March 3, 2011

at
No. 16 Baylor (4-4) vs. Houston (5-3)/Utah (0-5)/Rice (6-4) Houston, Texas | Minute Maid Park (40,950)
FRIDAY, MARCH 4 | 12 P.M. | Listen Probable Starters:BU - RHP Logan Verrett 1-1, 6.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 3 BB, 9 K UH - RHP Codey Morehouse1-1, 2.25 ERA, 12.0 IP, 0 BB, 12 K		SATURDAY, MARCH 5 | 12 P.M. | Listen Probable Starters:BU - RHP Trent Blank 1-0, 3.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 2 BB, 4 K UTAH - RHP Zach Adams0-0, 2.70 ERA, 10.0 IP, 4 BB, 17 K		SUNDAY, MARCH 6 | 2:30 P.M. | Listen Probable Starters:BU - LHP Josh Turley 0-1, 4.66 ERA, 9.2 IP, 4 BB, 6 K RICE - RHP John Simms0-0, 1.69 ERA, 10.2 IP, 2 BB, 9 K

Complete Game Notes

Baylor's 16th-ranked baseball team heads to Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas for the Houston College Classic this weekend. The Bears take on Houston on Friday at noon, Utah on Saturday at noon and Rice at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

The Bears enter the series with a 4-4 record. Baylor won two of three in a three-game set at Georgia last weekend for their fourth consecutive series win dating back to the 2010 season. The Bears lost a midweek game at home against Texas State on Tuesday.

Baylor will be playing in the Houston College Classic for the seventh time. The Bears have a 9-9 all-time record in the tournament, including a perfect 3-0 during their 2005 College World Series season.

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 select Baylor baseball home games. For more information, follow the Baylor All-Access link at www.BaylorBears.com.

SERIES INFORMATION
HOUSTON COUGARS
Overall: Baylor leads 85-60
Smith vs. UH: 19-15
First Meeting: 1951
Last Meeting: 2/27/2009

UTAH UTES
Overall: Never Met

RICE OWLS
Overall: Baylor leads 125-87-1
Smith vs. RICE: 12-21
First Meeting: 4/25/1919
Last Meeting: 3/1/2009

COACHES

BAYLOR: Steve Smith

Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986

Career Record: 592-391-1 (17th season)

Record at Baylor: 592-391-1 (17th season)

HOUSTON: Todd Whitting

Career Record: 5-3 (1st season)

Record at Houston: 5-3 (1st season)

UTAH: Bill Kinneberg

Career Record: 423-392 (16th season)

Record at Utah: 155-181 (7th season)

RICE: Wayne Graham
Career Record: 1,451-457 (31st season)

Record at Rice: 876-344 (20th season)

BAYLOR-IMG COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK

1660 ESPN RADIO (Waco)

Tom Barfield (pxp) and Lark Smith (color)

BAYLOR HISTORY IN HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC
Baylor will be playing in the Houston €ˆCollege Classic for the seventh time. The Bears are 9-9 all-time in the tournament, including a 3-0 record in their 2005 College World Series season.

BAYLOR vs. HCC OPPONENTS
Baylor and Houston have played 145 times and the Bears hold a 85-60 lead in the all-time series. The Bears have played Rice 223 times and lead 125-87-1 in the series. TCU is the only non-Big 12 Conference team Baylor has played more times than Rice. Baylor and Utah will meet for the first time.

TEAM NOTES
• Baylor has won four straight three-game series. The Bears closed out the 2010 season with series wins at Texas Tech and vs. Oklahoma State before opening 2011 with series wins vs. €ˆOral €ˆRoberts and at Georgia.
• Baylor remained No. 16 in Baseball America's Feb. 28 poll. No. 14 California (up from No. 17) jumped the Bears while No. 22 Connecticut (down from No. 14) dropped behind BU.
• Baylor is 178-107 (.625) in the month of March during the Steve Smith era. The Bears have had a losing record in the month of March only twice in Smith's 16 seasons (2004 & 2007).
• Baylor's .909 (20-for-22) success rate on attempted steals leads the Big 12 Conference.
• Baylor is second in the Big 12 with 10 double plays turned. €ˆ
• The Bears have turned at least one double play in seven of eight games this season.
• Eight players on Baylor's roster have been selected in previous MLB €ˆDrafts, tied for third-most in the Big 12.
• The Bears were picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll, behind Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
• Baseball €ˆAmerica projects the Bears to finish third in the league and ranks Baylor No. 16 nationally.
• Since the start of the 2003 season, Baylor is 21-13 in extra-inning games, including 1-0 this season.
• Baylor is 221-152-1 all-time against teams currently playing as members of Conference USA.
• The Bears are 144-11 all-time against teams currently playing as members of the Mountain West Conference.
• Baylor has ranked in the nation's top 25 in attendance in all 12 years since Baylor Ballpark opened in 1999.
• Baylor's .565 winning percentage (214-165) in Big 12 Conference games is second-best in league history.
• Baylor has not lost consecutive games this season; the Bears are 3-0 following a loss.
• 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.
• 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.
• Eight different Baylor players had multi-hit games and 11 batters recorded hits in Sunday's 21-hit barrage.

PLAYER NOTES
• CF/RHP Brooks Pinckard has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award preseason watch list.
• Pinckard ranks fifth on Baylor's all-time saves list with 14 career saves.
• Pinckard hit a game-winning homer in €ˆthe seventh inning of the second game vs. Oral Roberts (2/19).
• Pinckard is tied for the Big 12 lead with nine stolen bases.
• Pinckard has never grounded into a double play in 326 career at-bats.
• Pinckard has stolen a base in each of the last four games (7-for-8 stealing bases in four-game streak).
• Pinckard is 38-for-43 stealing bases in his career and needs 11 stolen bases to crack Baylor's career top 10 list.
• Pinckard has started all eight games in center field and hit leadoff (six games) or second in the order (twice).
• Pinckard (eight games) has Baylor's only active hitting streak.
• Pinckard leads the team and is tied for eighth in the Big 12 with 14 hits.

• College Baseball €ˆDaily ranked RHP 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 €ˆDraft.
• Verrett was named to the Golden €ˆSpikes Award preseason watch list, one of six Big 12 players on the list.
• Verrett faced just three batters over the minimum through his first six innings in series opener at Georgia.
• Verrett has 170 career strikeouts and needs 58 to crack the top 10 in program history.
• Verrett currently holds the Baylor record for strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.78).
• Verrett is third on Baylor's career strikeouts per nine innings list (9.94).
• Verrett ranks eighth in program history for fewest walks allowed per nine innings (2.63).

• Perfect Game named 1B Max Muncy No. 3 on its Top Big 12 Prospects for the 2012 MLB €ˆDraft.
• Muncy was ranked No. 33 on Perfect Game's 2011 list of the Top College Baseball Sophomores.
• Muncy has started all eight games at first base and hit either third or cleanup in every game.
• Muncy had multi-hit games and had at least one RBI in all three games of the series at Georgia.

• 3B Jake Miller's 10th-inning walk-off double in the series finale vs. Oral €ˆRoberts was the first extra-inning, walk-off hit by a Baylor player since Dustin Dickerson's 11th-inning walk-off single vs. Missouri on April 11, 2009.

• Freshman RHP Trae Davis picked up a pair of wins pitching out of the bullpen in the season's opening weekend. He's one eight Big 12 pitchers with two wins and the only Big 12 freshman with two wins.
• Davis has allowed three hits in 6.2 innings of three appearances this season (.143 opponents batting average).

• OF Chris Slater is one of 30 semifinalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS €ˆAward (one of three from Big 12).

• LF Logan €ˆVick has started all 68 games in left field since the start of the 2010 season.
• Vick had reached base safely in all 40 career games at Baylor Ballpark before going 0-for-3 on Tuesday.
• Vick went 3-for-4 and drove in runs in all three plate appearances in which he made an out in Sunday's game.
• Vick has never made an error in 136 career fielding chances.
• Vick has drawn 64 walks in 68 career games; he's taken multiple walks in a game in 20 contests.
• When leading off an inning, Vick has a .500 on-base percentage for his career (61-for-122).

• 2B Steve DalPorto has started seven of Baylor's eight games in 2011 at second base. He has not made an error in 34 chances while playing second base.

• 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 four of Baylor's first eight games this season.
• Hainsfurther was named to the 2009 Houston College Classic All-Tournament Team.

• RF Cal €ˆTowey drew three walks in Tuesday's game, tying his career high set against Duke (2/19/10).

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

• LHP Crayton Bare has pitched in three games out of the bullpen this season after pitching in four games in 2010.

• RHP Jon €ˆRingenberg has never taken a loss in 25 career appearances, including 13 starts.

• RHP Trent Blank has started both of Baylor's Sunday games; the Bears have won both of those games.

• RHP Kolt Browder has allowed one hit in 4.2 innings over three appearances (.077 opponents batting average).

• LHP/DH Josh €ˆTurley has taken only one loss in 29 career appearances.
• Turley hit a pinch-hit double in his first plate appearance of the season in the series opener at Georgia.

• SS Landis Ware is Baylor's most experienced player with 140 games played and 122 career starts.
• Ware has started at shortstop in all eight games in 2011.

BAYLOR VS. CONFERENCE USA
Baylor is 221-152-1 all-time against programs currently playing as members of Conference USA. The Bears have played Houston (85-60), Memphis (4-2), Rice (125-87-1), Southern Mississippi (3-1), Tulane (3-2) and UAB (1-0). The series with for Southwest Conference rival Rice (213 meetings) is the Bears' second-most played among non-Big 12 teams, trailing only TCU (244 meetings). Baylor has not played Rice or Houston since the 2009 Houston College Classic, when the Bears beat Houston 3-1 and lost to Rice 8-3.

BAYLOR VS. MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
Baylor is 144-111 all-time against programs currently playing as members of the Mountain West Conference. The Bears have played Air Force (2-0), BYU €ˆ(1-1), San Diego State (5-2) and TCU (136-108). Baylor and Utah will be meeting for the first time.

BAYLOR HISTORY IN HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC
Baylor will be playing in the Houston College Classic for the seventh time in 2011. The Bears played in the tournament in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. Baylor holds a 9-9 all-time record in the event. The Bears won all three games in 2005, defeating Houston, Tennessee and Rice on their way to the College World Series. Baylor was held winless in 2002 (all one-run losses) and 2007. In HCC meetings, €ˆBaylor is 4-2 all-time against Houston and 1-5 all-time against Rice.

UP NEXT
Baylor takes on Texas State in a rematch of Tuesday's game that saw the Bobcats take an early lead and cruise to a 13-2 win at Baylor Ballpark. €ˆThis time, the game will be played at Bobcat Baseball Ballpark in San Marcos, €ˆTexas. The teams meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.