Baseball Hosts Kansas to Start Stretch Drive

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BAYLOR (16-22, 6-8)
vs.
KANSAS (24-20-1, 2-10)

April 23-25, 2004
Baylor Ballpark * Waco, Texas

Radio: KRZI-AM (1580/1660)
Internet Audio: Click here.
Internet Video: Click here.
GameTracker: Click here.

Baylor returns to Big 12 Conference action this weekend, hosting Kansas for a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark. This series concludes a 12-game stretch for the Bears with 10 home games. Baylor (16-22, 6-8) dropped a 2-0 decision at home Tuesday night against Dallas Baptist. The Bears took one of three games last weekend against top-ranked Texas. Kansas (24-20-1, 2-10) dropped a 6-5 decision Wednesday night at No. 12 Wichita State. The Jayhawks were swept last weekend at Oklahoma State. Live streaming video for this weekend's series is available at www.BaylorBears.com. All Baylor baseball games are carried via radio in Central Texas on KRZI 1660/1580 AM. GameTracker also is available for all games at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the Official College Sports Network.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPSFriday, April 23BU    RHP    Sean Walker (2-5, 3.90 ERA)KU    LHP    Ryan Knippschild (5-6, 4.60 ERA)
Saturday, April 24BU    LHP    Trey Taylor (3-3, 3.83 ERA)KU    RHP    Chris Smart (4-5, 6.53 ERA)
Sunday, April 25BU           TBAKU    LHP    Mike Zagurski (3-2, 4.41)
Rotations subject to change

QUICK NOTES
* Baylor and Kansas meet for the 27th, 28th and 29th times this weekend. The Bears lead the all-time series 23-3 and are 13-0 against the Jayhawks in Waco.
* 18 of Baylor's 22 losses this season have come to teams ranked nationally at some point this season.
* Tuesday's loss to Dallas Baptist snapped a 14-game winning streak in midweek home games.
* 3B Michael Griffin ended a career-long tying 16-game hitting streak Tuesday; he also ended a streak of 32 consecutive games reaching base safely. Griffin has hit safely in 31 of 38 games this season without consecutive hitless games. He has reached safely in 35 of 38 games. Tuesday marked the first time this season Griffin has not reached safely and/or scored a run.
* Tuesday marked just the second time this season 1B Drew Sutton has gone hitless in consecutive games. Sutton has hit safely in 26 of 38 games and has reached safely in 31 of 38 games.
* In less than two seasons, LHPs Ryan LaMotta and Abe Woody have already entered Baylor's top-10 list for career relief appearances. LaMotta (43) and Woody (42) rank ninth and 10th, respectively. Fellow RHP Zane Carlson holds the school record with 103 relief appearances.
* In the past two weeks, 3B Michael Griffin has cracked Baylor's career top 10 lists for doubles (44) and RBI (158). He has moved into a tie for sixth place all-time at Baylor with 91 extra-base hits, and he needs three hits and one triple to crack the top 10 in those lists.
* RHP Zane Carlson moved into a 10th-place tie Sunday with career strikeout No. 209, matching the total established by Frank Foltyn (1989-1992). LHP Jared Theodorakos is not far behind with 190 career whiffs.
* Baylor is 15-6 this season when scoring five or more runs and 15-6 when out-hitting the opposition. The Bears are 13-2 when doing both.
* Baylor relief pitchers have held opponents to a .235 batting average this season with 121 strikeouts in 130.1 innings.
* Mike Pankratz and Drew Sutton share the team lead with 13 two-out RBI each. Michael Griffin is right behind with 12. Baylor has 54 two-out RBI in the last 21 games after just 20 in the first 17 games.
* Baylor's .322 batting average in Big 12 games is 24 points higher than any other league team.
* According to the April 19 rankings at BoydsWorld.com, Baylor's strength of schedule ranks second nationally behind only Southern California. Through games of April 21, the Bears' first 18 opponents have a combined record of 441-258-5 (.629). Those 18 opponents have played each other 118 times this season, giving Baylor an adjusted opponents' winning percentage of .769 (419-124-5).
* The Bears are hitting .322 in Big 12 Conference games, 24 points higher than any other team in the league.
* The Bears have recorded at least one extra-base hit in 23 consecutive games.
* Having committed 54 errors with 61 unearned runs allowed, Baylor has a averted run percentage of 1.130. Baylor's opponents have committed 48 errors, but the Bears have scored only 31 unearned runs (0.646 ARP).
* Opposing batters are 1-for-13 in first at bats against RHP Ryan LaMotta, 2-for-14 in first at bats against RHP Zane Carlson, 3-for-14 in first at bats against RHP Abe Woody, 0-for-10 in first at bats against RHP Andy Pape and 1-for-7 in first at bats against LHP Russell Reichenbach (relief situations only).
* The Bears have four shutouts this season, the most by a Baylor staff since the 2001 corps registered five blankings.
* After hitting just three home runs in their first 17 games, the Bears have knocked 24 homers in their last 21 games.
* The Bears have played 11 errorless games in 38 contests this season. Last year, Baylor played 18 errorless games all season. Ironically, the 2004 Bears are 3-8 this season when not committing an error.
* Since the start of the Big 12 in 1997, the Bears have the league's best conference record at 130-79 (.622). Baylor leads all conference schools in both first-team all-Big 12 selections (21) and first-team Academic all-Big 12 selections (35), and the Bears are the only Big 12 Conference program to have ranked in the top 10 nationally during each of the past six seasons (1998-2003).

THE KANSAS SERIES
Baylor and Kansas meet for the 27th, 28th and 29th times this weekend. The Bears hold a 23-3 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to an 8-1 Baylor victory during the 1957 season. Baylor is 13-0 all-time against the Jayhawks in Waco and 18-3 against Kansas as Big 12 Conference opponents. The Bears have won 18 of the last 19 meetings, sweeping five straight season series from 1998 to 2002 and taking two of three last year at Lawrence. The Jayhawks stopped a 16-game Baylor winning streak in the series last season, winning the series opener 4-3 as a Casey Spanish RBI single capped a two-run Kansas eighth-inning rally. In Kansas' last trip to Waco (2002), Baylor won by scores of 5-3, 15-9 and 5-4, the last of which was in 11 innings.

THE KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Kansas (24-20-1, 2-10) is in its second season under the direction of head coach Ritch Price, a 1978 Willamette graduate. Price is 59-48-1 in his two seasons as the Jayhawks' skipper. Prior to his time at Kansas, Price was head coach at Cal Poly for eight seasons. Now in his 10th season as a Division I head coach, Price has a career tally of 276-276-1. He also served 11 seasons as a head coach in the junior college ranks and five years at the high school level.

KU Notes: The Jayhawks have lost 10 of their last 12, including each of the last four. Kansas was swept last weekend at Oklahoma State and dropped a 6-5 last-at-bat loss Wednesday night at 12th-ranked Wichita State. KU and Baylor have played three common opponents this season - Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. The Bears are 3-5 against that trio, while the Jayhawks are 1-8. ... Kansas leads the Big 12 with a .320 team batting average. The Jayhawks have amassed 51 home runs, 107 doubles, three triples, 59 stolen bases in 78 ventures and 8.0 runs per game in 45 contests. ... CF Matt Baty (.371, 1 HR, 16 RBI) leads the team in batting average and runs (49), and he has swiped 23 bases in 29 attempts this season. C Sean Richardson (.361, 7, 53) is the Jayhawks' top RBI threat, while 3B Travis Metcalf (.290, 15, 49) leads the team and the Big 12 in home runs. ... Kansas totes a 4.78 staff ERA, last in the conference rankings, with two complete games, one shutout, four saves and 287 strikeouts against 177 walks in 387.2 innings. Opponents hit .272 against KU pitching. ... LHP Ryan Knippschild (5-6, 4.60 ERA) garners the start in Friday's series opener. The senior southpaw makes his 15th appearance, 12th in a starter's role, and has 57 strikeouts against 19 walks in 78.1 innings. Opponents hit .294 against Knippschild this season. RHP Chris Smart (4-5, 6.53) is scheduled to make his sixth start and 19th appearance Saturday. Smart has 24 strikeouts and 24 walks in 41.1 innings, and opponents hit .261 off his pitching. LHP Mike Zagurski (3-2, 4.41) is slated to make Sunday's start, his 11th in 15 appearances this season. A junior, Zagurski has 50 strikeouts and 30 walks in 49.0 innings with a .297 opponents' batting average. ... Kansas fields at a .976 clip, tops in the Big 12, with 42 errors and 39 double plays. The Jayhawks have an averted run index of 0.881, a total offensive production of 24.2 bases per game, and an offensive efficiency of 1.445. ... Senior IF Kyle Kilgo (.147, 0, 5), a Waco, Texas, native, transferred to Kansas after two years at McLennan Community College. ... OF A.J. Van Slyke is the son of former Major Leaguer Andy Van Slyke.

BAYLOR-TEXAS SOUTHERN ADDED TO SCHEDULE
Baylor has added a a 6 p.m. CDT contest Wednesday, April 28 at Baylor Ballpark against Texas Southern to its schedule. This game is a makeup for the April 10 rainout against Oklahoma State. There is one other addition to the schedule, also predicated by rain. Baylor's Feb. 24 rainout game against Texas State will be played Wednesday, May 12 at 6 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark. Ticket stubs for both rained out games will be honored - the Oklahoma State stub for the April 28 game against Texas Southern and the Texas State stub for the May 12 game against Texas State.

LaMOTTA, WOODY CRACK APPEARANCES CHART
In less than two seasons, RHPs Ryan LaMotta and Abe Woody have climbed into Baylor's career relief appearances chart. LaMotta (43) and Woody (42) rank ninth and 10th, respectively. Next on the list is Justin Taylor (1999-2002) with 50. RHP Zane Carlson holds the Baylor record with 103 career relief appearances, six shy of cracking the NCAA Division I all-time top 20 list.

OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY REPORT
Baylor has an uncharacteristically low offensive efficiency rating this season. The Bears have a total offensive production of 19.6 bases per game and an offensive efficiency rating of 1.333 (anything below 1.375 is considered very poor). Things have been ever more troublesome in one-run games, in which Baylor is 3-13. In those 16 one-run contests, the Bears have a total offensive production of 16.4 bases per game with an offensive efficiency rating of 1.248. Over the past six seasons, Baylor has toted an offensive efficiency rating of no lower than average with a low of 1.429 in 1998.

NOTE: Total Offensive Production (TOP) and Offensive Efficiency are statistics derived by Larry Little and Martie Cordaro in 1997. TOP measures how many bases a team produces per game (TB+BB+HBP+SF+SH+SB-GDP-CS). If a team produces 24.0 bases per game, that team should score 6.0 runs per game. Offensive Efficiency compares a team's TOP with how many runs that team actually scores (TOP is divided by TB+BB+HBP+SH+SB-RUNS). Offensive efficiency ratings are ranked accordingly: <1.375 -="" very="" poor;="" 1.375-1.399="" -="" poor;="" 1.400-1.424="" -="" below="" average;="" 1.425-1.449="" -="" average;="" 1.450-1.474="" -="" good;="" 1.475-1.499="" -="" great;="" 1.500+="" -="" phenomenal).="" it="" does="" not="" measure="" how="" good="" a="" team="" is="" offensively="" so="" much="" as="" the="" odds="" of="" a="" team="" scoring="" as="" many="" runs="" as="" it="" should="" score="" in="" a="" game.="" for="" example,="" a="" team="" with="" a="" top="" of="" 24.0="" bases="" per="" game="" and="" an="" offensive="" efficiency="" of="" 1.450-1.474="" has="" a="" good="" chance="" to="" score="" at="" least="" 6.0="" runs="" per="" game="" without="" any="" help="" from="" the="" opponent="">

BEARS' SCHEDULE RANKS SECOND NATIONALLY
According to the April 19 strength of schedule ratings at BoydsWorld.com, Baylor's schedule ranks as the nation's second toughest behind only Southern California. Through games of April 21, the Bears' first 18 opponents have a combined record of 441-258-5 (.630) this season and six are ranked in this week's Baseball America Top 25 (No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Long Beach State, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 16 UC Irvine, No. 17 Texas A&M and No. 22 Vanderbilt). The records could be even better as the 18 opponents have played each other 118 times this season. That gives Baylor an adjusted opponents' winning percentage (total minus losses to common opponents and all games against Baylor) of .769 (419-124-5). Only two of Baylor's 2004 opponents - Houston (16-22) and Sam Houston State (13-22-1) - have sub-.500 records, and Houston's strength of schedule is ranked 10th nationally. Of Baylor's 22 losses this season, 18 have come to opponents ranked nationally at some point this season.

ERRORS COSTLY FOR BEARS
Through 38 games, the Bears have committed 54 errors, and opponents have turned those errors into 61 unearned runs. That works out to an averted run index of 1.130. By comparison, Baylor's ARI last season was 0.733 after committing 105 errors with 77 unearned runs allowed. This season, Baylor's opponents have made 48 errors, but the Bears have scored only 31 unearned runs (0.646 ARI). The Bears' current fielding percentage of .963 would tie for seventh in school history. Baylor posted team fielding percentages of .966 in 1999 and in 2000, tied for third in school history. Conversely, the Bears had a 0.590 ARI in 1999 and a 0.568 ARI in 2000.

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 130-79 (.622), the Bears are ahead of Texas Tech (126-82-1; .605). Included in the first seven-plus 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 joins Oklahoma State as the only schools to have never finished below .500 in Big 12 play. 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).

GRIFFIN CONTINUES TO CLIMB CAREER CHARTS
With his two home runs over the weekend, 3B Michael Griffin claimed sole possession of 10th place on Baylor's career home runs chart. He is now one shy of ninth-place Kelly Shoppach (1999-2001). Griffin also moved into a sixth-place tie on Baylor's career extra-base hits chart over the weekend; he now has 91, tied with Marty Crawford (1993-1996) and five shy of Fritz Connally (1977-1980). Griffin has matched Jeremy Dodson (1996-1998) and David Murphy (2001-2003) for 10th on Baylor's career doubles chart. Griffin now has 44 two-baggers as a Bear, four shy of ninth-place Ken Kolkhorst (1975-1978). In the March 30 game against TCU, Griffin collected career hit No. 200 and moved into ninth place on Baylor's career RBI list. Griffin now has 158 RBI as a Bear, three shy of seventh-place Jason Jennings (1997-1999). He needs three hits and one triple to crack Baylor's career top 10 lists in those categories.

BAYLOR SOLVES BIG 12 PITCHING
It appears Baylor's tough pre-conference slate, filled with teams bearing quality pitching staffs, has paid dividends. The Bears are hitting .322 in Big 12 Conference games, 24 points higher than any other Big 12 team, as opposed to .265 in non-conference contests. Baylor's slugging percentage is more than 150 points higher against Big 12 pitching. The struggles for Baylor in conference games has been fielding, where in 14 games the Bears have committed 31 errors. Baylor has committed just 23 errors in 24 non-conference games. The Bears are collared with a .942 fielding percentage in league play.

CARDIAC KIDS
Baylor has played 16 one-run games this season; the Bears are 3-13 in such contests. The 13 losses is the most in 10 seasons under the direction of head coach Steve Smith. Last season, Baylor played 16 one-run games, posting a 9-7 mark in such contests. Baylor has played 154 one-run games during Smith's tenure, going 81-73 in such contests. The 2002 season saw the most one-run games in that time as the Bears went 11-11. Baylor's best record in one-run games during Smith's time at Baylor was his first season, 1995, when the Bears went 12-4. In 2000, Baylor was 10-5 in one-run games, winning each of their last seven.

BEARS IN THE PROFESSIONAL RANKS
Two former Bears - Jason Jennings (1997-1999) and Kip Wells (1996-1998) - began the 2004 season on Major League rosters. Jennings is in his third full season with the Colorado Rockies, while Wells begins his sixth season of Major League service and third with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Another former Bear, Lee Tunnell (1979-1981), is a member of Buck Showalter's coaching staff with the Texas Rangers. Baylor also has 15 former players in the Minor Leagues.

BAYLOR AMONG ALL-TIME WINNINGEST PROGRAMS
With 1,780 all-time wins in 102 seasons of collegiate baseball, Baylor ranked 39th nationally in total victories at the beginning of 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).

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 358-222-1 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 SELECT GAMES
Live streaming video is available for select games during the 2004 season. In all, live streaming video of 26 Baylor games during 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 at Kansas State, along with home games against Nebraska, Texas and Texas A&M. 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 travels to Fort Worth, Texas, for a 7 p.m. CDT contest Tuesday at TCU. The Bears then return home Wednesday for a 6 p.m. meeting with Texas Southern at Baylor Ballpark, an addition to the schedule due to the April 10 rainout against Oklahoma State.

Baseball Hosts Kansas to Start Stretch Drive

Players Mentioned

Ryan LaMotta

Mike Pankratz

Andy Pape

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Baseball Hosts Kansas to Start Stretch Drive

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Players Mentioned

Ryan LaMotta

Mike Pankratz

Andy Pape

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