April 17, 2003
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#16 Baylor Baseball (26-14, 8-7 Big 12)
vs. #23 Missouri (25-11, 9-5 Big 12)
Friday, April 18 (7 p.m.)
Saturday, April 19 (3 p.m.)
Sunday, April 20 (1 p.m.)
Baylor Ballpark * Waco, Texas
This Week in Baylor Baseball
Baylor welcomes Missouri to Waco this weekend as the Bears and Tigers square off in a three-game set. Game times at Baylor Ballpark are set for 7 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Easter Sunday. Baylor will be playing at home on Easter for the first time since April 11, 1982. (The Bears did not play at all on Easter between 1983 and 1994.)
Saturday's game will be carried live on Fox Sports Net and will be the Bears' first televised game this season. Fox Sports Southwest, Midwest and Rocky Mountain will all carry the game live.
The first 500 fans at Saturday's game will receive Jason Jennings posters, honoring the former Baylor ace who was named 2002 National League Rookie of the Year. Jennings' parents will be on hand and will be recognized.
After winning 13 in a row, Missouri has hit a skid of late, losing three straight. The Tigers dropped two of three to Nebraska in Lincoln last weekend, though the two losses were by a total of three runs. Mizzou lost to SW Missouri State in Columbia on Tuesday, 12-9.
All Baylor baseball games are carried in Central Texas on KRZI 1660/1580 AM. Live stats are also available for all home games and most road games at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the Official College Sports Network.
Baylor Quick Hits
* Junior reliever Zane Carlson tied the Big 12 Conference record with his 28th career save April 15 at Southwest Texas. Oklahoma's Jeff Bajenaru also saved 28 games (1999-2000). Carlson already held the Baylor career and single season saves record, as well as the Cape Cod League career saves record.
* Senior Chris Durbin was named to the initial 25-player watch list for the 2003 Golden Spikes Award.
* Baylor head coach Steve Smith needs just one win to reach 325 for his career. Smith won his 300th career game earlier this season and begins the weekend with a 324-194-1 career record.
* Senior Chris Durbin recorded his 65th career double last April 4 in Austin, breaking a tie with Eric Nelson (1996-1999) to set a new Baylor career record. With 13 doubles this season, Durbin has extended his record to 69 for his career. He also holds the school single season record, having knocked out 25 doubles in 2001 and again in 2002.
* Junior outfielder David Murphy has hit safely in 36 of the Bears' 40 games this season and has reached base in all but two of those games. Fellow outfielder Chris Durbin has hit safely 31 times in 39 games, reaching base in all but two games.
* Baylor has averaged 3,217 fans per game, the best average-game attendance in program history. The March 28 game against Texas A&M drew 4,717 fans, the fifth-best crowd in Baylor Ballpark history.
* Baylor student-athletes begin the weekend ranking first or second in the Big 12 in 11 statistical categories. Bears lead the league in hits (David Murphy), runs (Chris Durbin), doubles and total bases (Michael Griffin), strikeouts and starts (Steven White), and opposing batting average (Abe Woody). Additionally, Bears rank second in the league in batting (Murphy), home runs and walks (Durbin) and RBI (Griffin).
* In conference games only, Bears rank first or second in seven categories. Baylor student-athletes lead the Big 12 in hits (David Murphy), wins (Sean Walker) and starts (Steven White). Bears rank second in runs (Chris Durbin and Murphy), doubles and triples (Michael Griffin), and strikeouts (White).
* Senior Jared Theodorakos, a weekend starter for the Bears early this season, is out for the year after undergoing surgery on his left (throwing) arm April 9 to correct a SLAP lesion (torn labrum). He will apply for a medical redshirt and is expected to return next season.
* In six years as a member of the Big 12, Baylor leads all conference schools in both first-team All-Big 12 selections (18) and first-team Academic All-Big 12 selections (30).
Last Time Out
* TUESDAY: #16 Baylor 12, at Southwest Texas 8
Josh Ford recorded his first career two-homer game and Zane Carlson closed out the game to tie the Big 12 career saves record as Baylor defeated Southwest Texas 12-8 Tuesday night. Andy Pape recorded his first collegiate win out of the bullpen with 2.2 innings of relief. The save was the 28th of Carlson's career, tying the Big 12 career saves record held by Oklahoma's Jeff Bajenaru (1999-2000). The junior reliever also holds the Baylor single season record, the Baylor career record and the Cape Cod League career record.
WEEKEND: 2-1 at #17 Oklahoma State (W 18-6, W 16-11, L 7-10)
Baylor took the first two games from Oklahoma State in Stillwater before dropping the finale. The Bears snapped a four-game losing streak Friday, beating OSU 18-6. The Bears pounded out 11 extra-base hits en route to their highest-scoring game since an 18-9 win at USC last season. Chris Durbin led the Bears with four hits on the night, including two doubles and his team-leading 10th home run of the season.
Baylor scored seven runs in the eighth inning to break a 9-9 tie en route to a 16-11 win over OSUI Saturday. The Bears led 9-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, before OSU rallied for five runs to tie the game. The Bears quickly responded, scoring seven runs in the eighth on a double, two bunt hits, two intentional walks, four unintentional walks, a hit batsman and an error. Chris Durbin finished the day 5-for-5 with a double, a walk, four RBI and two runs.
Cowboy starter Joe Weaver struck out a career-high eight batters as OSU avoided the weekend sweep with a 10-7 win over Baylor Sunday. After Baylor had scored a total of 34 runs over the first two games, Weaver limited Baylor to just two runs over the first eight innings before faltering in the ninth. Oklahoma State jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the Bears through three innings and coasted to the win in the series finale, fending off a late Baylor rally in the ninth that plated five runs.
Baylor in the Rankings
A 2-2 week against Texas-Arlington and Oklahoma State meant minimal movement in the national polls for the Bears. Baylor holds at No. 16 for the second-straight week, tying the team's lowest rank this season.
Baylor stayed at No. 16 in Baseball America's poll, dropped one spot to No. 17 in the USA Today Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches' Poll, stepped up one spot to No. 19 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) poll, and moved up one place to No. 20 in Collegiate Baseball's poll.
Baylor's best-ever final ranking is No. 6 (Collegiate Baseball, 1978), while the team's highest ranking at any time was No. 3 (Baseball America, May 8, 2000). The Bears have ranked as high as No. 6 twice this season (March 3, Baseball America, and March 24, USA Today Sports Weekly/Coaches).
Bears' RPI Sky-High
Baylor ranks sixth in the nation in the Iterative Strength Rankings from BoydsWorld.com, through games of April 13. The ISRs are an alternate ranking formula similar to the RPI system. The Bears trail only Rice, Cal State Fullerton, Stanford Texas, and Arizona State in the ISRs, and are ahead of Big 12 foes Texas A&M (9th), Nebraska (12th), Texas Tech (23rd) and Missouri (24th). Other Baylor opponents among the top 25 include Long Beach State (8th), Texas-Arlington (15th), Southern California (17th) and Arizona (20th).
BoydsWorld.com also offers a Pseudo-RPI, which attempts to duplicate the official RPI formula used by the NCAA in its tournament seeding. Baylor ranks 11th through games of April 13. Baylor opponents in the top 25 include Rice (2nd), Texas (6th), Nebraska (16th), Texas A&M (20th) Texas-Arlington (22nd), Long Beach State (23rd) and Oklahoma State (25th).
The Bears' schedule is ranked as the second-toughest in the nation; only USC is said to be playing a harder schedule this year.
Durbin Named to Golden Spikes Watch List
Baylor centerfielder Chris Durbin was included among 25 players named to the initial watch list for the 2003 Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation's top amateur baseball player.
Durbin, a senior from Wylie, Texas, was one of five Big 12 players named to the list. Five finalists will be announced in June, with the winner being revealed in July.
Past winners of the award, given out by USA Baseball, include current Major League Baseball stars Robin Ventura, Jason Varitek, Mark Kotsay, Phil Nevin, Pat Burrell, Mark Prior and Baylor's own Jason Jennings, the 1999 National Player of the Year.
For more information on the award, including a complete listing of the 2003 watch list, please visit www.USAbaseball.com.
Bears Among Big 12 Season Stat Leaders...
A number of Bears rank among the Big 12 individual statistical leaders, through games of April 17. As a team, the Bears lead the league in doubles with 94, in home runs with 47 and in slugging at .497, and rank second in hitting at .317. The Baylor pitching staff ranks sixth in ERA at 4.50 but easily leads the conference in strikeouts with 314.
Noteable among the hitters: David Murphy ranks second in the league in batting with a .414 mark. Murphy leads the conference in hits (75), while Chris Durbin leads the Big 12 in runs (57) and is second in home runs (11) and walks (29). Michael Griffin leads the league in doubles (18) and total bases (115); the sophomore ranks among the league leaders in eight categories, while Durbin has his name listed among the top 10 in nine different statistics.
On the mound, Steven White leads the Big 12 in strikeouts (74) and starts (11), while Abe Woody leads the league in opposing batting average (.199) and is sixth in ERA (2.89).
The complete list:
Ross Bennett: t-4th in RBI (42), 12th in batting (.379)
Zane Carlson: t-6th in saves (5), t-6th in appearances (18)
Chris Durbin: 1st in runs (57), 2nd in home runs (11), 2nd in walks (29), t-5th in doubles (13), t-5th in total bases (103), 5th in slugging percentage (.648), 8th in on-base percentage (.472), t-9th in hits (55), 24th in batting (.346)
Josh Ford: t-3rd in home runs (8), t-7th in RBI (39), t-9th in doubles (12), t-9th in hits (55), 9th in total bases (91)
Michael Griffin: t-1st in doubles (18), 1st in total bases (115), t-2nd in RBI (46), 3rd in hits (66), t-4th in triples (5), 6th in slugging percentage (.646), t-9th in home runs (7), 14th in batting (.371)
Ryan LaMotta: t-4th in appearances (19), t-5th in wins (6), 8th in opposing batting average (.250), 10th in ERA (3.83)
David Murphy: 1st in hits (75), 2nd in batting (.414), 3rd in runs (45), t-5th in total bases (103), t-9th in RBI (38), 10th in on-base percentage (.470)
Trey Taylor: t-3rd in games started (10)
Sean Walker: t-5th in complete games (1), t-10th in wins (5), 20th in ERA (4.78)
Trey Webb: t-5th in doubles (13)
Steven White: 1st in strikeouts (74), t-1st in starts (11), 3rd in innings pitched (69.2), 16th in ERA (4.26)
Abe Woody: 1st in opposing batting average (.199), 6th in ERA (2.89), 10th in appearances (16)
... And Among Big 12 Conference Stat Leaders
For league games only, the following Bears rank among the Big 12 leaders:
Ross Bennett: t-8th in RBI (16)
Zane Carlson: t-10th in appearances (6)
Chris Durbin: t-2nd in runs (18), t-5th in doubles (5), t-6th in walks (9), 9th in on-base percentage (.472), 21st in batting (.356)
Josh Ford: t-9th in hits (22)
Michael Griffin: 2nd in doubles (7), t-2nd in triples (2), t-8th in RBI (16)
Ryan LaMotta: t-5th in appearances (7)
David Murphy: t-1st in hits (28), t-2nd in runs (18), t-4th in on-base percentage (.400), 5th in batting (.438), t-8th in walks (8), t-10th in total bases (39)
Mark Saccomanno: t-4th in home runs (5), 5th in slugging (.816), 6th in batting (.429), t-8th in total bases (40), t-8th in RBI (16)
Trey Taylor: 4th in opposing batting average (.213), 9th in ERA (3.45)
Sean Walker: t-1st in wins (3), t-3rd in complete games (1), 8th in innings pitched (29.1), 12th in ERA (3.68)
Trey Webb: t-5th in doubles (5)
Steven White: t-1st in starts (5), 2nd in strikeouts (34)
Abe Woody: 7th in opposing batting average (.239), 20th in ERA (4.12)
Bear Fans Rushing Through Turnstiles
Baylor baseball is drawing fans in record numbers this season. Through 19 home dates, the Bears have drawn a total of 61,136 fans, an average of 3,217 per game.
Average attendance at Baylor Ballpark has increased each season since the park's opening in 1999. Last season, the Bears drew 2,882 fans per game, ranking 15th in the nation in average attendance. Baylor has ranked among the top 25 in both average and total attendance each year since moving into Baylor Ballpark.
White Moving Up the Charts
Senior starter Steven White took over the top spot in the Baylor recordbooks for career starts April 11, when he started and defeated Oklahoma State in Stillwater. The game was White's 51st career start, passing Josh Scott's total of 50 set from 1998-2001.
White is also fifth in career strikeouts with 264, tied for fourth with 23 career wins and is fifth in innings pitched (309.0).
Durbin's Bat Rewriting Baylor Recordbook
Senior Chris Durbin continues to make his mark on the Baylor recordbook. Against Texas on April 4, Durbin recorded his 65th career double to set a new school record; he has added four more since then for a total of 69.
Durbin also holds the school single-season doubles record, having pounded out 25 two-base hits in both 2001 and 2002. On the Baylor career charts, Durbin ranks among the top 10 in doubles (1st), runs (3rd), extra-base hits (3rd), average (4th), hits (4th), total bases (4th), home runs (t-5th), slugging percentage (6th) and RBI (8th).
Closer Carlson Claims Another Saves Record
Junior closer Zane Carlson laid claim to yet another saves record April 15, when he recorded his 28th career save. That total tied the Big 12 Conference career saves record of 28, set by Oklahoma's Jeff Bajenaru (1999-2000).
Carlson already holds the Baylor career and single-season saves records; he laid claim to both records after saving 15 games as a freshman in 2000. Carlson also holds the Cape Cod League career saves record with 24. The NCAA record is 49, set by Southern California's Jack Krawczyk (1995-98).
Best in History?
By year's end, Chris Durbin's season will likely rank among the best offensive seasons in school history. The thought is backed up by a statistic quickly becoming a favorite among sabermaticians, OPS.
OPS is simply on-base percentage plus slugging percentage, and the statistic is considered to be perhaps the best "easy" measure of a player's overall offensive ability.
Charley Carter, 1998 1.232Steve Macko, 1977 1.190Jason Jennings, 1999 1.158Marty Crawford, 1996 1.153Jon Topolski, 1998 1.147Mike Malinak, 1986 1.135Chris Durbin, 2003 1.120Kelly Shoppach, 2001 1.117Jon Topolski, 1999 1.116Eric Nelson, 1999 1.079Gene de los Santos, 1980 1.077David Murphy, 2003 1.039Michael Griffin, 2003 1.032
Power Surge for Saccomanno
Fifth-year senior Mark Saccomanno has taken to his starting role at first base, stepping into the role of a power hitter with gusto.
After beginning the season with just three home runs in 118 career games, Saccomanno has hit six home runs in just 19 starts this season, fourth-best on the team.
Saccomanno, who started 59 games at shortstop for the Bears in 2001, hit three home runs in one weekend against Texas (April 4-6), including his first career two-homer game April 4 in Austin. His slugging percentage of .648 is tied for the team lead, while his .396 average ranks second among starters.
No Knock On Woody
Redshirt freshman Abe Woody has been nothing short of sensational out of the Bears' bullpen this season. The righty from Round Rock, Texas, ranks among the Big 12 leaders in ERA (2.89) while compiling a 4-0 record to go along with two saves. The freshman made his first career start at Oklahoma State (April 12) and received a no-decision in a 16-11 Baylor win.
Through games of April 17, Woody leads the league in opposing batting average (.199) while ranking among the most-used relievers in the league (43.2 innings in 16 appearances). With numbers like those, Woody has teamed with fellow freshman Ryan LaMotta and Baylor career saves leader Zane Carlson to provide the Bears with confidence going to the pen late in games.
Baylor-Missouri Game Picked For TV
The Baylor-Missouri game on April 19 has been picked as one of five games to air on Fox Sports Net as part of the Big 12 Conference television package.
The other four games to be aired are Nebraska at Oklahoma (March 29), Kansas State at Texas (April 26), Texas A&M at Texas (May 17) and the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament Championship Game (May 25). All four games will be aired regionally by Fox Sports Net's Southwest, Rocky Mountain and Midwest affiliates.
The April 19 game vs. Missouri, set for 3 p.m., will be the Bears' 20th televised game since 1988; Baylor is 9-10 on TV during that time. Baylor will also likely have at least one more televised game as part of the Lone Star Series; any additional televised dates will be announced at a later date.
Baylor on Television
Saturday's game against Missouri will air on Fox Sports Southwest (and other members of the Fox Sports network). Since 1988, 19 Baylor baseball games have been televised regionally. The Bears are 9-10 in televised games, including an 1-3 mark on Fox Sports Net.
April 2, 1988 at Texas L 1-4 Home Sports EntertainmentApril 2, 1988 at Texas L 0-14 Home Sports EntertainmentMarch 17, 1990 RICE L 0-2 Home Sports EntertainmentMarch 17, 1990 RICE L 1-7 Home Sports EntertainmentMarch 14, 1992 TCU W 6-5 Home Sports EntertainmentMarch 14, 1992 TCU W 8-3 Home Sports EntertainmentApril 3, 1993 RICE W 6-5 Home Sports EntertainmentMay 15, 1993 at Texas % W 10-6 Home Sports EntertainmentApril 2, 1994 at TCU L 1-4 Home Sports EntertainmentApril 2, 1994 at TCU L 1-12 Home Sports EntertainmentMarch 23, 1996 TEXAS TECH W 8-0 Prime SportsMarch 23, 1996 TEXAS TECH L 2-24 Prime SportsMay 23, 1999 vs. Nebraska $ L 3-4 Fox Sports NetMay 17, 2000 vs. Texas A&M ! W 12-3 College Sports SouthwestMay 18, 2000 vs. Texas ! W 3-2 College Sports SouthwestMay 20, 2000 vs. Texas Tech ! W 10-1 College Sports SouthwestMay 21, 2000 vs. Nebraska $ L 3-11 Fox Sports NetMay 13, 2001 TEXAS TECH L 5-6 Fox Sports NetApril 6, 2002 OKLAHOMA ST. W 8-6 Fox Sports Net
% SWC Tournament Championship, Austin, Texas$ Big 12 Tournament Championship, Oklahoma City, Okla.! Big 12 Tournament, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Bears Best in the Big 12
Baylor has the best conference record of any team in the Big 12 Conference since the league's start in 1997. At 117-66 (.639), the Bears are percentage points ahead of Texas Tech (117-68-1, .632). Included in the first six seasons for Baylor are one Big 12 championship (2000) and a pair of runner-up finishes (1998, 1999).
On top of that, Baylor is the only Big 12 Conference school to have ranked in the top 10 nationally during each of the past six seasons (1998-2003).
Baylor also leads all conference schools in Big 12 history in both first team All-Big 12 selections (18) and in first team Academic All-Big 12 selections (30).
O Captain, My Captain
Senior Jared Theodorakos and junior David Murphy have been selected by their teammates as team captains for the 2003 season.
Smith Reaches Another Milestone
Baylor head coach Steve Smith recorded both his 300th career win and his 500th game at the helm of the Bears earlier this season. Smith earned his 300th career win Feb. 9 at Arizona, an 11-9, 11-inning victory. One month later, the Bears' game against Texas Tech March 14 marked Smith's 500th game as head coach of the Bears. Now in his ninth season at the helm of the Bears, Smith holds a career-record of 324-194-1, all at Baylor.
Smith leads all Baylor coaches in career winning percentage (.625), and he trails only Baylor legend Mickey Sullivan among Bears' head coaches in total wins. Sullivan, whom Smith replaced in 1995, compiled a 649-428 record while helming the Bears from 1974-1994.
Ford Named to Bench Award Watch List
Baylor catcher Josh Ford was listed among 32 players named to the watch list for the 2003 Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate catcher.
Ford, a sophomore from Baytown, Texas, was one of just six sophomores named to the list. Ten semifinalists will be selected from those on the watch list and announced on May 20; a national panel will then select three finalists, who will be announced June 2 prior to the College World Series. The winner will be announced at the 6th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet in Wichita, Kan.
The award, sponsored by Coleman and named after Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, was first given to LSU's Brad Cresse in 2000. Baylor all-American Kelly Shoppach earned the award in 2001 after hitting .397 and making just one error all season behind the plate. Alabama's Jeremy Brown won the honor in 2002.
Six Bears Named All-Tournament in Houston
Six Bears were named to the 2003 Minute Maid Park College Classic All-Tournament Team, led by Most Outstanding Player Michael Griffin. The sophomore left fielder hit .517 in three games with a double, a triple, a home run, four runs scored and 4 RBI. Griffin became the third Bear in three years to be named tournament MVP at the Astros' classic, following Kelly Shoppach (2001) and Tim Hartshorn (2002).
Joining Griffin on the all-tournament team were Josh Ford (C), Paul Witt (2B), Trey Webb (SS), Chris Durbin (OF) and David Murphy (OF).
Back-to-Back Players of the Week
Centerfielder Chris Durbin and first baseman Ross Bennett earned back-to-back Big 12 Conference Player of the Week awards during the first month of the season.
Durbin was named the Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 17-23) after hitting .588, slugging 1.176 and reaching base at a .650 clip as the Bears went 4-0 on the week, including a weekend sweep of No. 7 Southern California. Durbin scored eight times in four games and drove in five runs, including knocking home the winning run in three of the four games.
The award marked the first time Durbin has been named Big 12 Player of the Week. The senior centerfielder was also named CollegeBaseballInsider.com's West Region Player of the Week.
The very next week, Bennett duplicated Durbin's honor. The senior from Cape Girardeau, Mo., was named Big 12 Player of the Week for games played Feb. 24-March 2 for his feats against UT-San Antonio and UC-Irvine. For the week, Bennett hit .786 (11-for-14) with five RBI and five runs scored.
The honor was the first of Bennett's career.
Griffin's Six Hits Set Record
Sophomore Michael Griffin went 6-for-6 Feb. 9 at Arizona, setting a new school record for hits in a game. Griffin broke the previous record of five hits, which had been accomplished 18 times, including once last season by teammate Trey Webb.
Griffin knocked out five singles and a home run in the Bears' 11-9, 11-inning win over the Wildcats and tied his career-high with six RBI.
Baylor Ballpark No. 3 Stadium in the Nation
Baylor Ballpark was named the No. 3 collegiate baseball park in the country in a nationwide survey of college coaches released by Baseball America in January.
In voting by the nation's coaches, Baylor Ballpark placed third, just behind Auburn's Plainsman Park and Arkansas' Baum Stadium. Nebraska's Haymarket Park and LSU's Alex Box Stadium rounded out the top five.
College media relations contacts were also asked to vote on their favorite stadiums. Baylor Ballpark finished fourth in that survey, behind Auburn, Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field and Arkansas.
The survey asked coaches and media relations contacts to rank their top 10 parks based on aesthetics, facilities (dugout, locker rooms, extra cages/bullpens, etc.), fan amenities, playing conditions and tradition.
Baylor Home Attendance Ranked
The Baylor baseball program finished the 2002 season 15th in the nation in average home attendance, according to numbers released by the NCAA.
In 31 home dates, 89,343 fans came through the turnstiles at Baylor Ballpark, an average of 2,882 fans per game. The 2002 average was the best in program history, while the total attendance was third-best in Baylor's nearly 100 years of baseball. The Bears' total home attendance was the 18th highest total in the nation for 2002.
Baylor has ranked among the top 20 programs in the nation in average and total attendance each year since moving into Baylor Ballpark, with program-best rankings of ninth in average attendance and 13th in total attendance set in 2001.
Bears' Schedule Toughest in Nation
Baylor's 2003 schedule is the toughest in the nation, according to a statistical measure produced at the start of the season at BoydsWorld.com and based on teams' 2002 records.
Nine of the Bears' 2002 opponents qualified for the NCAA Tournament a year ago: Houston, Long Beach State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rice, Southern California, Texas and Texas Tech. Of those, Nebraska, Rice and Texas each advanced to the College World Series last year, with the Longhorns coming away as national champions.
Webb Snares Top Honor
Baseball America named junior shortstop Trey Webb the top defender among this year's draft-eligible collegiate players.
The publication noted that "While he's relatively small at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, SS Trey Webb is the hands-down choice as the top college defender at a premium position. He has soft hands, good range and enough arm strength to be a legitimate shortstop in pro ball."
Baylor Alums in the Pros
19 former Bears completed the 2002 season at some level of professional ball. Leading the way are former first-round picks Jason Jennings and Kip Wells, who are leading members of the rotations for the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively.
In 2002, Jennings won National League Rookie of the Year honors after going 16-8 with a 4.52 ERA (see above note). Wells, meanwhile, was honored as the Houston-Area Major League Pitcher of the Year.
NOTES: Jennings started Opening Day 2003 for the Rockies in Houston against the Astros, his first opening day start... Jeremy Dodson was let go by the Royals but is now in the Cardinals' system... Chad Hawkins has officially retired due to recurring injury problems... Eric Nelson and Charley Carter have also both left the world of professional baseball.
For a complete list of Baylor alums in the pros, see the sidebar on page eight of these notes.
Baylor's Jennings 2002 NL Rookie of the Year
Baylor alum and current Colorado pitcher Jason Jennings was named the 2002 National League Rookie of the Year, as voted on by a panel of the Baseball Writers' Association of America
The 24-year-old Jennings went 16-8 with a 4.52 ERA and became the first Colorado player to win the award. He got 27 first place votes and five seconds for 150 points in voting by the BBWAA.
The award came as no surprise to Baylor fans, who saw Jennings named consensus National Collegiate Player of the Year after compiling a 13-2 record, 2.58 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 146.2 innings as a junior in 1999. Jennings also served as the Bears' DH, hitting .386 with 17 home runs and 68 RBI that season. Following his outstanding year, Jennings was drafted in the first round (16th overall pick) by the Rockies.
A three-year starter, Jennings holds Baylor records for wins in a season (13), innings pitched in a season (146.2) and strikeouts in a season (172) and in a career (377). He is second in career wins (27) and career saves (13), third in career home runs (39) and fourth in career batting average (.344).
Baylor Developing Pro Prospects
Baseball America/Perfect Game recently recognized Baylor as one of the top programs in the nation at producing top professional prospects. In BA/PG's preseason list of the Top 100 Professional Prospects for in College Baseball for the 2003 and 2004 drafts, Baylor was one of only six schools in the nation to have three or more prospects listed among the Top 100 in both 2003 and 2004. (The others: Arizona State, Rice, Stanford, Texas and Southern California).
Baseball America updated its list in early April; that ranking included David Murphy as the No. 39 college draft prospect for 2003, and Steven White at No. 47.
Draft Dodgers
Seven members of the 2003 Baylor squad have turned down opportunities to enter the world of pro ball in order to join up with the Bears:
Team Year Round TeamTrey Taylor 2001 2nd Colorado RockiesMark McCormick 2002 11th Baltimore OriolesSteven White 2002 18th Milwaukee BrewersRoss Bennett 1998 42nd Montreal ExposJared Theodorakos 2002 49th Colorado RockiesDavid Murphy 2000 50th Anaheim AngelsKyle Reynolds 2002 50th Arizona Diamondbacks
It's In Their Blood
As might be expected, a number of this year's Bears have sports -- baseball or otherwise -- in their blood. Notable examples:
Freshman infielder Kyle Reynolds' father Craig played fifteen seasons in the major leagues (1975-1989), including 11 with the Houston Astros. Craig was selected for the 1978 and 1979 All-Star Games.
Redshirt sophomore Reid Brees' brother Drew became a household name among college football fans when he finished third in the 2000 Heisman voting while at Purdue. Drew is now the starting quarterback for the San Diego Chargers.
Freshman Russell Reichenbach's uncle, Mickey Reichenbach, was named the 1975 College World Series MVP while a sophomore at Texas. A four-year lettermen for the Longhorns, Mickey hit .455 with three doubles and a home run to earn MVP honors.
Baylor and USA Baseball
Last fall, USA Baseball named Baylor the 26th-best program in the nation at providing players for the USA National Team.
Five Bears have played a total of six seasons wearing the Red, White and Blue: Pat Combs (1988), Jason Jennings (1997-98), Bryan Loeb (1998), Jon Topolski (1998) and Zane Carlson (2000).
Stanford, Miami, Cal State Fullerton, Southern California and Florida State were recognized as the top five programs based on their contributions to USA Baseball from 1984-2002.
Preseason Projections
Juniors David Murphy and Trey Webb were each dubbed preseason all-conference selections. Baseball America named both Bears to their preseason all-Big 12 team, while the Dallas Morning News named Webb a first-team shortstop and Murphy a second-team outfielder.
Freshman pitcher Mark McCormick was also recognized by each publication. The rookie earned preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year recognition from Baseball America and was named to the Dallas Morning News' list of 10 Big 12 Newcomers to Watch.
The Dallas Morning News, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, Sports Weekly/ESPN and even a survey of Big 12 coaches each named Baylor the No. 2 team in the Big 12 for 2003, behind only defending national champion Texas.
Head Coach Steve Smith
Head coach Steve Smith is in his ninth season as head coach at Baylor in 2003; in that time, he has compiled a 323-194-1 record. Smith led the Bears to their first-ever 50 win season in 1999 and a Big 12 Championship in 2000, and has piloted the team to five straight NCAA appearances. Through the 2002 season, Smith ranked 39th among active coaches in winning percentage with a .623 mark.
The 2000 Big 12 Coach of the Year, Smith came to Baylor from Mississippi State, where he was an assistant under Ron Polk for five seasons. Prior to that, he served as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M.
A former standout pitcher at Baylor in 1982-1983, Smith led the Southwest Conference with a 1.72 ERA as a junior, bettering league foes and future major leaguers Norm Charlton, Roger Clemens, Doug Drabek and Calvin Schiraldi.
An accomplished pitching coach, Smith has tutored six pitchers in the last 11 years who were selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. He has also had at least one pitcher named to the all-conference first team in each of the last 11 years.
In Smith's eight full seasons as head coach, the Bears have produced three first-round draft picks, nine all-Americans, five Academic All-Americans, one National Player of the Year, one GTE/CoSIDA Academic all-American of the Year, 22 first-team all-conference performers, seven freshman all-Americans, and three conference players of the year. Baylor has also placed 30 players on the Academic All-Big 12 first team in the past six seasons, a number that leads the Big 12.
Baylor on the Air
Catch every inning of Baylor baseball in 2003 on the flagship station for Baylor athletics, News/Talk Radio KRZI 1660/1580-AM.
Tom Barfield and Lark Smith begin their first season together as the primary play-by-play and color men for Baylor baseball. Barfield, the operations manager for KRZI/KRZX and KLRK-FM in Waco, is best known as co-host of the afternoon "You Make the Call" call-in show. Barfield saw his first action calling Baylor baseball last season, when he and Smith called the Bears' sweep of Southern California at Dodger Stadium.
Smith, whose attachment to Baylor baseball dates back to the days of coach Dutch Schroeder, was Sports Director for the Baylor campus radio station in the late 1970s and served as play-by-play voice for the Bears' 1977 and 1978 College World Series teams. After nearly two decades in broadcasting, Smith now works for the Heart O'Texas Federal Credit Union in Waco.
All Baylor Baseball games in 2003 will be available on the internet at www.BaylorBears.com. BU baseball is also a staple of the daily "Baylor SportsBeat" hosted by Morris and airing weekdays at 7:25am and 5:25pm on KRZI 1660/1580-AM.
Inside Baylor Sports
"Inside Baylor Sports", a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and the region. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Net Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on FSN Southwest.
BaylorBears.com
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the Official College Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including eight Big 12 schools.
Live scoring updates are available on BaylorBears.com for all Baylor baseball home games and most road games.
