May 18, 2016 at  |
Baylor (22-26, 8-13) at Texas (21-18, 9-12) May 19-21, 2016 | Austin, Texas | Disch-Falk Field (6,649) SERIES NOTES  |
THU. | 6:00 P.M. Audio | Video | Stats
Probable Starters: BU -RHP Drew Tolson 5-3, 5.35 ERA UT - RHP Morgan Cooper 2-4, 4.50 ERA |  | FRI. | 6:00 P.M. Audio | Video | Stats Probable Starters: BU - LHP Daniel Castano 4-4, 4.37 ERA UT - TBA
|  | SAT. | 2:00 P.M. Audio | Video | Stats Probable Starters: BU - RHP Kyle Hill 1-4, 5.40 ERA UT - TBA
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WACO, Texas -- Baylor baseball heads to Austin for a regular-season-ending three-game series against Texas this weekend. Games are set for 6 p.m. CT Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday as all three game will air on the Longhorn Network.
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on Waco's 1660 ESPN Central Texas (1330 AM/100.9 FM in Temple, Belton and Killeen). Derek Smith provides the play-by-play with Steve Johnigan adding color commentary. Live streaming audio, video and GameTracker also are available for all Baylor baseball games online at BaylorBears.com.
SERIESà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € INFO
Date(s): May 19-21, 2016
Time(s): 6 PM | 6 PM | 2 PM CT
Location: Austin, Texas
Stadium: Disch-Falk Field (6,649)
TV: Longhorn Network
Talent: Keith Moreland (pxp), Greg Swindell (color)
Radio: ESPN/KRZI 1660 AMà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (Waco)
Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Steve Johnigan (color)
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: UT leads 238-106-4
Streak: UT has won 3
Waco: UT leads 92-61-3
Austin: UT leads 134-41-1
Neutral Site: Tied 8-8
Rodriguez vs: 0-0
First Meeting: April 4, 1903
Last Meeting: May 22, 2015
SERIES MULTIMEDIA
Live Stats: TexasSports.com
Audio: BaylorBears.com
Video: TexasSports.com
Twitter Updates: @BaylorBaseball
BAYLOR BEARS
2016 Record: 22-26
2016 Big 12 Record: 8-13
Head Coach: Steve Rodriguez
Career: 308-324 (13th season)
BU: 22-26 (1st season)
2016 STAT LEADERS
AVG: Matt Menard (.336)
2B: Kameron Esthay (14)
HR: Darryn Sheppard (7)
RBI: Darryn Sheppard (38)
SB: Steven McLean (6)
TEXAS LONGHORNS
2016 Record: 21-28
2016 Big 12 Record: 9-12
Head Coach: Augie Garrido
Career: 1,971-947-9 (48th season)
UT: 820-423-2 (20th season)
2016 STAT LEADERS
AVG: Patrick Mathis (.313)
2B: Tres Barrera (16)
HR: Barrera, Gurwitz, Mathis (5)
RBI: Zane Gurwitz (32)
SB: Tyler Rand (10)
TEAM QUICK NOTES
*Baylor has won nine series vs. UT in 19 seasons of Big 12 play.
*Baylor has won four of its 11 three-game series in 2016 and 25 of 55 since 2012.
*Baylor is 6-10 on the road in 2016.
*Baylor won its first Big 12 Conference series over TCU on May 13-15 after losing the first three. BU won its first three-game series over TCU since a sweep on Feb. 18-20, 2000, in a split series with two games in Waco.
*With a 2-1 decision over No. 10 TCU on May 13-15, Baylor earned its first series win over a Baseball America ranked opponent since sweeping No. 13 Cal Poly on Feb. 13-15, 2015, in Waco.
* With a 2-1 decision over No. 10 TCU on May 13-15, Baylor claimed its first series win over a Baseball America top 10 ranked opponent since taking two of three from No. 4 Cal State Fullerton on March 7-9, 2014, in Waco.
*Baylor has 29 home runs in 48 games in 2016, which are 12 more than the team had in 55 games in 2015 -- BU has 20 or more home runs for the first time since blasting 46 in 2012.
*Baylor has scored at least one run in the first inning 14 times in 48 games and has scored 28 first-inning runs in 2016.
*Sophomore RHP Troy Montemayor was 1 of 40 named to the 2016 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List on April 28 -- he's one of two on the list in the Big 12.
*Montemayor has 12 saves in 13 tries this season and in his career -- he's the ninth player in BU history with 10 or more saves in a season (first since Josh Michalec set the single-season BU and Big 12 records with 21 saves in 2014) and ranks tied for fourth on BU's single-season saves list and 10th on BU's career saves list.
*Among Big 12 leaders, Montemayor is first in saves (12), Steven McLean is third in HBPs (13), Richard Cunningham is third in triples (4) and fifth in HBPs (11) and Matt Menard is ninth in slugging percentage (.550) and 12th in batting average (.336).
*Among NCAA leaders, Montemayor is ninth in saves, McLean is 54th in HBPs and Cunningham is 78th in triples.
-BU-
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
Steve Rodriguez wants no part of backing in or counting on a helping hand from someone else.
Baylor's first-year head baseball coach would like to see his Bears (22-26, 8-13) just take care of business, win another series and get into the Big 12 Championship for the 20th straight year.
"It's like I tell our guys when we're playing, `Never leave it in an umpire's hand. Never leave it to where someone else has to make a decision for you,''' Rodriguez said. "We want to make sure we go out there and we play well. We want to take it ourselves. We don't want someone else to have to do something for us to get in."
The Bears' magic number going into the weekend series at Texas (21-28, 9-12) is two - any combination of Baylor wins and Kansas' losses. Certainly, 20th-ranked Oklahoma State can help matters by winning a home series against the Jayhawks (20-32-1, 6-14). But Rodriguez is not looking for a hand-out.
"We've just got to go game by game," said sophomore third baseman Steven McLean, who is hitting .321 with nine doubles, three triples, one homer and 21 RBI. "We win Friday, we check the standings. But it doesn't matter. Games are games and we've still got to win them. We've got to go in there looking for three. That would be the best possible case. And if we can do that, we're really putting ourselves in a good position."
Baylor took a big step last weekend, taking two of three from 10th-ranked TCU and climbing into a tie for seventh in the standings with Kansas State. Going into the Texas series, which starts with Thursday's game at 6 p.m., the Bears can finish anywhere from sixth to ninth.
"We did so many things right that hopefully they can understand that it's in there and it's expected," Rodriguez said. "If you're going to get hot, now is a good time to do it."
The Big 12 Championship seeding doesn't even matter, Rodriguez said. He just wants to get in the eight-team tournament. A year ago, the Bears knocked off second-ranked and top-seeded TCU and also sent Texas Tech packing in a tournament eventually won by Texas.
"I've been in a lot of postseason games where we're not one of the top-ranked teams, and we find a way to come back and either get in the championship game or win the thing," he said. "That's the great thing about it is you just need to get hot and have the big players play well in the right situations. . . . I don't care where we get in, just get in. And then once you get in, postseason is always fun, because it's like a rebirth. You get to go out and start playing again, and anything can happen."
Junior right-hander Drew Tolson (5-3, 5.35) will start Thursday's 6 p.m. game, opposite the Longhorns' Morgan Cooper (2-4, 4.50). While Texas has not named a starter for either of the other two games, the Bears will go with junior lefty Daniel Castano (4-4, 4.37) for Friday's 6 p.m. game and freshman Kyle Hill (1-4, 5.40) in Saturday's 2 p.m. series finale.
"They're UT, they're going to be a talented bunch," Rodriguez said of the Longhorns, who have lost six straight conference games. "They're going to have some good starting pitching. Offensively, they have some guys that can hurt you. We're playing at their place, which is always a home-field advantage for them. But this is also my first time ever going there, so it's a new thing for me. We just have to worry about ourselves, just like we have these past couple weeks. We just have to take care of business."