 at  |
No. 8 Baylor (27-7, 12-0) at Kansas State (17-15, 3-6)
April 13-15, 2012 | Manhattan, Kan. | Tointon Stadium (2,331)
GAME NOTES 
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FRI. | 6:30 P.M.
FCS-TV
Probable Starters:BU - LHP Josh Turley
4-0, 2.20 ERA, 49.0 IP, 41 K
KSU - RHP Matt Applegate2-3, 5.32 ERA, 47.1 IP, 42 K
|  | SAT. | 1 P.M.
FSKC-TV
Probable Starters:BU - RHP Trent Blank
8-0, 1.67 ERA, 54.0 IP, 31 K
KSU - LHP Joe Flattery4-2, 4.23 ERA, 38.1 IP, 28 K
| | SUN. | 1 P.M.
FCS-TV
Probable Starters:BU - TBA
KSU - Kayvon Bahramzadeh4-1, 4.19 ERA, 38.2 IP, 42 K
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No. 8-ranked Baylor baseball takes 16-game winning streak to Manhattan, Kan. for a three-game Big 12 Conference series against Kansas State. The Big 12-leading Bears will look to build on their 12-0 start to conference play when the teams meet at 6:30 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Baylor's 12-0 start in Big 12 play is the best by any team in the conference's 16-year history. The Bears also have the second-longest winning streak in program history with 16 straight wins, and with four more wins in a row they would tie the program record set in 1985.
All three games of the Kansas State series will be televised. Friday and Sunday games will be shown on Fox College Sports (FCS) and Saturday's game will air on Fox Sports Kansas City.
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on Waco's 1660 ESPN Radio. Live streaming audio and GameTracker 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.
Following the series against Kansas State, Baylor returns home for four of its next five games. The Bears host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday and again at 4:05 p.m. Wednesday. Next weekend, Baylor takes on Texas A&M in the final Big 12 edition of the Battle of the Brazos. The series opener against the Aggies is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on April 20 in College Station, and then the series moves to Baylor Ballpark for a 6:35 p.m. game on April 21 and a 2:05 p.m. series finale on April 22.
SERIES INFORMATION
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
Overall: Baylor leads 34-17
Waco: Baylor leads 23-3
Manhattan: Kansas State leads 11-10
Neutral Site: Kansas State leads 3-1
Steve Smith vs. KSU: 33-16
Big 12 series: Baylor has won 12 of 15 all-time series
COACHES
BAYLOR: Steve Smith
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 646-422-1 (18th season)
Record at Baylor: 646-422-1 (18th season)
KANSAS STATE: Brad Hill
Career Record: 701-299-3 (18th season)
Record at KSU: 283-208-3 (9th season)
BAYLOR-IMG COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK
Online at www.BaylorBears.com
1660 ESPN Radio in Waco
Tom Barfield (pxp) and Lark Smith (color)
BAYLOR VS. KANSAS STATE SERIES HISTORY
Baylor is 34-17 in the all-time series against Kansas State, including a 33-16 record during the Steve Smith era, but the Bears are 10-11 all-time in games played in Manhattan.
The Bears have won 12 of 15 all-time Big 12 series against K-State, but all three series losses came in Manhattan (2002, 2006, 2010). The Bears were swept in Manhattan in 2006 and 2010 and are 2-8 in their last 10 games at Tointon Stadium.
The last time the teams met in Manhattan, Baylor was held to two runs in all three games and had only 13 hits in the series. Baylor was held to five or fewer hits only five times during the 2010 season, and three of those five games were in the series at K-State. The Bears won last year's series in Waco by taking the opener and the series finale. Jake Miller's RBI single in the eighth inning of the series finale drove in the winning run as the Bears claimed the series.
BAYLOR IN TELEVISED GAMES
Baylor has played on television 71 times, and the Bears are 30-41 all-time in televised games. The Bears are 0-2 on €ˆFCS and a combined 5-16 on the FSN family of networks.
The Bears won their only televised game last season, defeating Oklahoma State 8-1 in Stillwater on May 14. That win snapped a streak of nine straight losses in televised games. This weekend's series will be the first time a meeting between Baylor and Kansas State will be shown on TV.
RECORD-SETTING START TO BIG 12 PLAY
Baylor's 12-0 start to Big 12 play is the best by any team in the league's 16-year history. Texas held the previous record with a 7-0 start in 1999. The Bears have swept four consecutive Big 12 series for the first time in program history (Baylor had never swept three straight Big 12 series prior to this season). The Bears' 12-game Big 12 winning streak this season is the fourth-longest by any team in Big 12 Conference history:
- 17 games -- Texas 2000
- 16 games -- Texas A&M 2008
- 14 games -- Nebraska 2000
- 12 games -- Baylor 2012
- 10 games -- Oklahoma 2006
RECORD-SETTING STREAK
Baylor's current 16-game winning streak is the second-longest in program history and the longest of the 18-year Steve Smith era. €ˆWith Tuesday's win against Louisiana-Monroe, the Bears passed the previous No. 2 streak of 14 straight games (twice; 1998 and 1999), and the longest winning streak in school history came in 1985, when the Bears won 20 consecutive games.
The Bears' streak is even more impressive considering 12 of the 16 games have been against Big 12 Conference opponents. Baylor's longest previous Big 12 winning streak was nine games in 1999, and Baylor had never swept more than two consecutive Big 12 series prior to this season. The Bears opened the 2012 season of Big 12 play with four consecutive series sweeps (vs. Texas Tech, vs. Kansas, vs. Oklahoma State and at Missouri).
SMITH CLOSING IN ON ALL-TIME WINS RECORD
Baylor head coach Steve Smith is closing in on the record for most wins in any sport in Baylor Athletics history. With a career record of 646-422-1, Smith needs four more wins to pass his predecessor, the late Mickey Sullivan (649-428-4) for the Baylor coaching wins record. Sullivan recorded his 649 wins in 1,081 games, while Smith sits on 646 wins through 1,069 games.
BLANK-ING OPPONENTS
Baylor senior RHP €ˆTrent Blank leads the nation with eight wins (8-0) and has won 10 straight decisions dating back to his last two decisions in 2011.
Blank's success can be attributed to a drop in his arm slot, which was done during a bullpen session at the recommendation of pitching coach Trevor Mote. Blank's first outing with the lower arm slot was May 10, 2011 at TCU, when he went 3.1 scoreless innings.
With the lower arm slot, Blank has combined to go 10-0 with a 2.36 ERA over 68.2 innings pitched. If one bad outing in the 2011 Houston €ˆRegional against California is removed from the record, he's gone 10-0 with a 1.72 ERA €ˆover 68.0 innings of work. Prior to changing his arm slot, Blank had gone 6-4 with a 6.15 ERA €ˆover 98.0 innings in his first two-and-a-half seasons at Baylor. Here's a before and after comparison of his numbers:
| BEFORE
Feb. 9, 2009 -
April 30, 2011 | AFTER
May 10, 2011 -
present |
| W-L | 6-4 | 10-0 |
| ERA | 6.15 | 2.36 |
| IP | 98.0 | 68.2 |
| H | 124 | 52 |
| R/ER | 73/67 | 19/18 |
| WHIP | 1.643 | 1.034 |
PILING €ˆUP €ˆBIG €ˆ12 PLAYER €ˆOF €ˆTHE €ˆWEEK HONORS ...
Baylor shortstop Jake Miller was named Big 12 Conference co-Player of the Week on April 2, giving Baylor four Player of the Week honors this season. Max Muncy earned the award on March 26 and Logan Vick was honored on Feb. 27 and March 19.
With four Player of the Week awards this season, Baylor is one shy of tying Texas Tech €ˆ(2004) for the most in a single-season in conference history. Eight teams have earned four Player of the Week honors in one season, and Baylor is responsible for three of those (2004, 2011, 2012).
Miller had nine hits during the week, including a three-hit game in a win at Houston and a three-hit game in the series opener against Oklahoma State. Miller had two hits in the second game of the OSU series and had a 12th-inning single in the series finale as the Bears rallied to complete the sweep.
... AND BIG €ˆ12 PITCHER AND NEWCOMER WEEKLY AWARDS
Baylor has also had two players earn Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors and one player earn the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award. Josh Turley was honored as Pitcher of the Week on April 9, while Trent Blank earned the same award on Feb. 27. Freshman Adam €ˆToth picked up the Bears' first-ever Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honor on April 9 -- the award was created in 2011.
Baylor's seven Big 12 weekly honors this season are the most in a single-season in program history. €ˆThe six combined Pitcher and Player of the Week awards tie 2004 and 2005 for most Big 12 weekly honors in program history without the addition of the two-year-old Newcomer award.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Four Baylor players have started every game at the same position in 2012: Max Muncy (1B), Cal Towey (3B), Logan €ˆVick (CF) and Jake Miller (SS). Lawton Langford (2B) has started 28 of the last 30 games, giving the Bears the same infield starters in 28 of 30 games since Feb. 21.
Nathan €ˆOrf (LF/DH) and Josh €ˆLudy (C/DH) have each been out of the starting lineup only one time this season. The consistency carries over to the batting order, as Orf (leadoff/2nd/3rd), Muncy (2nd/3rd), Ludy (cleanup/6th) and Vick (cleanup/5th) have hit in three or fewer spots in the lineup in every game.
Adam Toth started 7 of the first 8 games in right field before breaking his wrist, and Logan Brown (12 games) and Michael Howard (9 games) split time when he was out. Toth has started all 6 games since returning in the Oklahoma State series finale on April 1.
QUICK HITS
• SERIES: Baylor leads the all-time series 34-17, including a 33-16 record during the Steve Smith era, but the Bears are 10-11 all-time in Manhattan and are 2-8 in their last 10 games at Tointon Stadium.
• Baylor is ranked in all five college baseball polls this week. The Bears' highest ranking is in the Collegiate Baseball poll (No. 5), and they're ranked No. 8 in the Baseball America Top 25.
• Baylor's current 16-game winning streak is the nation's longest active streak. The streak is the 2nd-longest in program history and is 4 wins shy of the school record of 20 straight wins in 1985.
• Baylor's 12-game Big 12 winning streak is the 4th-longest by any team in the league's 16-year history.
• Baylor's 16-game winning streak ties the 4th-longest nationally this season.
• Baylor has outscored opponents 122-57, hit .327 as a team and posted a 2.77 ERA during the 16-game streak.
• Baylor's bullpen is 8-0 with a 2.63 ERA in 61.2 innings during the 16-game winning streak.
• Baylor has won 5 consecutive road games, which ties the 7th-longest active road winning streak in Division I.
• Baylor's 12-0 start in Big 12 play is the best by any team in the conference's 16-year history -- 5 games better than the previous longest winning streak to start a Big 12 season (Texas started 7-0 in 1999).
• Baylor is 16-0 this season in games started by Josh Turley (8-0) or Trent Blank (8-0).
• Head coach Steve Smith is now 646-422-1 in 18 seasons leading the Baylor program. He needs 4 more wins to pass predecessor Mickey €ˆSullivan (649-428-4) for the most wins by any coach in Baylor Athletics history.
• Baylor has homered in 7 of the last 11 games after hitting home runs in 1 of its previous 29 games.
• Seven Baylor starters have on-base percentages above .400, eight Baylor regulars have batting averages at .290 or higher, and five different Bears have at least 6 stolen bases.
• Baylor has swept four straight Big 12 series for the first time in program history. €ˆThe Bears had never swept three straight Big 12 series prior to this season.
• Four Baylor players have started every game this season at the same position.
• Baylor has swept five series this season (Oral Roberts, Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Missouri) after sweeping only one series in 2011 (Louisiana Tech). The last time Baylor swept five series in a season was in 2005.
• Senior RHP €ˆTrent Blank leads the nation with 8 wins and has won 10 straight decisions dating back to 2011.
• Blank and junior LHP €ˆJosh €ˆTurley have each won Big 12 Pitcher of the Week awards this season.
• Baylor has won four Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season (Jake Miller, Max Muncy, Logan €ˆVick [twice]).
• Junior 1B Max Muncy was named NCBWA €ˆNational Hitter of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week on March 26.
• Muncy has started 116 consecutive games at 1B for Baylor. He has missed one start in 153 team games since joining the Baylor program before the 2010 season.
• Vick has won Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season (Feb. 27 & March 19). He's the fifth player in program history to win multiple Big 12 Player of the Week awards in the same year.
• Freshman RF €ˆAdam €ˆToth was named Baylor's first-ever Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday.
• Baylor is 14-2 in its last 16 Big 12 series finales when playing for a series sweep. The Bears have swept 4 Big 12 series in a season for the first time since the 2005 Big 12 Championship season (19-8).
• Baylor is 20-3 at home in 2012, and BU is 58-21 in its last 79 home games (30-9 in non-conference games).
• Baylor is 5-3 this season when scoring three or fewer runs. The Bears were 3-22 in such games last season.
• Junior C/OF Nathan €ˆOrf ranks 6th nationally after being hit by a pitch 18 times this season.
• Honoring a legend: Mickey Sullivan passed away on March 22 in €ˆWaco after a long battle with cancer. The Bears' all-time winningest head coach was 80 years of age. He coached Baylor from 1974-1994.
• Baylor is currently 22nd nationally in total home attendance (54,697) and 24th in average (2,734).
• Baylor has ranked in the nation's top 25 in attendance in all 13 years since Baylor Ballpark opened in 1999.
• Baylor had a streak with 8+ runs scored in 6 straight games for the first time since an 8-game streak in 1998.
• Baylor's 54-game 2012 schedule features 27 games against 2011 NCAA €ˆTournament teams.
UP NEXT
Baylor returns home for a pair of midweek games against Texas €ˆA&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday's game is scheduled for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch and all tickets will be $3. Wednesday's game is $1 hot dog night and first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
Following two games against the Islanders, €ˆBaylor takes on Texas A&M €ˆin the final Big 12 edition of the Battle of the Brazos. The series opener is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Friday, April 20 in College Station, and then the series shifts to Waco for the final two games. The April 21 games is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark, and the series finale on April 22 is set for 2:05 p.m.
