Kansas Notes

WACO, Texas -- Baylor baseball continues its nine-game road swing in Big 12 play with a three-game set at Kansas this weekend. Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. CT Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, all on ESPN3.

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 home games online at BaylorBears.com.

SERIESà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € INFO
Date(s): April 28-30, 2017
Time(s): 6 PM | 2 PM | 1 PM CT
Location: Lawrence, Kan.
Stadium: Hoglund Ballpark (2,500)
Radio: ESPN/KRZI 1660 AMà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (Waco)
Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Steve Johnigan (color)

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: BU leads 50-18
Streak: BU has won 2
Waco: BU leads 28-8
Lawrence: BU leads 17-10
Neutral Site: BU leads 5-0
Rodriguez vs: 2-1
First Meeting: 1957
Last Meeting: April 3, 2016

SERIES MULTIMEDIA
Live Stats: KUathletics.com
Audio: BaylorBears.com
Video: ESPN3.com
Twitter Updates: @BaylorBaseball

BAYLOR BEARS
2017 Record: 25-16
2017 Big 12 Record: 6-9
Head Coach: Steve Rodriguez
Career: 335-343 (14th season)
BU: 49-45 (2nd season)

2017 STAT LEADERS
AVG: Aaron Dodson (.320)
2B: Tucker Cascadden (9)
HR: Dodson, Langeliers (6)
RBI: Dodson, Langeliers (25)
SB: T.J. Raguse (4)

KANSAS JAYHAWKS
2017 Record: 21-20
2017 Big 12 Record: 8-7
Head Coach: Ritch Price
Career: 672-651-4 (23rd season)
KU: 456-422-3 (15th season)

2017 STAT LEADERS
AVG: Taylor Owen (.289)
2B: Foyle, Karre (9)
HR: Matt McLaughlin (2)
RBI: Jaxx Groshans (25)
SB: Rudy Karre (8)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

As Yogi Berra would put it, "this feels like dÃÆ' ©jÃÆ'   vu all over again."

After losing four straight series and 11 of 16 games during a midseason slump, Baylor baseball (25-16, 6-9) seems to have turned things around by winning five of its last eight and averaging nearly nine runs over the last four-game stretch.

"There's a lot of production up and down the lineup right now," said senior first baseman Aaron Dodson, who has seen his batting average rise by 34 points over the last two weeks to a team-best .320.

"It's kind of going back to the beginning of the year, when we were really swinging the bat well, 1 through 9. We're getting hard contact. Sometimes we're not getting RBI or clutch hits, but we're swinging it well and that's all you can ask for."

The Bears play seven of their next nine on the road, starting with a weekend series versus Kansas (21-20, 8-7) at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kan. Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

"It's really fun when you have guys who are hopefully getting hot at the right time," coach Steve Rodriguez said. "This past weekend and in our midweek game against Texas State, the guys were swinging the bats really well. And you can just kind of feel it on our team, there's something positive going on. The guys' energy is good, and hopefully it will carry through the weekend."

Baylor's bats exploded in the three-game series at No. 6 TCU last weekend, when the Bears belted out 39 hits and took one of three from the Horned Frogs. They had 19 hits in a 16-5 win last Saturday, then rallied from a six-run deficit to bring the tying run to the plate in an 8-5 loss in Sunday's rubber match.

Rodriguez said TCU first baseman Michael Landestoy made some difference-making plays, where "you've just got to tip your hat to him."

"If that ball gets down the line, or one gets in the hole and we're able to score some runs, it just changes the dynamic of the game" Rodriguez said. "But, throughout this whole weekend and into this week, we've been swinging the bat really well. Guys are kind of loosening up and feeling good. I like where we're going."

The Bears followed that up Tuesday with 15 hits in a 10-2 win at home over Texas State.

"It looks like the bats are starting to come around," junior reliever Troy Montemayor said. "I think it's going to definitely help the pitching out, since we've been struggling a little bit. But, if we have run support, it's definitely going to help. . . . I think something special is about to happen."

In Friday's series opener, Baylor senior right-hander Nick Lewis (4-4, 4.42 ERA) will go against Kansas lefty Taylor Turski (2-3, 3.28). The other matchups have the Bears' Montana Parsons (3-2, 3.03) versus Jackson Goddard (4-2, 4.61) on Saturday in a battle of right-handers and Baylor left Cody Bradford (4-3, 4.66) pitted against Ryan Zeferjahn (4-2, 5.50) on Sunday.

Despite winning three of its five Big 12 series and four of its past five games overall, Kansas doesn't exactly knock your socks off with its numbers. The Jayhawks are hitting a league-worst .243 with nine homers - three more than Dodson has hit by himself - and have a 4.20 ERA that ranks seventh out of nine teams.

"Numbers are just numbers . . . nothing really stands out where you go `Oh my gosh, they're phenomenal,''' Rodriguez said. "You can just tell they're playing well as a team. People probably say the same thing about us at times. . . . They're that team that if you don't get in there prepared, they're going to beat you."

*Baylor's 25-16 record through 41 games is its best since a 34-7 start in 2012.

*Baylor's 15-2 start through 17 games was tied for its best in program history (started 15-2 in 1990 and 1961).

*Baylor is 8-7 away from Baylor Ballpark this season (6-6 on road, 2-1 in neutral sites).

*Baylor has 3 walk-off wins this season (March 5 vs. Texas A&M, April 14 vs. Texas, April 18 vs. Stephen F. Austin) and 2 in the last 3 games.

*Baylor has won 4 of its 9 3-game series this season.