. The Aggies received nine of 10 first-place votes; coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams. Texas, which garnered the other first-place vote, was picked to finish second with 69 total points. Missouri was picked fifth, followed by Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas Tech, Kansas State and Kansas.

This marks the first time since 2001 (Nebraska) that a team other than Texas was picked to win the Big 12 by the league's coaches. Baylor has been picked to finish fourth or better each year since 1999. This is the sixth time the Bears have been picked to finish third or better.

VOLZ NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD WATCH LIST

RHP Kendal Volz was among 50 players named to the initial watch list for the 2009 Golden Spikes Award announced Wednesday by USA Baseball. The Golden Spikes Award, in its 32nd year, is given annually to the nation's top collegiate player.

Volz was one of five Big 12 Conference players on the list, joining fellow 2008 National Team pitching staff mates Tyler Lyons and Andrew Oliver of Oklahoma State and Kyle Gibson of Missouri. Texas A&M first baseman Luke Anders also was on the list. Additional players may be added to the list throughout the year at USA Baseball's discretion.

USA Baseball officials will cut the watch list to 30 names May 26. That list will be sent to a voting panel consisting of professional baseball personnel, past USA Baseball National Team coaches, select members of the media, former USA Baseball press officers and current USA Baseball staff. For the second consecutive year, fan voting will count toward the final total; that will be available May 26 at www.goldenspikesaward.com.

Five finalists will be announced June 2 with voting for the winner beginning that day. The 2009 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award will be presented July 15 during an award show in conjunction with the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star weekend festivities in St. Louis.

Volz is the first Baylor pitcher to appear on the award's initial watch list since Chad Hawkins in 2000. Other Baylor players named to the award's initial watch list in past seasons include Beamer Weems (2008), Jason Jennings (1999) and Marty Crawford (1996).

BAYLOR SCHEDULE USUALLY AMONG NATION'S BEST

Baylor's strength of schedule has ranked among the nation's best routinely over the past decade, including top-10 rankings at season's end each year from 2002 to 2005. The Bears' strength of schedule ranked in the nation's top 30 each year from 1997 to 2007 before dipping to 36th last year.

According to BoydsWorld.com, Baylor's 2009 intended strength of schedule ranks 28th nationally. That ranks second in the Big 12 Conference behind only Oklahoma (25th) and just ahead of Texas A&M (31st).

Recruiting Closer recently researched teams from the Big 12, the ACC, the SEC and the Pac-10 to see which programs play the most non-conference games against teams from one of the other three conferences. Over the past four seasons, Baylor has played 22 non-conference games against teams from the other three conferences (includes postseason play). That ranks 11th nationally and second in the Big 12 behind only Texas (31, seventh).

Furthermore, Baylor's .682 winning percentage in those games (15-7) ranks third nationally among teams with at least 10 such games in that time. Southern California (.818, 9-2) ranked first, followed by Texas A&M (.778, 14-4).

THREE BAYLOR GAMES SLATED FOR TELEVISION

Two Baylor baseball games have been selected for national broadcast on FSN. Baylor's Saturday, April 18, game at Oklahoma State and the Bears' Saturday, April 25, game at home against Oklahoma both will be broadcast live on FSN.

Start times for both games have been affected due to the broadcast. First pitch for both games will be at 1 p.m. CT.

Since 1988, Baylor has played 62 televised games, including five games last season. Baylor has played 31 televised games since 2005 when the Bears played a program-best 12 games on television.

FIVE BEARS ON BASEBALL AMERICA'S PRESEASON DRAFT LISTS

Five Baylor baseball student-athletes were listed on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects ranking for the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The list is specific to college players and focuses only on players who will be eligible to be drafted next June. Baylor had more players on the list than any other school.

RHP Kendal Volz was ranked as the nation's sixth-best prospect, while RHP Shawn Tolleson and RHP Craig Fritsch were 22nd and 37th, respectively. OF/LHP Aaron Miller was the 62nd-rated prospect, and 1B Dustin Dickerson was 71st.

Only two schools - Baylor (5) and Georgia (4) - had more than three players on the list. Ten schools had three players listed, including Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M from the Big 12 Conference.

In all, 16 players from Baylor's roster will be eligible in the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The program record for most players drafted in one year is nine (2005).

MILLER, VOLZ NAMED TO WALLACE WATCH LIST

OF/LHP Aaron Miller and RHP Kendal Volz were named to the initial watch list for the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award, presented annually to the top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. This is the award's sixth year.

The Wallace Award is dedicated to the memory of former Texas Tech player and assistant coach Brooks Wallace, who died of cancer at age 27 in 1985. Wallace played at Tech from 1977 to 1980 and spent two years in the Texas Rangers' organization.

Past winners of the Wallace Award are Kurt Suzuki (catcher, Call State Fullerton, 2004), Alex Gordon (third baseman, Nebraska, 2005), Brad Lincoln (pitcher/designated hitter, Houston, 2006), David Price (pitcher, Vanderbilt, 2007) and Buster Posey (catcher, Florida State, 2008).

NEXT UP...

Baylor returns to action Wednesday, traveling to Fort Worth, Texas, for a single game at No. 23 TCU. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST at Lupton Stadium.