March 31, 2011

at
No. 19 Baylor (16-10, 3-3 Big 12) at Kansas (10-14, 2-4 Big 12) Lawrence, Kan. | Hoglund Ballpark (2,500)
FRIDAY, APRIL 1 | 6 P.M. Listen Probable Starters:BU - RHP Logan Verrett 3-1, 3.44 ERA, 36.2 IP, 43 K KU - RHP T.J. Walz2-3, 4.15 ERA, 39.0 IP, 41 K		SATURDAY, APRIL 2 | 2 P.M. Listen Probable Starters:BU - LHP Josh Turley 1-1, 4.18 ERA, 32.1 IP, 19 K KU - RHP Tanner Poppe1-3, 3.24 ERA, 33.1 IP, 24 K		SUNDAY, APRIL 3 | 1 P.M. Listen Probable Starters:BU - RHP Trent Blank 1-1, 5.79 ERA, 28.0 IP, 12 K KU - RHP Alex Cox0-2, 3.81 ERA, 28.1 IP, 18 K

Complete Game Notes

Baylor's 19th-ranked baseball team 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.

Baylor is coming off a pair of midweek losses against UTSA and Lamar, respectively, dropping consecutive regular season games for the first time since May 1-2, 2010. The Bears wrapped up their 14-game homestand with a 9-5 record.

Baylor is looking to win consecutive Big 12 Conference series after winning the series against Kansas State with a 4-3 win in Sunday's series finale. The Bears have had a winning record in five of six weekends this season, with the only blemish coming when they lost two of three against Texas Tech two weeks ago.

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 the series against Kansas through KUAthletics.com.

SERIES INFORMATION
KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Overall: Baylor leads 41-8
Waco: Baylor leads 21-3
Lawrence: Baylor leads 16-5
Neutral Site: Baylor leads 4-0
Big 12 Era: Baylor leads 36-8
Big 12 Series: Baylor has won 12 of 14
Smith vs. KU: 36-8
First Meeting: 1957
Last Meeting: 5/29/2010

COACHES

BAYLOR: Steve Smith

Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986

Career Record: 604-397-1 (17th season)

Record at Baylor: 604-397-1 (17th season)

KANSAS: Ritch Price
Career Record: 501-464-3 (16th season)

Record at KU: 283-234-2 (ninth season)

BAYLOR-IMG COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK

1660 ESPN RADIO (Waco)

Tom Barfield (pxp) and Lark Smith (color)

BAYLOR VS. KANSAS SERIES HISTORY
Baylor is 41-8 in the all-time series against Kansas. The Bears have won 12 of 14 series against the Jayhawks since the Big 12 Conference began play in 1997. Baylor dropped the first Big 12 series meeting in 1997 and the latest one in 2010, bookending 12 consecutive series victories. The Bears are 16-5 all-time against Kansas in games played in Lawrence. Baylor won two of three in trips to Lawrence in 2003, 2007 and 2009. The Bears swept KU in Lawrence in 1999, 2001 and 2005, and Baylor lost two of three in 1997.

PINCKARD FASTER THAN 109 DIVISION I TEAMS
When NCAA baseball statistics were released on Tuesday, Brooks Pinckard ranked second in the nation with 22 stolen bases. That total was more than 109 Division I teams, including No. 3 South Carolina, No. 9 Fresno State and No. 11 Stanford.

After stealing two bases on Wednesday, Pinckard has as many steals (24) as the entire Kansas team in 13 fewer attempts. He also has eight more steals than Oklahoma State (16).

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 didn't lose consecutive games until its 25th and 26th games of the season. The Bears are 8-1 following a loss in 2010, and prior to dropping a pair of midweek games this week, the Bears hadn't lost consecutive regular-season games since losing a pair of games at Texas on May 1-2, 2010.

In fact, the Bears hadn't lost two in a row with both games at Baylor Ballpark in more than a year before dropping a pair of midweek games against UTSA (3/29) and Lamar (3/30). 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 33-12 on their home field, including an 18-5 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 190-113 (.627) 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 12-7 record this March, Baylor clinched its fifth straight winning March. The Bears won their most games in the month of March since going 12-6 during the 2006 season.

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 six different positions, and Baylor has split the other two positions among two players. The only position where the Bears have started more than two different players multiple times is at designated hitter.

Joey Hainsfurther (15 starts) and Josh Ludy (11 starts) have split catching duties, while Chris Slater (13 starts) and Cal Towey (13 starts) have shared time in right field.

Max Muncy has started every game at first base. In fact, Muncy has started at first base in 85 of 86 games since the start of his Baylor career.

Steve DalPorto (21 starts), Lawton Langford (four starts) and Nate Goodwin (one start) have manned second base, while third baseman Jake Miller and center fielder Brooks Pinckard have started all but one game at their respective positions. Landis Ware (24 starts) and DalPorto (two starts) have manned the shortstop position. Logan €ˆVick started the first 80 games of his career in left field before being sidelined for the last six contests with a hamstring injury. Slater has started in left in five of those games and Josh €ˆTurley started in left one time.

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

BEARS TOUGH TO BEAT IN WACO
Baylor is 33-12 in its last 45 games at Baylor Ballpark, including 18-5 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 12 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), UTSA (3/29/11) and Lamar (3/30/11).

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
• SERIES: Baylor leads the all-time series against KU 41-8, including a 16-5 mark in Lawrence.
• 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 lost consecutive games for the first time in 2011 this week; the Bears are 8-1 following a loss.
• 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.
• When NCAA €ˆstats were released on Tuesday, Brooks Pinckard had more stolen bases (22) than 109 Division I teams, including No. 3 South Carolina, No. 9 Fresno State and No. 11 Stanford.
• 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 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).
• 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.
• 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 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 11 games out of the bullpen in 2011 after pitching in just four games in 2010.

• RHP Kolt Browder has allowed eight hits and struck out 11 in 9.1 innings over 10 relief appearances (.235 OBA).

• 2B Steve DalPorto has started 22 of Baylor's 26 games at second base and twice 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 five-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 13 of the last 15.

• 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 made 11 relief appearances in 2011. His 20.0 IP this season are more than twice as many as the 9.2 innings he pitched in 2009.
• 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 eight relief appearances totaling 13.2 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 15 of Baylor's first 26 games this season. The Bears are 11-4 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 one of two Baylor players multiple home runs this season.
• Ludy has started behind the plate 11 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 25 of Baylor's 26 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 26 games at first base and hit either third or cleanup in every game.
• Muncy ranks 10th in the Big 12 in batting average (.356), fifth in hits (37) and tied for sixth in RBI (23).
• 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 game in relief.
• Newman has allowed four runs over his last 14.1 innings of work. He made his first career start on Wednesday.

• CF/RHP Brooks Pinckard has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award preseason watch list.
• Pinckard is tied for the national lead with 24 steals. He's on pace to break the BU 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 tied for third in the Big 12 with 38 hits.
• Pinckard has never grounded into a double play in 399 career at-bats.
• Pinckard has successfully stolen more bases (24) than Baylor's opponents combined (22).
• Pinckard is 53-for-59 stealing bases in his career and his 53 steals are tied for ninth-most in program history.
• Pinckard has started all but one game in center field and hit leadoff (23 games) or second in the order (twice).

• RHP Jon €ˆRingenberg (9-0 career record) has never taken a loss in 29 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 has multi-hit games in each of his last four games played.
• Towey leads the team in walks (14) despite having only 63 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 six 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 157 games played and 138 career starts.
• Ware has started at shortstop in 24 of Baylor's 26 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 stays on the road for a midweek game at Sam Houston €ˆState at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Bears then return home and have two days without a game for the first time since March 23-24. Baylor returns to Big 12 Conference play when they host Texas for the first two games of a three-game set at 6:30 p.m. on April 8 and 3 p.m. on April 9. The Bears and Longhorns play the series finale in Austin at 1 p.m. on April 10.