No. 25 BASEBALL TRAVELS TO HOUSTON
3/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
No. 25 BAYLOR (4-6)
at
HOUSTON (3-7)
7 p.m. CST
March 2, 2004
Cougar Field
Houston, Texas
Baylor returns to action Tuesday, traveling to Houston for one of only three road games in a 17-game stretch. The Bears (4-6) face Houston (3-7) at Cougar Field; first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST. Baylor dropped two of three at home over the weekend against 16th-ranked Arizona, winning the middle game. Houston also dropped two of three at home over the weekend, falling to eighth-ranked Long Beach State Friday and Saturday before rebounding for a 4-2 victory Sunday. The Bears are ranked 25th in this week's Baseball America Top 25. The Cougars are unranked. All Baylor baseball games are carried in Central Texas on KRZI 1660/1580 AM. Live stats also are 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.
THE HOUSTON SERIES
Baylor and Houston meet for the 139th time Tuesday with the Bears holding an 82-56 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1951 season. The Bears are 16-11 against the Cougars during head coach Steve Smith's tenure. This is the 64th meeting between Baylor and Houston in the Bayou City. The Bears hold a 39-24 in meetings at Houston. The Baylor-Houston series is the sixth-most played rivalry in Baylor baseball history behind Texas (309), Texas A&M (243), TCU (225), Rice (204) and SMU (168).
THE HOUSTON COUGARS
Houston (3-7) is in its 10th season under the direction of head coach Rayner Noble, a 1988 Houston graduate. Noble has amassed a 334-231 career, all coming at his alma mater.
UH Notes: The Cougars snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday with a 4-2 victory at home against Long Beach State. Houston won its season opener 12-4 against Kansas State before falling to Texas Tech 12-7 in 11 innings and Texas 6-5, all at the Minute Maid Classic. Since then, the Cougars have not scored more than four runs in a game. ... Houston hits .242 as a team with four home runs and 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts. 2B Cole Bruce (.355, 1 HR, 3 RBI) paces the team in average; he is one of four Cougars with one home run each. DH/RHP Brett Cooley (.300, 1, 7) is the only other Cougar hitting at or above .300. SS Stuart Musslewhite (.270, 1, 9) leads the team in RBI; his home run was the lone run the Cougars got last Friday against Long Beach State all-American Jered Weaver. OF/C Rob Johnson (.216, 0, 3) is Houston's top threat on the base paths with four steals in five tries. ... The Cougar pitching staff totes a 5.00 ERA with no complete games and 74 strikeouts in 90.0 innings. Cooley (0-0, 4.91) is scheduled to make his first start of the season Tuesday. He has tossed 3.2 innings in two relief appearance this season; opponents hit .231 against Cooley. RHP Brandon Roznovsky (0-0, 2.61) serves as the staff's closer; he has appeared in seven games with two saves and 18 strikeouts in 10.1 innings. Opponents hit just .139 off Roznovsky. ... Houston fields at a .967 clip as a team. The Cougars have committed 13 errors while turning 11 double plays through 10 games this season. Houston has played three errorless games this year, going 2-1 in those games.
SMITH NEARS ANOTHER MILESTONE
Baylor head coach Steve Smith is three wins away from victory No. 350 in his collegiate career, all coming at Baylor. Now in his 10th season at the helm of the Baylor program, Smith is 347-209-1.
CARLSON CLAIMS SCHOOL APPEARANCE RECORD
RHP Zane Carlson appeared in his 92nd career game Saturday against Arizona, breaking Matthew Marcom's school record. Carlson, who already owns the Big 12 record in this category, needs 20 more appearances to crack the NCAA's all-time top 20 in career appearances.
CARDIAC KIDS
Six of Baylor's first 10 games have been one-run affairs; the Bears are 2-4 in such contests. Last season, Baylor played 16 one run games, posting a 9-7 mark in such contests.
POWER OUTAGE
Through 10 games, Baylor has not yet hit a home run this season. Box scores are available from the 1972 season through the present, and this is the deepest the Bears have ever gone without hitting a long ball. The 1995 squad, head coach Steve Smith's first at Baylor, hit its first home run in the eighth game of the season and finished the year with 10. Through 10 games last year, Baylor had nine home runs. It must be pointed out, though, that Baylor has not played in the fairest of home run conditions. The Bears have yet to have a first-pitch temperature above 60. Also, Baylor played three games at Long Beach State's Blair Field, arguably the nation's least homer-friendly park. While Baylor's bats have failed to produce any home runs, the Bears' opponents have not faired much better. Baylor hurlers have surrendered only one home run this season, a solo shot off Andy Pape's in the Bears' 6-1 victory over Texas-San Antonio (2/17).
CARLSON EYES NCAA SAVES MARK
With two saves in the Loyola Marymount series, senior RHP Zane Carlson needs 14 saves to break the NCAA Division I career record. The nation's active career saves leader starting the year, Carlson has 36 during his four-plus seasons at Baylor. Former Southern California closer Jack Krawczyk currently owns the record; he tallied 49 saves from 1995 to 1998. Carlson already owns the Baylor and Big 12 Conference records for career saves. As a freshman in 2000, he established Baylor's single-season saves record with 15, ironically also the school career mark at that time. On top of that, Carlson owns the Cape Cod League career saves record with 24. Carlson needs one save to move into a sixth-place tie on the all-time NCAA list and two saves to move into a fifth-place tie.
BAYLOR IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Bears snagged a paw on the edge of this week's Baseball America Top 25; Baylor landed in the poll's final position, down 10 spots from last week. Baylor is receiving votes in this week's Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll, dropping out from No. 20 last week. The Bears are unranked by Collegiate Baseball, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll does not come out until Tuesday evening. Baylor has been ranked nationally for 25 consecutive weeks, dating back to the 2003 preseason rankings. The Bears have appeared in the national rankings during 100 of the last 101 weeks and during each of the past 81 regular-season polls. Baylor's last regular season game as an unranked team was Feb. 21, 1999, an 8-2 victory over then-No. 24 Houston.
2004 SCHEDULE AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST
Baylor's 2004 schedule ranks as the nation's 10th-toughest, according to the preseason schedule rankings released by BoydsWorld.com. The Bears' 2003 schedule was ranked first in the preseason rankings and was deemed the fifth-toughest by season's end. One component of schedule strength is the strength of one's opponents' schedules. Baylor plays 13 teams ranked the preseason top 30 in the strength of schedule rankings: Arizona (2nd), Cal-Irvine (4th), Texas (5th), Long Beach State (7th), Texas A&M (13th), Houston (14th), Oklahoma (19th), Rice (20th), Texas Tech (22nd), Oklahoma State (23rd), Texas State (25th), Loyola Marymount (26th) and Nebraska (28th).
BAYLOR AMONG ALL-TIME WINNINGEST PROGRAMS
With 1,780 all-time wins in 102 seasons of collegiate baseball, Baylor ranks 39th nationally in total victories to start the 2004 campaign, according to the NCAA Baseball Records Book. Baylor is sixth in the Big 12, trailing Texas (2nd/2,760); Texas A&M (19th/2,094); Oklahoma State (22nd/2,057); Oklahoma (26th/2,006); and Missouri (36th/1,834). Fordham, which first fielded a team in the 1850s, leads all schools with 3,174 victories in 145 seasons. Baylor also ranks 23rd nationally in total victories through the first four seasons of the 21st century with 163. That ranks third in the Big 12 behind Nebraska (5th/195) and Texas (7th/189).
BEARS BEST IN THE BIG 12
At the start of the 2004 season, Baylor has the best conference record of any team in the Big 12 Conference since the league's start in 1997. At 124-71 (.636), the Bears are ahead of Texas Tech (120-77-1, .609). Included in the first seven 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). Including the 2003 totals, Baylor leads all conference schools in Big 12 history in both first-team all-Big 12 selections (21) and in first-team Academic all-Big 12 selections (35).
BAYLOR 11TH IN ATTENDANCE
The Baylor baseball program finished the 2003 season 11th nationally in average home attendance, according to numbers released by the NCAA. In 28 home dates, 85,620 fans came through the turnstiles at Baylor Ballpark, an average of 3,057 fans per game. The 2003 average set a school record for the fifth straight season; the Bears' average attendance has improved each season since the team moved into Baylor Ballpark in 1999. The Bears' average ranked 11th in the country and was fourth-best in the Big 12 Conference, behind Texas (third), Texas A&M (fifth) and Nebraska (sixth). The Bears' total home attendance was the 20th highest total in the nation for 2003, despite the fact that the team's 28 home dates tied Wichita State and Arkansas for the fewest home games among teams ranked in the top 30 in total attendance. Baylor has ranked among the top 25 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.
BAYLOR BALLPARK NO. 3 STADIUM IN AMERICA
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 Ballpark also was featured as the January Stadium of the Month in Baseball America's 2004 Great Parks Calendar. The Bears' home was the only collegiate park featured in the calendar.
GRIFFIN DONS RED, WHITE & BLUE
Baylor sophomore Michael Griffin made the final cut for the 2003 USA Baseball National Team; he and 19 other top collegiate players represented the United States this summer at the 2003 Pan-American Games. Griffin is the fifth Baylor player to make the USA National Team, joining Pat Combs (1988), Jason Jennings (1997 and 1998), Jon Topolski (1998) and Zane Carlson (2000). Additionally, head coach Steve Smith was an assistant coach for the 1998 team. Bears Bryan Loeb (1998) and Kelly Shoppach (2000) were each invited to the USA trials but did not make the final cut. The USA National Team was selected from a pool of 36 players that completed a four-day trials process Friday at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Ariz. For a full detailed roster and a schedule of all games, log on to www.usabaseball.com. The 2003 USA Baseball National Team will represent the United States this summer in the Pan Am Games, August 2-12 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
HEAD COACH Steve Smith
Head coach Steve Smith is in his 10th season as head coach at Baylor; in that time, he has compiled a 347-209-1 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 six straight NCAA appearances. His Bears have the best conference record in the Big 12 since the league began and are the only Big 12 team to have appeared in each of the past six NCAA tournaments. Through the 2003 season, Smith ranked 37th nationally among active coaches in winning percentage with a .628 mark, fourth among Big 12 coaches. 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. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1983 Major League draft by the San Francisco Giants and played four years of pro ball before moving into the coaching ranks. An accomplished pitching coach, Smith has tutored six pitchers in the last 12 years who were selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. He also had at least one pitcher named to the all-conference first team for 11 straight years (1992-2002). In Smith's nine seasons as head coach, the Bears have produced four first-round draft picks, 10 all-Americans, six Academic All-Americans, one National Player of the Year, one GTE/CoSIDA Academic all-American of the Year, 25 first-team all-conference performers, nine freshman all-Americans, and three conference players of the year. Baylor has also placed 35 players on the Academic all-Big 12 first team in the past seven seasons, a number that leads the Big 12.
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 four Big 12 schools.
STREAMING VIDEO AVAILABLE FOR SELECTED GAMES
Live streaming video of 26 Baylor baseball games during the 2004 season will be available through an Internet webcast package with New Media Networks. Eighteen of the 26 webcasts will be against Big 12 Conference opponents, including the Bears' series at Oklahoma and Nebraska. Fans may purchase the games for $5.95 per game ($154.70 if each of the 26 games were purchased individually), $8.95 for a series ($89.45 for every series and three single games) or $39.95 for the entire season. The video and audio for each game will be provided by the home team. Visit http://BaylorBears.nmnathletics.com for access to streaming video. For a list of selected games, visit www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the Official College Sports Network.
BAYLOR BASEBALL RADIO NETWORK
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 are in their second 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 TV SHOW
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.
UP NEXT ...
Baylor returns home for its second of three consecutive home weekend series. The Bears host Cal-Irvine for a three-game set, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. CST. Saturday's first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. with the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
