May 14, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAMES 48-50 • MAY 15-17 • HAWKS FIELD AT HAYMARKET PARK • LINCOLN, NEB.

BAYLOR (27-30, 10-13) at NEBRASKA (22-28-1, 5-19)

FRIDAY:6:05 p.m. CDT

SATURDAY:2:05 p.m. CDT

SUNDAY:1:05 p.m. CDT

Baylor returns to action this weekend, traveling to Lincoln, Neb., for a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Nebraska. The Bears and Cornhuskers meet Friday at 6:05 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 2:05 p.m. and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.; all games are at Haymarket Park. These are the final regular-season games for both teams.

The Bears (27-20, 10-13) are 2-8 in their last 10 games but snapped a three-game skid Tuesday night with a 12-2 victory over Stephen F. Austin at home. Baylor looks to end a seven-game conference losing streak this weekend. The Bears are 7-8 in road games this season, including a 5-7 mark on opponents' home fields. Baylor is 3-5 in Big 12 road games. Baylor is unranked in this week's Baseball America Top 25 and this week's USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll.

The Huskers (22-28-1, 5-19) are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have not won three straight games since March 18-21. Nebraska lost two of three at home last weekend against Cal State Bakersfield. The Huskers' midweek game Tuesday against Creighton was cancelled due to inclement weather. Nebraska has been eliminated from contention for next week's Big 12 Championship; the Huskers will miss the event for the first time since 1998.

Baylor and Nebraska have played no common opponents outside Big 12 play this season.

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 Nebraska series at www.Huskers.com.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY

Baylor:RHP Kendal Volz, Jr. (3-5, 4.00 ERA, 74.1 IP, 73 H, 33 BB, 71 K, .264 OBA)

Nebraska:RHP Mike Nesseth, So. (4-4, 5.15 ERA, 57.2 IP, 55 H, 31 BB, 65 K, .249 OBA)

SATURDAY

Baylor:RHP Willie Kempf, Jr. (4-3, 5.62 ERA, 41.2 IP, 45 H, 22 BB, 45 K, .278 OBA)

Nebraska:RHP Sean Yost, Fr. (1-5, 7.19 ERA, 46.1 IP, 49 H, 25 BB, 42 K, .278 OBA)

SUNDAY

Baylor:RHP Shawn Tolleson, So. (1-1, 4.68 ERA, 42.1 IP, 49 H, 22 BB, 34 K, .293 OBA)

Nebraska:RHP Erik Bird, Sr. (2-2, 5.43 ERA, 56.1 IP, 68 H, 19 BB, 35 K, .300 OBA)

SERIES INFORMATION

Overall: Baylor leads 30-22-1

Waco: Baylor leads 19-6-1

Lincoln: Nebraska leads 10-7

Neutral Site: Nebraska leads 6-4

During Big 12 era: Baylor leads 22-18

Smith vs. Nebraska: 23-18

First Meeting: at Baylor 9, Nebraska 7 [4/4/1938]

Last Meeting: Baylor 10, Nebraska 4 [5/12/2008]

COACHES

BAYLOR: Steve Smith

Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986

Career Record: 549-357-1 [15th season]

Record at Baylor: 549-357-1 [15th season]

NEBRASKA: Mike Anderson

Alma Mater: Northern Colorado, 1990

Career Record: 277-144-2 [7th season]

Record at Nebraska: 277-144-2 [7th 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.Huskers.com

BEARS' BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP MAGIC NUMBER IS ONE

Baylor enters the Nebraska series eighth in the Big 12 standings, two-and-a-half games ahead of ninth-place Oklahoma State. That means the Bears' magic number is one: Baylor qualifies for next week's Big 12 Championship with a win or an Oklahoma State loss. The Bears trail seventh-place Texas Tech by one-half game and sixth-place Kansas by two-and-a-half games. Kansas faces Kansas State in a split series with Friday's game at Manhattan. Texas Tech hosts Oklahoma State.

BAYLOR-NEBRASKA SERIES HISTORY

Baylor and Nebraska meet for the 54th, 55th and 56th times this weekend. The Bears hold a 30-22-1 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to a 9-7 Baylor victory April 4, 1938. The series is heavily favored to the home team; Baylor is 19-6-1 against Nebraska in Waco but 7-10 against the Huskers at Lincoln. The teams have met 10 times at neutral sites, nine of which were at the Big 12 Championship; Nebraska has a 6-4 lead in neutral-site meetings after Baylor's 10-4 victory over the Huskers at last year's Big 12 Championship.

Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1997, the Bears hold a 23-18 advantage in the series. Baylor is 19-12 against the Huskers in regular-season Big 12 games. Each team has won five series in the Big 12 era with the home team going 4-1 at both venues. 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 at Baylor in 2002 and at Nebraska in 2003 and 2005. Nebraska stopped the home-team trend last season, winning two of three at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears have not won a series at Lincoln since sweeping in 1997.

TEAM NOTES

• Baylor has seven last-at-bat victories this season, the most by a Baylor team since the 2005 squad had 12.

• The Bears are 4-0 in extra-inning games this season. Baylor batters are 10-for-13 in extra innings.

• Baylor is 12-4 in one-run games. After enjoying a 10-game winning streak in one-run games, the Bears lost three consecutive one-run games in a six-game span.

• Baylor ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference in batting (.302), eighth in pitching (5.11) and ninth in fielding (.961) through games of May 12.

• Baylor ranks third in the league in home runs (67) behind only Oklahoma (83) and Texas A&M (73). The Bears are second in the conference in home runs in Big 12 games (35) behind only Oklahoma (48).

• Baylor ranks 35th nationally in home runs and 30th in home runs per game.

• Baylor's 67 home runs this season rank as the fourth-best season total in program history and the Bears' most since hitting 83 over 68 games in 2003.

• Baylor has 35 home runs in Big 12 play, tied with the 2003 squad for fourth in program history. The Bears hit 58 homers in league play in 1998, 46 in 1997 and 43 in 1999.

• Three Baylor players have tallied at least 10 home runs this season. It marks the first time Baylor has produced more than two players with at least 10 home runs each since four accomplished the feat in 2003.

• Baylor pitchers rank 29th nationally with 8.3 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.

• Baylor is hitting .339 (169-for-498) with runners in scoring position. The Bears are hitting .329 (73-for-222) with runners in scoring position and two outs.

• Baylor has 125 two-out RBI this season, while holding its opponents to 83 two-out RBI.

• Baylor pinch hitters have tallied 23 hits this season. Kenton Gedwed leads the way, going 7-for-15.

• Baylor batters are 10-for-13 (.769) in extra innings.

• Baylor has out-scored its opponents 138-90 over the first three innings this season, including a 46-31 edge in the first inning and a 61-25 advantage in the third inning.

• Baylor is 15-2 when producing a big inning (four-plus runs) and 12-18 without a big inning. Likewise, the Bears are 1-9 when allowing a big inning and 26-11 when not allowing a big inning.

• Baylor is 19-0 when leading after eight innings. The Bears have won 25 consecutive games when leading after eight innings since squandering a six-run, ninth-inning lead in last year's Texas A&M series finale (April 20).

PLAYER NOTES

• DH Dustin Dickerson leads the Big 12 in batting average (.378). He also ranks eighth in hits (71), tied for 15th in home runs (10) and eighth in on base percentage (.443).

• Dickerson's 24-game hitting streak earlier this year was the longest in the Big 12 this season and tied for the seventh-longest in conference history. His streak also was the third-longest in Baylor history.

• Dickerson also enjoyed a 16-game hitting streak in Big 12 play, which ranks as the second-longest in the league this season.

• Dickerson has hit safely in seven straight games with five multiple-hit games in that span. He is hitting .500 (14-for-28) during the streak with two home runs, four RBI, seven runs and three doubles during the streak.

• Dickerson started the season 6-for-27 (.222) with runners on base; since then, he is hitting .403 (27-for-67) with runners on base.

• 1B Dan Evatt is riding a career-long nine-game hitting streak with four multiple-hit games during that span. He is hitting .389 (14-for-36) during the streak with three home runs, 10 RBI, three doubles and six runs scored.

• SS Shaver Hansen ranks third in the Big 12 in home runs (15), tops among league shortstops. He also is tied for the conference lead with nine home runs in league play, one shy of Charley Carter's 1998 Baylor record.

• 2B Joey Hainsfurther ranks 20th in the league with a .339 batting average; that ranks third among league freshmen.

• Hansen is tied with Jeremy Dodson (1997) for ninth on Baylor's single-season home run list. His homer total is the most by a Baylor player since Chris Durbin had 18 round-trippers in 2003.

• Hansen has established Baylor's single-season record for home runs by a shortstop. He has 11 this season while playing short, topping Beamer Weems' 2007 record of nine. ... Hansen is the first Baylor infielder with 10-plus home runs in a season since Matt Williams (19) and Eric Nelson (17) accomplished the feat in 1999.

• Hansen is tied for ninth in the Big 12 in RBI (49) and sixth in slugging percentage (.634). In league play, he is tied for seventh in RBI (24), sixth in total bases (61) and sixth in slugging percentage (.678).

• RF/LHP Aaron Miller ranks 11th in the conference in batting average (.354), tied for ninth in home runs (11), fourth in on base percentage (.459) and eighth in slugging percentage (.627).

• In league games, Miller ranks ninth in the Big 12 with 48 strikeouts; he also leads the league with 12.96 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in league play.

• Miller is 24-for-57 (.421) with six home runs, 18 RBI, six doubles and 15 runs scored over the last 15 games. He also has homered in seven of the last 18 games with eight homers in that span.

• CF/RHP Brooks Pinckard's 11 stolen bases are the most by a Baylor freshman since Jace Brewer had 12 stolen bases in 1999. Pinckard is the first Baylor freshman with at least 10 stolen bases since Chase Gerdes had 10 swipes in 2004.

• RHP Kendal Volz ranks 13th in the Big 12 in ERA (4.00), eighth in innings pitched (74.1) and tied for ninth in strikeouts (71). ... In conference games, Volz is 18th in ERA (4.75), fifth in innings pitched (55.0), fourth in strikeouts (58) and eighth in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (9.49).

MILESTONE WATCH

• OF Ben Booker has played 95 career Big 12 games, seventh in Baylor history. Should he play all three games in the Nebraska series, he would finish his career tied for sixth all-time at Baylor. ... Booker needs 20 at bats to crack Baylor's all-time top-10 list. ... Booker has 326 career at bats in Big 12 play, eighth all-time at Baylor. ... He needs one Big 12 hit to become the ninth player in Baylor history to amass 100 career hits in Big 12 play.

• 3B Raynor Campbell needs 12 hits in Big 12 play to reach 100 for his career.

• 1B/DH Dustin Dickerson five hits to reach 200 for his career.

• 1B/DH Dan Evatt needs three home runs to match Matt Williams' 1998 Baylor freshman record.

• SS Shaver Hansen needs 13 hits to reach 200 for his career. ... Hansen needs two home runs to move into a sixth-place tie on Baylor's single-season list. ... Hansen has 12 career home runs in Big 12 play, tied for 10th on Baylor's all-time list.

• RF/LHP Aaron Miller needs three home runs to crack Baylor's career top-10 list. ... Miller needs one home run to become the first Baylor player with at least 12 home runs in consecutive seasons since Josh Ford in 2003 (12) and 2004 (14).

• RHP Kendal Volz has 221 career strikeouts; he needs four to crack Baylor's career top-10 list. He has 152 career strikeouts in Big 12 games, third all-time at Baylor behind only Jason Jennings (213) and Steven White (158). ... Volz needs two starts to crack Baylor's career list. ... Volz' next Big 12 start will be the 26th of his career, passing Josh Scott for sole possession of second place on Baylor's all-time list.

BAYLOR, OKLAHOMASTATE VIE FOR FINAL BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP BERTH

Baylor enters the weekend two-and-a-half games ahead of Oklahoma State for the eighth and final berth in next week's Big 12 Conference Championship in Oklahoma City. The Bears also are one-half game behind seventh-place Texas Tech, which hosts Oklahoma State for a three-game series this weekend at Lubbock.

The Bears and Oklahoma State join Oklahoma as the only programs that have qualified for the conference's postseason championship tournament each season in the league's first 12 years. That number will twindle to two programs after this weekend.

BAYLOR ON A HOMER BARRAGE

Baylor has blasted 67 home runs this season, the fourth-best season total in school history and the most by a Baylor team since the 2003 squad had 83 homers in 68 games.

The Bears were shutout 6-0 April 4 at Kansas; the following day, the Bears tied a single-game school record with eight home runs. Baylor hit at least one home run in each of the next 18 games, eclipsing the previous school record by six games. The Bears previously had homered in 12 consecutive games on four occasions.

Baylor has hit 35 home runs in Big 12 play, second in the conference this season and the most by a Baylor squad since the Bears hit 35 in 27 games during the 2003 season. The Bears hit 58 home runs in 28 Big 12 games during the 1998 season, 46 in 30 league games in 1997 and 43 in 27 league games in 1999.

HOMER TRIO BAYLOR'S BEST IN SIX YEARS

Three Bears have blasted at least 10 home runs each this season - SS Shaver Hansen (15), RF/LHP Aaron Miller and DH Dustin Dickerson (10). It marks the first time three or more Bears have reached double figures in home runs since 2003 when Chris Durbin (18), Josh Ford (12), Michael Griffin (11) and David Murphy (11) all accomplished the feat.

The 1998 squad was the most prolific with six players reaching double figures in home runs. This marks the sixth time Baylor has produced at least three players with 10-plus home runs. Here is a look at each such season:

1997 (3) - Jeremy Dodson (15), Jon Topolski (11), Jim Blair (10)

1998 (6) - Charley Carter (21), Jon Topolski (19), Jason Jennings (18), Jeremy Dodson (13), Eric Nelson (13), Jim Blair (10)

1999 (4) - Matt Williams (19), Jason Jennings (17), Eric Nelson (17), Jon Topolski (17)

2002 (3) - Chris Durbin (14), Matt Williams (13), Kelly Shoppach (12)

2003 (4) - Chris Durbin (18), Josh Ford (12), Michael Griffin (11), David Murphy (11)

2009 (3) - Shaver Hansen (15), Aaron Miller (11), Dustin Dickerson (10)

HANSEN HOMERUN TALLY AMONG BAYLOR BESTS

With 15 home runs on the season, SS Shaver Hansen is third the Big 12 in round-trippers; he also is tied for the conference lead with nine homers in league games. Hansen ranks fourth nationally in home runs among shortstops.

Hansen is the first Baylor infielder with 10-plus home runs in a season since Michael Griffin had 10 in 2004. Hansen's 15 homers are the most by any Baylor player ties for the ninth-best season total in Baylor history. His nine home runs in Big 12 play are one shy of Charley Carter's 1998 single-season Baylor record. Hansen also has established a single-season school record for home runs by a shortstop, and his 15 home runs rank second at Baylor since the minus-three bat restrictions began in 2000.

BEARS COMING THROUGH IN LATE INNINGS

Baylor has seven wins this season in its last at bat, including six walk-off victories. Four times the Bears have produced extra-inning, walk-off hits; 1B Dustin Dickerson produced two of those four hits. Dickerson also had a game-winning, two-run single in the top of the ninth in the Kansas series opener; the hit snapped a 6-6 tie and the Bears held on for an 8-6 win.

DICKERSON, MILLER STREAKS AMONG LEAGUE'S BEST

1B Dustin Dickerson and RF/LHP Aaron Miller have produced three of the six longest hitting streaks in the Big 12 this season. Dickerson posted a career-long, 24-game streak that was the longest in the league this season and tied for the seventh-longest in Big 12 history. Dickerson's streak also was the third-longest in Baylor history.

Meanwhile, Miller posted streaks of 17 games - a career long - and 15 games. Miller is the only player in the Big 12 this season to post two hitting streaks of at least 15 games.

Dickerson and/or Miller has hit safely in every game this season since both were hitless in the season opener.

Here is a look at the longest hitting streaks in the Big 12 this season (through games of May 12):

ALL GAMES BIG 12 GAMES

24 - Dustin Dickerson, Baylor18 - Michael Torres, Texas

17 - Aaron Miller, Baylor16 - Dustin Dickerson, Baylor

15 - Garrett Buechele, Oklahoma 13 - Buck Afenir, Kansas

15 - Jamie Johnson, Oklahoma * 11 - Garrett Buechele, Oklahoma

15 - Aaron Miller, Baylor11 - Kyle Colligan, Texas A&M **

15 - Chris Richburg, Texas Tech 11 - Jaime Johnson, Oklahoma *

14 - Brandon Belt, Texas 11 - J.T. Wise, Oklahoma

14 - Tony Thompson, Kansas 10 - Luke Anders, Texas A&M *

14 - Tony Thompson, Kansas 10 - Brandon Belt, Texas

13 - Adam Bailey, Nebraska 10 - Kyle Mach, Missouri *

13 - Bryant Hernandez, Oklahoma

13 - Kyle Mach, Missouri *

13 - Neil Medchill, Oklahoma State

12 - Michael Dabbs, Oklahoma State

12 - David Narodowski, Kansas

* - active

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

*** - also hit safely in the final seven Big 12 game of the 2008 season

GEDWED AMONG BIG 12 PINCH-HIT LEADERS

OF Kenton Gedwed leads the Bears with seven pinch hits this season, the most by a Baylor player since Ross Bennett had eight pinch hits in 2002. Through games of May 12, Gedwed is tied with Texas Tech's Logan Leslie for the Big 12 lead in pinch hits. 2B Joey Hainsfurther is tied for seventh in the league with three pinch hits. Here is a look at the league's pinch-hit leaders with total pinch-hit at bats in parentheses:

7 - Kenton Gedwed, Baylor (15)

7 - Logan Leslie, Texas Tech (19)

5 - Ross Hubbard, Oklahoma (18)

5 - Tyler Ogle, Oklahoma (9)

4 - Mike Kindel, Kansas State (10)

4 - Joe Patterson, Texas A&M (11)

3 - Ryan Ampleman, Missouri (6)

3 - Preston Clark, Texas (9)

3 - Zac Elgie, Kansas (4)

3 - Joey Hainsfurther, Baylor (4)

3 - Randy McCurry, Oklahoma State (5)

3 - Russell Moldenhauer, Texas (9)

3 - Brett Parsons, Texas A&M (12)

3 - Cade Thompson, Nebrask (13)

HANSEN, MILLER, VOLZ NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT VI

Three Baylor baseball student-athletes earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI honors, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced. SS Shaver Hansen, RF/LHP Aaron Miller and RHP Kendal Volz all were named first team. Baylor was the only school with three first-team selections.

Miller earned first-team honors for the second consecutive season; Hansen was a second-team selection last year. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which at least two Baylor student-athletes have earned academic all-district honors. Miller joins Jason Jennings (1998, 1999), Jon Topolski (1998, 1999) and Ross Bennett (2002, 2003) as the only Bears to earn first-team academic all-district honors twice.

By virtue of their first-team all-district selections, Hansen, Miller and Volz are eligible for Academic All-America honors. Baylor's last baseball Academic All-American was Zach Dillon in 2006.

BAYLOR PLACES 11 ON ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 SQUADS

Eleven Baylor baseball student-athletes earned Academic All-Big 12 Conference honors, the league office announced Thursday. The Bears placed nine student-athletes on the first team and two on the second team. Baylor led all schools in total honors and was second behind only Missouri (10) in first-team honorees.

Baylor baseball student-athletes have earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors 73 times in the league's 13-year history, 15 more than any other school in the conference. Nebraska (58) ranks second, followed by Oklahoma State (53), Kansas (44), Missouri (44), Oklahoma (39), Kansas State (35), Texas (32), Texas Tech (30) and Texas A&M (26).

The nine first-team honorees were 3B Drew Bias (B.A. English; pursuing Master's degree in sport management), SS Shaver Hansen (economics), RHP Willie Kempf (finance/real estate), C Brooks Kimmey (health science studied/pre-med), RF/LHP Aaron Miller (management/entrepreneurship), RHP Ross Speed (pre-business), RHP Shawn Tolleson (health science studies/pre-dental), RHP Kendal Volz (finance/real estate) and 2B Landis Ware (graphic design).

OF Don Lambert (pre-business) and OF Brooks Pinckard (general studies) earned second-team honors.

Hansen, Kempf, Miller, Tolleson and Volz all were first-team selections for the second consecutive season. Kimmey, Speed, Ware, Lambert and Pinckard all were selected in their first year of eligibility for academic all-conference honors.

VERRETT EARNS USA BASEBALL NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS INVITE

RHP Logan Verrett has been named one of 17 initial invitees to the 2009 USA Baseball National Team Trials, the governing body of amateur baseball in the United States announced Tuesday. Verrett is the lone player from the Big 12 Conference on the initial invitee list.

A freshman from Calallen High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, Verrett is 7-1 this season with two saves and a 3.50 ERA. He has leads the Bears with 54 strikeouts against 16 walks over 43.2 innings. Baylor is 11-2 this season in his 13 appearances, including an 8-1 mark when he pitches in relief.

Verrett is one of five freshmen on the invitee list, joining fellow right-handers Gerrit Cole (UCLA), Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) and Tony Zych (Louisville), and infielder Anthony Rendon (Rice). Verrett currently is tied for 13th nationally in victories; he joins Florida State's Sean Gilmartin and Sacramento State's Jesse Darrah as the nation's only freshmen with seven wins.

This is the second consecutive year in which a Baylor player has received a National Team Trials invite. Kendal Volz and Shaver Hansen both received invites last year with Volz earning a spot on the team. Verrett is the first Baylor freshman to earn a National Team Trials invite since Zane Carlson in 2000.

The 2009 National Team Trials will be held June 15-24 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. The Trials will consist of 36 collegiate players vying for 22 spots on the National Team roster. Tulane head coach Rick Jones will serve as head coach for the 2009 National Team. Jones will be joined by pitching coach Mike Kennedy (Elon) and assistant coaches Dan McDonnell (Louisville) and Rob Cooper (Wright State).

EXTRA SPECIAL

Baylor is 19-7 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season. After limping to a 1-3 record last season, the Bears already are 4-0 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 19 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.

VERRETT AMONG ELITE CLUB

RHP Logan Verrett is the 11th Baylor freshman to post at least six wins. Furthermore, he is 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.

Verrett, who is tied for fourth nationally in wins, is the fifth Baylor freshman to win at least seven games and the first to win accomplish the feat since LaMotta was 7-3 in 2003. Verrett's 7-0 start tied the school record for consecutive wins to start a career by a freshman; Ted Richardson finished the 1985 season at 7-0.

NEXT UP...

Baylor enters the Nebraska series with a magic number of one (any win or any Oklahoma State loss) in order to qualify for next week's Big 12 Conference Championship at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. If the Bears do qualify for the event, the team will travel Monday morning from Omaha, Neb., to Oklahoma City for the event.

A full schedule of events for the Big 12 Championship will be posted on BaylorBears.com and Big12Sports.com immediately upon availability Sunday evening. Teams have practice sessions Tuesday with pool play running Wednesday through Saturday prior to Sunday's title game.