 vs.  |
Baylor (17-10, 3-4 Big 12) vs. Texas A&M (19-8-1, 5-3-1 Big 12)
College Station, Texas (Olsen Field) | Waco, Texas (Baylor Ballpark)
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FRIDAY, APRIL 9 | 6:35 P.M.
Probable Starters:BU - RHP Shawn Tolleson
1-3, 4.62 ERA, 37.0 IP, 19 BB, 51 K
TAMU - RHP Barret Loux4-2, 1.98 ERA, 41.0 IP, 13 BB, 64 K | 
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SATURDAY, APRIL 10 | 6:30 P.M.
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Probable Starters:BU - RHP Logan Verrett
3-2, 3.89 ERA, 37.0 IP, 13 BB, 41 K
TAMU - RHP Ross Stripling3-1, 4.32 ERA, 33.1 IP, 4 BB, 27 K
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| SUNDAY, APRIL 11 | 2 P.M.
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Probable Starters:BU - RHP Willie Kempf
4-1, 4.80 ERA, 30.0 IP, 14 BB, 31 K
TAMU - RHP Michael Wacha
3-1, 1.54 ERA, 41.0 IP, 7 BB, 46 K
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Complete Game Notes 
Baylor looks to win its second straight Big 12 series when the Bears play their traditional split series against 22nd-ranked Texas A&M. The series opener will be played at Olsen Field on Friday night at 6:35 p.m. CST, and the last two games of the series will be at Baylor Ballpark.
Saturday's game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and Sunday's series finale is slated for 2 p.m.
Baylor won two of three games at Missouri last weekend, snapping an eight-game road losing streak. The Bears returned home to face a pair of Southland Conference foes in the midweek. Baylor knocked off Texas State, 12-3, on Tuesday, and then the Bears took care of Northwestern State, 15-3, on Wednesday.
Texas A&M is coming off a rare split in a three-game series at Kansas. The Aggies dropped the opener, 9-5, then rebounded to even the series with a 6-4 win on Friday. Saturday's series finale was ruled a tie after 11 innings when the game surpassed Texas A&M's travel curfew. The Aggies knocked off UTSA, 14-5, on Tuesday in their lone midweek game.
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 is available for the Bears' two home games in the series against Texas A&M. For more information, follow the Baylor All-Access link at www.BaylorBears.com.
SERIES INFORMATION
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Overall: Texas A&M leads 148-114-1
Waco: Baylor leads 73-70
College Station: Texas A&M leads 71-37-1
Neutral Site: Baylor leads 6-5
Smith vs. TAMU: 25-27
First Meeting: 4/9/1904
Last Meeting: 2/27/2010
COACHES
BAYLOR: Steve Smith
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 569-373-1 (16th season)
Record at Baylor: 569-373-1 (16th season)
TEXAS A&M: Rob Childress
Alma Mater: Northwood, 1990
Career Record: 175-100-2 (fifth season)
Record at TAMU: 175-100-2 (fifth season)
BAYLOR-ISP SPORTS NETWORK
1660 ESPN RADIO (Waco)
Tom Barfield (pxp) and Lark Smith (color)
BAYLOR - TEXAS A&M SERIES HISTORY
Baylor and Texas A&M have met 263 times, with the €ˆBears holding a 114-148-1 record in the series. The teams first met on April 4, 1904, and the Bears have played only Texas more often in their history. Baylor is 73-70 in games played in Waco and the Bears are 25-27 against the Aggies during Steve Smith's tenure as head coach.
Though Baylor and Texas A&M meet every year for a three-game Big 12 Conference series, the teams met earlier this season for a non-conference game when the Aggies participated in the fifth-annual QTI Baylor Classic. Texas A&M won that game 4-2.
In a battle of top-5 teams a year ago, the home team won all three games. Third-ranked Texas A&M took the games in College Station on March 14 and March 15, and the fifth-ranked Bears returned home for a rare Monday game to defeat the Aggies 8-7 on March 16. The teams had been scheduled to play the first game of the series in Waco, but that game had to be moved to Monday due to inclement weather.
LAST TIME VS. TEXAS A&M
TEXAS A&M 4, BAYLOR 2 • FEB. 27, 2010 • BAYLOR BALLPARK • WACO, Texas
One big inning was too much to overcome, as Baylor fell to Texas A&M, 4-2, in the third game of the QTI Baylor Classic at Baylor Ballpark.
Baylor (4-2) starting pitcher Logan Verrett held the Aggies to just one run through the first five innings, despite allowing eight baserunners, but Texas A&M broke through against the sophomore right-hander with three runs in the sixth.
The Aggies got on the board first when they plated a run in the fifth without having a ball leave the infield. Joaquin Hinojosa drew a leadoff walk, and after a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on Kevin Gonzalez's infield single.
Verrett nearly worked his way out of the jam by getting a foul popout to first base, but Andrew Collazo drove in Hinojosa with a two-out single to second base.
Texas A&M broke the game open with a three-run sixth. Kenny Jackson led off with a single - the fourth time in five innings that the Aggies got the leadoff man on base - and after stealing second base, he came around to score on Caleb Shofner's single through the right side.
Gonzalez added on a two-out, two-run single, giving the Aggies a 4-0 lead. Texas A&M starter Ross Stripling scattered four hits through his first five innings of work, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth.
Logan Vick led off with a single - his second hit of the game - and after Joey Hainsfurther's at-bat was kept alive when Gonzalez dropped a foul ball for an error, Hainsfurther reached base on another error, this time by Jackson.
Max Muncy cut the deficit to 4-1 with a RBI single, chasing Stripling from the game in favor of John Stilson.
Stripling earned the win after allowing two runs - one of which was earned - on six hits in 5.0 innings.
Stilson battled wildness early, walking Dan Evatt to load the bases, and one out later issuing another base on balls to Raynor Campbell. That walk plated Hainsfurther, bringing the Bears within two runs at 4-2.
However, Stilson battled back and struck out each of the next two batters to escape the inning, and he held the Bears hitless over the final four innings to earn his first save of the season.
Verrett needed just six pitches to work his way through a long seventh inning. Andrew Collazo led off with a single, but he was doubled up when he tried to advanced to third base on Brodie Greene's sacrifice bunt.
The play at third led to a heated exchange that ended with Texas A&M associate head coach Matt Deggs being ejected. Verrett got a flyout from Jackson to complete his day after allowing four runs on 11 hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in 7.0 innings. He has taken the loss in both of his starts this season, despite working 7.0 innings in each.
Craig Fritsch held the Aggies scoreless over the last two innings, running the Baylor bullpen's streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to 17.0, but Josh Ludy's one-out walk in the ninth was all the Baylor offense could do against Stilson.
Vick finished the day 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Campbell went 2-for-3 with a walk and one RBI. Collazo led the Aggies at the plate, going 4-for-5 with one RBI.
QUICK NOTES
• The Baylor bullpen has combined to post an 11-2 record with 11 saves and a 3.16 ERA over 116.2 innings.
• Opponents are hitting .266 against BU relievers, and nine Bears have posted ERAs of 3.60 or better in relief roles.
• The Bears have won 37 consecutive games when leading after eight innings since squandering a six-run, ninth-inning lead against Texas A&M in the 2008 series finale €ˆ(April 20).
• Baylor enters the weekend ranked third in the league in hitting (.327 batting average) and fourth in pitching (4.26 ERA). Texas A&M is the only other team ranked in the top four of both categories.
•Only two Baylor players have started all 27 games this season - freshmen Max Muncy and Logan €ˆVick.
• Through 27 games, this season's BU squad is hitting 30 points higher and has an ERA that is 0.54 lower than the 2009 team has through the first 27 games, but the 2009 squad was two wins better at 19-8.
PLAYER NOTES
• IF Joey Hainsfurther enters the weekend ranked eighth in the Big 12 with a .393 batting average.
• Freshman 1B Max Muncy enters the weekend tied for fifth in the Big 12 in RBI (34), tied for second in home runs (8) and tied for fifth in slugging percentage (.645). He is one home run from tying the Baylor freshman record of nine set by Matt Williams in 1998.
• Freshman OF Logan Vick leads the Big 12 and ranks 15th nationally with 29 walks drawn - six more than any other player in the conference. Vick is also ninth in on-base percentage (.485) and has reached base safely (via hit or walk) in all 27 games this season.
• Sophomore OF/RHP Brooks Pinckard enters the weekend tied for fourth in the Big 12 in stolen bases (11). Pinckard has not been caught stealing in his last 19 attempts, dating back to last season. He is also tied for second in the Big 12 in saves (7), and is one save from tying the Baylor sophomore saves record.
• Sophomore RHP Logan Verrett enters Saturday's start ranked 13th in the Big 12 with a 3.89 ERA. The Bears lost both of Verrett's first two starts, but have bounced back to win each of the last four.
MIDWEEK €ˆPREVIEW
Baylor has another five-game week following the series against the Aggies. The Bears head up I-35 to take on UT Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, and then UTA returns the favor by traveling south to take on the Bears at Baylor Ballpark at the same time on Wednesday.
BAYLOR-UT ARLINGTON SERIES €ˆHISTORY
Baylor and UT €ˆArlington have met 103 times, and the Bears hold a 74-29 lead in the all-time series. The teams first met on Feb. 26, 1973 as the Bears won 3-2 and 2-0 in a doubleheader in Waco. Baylor is 45-12 against the Mavericks in games played in Waco, and the Bears hold a 29-17 advantage in games played in Arlington. The teams met on almost the exact same days a year ago, as UTA won 5-4 in Arlington on April 14 and the Bears got revenge with a 10-7 win in Waco the following day.
BAYLOR vs. THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
Baylor has a 302-130-1 all-time record against teams currently in the Southland Conference. Among those is Lamar (43-28-1), McNeese State (8-7), Nicholls State (7-2), Northwestern €ˆState (11-7), Sam Houston State (56-38), Stephen F. Austin (27-0), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-0), Texas State (44-16), UT Arlington €ˆ(74-29) and UTSA €ˆ(27-3).
