March 27, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAMES 22-24 • MARCH 27-29

No. 8 BAYLOR (15-5, 3-3) vs. KANSAS STATE (20-5, 1-2)

FRIDAY: 6:30 p.m. CDT - Bears in the Pros Poster Night (Mark Saccomanno)

SATURDAY : 6:30 p.m. CDT - Girl Scout Day

SUNDAY : 1:30 p.m. CDT - Kids' Day at the Ballpark (free admission ages 12 and under); Meet the Team postgame autographs

Baylor returns to action this weekend, hosting Kansas State for a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and Wildcats meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. This is the third conference series of the season for Baylor and the second conference series of the season for Kansas State.

The Bears (15-5, 3-3) have five of their last six after a 15-4 victory over No. 16 TCU at home Thursday night. Baylor is 11-2 at home this season, including a 3-1 mark in Big 12 home games. The Bears are ranked eighth nationally in this week's Baseball America Top 25 and 13th in this week's USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll. Baylor also is ranked 11th in the NCBWA Top 30 and 11th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30.

The Wildcats (20-5, 1-2) picked up a pair of midweek wins at home against Northwestern, winning 4-3 Tuesday and 12-8 Wednesday. Kansas State dropped two of three at home against Oklahoma last weekend; those two losses were the Cats only losses in their last 11 games. The Wildcats are 6-3 away from home this season, including a 3-2 mark on opponents' home fields. Kansas State is unranked in all four major polls; however, the Wildcats are among teams also receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll and the NCBWA Top 30.

Baylor and Kansas State have played two common opponents this season - Houston and Pacific. The Bears are 4-0 against those teams, while the Wildcats are 3-1.

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.

Live streaming video also is available for the Kansas State series. For more information, follow the Baylor All-Access link at www.BaylorBears.com.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY

Baylor: RHP Kendal Volz, Jr. (2-1, 2.81 ERA, 32.0 IP, 15 BB, 28 K, .213 OBA)

KansasState: RHP A.J. Morris, Jr. (6-0, 0.48 ERA, 37.1 IP, 13 BB, 39 K, .158 OBA)

SATURDAY

Baylor: RHP Logan Verrett, Fr. (6-0, 2.08 ERA, 26.0 IP, 5 BB, 35 K, .268 OBA)

KansasState: LHP Lance Hoge, Sr. (3-1, 4.30 ERA, 23.0 IP, 4 BB, 15 K, .244 OBA)

SUNDAY

Baylor: TBA

KansasState: RHP Kayvon Bahramzadeh, Fr. (2-1, 4.78 ERA, 26.1 IP, 4 BB, 24 K, .248 OBA)

SERIES INFORMATION

Overall: Baylor leads 29-11

Waco: Baylor leads 19-1

Manhattan: Baylor leads 10-8

Neutral Site: Kansas State leads 2-0

Smith vs. K-State: 28-10

First Meeting: at Baylor 2, K-State 0 [3/28/1966]

Last Meeting: Baylor 3, at K-State 0 [4/13/2008]

COACHES

BAYLOR: Steve Smith

Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986

Career Record: 537-342-1 [15th season]

Record at Baylor: 537-342-1 [15th season]

KANSAS STATE: Brad Hill

Alma Mater: Emporia State, 1985

Career Record: 588-224-2 [15th season]

Record at K-State: 170-134-2 [6th season]

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: www.BaylorBears.com

BAYLOR-KANSASSTATESERIES HISTORY

Baylor and Kansas State meet for the 41st, 42nd and 43rd times this weekend. Baylor holds a 29-11 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to a 2-0 Baylor victory March 28, 1966, in Waco.

While Baylor has dominated the series in Waco (19-1 all-time after sweeping the 2007 series), the series has been very competitive elsewhere. Baylor holds a 10-8 edge at Manhattan; however, the Wildcats have won both neutral-site meetings, including a 3-2 win in pool play at last year's Big 12 Championship.

Baylor is 28-9 against Kansas State in regular-season Big 12 meetings. The Bears have won 11 of the 12 Big 12 series, including all six series in Waco. In fact, the Bears are 18-0 against the Wildcats in Waco during the Big 12 era. Baylor is 5-5 against Kansas State in the teams' last 10 meetings.

TEAM NOTES

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

• Baylor has three extra-inning victories this season after only one such win last year.

• Baylor is 8-1 in one-run games; the Bears have won seven consecutive one-run games.

• Baylor ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference in batting (.310), sixth in pitching (4.80) and eighth in fielding (.966) through games of March 26.

• Opposing batters are hitting .193 (40-for-207) against Baylor pitchers with two outs and .250 (8-for-32) with the bases loaded. However, opposing batters are 5-for-11 with the bases loaded with one grand slam over the past two weeks.

• Baylor is hitting .444 (12-for-27) with the bases loaded, including two grand slams.

• Baylor is hitting .330 (117-for-355) with runners on base and .362 (79-for-218) with runners in scoring position.

• Baylor has 44 two-out RBI this season, while holding its opponents to 23 two-out RBI.

• Baylor's leadoff batter has reached safely 72 times in 177 innings (40.7 percent). Meanwhile, opposing leadoff batters have reached safely in 84 of 180 innings (46.7 percent).

• Baylor pinch hitters have a collective .316 average (12-for-38).

PLAYER NOTES

• SS Joey Hainsfurther ranks sixth in the Big 12 in batting average (.397), second among league freshmen.

• 1B Dustin Dickerson is tied for 13th in the Big 12 in batting average (.375).

• RF/LHP Aaron Miller ranks 16th in the Big 12 in batting average (.355) and second in on base percentage (.506).

• Miller enters the Kansas State series with a career-long 16-game hitting streak. He also has reached safely in each game this season.

• LF Adam Hornung is tied for seventh in the conference in home runs (6) and sixth in slugging percentage (.698).

• 3B Shaver Hansen is tied for ninth in the Big 12 in home runs (5).

• RHP Logan Verrett and Kansas State RHP A.J. Morris are the nation's only two pitchers with six wins.

• Verrett ranks seventh in the Big 12 in ERA (2.08); he is tied for ninth in strikeouts (35).

• RHP Kendal Volz ranks 13th in the league in ERA (2.81).

LAST MEETING

KANSASSTATE 3, BAYLOR 2 • MAY 24, 2008 • BRICKTOWN BALLPARK • OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.

Byron Wiley's sixth-inning RBI single snapped a 2-2 tie and proved to be the game-winning hit as seventh-seeded Kansas State defeated sixth-seeded Baylor 3-2 in pool-play action at the Big 12 Conference Championship.

Trailing 2-1, Kansas State scored two runs on four hits in the sixth. Nate Tenbrink and Justin Bloxom opened the inning with back-to-back singles, putting runners on the corners. After Jason King struck out, Drew Biery singled up the middle to tie the game. Wiley laced the first pitch he saw back up the middle, scoring Bloxom as the game-winning run.

Baylor had chances in both the seventh and eighth innings but left the bases loaded in the seventh and a runner at second in the eighth. In all, the Bears stranded 10 runners on the night, including six in scoring position and three at third.

Kansas State starter Justin Murray earned the victory; he allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 6.0 innings, facing one batter in the seventh. Daniel Edwards closed the game with 1.2 scoreless innings, walking one and striking out three, for his 12th save of the season.

Baylor starter Kendal Volz suffered the loss in his first outing since leaving the May 2 game against Texas with a strained oblique muscle. Volz allowed three runs on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Kansas State took the game's first lead with a run on one hit in fourth. Tenbrink led off the inning with a single, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Biery's groundout. Baylor answered in the top of the sixth with two runs on three hits. Ben Booker led off with a double and later scored on Shaver Hansen's single. Hansen stole second and took third on an error before scoring on Dustin Dickerson's sacrifice fly.

Booker, Hansen and Adam Hornung all had two-hit nights for the Bears.

MILLER CONTINUES BOTH STREAKS

RF/LHP Aaron Miller's two-run, sixth-inning double Thursday night against TCU extended a pair of streaks. Miller has hit safely in 16 consecutive games, a career-long streak. He also has reached safely in each game this season.

Miller is hitting .400 (20-for-50) during his 16-game streak, which is the longest by a Baylor player since Matt Czimskey's 19-game run in 2007. In fact, Miller's streak is the longest in the Big 12 this season and one of only four of at least 12 games in the league.

16 - Aaron Miller, Baylor *

14 - Tony Thompson, Kansas **

13 - Adam Bailey, Nebraska

12 - Chris Richburg, Texas Tech *

* - active

** - Thompson also hit safely in the final nine games of the 2008 season.

VOLZ STILL LOOKING FOR SUPPORT

In his last 11 starts (dating back to last season), RHP Kendal Volz has posted a 3.03 ERA (23 earned runs over 68.1 innings). He worked into at least 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.

However, Volz is 2-5 in those 11 starts, and Baylor is 5-6. The Bears have averaged 3.1 runs per game in those games, scoring two or fewer runs six times. Baylor scored eight runs in Volz' last start as the Bears defeated Texas Tech 8-4 last Friday. That was the first time the Bears scored mor than five runs in a a Volz start since Feb. 29, 2008, when Baylor defeated Illinois 20-6. It also gave Volz his first Big 12 win since April 15, 2007, at Kansas.

FRESHMEN PHENOMS

Baylor's freshman class has made quite an impact this season with 11 true and redshirt freshmen seeing the field at some point this year. While all 11 have played roles throughout the year, four freshmen have made the biggest impact: SS Joey Hainsfurther, OF Lucas Hileman, CF/RHP Brooks Pinckard and RHP Logan Verrett.

Hainsfurther ranks sixth in the Big 12 Conference in batting average (.397), second among league freshmen. Meanwhile, Hileman has hit safely in each game of his career (eight games), posting a .722 batting average in that time. Hileman hit safely in each of his first five career at bats.

Pinckard has excelled at the plate and on the mound. He is hitting .279 on the season and leads the team with four stolen bases. Meanwhile, Pinckard is 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA.

Verrett is one of only two pitchers nationally with at least six wins (Kansas State's A.J. Morris). He is seventh in the league in ERA (2.08) and tied for ninth in strikeouts (35). Baylor is 7-0 in games in which Verrett has pitched as he also has one save.

VERRETT JOINS ELITE CLUB

RHP Logan Verrett became the 11th Baylor freshman to post at least six wins. Furthermore, he was only the fifth to accomplish the feat during head coach Steve Smith's tenure, joining Ryan LaMotta (2003), Abe Woody (2003), Kendal Volz (2007) and Shawn Tolleson (2008). Aaron Lineweaver established Baylor's record for wins by a freshman with nine in 1993.

EXTRA SPECIAL

Baylor is 18-7 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season. After limping to a 1-3 record last season, the Bears already are 3-0 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 18 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.

BAYLOR PITCHERS STINGY WITH TWO OUTS

Baylor pitchers held opposing batters to a .193 average (40-for-207) with two outs this season. Four Baylor pitchers have faced at least 20 two-out at bats each this year; all four pitchers have held opposing batters to a two-out average of .216 or lower. Those four pitchers are RHP Craig Fritsch (.100, 2-for-20), LHP Aaron Miller (.100, 2-for-20), RHP Logan Verrett (.182, 6-for-33) and RHP Kendal Volz (.216, 8-for-37).

MIDWEEK PREVIEW

Baylor plays two midweek non-conference games next week, continuing a stretch of 19 games in 26 days. The Bears host Texas State at 6:30 p.m. CDT Tuesday and Prairie View A&M at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

BAYLOR-TEXASSTATESERIES HISTORY

Baylor and Texas State meet for the 57th time Tuesday. The Bears hold a 42-14 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1919 season. The Bears are 32-11 all-time against Texas State in Waco after a 7-2 victory last season. Baylor has won each of its last eight meetings, including a 22-17 decision two weeks ago at San Marcos.

LAST MEETING

BAYLOR 22, TEXAS STATE 17 • BOBCAT STADIUM • SAN MARCOS, TEXAS • MARCH 18, 2009

For the second consecutive year, Baylor and Texas State combined for at least 38 runs in a game. This time, the Bears out-scored the Bobcats 5-1 over the final three innings and held on for a 22-17 victory at Bobcat Stadium.

Baylor nearly squandered a 16-run lead. A five-run second and a nine-run third gave Baylor a 14-0 lead. After Tyler Sibley's solo homer in the bottom of the third, the Bears scored three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 17-1 lead.

That is when things got interesting. Texas State scored 11 runs on six hits, four walks and three Baylor errors in the bottom of the fourth to make it a game again. The Bobcats scored two runs on a walk and three hits in the fifth, and Jason Martinson's two-run homer in the sixth cut Baylor's lead to one run at 17-16.

However, that was as close as Texas State would get as Brooks Pinckard held the Bobcats to one run on four hits and a walk with one strikeout over the game's final 3.2 innings to earn the win. Meanwhile, the Bears got a two-run Brooks Kimmey homer in the top of the seventh and three runs on five hits in the top of the eighth to end the slugfest.

Baylor tallied 26 hits on the night, its best single-game total since a 26-hit night against TCU in 2003. Kimmey, Dustin Dickerson, Lucas Hileman led the way, all turning in four-hit nights. Pinckard and Hainsfurther both had three-hit outings, while Shaver Hansen, Aaron Miller and Ben Booker - who did not enter the game until the bottom of the sixth inning - had two hits each.

Hainsfurther led the Bears with five RBI, including the first home run of his career - a three-run shot to left in the Bears' nine-run third. Adam Hornung also had a two-run homer. Kimmey and Hileman had three RBI each, while Pinckard had two RBI. Kimmey, Dickerson, Pinckard and Miller scored three times each, while Booker, Hainsfurther, Hansen, and Hileman each scored twice. Don Lambert added an RBI triple in the eighth.

BAYLOR vs. THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE

Baylor is 294-126-1 all-time against programs currently playing as Southland Conference members, including a 1-0 mark this season. The Bears were 8-1 against the SLC last season, falling only to regular-season league champion UTSA. Baylor has played more games against current Southland members than any conference other than the Big 12.

BAYLOR-PRAIRIE VIEW A&M SERIES HISTORY

Baylor and Prairie View A&M have met just four times in baseball action. All four meetings have come since the start of the 2005 season; the first three meetings were schedule additions as replacement for other games that were cancelled due to inclement weather.

The Bears defeated the Panthers 4-3 in 2005, 14-2 in 2006 and 4-2 during the 2007 regular season, all at Baylor Ballpark. Baylor also defeated Prairie View A&M 9-2 in an elimination game at the 2007 NCAA Houston Regional.

LAST MEETING

BAYLOR 9, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 2 • RECKLING PARK • HOUSTON, TEXAS • JUNE 2, 2007

Tim Matthews logged 7.0 strong innings in just his second start of the season, and Shaver Hansen was 4-for-4 with three RBI as third-seeded Baylor defeated fourth-seeded Prairie View A&M 9-2 in an elimination game at the NCAA Houston Regional.

Matthews held Prairie View to a pair of runs, one of which was unearned, on six hits and no walks with two strikeouts.

Baylor's bats provided Matthews run support early in the game, posting single spots in each of the first two innings. The Bears took control of the game with a three-run third on Matt Czimskey's RBI single and Dustin Dickerson's run-scoring fielder's choice.

After Prairie View got on the board with a run in the top of the fifth, Baylor pushed its lead to 7-1 with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Hansen provided both runs on a two-run double down the left-field line. Hansen also had singles in the second, third and seventh innings.

Prairie View scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh, but Czimskey quickly answered with a solo home run to left field with one out in the bottom of the frame. Czimskey added a run-scoring fielder's choice in the eighth to cap the scoring at 9-2.

BAYLOR vs. THE SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Baylor is 13-0 all-time against programs currently in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Bears are 8-0 against Texas Southern, 4-0 against Prairie View A&M and 1-0 against Southern.