 vs.  |
No. 16 Baylor (0-0) vs. Oral Roberts (0-0)
Waco, Texas | Baylor Ballpark (5,000)
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FRIDAY, FEB. 18 | 4 P.M.
 Watch |  Listen
Probable Starters:BU - RHP Logan Verrett
5-3, 3.28 ERA, 90.2 IP, 97 K
ORU - RHP Bryce Smolen9-3, 4.41 ERA, 98.0 IP, 86 K
|  | SATURDAY, FEB. 19 | 2 P.M.
Watch | Listen
Probable Starters:BU - RHP Jon Ringenberg
5-0, 3.69 ERA, 39.0 IP, 9 BB, 25 K
ORU - RHP Joe SpringPitched at Eastern State College
| | SUNDAY, FEB. 20 | 1 P.M.
Watch | Listen
Probable Starters:BU - RHP Trent Blank
2-1, 5.48 ERA, 21.1 IP, 4 BB, 14 K
ORU - RHP Alex GonzalezPitched at Boca Raton HS |
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Complete Game Notes 
Baylor's 16th-ranked baseball team opens the 2011 season by hosting Oral Roberts in the QTI Powers Opening Weekend Classic. The Bears take on ORU at 4 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
The last time Baylor and Oral Roberts met was a four-game set from March 5-7 last season. ORU took the series opener 6-5, extending Baylor's season-long losing streak to five games, but the Bears won each of the last three games to start a seven-game winning streak. That series opener was the last time Baylor lost a non-conference home game, as the Bears have won 10 straight games against non-Big 12 teams at Baylor Ballpark.
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on Waco's 1660 ESPN Radio. Tom Barfield provides the play-by-play with Lark Smith adding color commentary. 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 all three games of the series against ORU. For more information, follow the Baylor All-Access link at www.BaylorBears.com.
SERIES INFORMATION
ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES
Overall: Series tied 18-18
Waco: Baylor leads 14-12
Tulsa: ORU leads 6-4
Neutral Site: Never Met
Smith vs. ORU: 11-7
First Meeting: 4/21/1978
Last Meeting: 3/7/2010
COACHES
BAYLOR: Steve Smith
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 588-387-1 (17th season)
Record at Baylor: 588-371-1 (17th season)
ORAL ROBERTS: Rob Walton
Alma Mater: Oklahoma State
Career Record: 290-120 (7th season)
Record at ORU: 290-120 (7th season)
BAYLOR-IMG COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK
1660 ESPN RADIO (Waco)
Tom Barfield (pxp) and Lark Smith (color)
BAYLOR - ORAL ROBERTS SERIES HISTORY
Baylor and Oral Roberts have split the all-time series 18-18, though the Bears hold a 14-12 advantage in games played in Waco. ORU took the opener of a four-game series last season, extending the Bears' season-long losing streak to five games, but Baylor rebounded to win the final three games of the series and start a seven-game winning streak.
BAYLOR vs. THE €ˆSUMMIT LEAGUE
Baylor holds a 22-20 all-time record against teams currently playing in the Summit League. The Bears are 18-18 against Oral Roberts and 4-2 vs. Centenary.
QUICK NOTES
• SERIES: Baylor and ORU have split the all-time series 18-18, with Baylor holding a 14-12 in games in Waco.
• The Bears are 11-7 against Oral Roberts during the Steve Smith era.
• No. 16 Baylor enters the 2011 season with its eighth-best preseason ranking in program history.
• Baylor is ranked No. 16 (Baseball America), No. 32 (NCBWA) and No. 39 (Collegiate Baseball) in preseason polls.
• Baylor has won 22 of its last 26 games at Baylor Ballpark, a stretch that started when the Bears took the final three games of a four-game set against Oral Roberts last season.
• Baylor has won 10 consecutive non-conference home games since dropping the opener to ORU in 2010.
• The Bears are 13-2 at Baylor Ballpark since dropping a 14-inning marathon against Kansas.
• Smith and ORU head coach Rob Walton coached together on the 2005 USA Baseball National Team.
• Baylor holds a 22-20 all-time record against teams currently playing in the Summit League.
• Baylor is 10-6 in season openers under Smith, including wins in each of the last three. The Bears are 8-2 when opening the season at home during the Smith era.
• Baylor is 12-4 in its first home game of a season during Smith's tenure.
• The Bears were picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll, behind Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
• Baseball America projects the Bears to finish third in the league and ranks Baylor No. 16 nationally.
• Since the start of the 2003 season, Baylor is 20-13 in extra-inning games.
• Baylor has ranked in the nation's top 25 in attendance in all 12 years since Baylor Ballpark opened in 1999.
• Eight players on Baylor's roster have been selected in previous MLB Drafts, tied for third-most in the Big 12.
• Brooks Pinckard has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award preseason watch list.
• College Baseball Daily ranked Logan Verrett as the No. 51 player in college baseball in its preseason Top 100.
• Verrett was ranked No. 4 on Perfect Game Cross Checker's Top Big 12 Prospects for 2011 MLB Draft.
• Logan Vick has reached base safely in all 36 career games at Baylor Ballpark (.489 on-base percentage).
• Perfect Game named Max Muncy No. 3 on its Top Big 12 Prospects for the 2012 MLB Draft.
PRESEASON BRACKETOLOGY HAS BEARS HOSTING
Baseball America's preseason NCAA Tournament projections have Baylor hosting a regional in Waco for the first time since 2005. BA projects the Bears to host Louisiana State (No. 2 seed), Oregon State (No. 3) and Wright State (No. 4). The Bears are one of five Big 12 teams in the projections, joining Texas (No. 1 seed in Austin), Oklahoma (No. 1 in Norman), Texas A&M (No. 2 at Rice) and Nebraska (No. 3 at Florida).
TWO MORE BRACKETOLOGISTS PICK BEARS AS No. 2 SEED
In additon to being projected to host a regional in Waco by Baseball America, Baylor is picked as a No. 2 seed in a pair of preseason NCAA Tournament brackets. College Baseball Daily has the Bears going to Palo Alto, Calif. to be the second seed in the Stanford Regional. Hawaii (No. 3) and Southeastern Louisiana (No. 4) round out that projection. ESPN also has Baylor as a No. 2 seed, though it has the Bears traveling to play in the Clemson Regional along with Western Carolina (No. 3) and Charlotte (No. 4).
BEARS TOUGH TO BEAT IN WACO
Baylor enters the 2011 season with wins in 22 of its last 26 games at Baylor Ballpark, including a 10-game winning streak in non-conference games. In fact, the last time Baylor lost a non-conference game at home was March 5, 2010, when Oral Roberts won 6-5 in the opener of a four-game series. The Bears came back to take the series with wins in each of the last three games, snapping a season-long five-game losing streak and starting a seven-game winning stretch. Two of Baylor's four losses in Waco since dropping the opener to ORU came in extra innings (vs. Kansas, 12-6 in 14 innings on March 28) and (vs. No. 2 Texas, 4-2 in 10 innings on April 30). The Bears also lost to Kansas (9-8 on March 26) and Nebraska (6-2 on April 24). Since losing the series finale vs. Kansas, Baylor has gone 13-2 at Baylor Ballpark.
UP NEXT
Baylor stays home to host No. 3 TCU at 4 p.m. Tuesday in a rematch of last season's NCAA Fort Worth Regional championship game. Baylor split the regular season series with the Horned Frogs in 2010. The Bears lost 5-4 in 10 innings in Fort Worth on April 27, then returned the favor with a 14-4 run-rule win in eight innings the following day.
