March 28, 2011

vs.		vs.
Baylor (16-8) vs. UTSA (7-18) Tue., March 29, 2011 | 6:30 p.m. CST Waco, Texas | Baylor Ballpark (5,000) $3 Tuesday (All tickets $3)		Baylor (16-8) vs. Lamar (17-10) Wed., March 30, 2011 | 4:00 p.m. CST Waco, Texas | Baylor Ballpark (5,000) $1 Hot Dog Wednesday
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP (2011 STATS) BU: RHP Tyler Bremer (2-1, 8.50 ERA, 12 BB, 13 K) UTSA: RHP Jordan Langley (1-2, 6.52 ERA, 7 BB, 12 K)		PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP (2011 STATS) BU: RHP Dillon Newman (1-1, 4.02 ERA, 4 BB, 8 K) LU: LHP Albert Lott (0-0, 1.32 ERA, 15 BB, 12 K)
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Baylor's 19th-ranked baseball team concludes its season-long 14-game homestand with a pair of midweek games against teams from the Southland Conference. The Bears host UTSA at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Lamar at 4 p.m. Wednesday. All tickets for Tuesday's game are $3, and Wednesday is Dollar Hot Dog Night at Baylor Ballpark.

Baylor is coming off a series win over Kansas State last weekend. The Bears erased a 4-3 ninth-inning deficit to win the series opener on Chris Slater's walk-off double, and after dropping the second game, the Bears bounced back to win the series on Jake Miller's two-out RBI single in the eighth inning of Sunday's series finale. Baylor improved to 8-0 this season following a loss, and the Bears haven't lost consecutive regular-season games since losing two at Texas on May 1-2, 2010.

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 most weekend games at Baylor Ballpark, but there will not be video available for either of this week's midweek games. For more information, follow the Baylor All-Access link at www.BaylorBears.com.

SERIES INFORMATION
UTSA ROADRUNNERS
Overall: Baylor leads 27-3
Waco: Baylor leads 20-2
San Antonio: Baylor leads 7-1
Neutral Site: Never Met
Smith vs. UTSA: 25-1
First Meeting: 2/23/1993
Last Meeting: 3/24/2010

SERIES INFORMATION
LAMAR CARDINALS
Overall: Baylor leads 41-28-1
Waco: Baylor leads 22-9
Beaumont: Lamar leads 19-16-1
Neutral Site: Baylor leads 3-0
Smith vs. LU: 4-0
First Meeting: 3/6/1967
Last Meeting: 6/5/2010

COACHES

BAYLOR: Steve Smith

Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986

Career Record: 604-395-1 (17th season)

Record at Baylor: 604-395-1 (17th season)

UTSA: Sherman Corbett
Career Record: 311-283 (11th season)

Record at UTSA: 311-283 (11th season)

LAMAR: Jim Gilligan
Career Record: 1,159-727-7 (34th season)

Record at LU: 1,149-717-7 (33rd season)

BAYLOR-IMG COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK

1660 ESPN RADIO (Waco)

Tom Barfield (pxp) and Lark Smith (color)

BAYLOR VS. UTSA SERIES HISTORY
Baylor is 27-3 in the all-time series vs. UTSA. The Bears have won 20 of the 22 series meetings in Waco, and Baylor head coach Steve Smith is 25-1 in his career against the Roadrunners. €ˆSmith's lone loss to UTSA €ˆcame on April 2, 2008 and snapped Baylor's 23-game winning streak in the series. Since then, Baylor has won the lone meeting in each of the last two seasons, both by one run.

BAYLOR VS. LAMAR SERIES HISTORY
Baylor leads 41-28-1 in the all-time series against Lamar. The Bears are 22-9 against Lamar in games played in Waco and are 4-0 aganist the Cardinals during the Steve Smith era. The last time the teams met, Baylor eliminated Lamar from the 2010 NCAA €ˆFort Worth €ˆRegional with a 6-4 win.

BAYLOR VS. SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
Baylor is 305-132-1 all-time against teams currently playing as members of the Southland Conference. The Bears are 2-1 this season, splitting a pair of games with Texas State before knocking off UT €ˆArlington last Tuesday. Baylor has nine games scheduled against teams from the Southland in 2011. The Bears have played Lamar (41-28-1), McNeese State (8-7), Nicholls State (7-2), Northwestern State (11-7), Sam €ˆHouston State (57-38), Stephen F. Austin (27-0), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-0), Texas State (45-18), UT Arlington (77-29) and UTSA (27-3).

CARDIAC CUBS WALKING OFF WITH WINS
Baylor has five walk-off wins in 2011 after recording only one such victory last season. Baylor's only walk-off win in 2010 came in its 50th game of the season, when Brooks Pinckard knocked a two-run single to clinch the Bears' spot in the Big 12 Championship by winning the series opener against Oklahoma State on May 21.

Baylor won seven games with runs in its final at-bat in 2010, but the Bears have already scored the winning runs in their final at-bat in six games this season.

• Jake Miller - 10th inning walk-off double vs. Oral Roberts (2/20)
• Max Muncy - 10th inning walk-off grand slam vs. Rice (3/6)
• Chris Slater - 11th inning walk-off single vs. Florida International (3/15)
• Josh Ludy - 9th inning walk-off single vs. Texas Tech (3/19)
• Chris Slater - 9th inning walk-off double vs. Kansas State (3/25)
• Jake Miller - 8th inning single vs. Kansas State (3/27)

COMEBACK WINS IN BUNCHES
Baylor has come from behind to win eight games in 2011, including overcoming a five-run deficit on March 15 against Florida International to give head coach €ˆSteve Smith his 600th career victory. The Bears trailed by multiple runs in seven of the eight comeback wins.

• vs. Oral Roberts (2/20) - trailed 4-2 in bottom 7th
• vs. Rice (3/6) - trailed 7-5 in bottom 7th
• vs. Louisiana Tech (3/12) - trailed 7-5 in bottom 4th
• vs. Florida Int'l. (3/15) - trailed 6-1 in bottom 5th
• vs. Texas Tech (3/19) - trailed 2-0 in bottom 1st
• vs. UT €ˆArlington (3/22) - trailed 1-0 in bottom 3rd
• vs. Kansas State (3/25) - trailed 4-2 in bottom 4th
• vs. Kansas State (3/27) - trailed 2-0 in bottom 5th

BOUNCE BACK BEARS
Baylor hasn't lost consecutive games this season. The Bears are 8-0 following a loss in 2010 and haven't lost consecutive regular-season games since losing a pair of games at Texas on May 1-2, 2010.

In fact, it's been more than a year since the Bears two in a row with both games at Baylor Ballpark. The last time that happened was when BU had a five-game losing streak from Feb. 27 through March 5, 2010. All five of those losses came against different teams, and the Bears snapped out of the losing streak by winning eight in a row.

Starting with that eight-game winning streak, the Bears have gone 33-10 on their home field, including a 17-3 mark in non-conference games.

WEEKEND SET SUCCESS
With their series win against Kansas State last weekend, the Bears have posted a winning record in seven of their last eight regular-season weekends, including five of six weekends this season.

• 2-1 in three-game series at Texas €ˆTech (May 14-15, 2010)
• 3-0 in three-game series vs. Oklahoma State (May 21-23, 2010)
• 2-1 in three-game series vs. Oral €ˆRoberts (Feb. 18-20, 2011)
• 2-1 in three-game series at Georgia (Feb. 25-27, 2011)
• 2-1 in three games at Houston College Classic (March 4-6, 2011)
• 4-0 in four-game series vs. Louisiana Tech (March 10-13, 2011)
• 1-2 in three-game series vs. Texas Tech (March 18-20, 2011)
• 2-1 in three-game series vs. Kansas State (March 25-27, 2011)

MARCHING ON
Baylor is 190-111 (.631) in the month of March during head coach Steve Smith's 17 seasons at the helm. The Bears have had only two losing months of March in those 17 seasons (2004 & 2007).

With a 12-5 record this month, Baylor has clinched its fifth straight winning March. With one more win, the Bears would have their most March wins since going 13-7 in 2002, and with wins in both midweek games, Baylor would have its most March wins since posting a 14-2 record in 1999.

CONTINUITY IS KEY
Baylor's starting lineup hasn't changed much since the start of the season. The Bears have used the same player in nearly every game in seven different positions, and Baylor has split the other two positions among two players. The only position where the Bears have used more than two different players is at designated hitter.

Joey Hainsfurther (14 starts) and Josh Ludy (10 starts) have split catching duties, while Chris Slater (13 starts) and Cal Towey (11 starts) have shared time in right field.

Brooks Pinckard has started every game in center field, and Max Muncy has started every game at first base. In fact, Muncy has started at first base in 83 of 84 games since the start of his Baylor career.

Steve DalPorto (21 starts) and Lawton Langford (three starts) have manned second base, while third baseman Jake Miller and shortstop Landis Ware have each started all but one game at their respective positions. Logan €ˆVick started the first 80 games of his career in left field before being sidelined for the last four contests with a hamstring injury. Slater has started in left in those games.

The Bears have used five different players in the DH spot: Ludy (11 starts), Hainsfurther (seven starts), Dan €ˆEvatt (four starts), Josh €ˆTurley (two starts) and Slater (one start).

BEARS TOUGH TO BEAT IN WACO
Baylor is 33-10 in its last 43 games at Baylor Ballpark, including 17-3 in non-conference games.

The Bears had a 10-game winning streak in non-conference home games snapped when they lost the season opener to Oral €ˆRoberts. Before the streak was snapped, ORU was the last non-Big 12 team to beat the Bears in Waco when it took the opener of a four-game set on March 5, 2010. Baylor came back to win the remaining games in the series both times.

Five of Baylor's 10 losses in Waco since dropping the series opener to ORU in 2010 came in extra innings and/or were one-run defeats (vs. Kansas, 12-6 in 14 innings on 3/28/10, vs. No. 2 Texas, 4-2 in 10 innings on 4/30/10, vs. Kansas, 9-8 on 3/26/10, vs. Texas Tech, 6-5 on 3/18/11 and vs. Texas €ˆTech, 10-6 in 10 innings on 3/20/11). The Bears' other losses were to Nebraska (4/24/10), Oral €ˆRoberts (2/18/11), No. 4 TCU (2/22/11), Texas State (3/1/11) & Kansas State (3/26/11).

EXTRA SPECIAL
Despite going 1-5 in extra-inning games in 2010, Baylor is 23-14 in such games since the start of the 2003 season. Baylor was 4-1 in extra-inning games in 2009, 1-3 in 2008, 2-1 in 2007, 0-1 in 2006, 6-1 in 2005, 1-0 in 2004 and 5-1 in 2003. Baylor is 3-1 in extras so far in 2011.

The Bears won all four regular season games that went to extra innings in 2009, but fell to No. 2 national seed LSU 3-2 in 10 innings in the second game of the NCAA €ˆBaton €ˆRouge Regional.

Six of the 23 wins over the past eight seasons have come on an opponent's home field (Arizona twice, Arizona State, Texas, Vanderbilt and UT €ˆArlington). Four of the 23 wins were either neutral-site games or games at Baylor Ballpark in which the Bears were the visitor. Four of the 22 wins have come in postseason play, including two at the Big 12 Tournament and one at the College World Series.

QUICK HITS
• Baylor leads UTSA 27-3 in the all-time series and leads Lamar 41-28-1 all-time.
• Baylor jumped two spots to No. 19 in the latest Baseball America Top 25. The Bears moved ahead of now unranked Clemson and Tulane. Baylor has been ranked in all seven Baseball America polls this season.
• Baylor has come from behind to win eight games this season, and the Bears have six last at-bat wins.
• Baylor has not lost consecutive games this season; the Bears are 8-0 following a loss.
• Baylor is 33-10 in its last 43 games at Baylor Ballpark, including a 17-3 mark in non-conference games.
• Baylor is 190-111 (.631) in the month of March during the Smith era. The Bears have had a losing record in the month of March only twice in Smith's 16 seasons (2004 & 2007).
• Baylor has five walk-off wins this year after recording only one walk-off win during the 2010 season.
• Baylor had won six straight regular season weekend sets before dropping the series finale against Texas Tech in 10 innings on Sunday. Baylor has had a winning record in five of six weekends this season.
• Baylor head coach Steve Smith recorded his 600th career victory when Baylor beat FIU on March 15.
• Baylor has ranked in the nation's top 25 in attendance in all 12 years since Baylor Ballpark opened in 1999.
• The Bears were picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll, behind Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
• Baseball €ˆAmerica projected Baylor to finish third in the Big 12 and ranked BU No. 16 nationally in the preseason.
• Baylor's nine-run third inning in the series finale at Georgia was the most the Bears have scored in an inning since scoring 10 in the third against Northwestern €ˆState on April 7, 2009.
• Baylor is 3-1 in extra-inning games this season. The Bears got a walk-off double from €ˆJake Miller in the 10th inning vs. Oral Roberts (2/20), a walk-off grand slam from Max Muncy in the 10th vs. Rice (3/6) and a walk-off single from Chris Slater in the 11th inning vs. Florida International (3/15).
• Since the start of the 2003 season, Baylor is 23-14 in extra-inning games, including 3-1 this season.
• The Bears went 7-for-7 stealing bases in the series opener at Georgia, the first time Baylor stole seven or more bases in a game since stealing eight against Dallas Baptist on May 16, 2006.
• For the second time in program history, Baylor players won both Big 12 Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week. Logan €ˆVerrett (Pitcher) & Chris Slater (Player) took the honors on March 14.
• Eight players on Baylor's roster have been selected in previous MLB €ˆDrafts, tied for third-most in the Big 12.

INDIVIDUAL QUICK HITS
• LHP Crayton Bare has pitched in 10 games out of the bullpen in 2011 after pitching in just four games in 2010.

• RHP Kolt Browder has allowed seven hits and struck out 11 in 9.0 innings over nine relief appearances.

• 2B Steve DalPorto has started 21 of Baylor's 24 games at second base and once at shortstop in 2011.
• DalPorto had his career-long hitting streak snapped at eight games in the middle game of the Texas Tech series (3/19), but he is currently on a four-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 12 of the last 14.

• Freshman RHP Trae Davis picked up a pair of wins pitching out of the bullpen in the season's opening weekend.
• Davis is tied for 10th in the Big 12 Conference with three wins. All three of his wins have come in relief.

• RHP Max Garner missed all of last season due to a medical issue that forced him to withdraw from school, but he has returned to make 10 relief appearances in 2011.
• Garner recorded his first career save by pitching 3.2 innings of one-hit, shutout relief with 4 Ks vs. Louisiana Tech (3/10).
• Garner picked up his first career win by working scoreless 8th and 9th innings in the series opener vs. Kansas State (3/25).
• Garner has allowed only two runs over his last seven relief appearances totaling 13.0 innings.

• C Joey Hainsfurther moved from third base to catcher for the 2011 season. He had never caught a collegiate game before, but has started behind the plate in 14 of Baylor's first 24 games this season. The Bears are 11-3 when he starts behind the plate.
• Hainsfurther tied the Bears' game vs. Rice (3/6) in the Houston College Classic with a two-run triple in the 7th.

• C Josh Ludy is the only Baylor player with multiple home runs this season.
• Ludy has started behind the plate 10 times and as DH in 10 games.

• OF Wes Mercurio hit the first pitch he saw in 2011 for a three-run pinch hit homer in the series finale at Georgia.

• 3B Jake Miller's had a 10th-inning walk-off double in the series finale vs. Oral €ˆRoberts (2/20).
• Miller has started 23 of Baylor's 24 games at third base this season.
• Miller hit what would prove to be a game-winning RBI single in the 8th inning of the series finale vs. Kansas State (3/27).
• Miller had his career-long hitting streak snapped at seven games in the series opener vs. Texas Tech (3/18).

• 1B Max Muncy has started all 24 games at first base and hit either third or cleanup in every game.
• Muncy is sixth in the Big 12 Conference with 22 RBI.
• Muncy's current 10-game hitting streak in Big 12 games is the seventh-longest by a Baylor player over two Big 12 seasons.
• Muncy had a run-scoring hit to tie the game in the bottom of the first in all three games of the Texas Tech series.
• Muncy had multi-hit games and had at least one RBI in all three games of the series at Georgia.
• Muncy's 10th-inning walk-off grand slam vs. Rice was BU's first walk-off HR since Raynor Campbell on Feb. 27, 2007.
• Muncy's six RBI vs. Rice were the most by a BU player since Aaron Miller had six vs. Illinois on Feb. 29, 2008.

• RHP Dillon €ˆNewman has pitched 15.2 innings over five relief appearances, averaging more than 3.0 innings per outing.
• Newman has allowed three runs over his 12.1 innings of work. He is expected to make his first career start on Tuesday.

• CF/RHP Brooks Pinckard has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award preseason watch list.
• Pinckard ranks 2nd nationally with 22 steals. He's on pace to break the Baylor single-season record (40; Mike Robison, 1991).
• Pinckard ranks fifth on Baylor's all-time saves list with 16 career saves.
• Pinckard hit a game-winning homer in €ˆthe seventh inning of the second game vs. Oral Roberts (2/19).
• Pinckard leads the team and is fourth in the Big 12 with 36 hits.
• Pinckard has never grounded into a double play in 393 career at-bats.
• Pinckard has successfully stolen more bases (22) than Baylor's opponents combined (21).
• Pinckard is 51-for-57 stealing bases in his career and his 51 steals are the 10th-most in program history.
• Pinckard has started all 24 games in center field and hit leadoff (22 games) or second in the order (twice).

• RHP Jon €ˆRingenberg (9-0 career record) has never taken a loss in 28 career appearances, including 15 starts.
• Win or loss, Ringenberg's next decision will make him the program's career winning percentage leader (min. 10 decisions).

• OF Chris Slater is one of 30 semifinalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS €ˆAward (one of three from Big 12).
• Slater was named Big 12 Player of the Week (3/14) after having four consecutive three-hit games.
• Slater's walk-off double in the series opener vs. K-State (3/25) was his second walk-off hit this season.
• Slater also hit a walk-off single to beat Florida International in 11 innings on March 15.
• Slater accounted for half of Baylor's 10 extra-base hits during the week of March 21-27 (four doubles, one triple).
• Slater hit an inside-the-park home run vs. Texas Tech (3/19), the first by a BU €ˆplayer since Seth €ˆFortenberry on April 9, 2006.

• RF Cal €ˆTowey drew a total seven walks in a three-game span (3/1-3/5).
• Towey leads the team in walks (14) despite having only 55 plate appearances on the season.

• LHP/DH Josh €ˆTurley has taken only one loss in 33 career appearances.
• Turley hit a pinch-hit double in his first plate appearance of the season in the series opener at Georgia.

• RHP Logan Verrett was named to the Golden €ˆSpikes Award preseason watch list, one of six Big 12 players on the list.
• Verrett tied a Baylor Ballpark record by striking out 14 in a complete-game one-hitter vs. Louisiana Tech (3/11).
• Verrett was named Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week and National Player of the Week (3/14).
• Verrett earned Houston College Classic All-Tournament honors after his win vs. Houston; 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 K.
• Verrett has 207 career strikeouts and needs 24 to crack the top 10 in program history.
• Verrett currently holds the Baylor record for strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.92).
• Verrett is third on Baylor's career strikeouts per nine innings list (10.11).
• Verrett ranks third in the Big 12 with 43 strikeouts. He trails Texas A&M's John Stilson (46) and Michael €ˆWacha (46).

• LF Logan €ˆVick sat out the last four games with a hamstring injury, snapping his streak of 80 consecutive games started in LF.
• Vick reached base safely in all 40 career games at Baylor Ballpark before going 0-for-3 vs. Texas State (3/1).
• Vick has drawn 70 walks in 80 career games; he's taken multiple walks in a game in 21 contests.
• When leading off an inning, Vick has a .485 on-base percentage for his career (64-for-132).

• SS Landis Ware is Baylor's most experienced player with 155 games played and 137 career starts.
• Ware has started at shortstop in 23 of Baylor's 24 games in 2011.
• Ware earned Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors after going 7-for-10 in the Houston College Classic.
• Ware led off the bottom of the 10th with a double and scored the winning run vs. Rice (3/6).
• Ware was named Big 12 Player of the Week after going 7-for-10 in the Houston €ˆCollege Classic.
• Ware was selected to the Houston College Classic All-Tournament Team.

Brooks Pinckard STOLEN BASE TRACKER
(BAYLOR RECORD BOOK)

UP NEXT
Baylor hits the road for the first time since March 8 when the Bears travel to Lawrence, Kan. for a three-game Big 12 Conference series against Kansas this weekend. The Bears and Jayhawks meet at Hoglund Ballpark at 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Baylor has a 3-1 record in true road games this season. The Bears didn't record their fourth road win in 2010 until taking the series opener at Texas Tech on May 14.