Resurgent Baseball Travels to Kansas State

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BAYLOR (20-22, 8-8)
at
KANSAS state (22-20, 2-13)

April 30-May 2, 2004
Tointon Stadium * Manhattan, Kan.

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

Baylor travels to Manhattan, Kan., this weekend for a three-game Big 12 Conference series against Kansas State at Tointon Family Stadium. The Bears (20-22, 8-8) and the Wildcats (22-20, 2-13) play Friday at 7 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Baylor has won four straight and 10 of its last 14 after a 10-3 victory Wednesday night against Texas Southern at Baylor Ballpark. Kansas State has lost four straight and 14 of its last 17 after a 4-1 defeat Tuesday night against Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb. Live streaming video for this weekend's series is available at BaylorBears.nmnathletics.com. Single games are $5.95 and the weekend series is $8.95. 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 30BU    RHP    Sean Walker (2-5, 4.18)KSU   LHP    Brett Bagley (4-5, 5.43)
Saturday, May 1BU    LHP    Trey Taylor (4-3, 3.58)KSU   RHP    Carlos Torres (5-4, 3.69)
Sunday, May 2BU    RHP    Andy Pape (2-1, 3.38)KSU   RHP    Jim Ripley (3-5, 4.44)
* Rotations subject to change.

QUICK NOTES
* Baylor and Kansas State meet for the 25th, 26th and 27th times this weekend. The Bears hold a 19-5 advantage in the all-time series.
* SS Kyle Reynolds (five games), DH Josh Ford (four games), CF Kevin Sevigny (four games) and 2B Paul Witt (four games) all extended hitting streaks Wednesday night. ... C Tyler Bullock ended his career-best, five-game streak.
* Baylor is 7-0 this season in games in which DH Josh Ford hits a home run. ... Ford has reached safely in 13 consecutive starts.
* 2B Paul Witt is hitting .373 (25-for-67) with 15 runs scored, seven doubles, 10 RBI, a .422 on base percentage and six stolen bases in 10 attempts over the last 18 games, all starts.
* CF Chase Gerdes has hit safely in 10 of 11 games this season when getting at least two at bats. In just four weeks of action, Gerdes has tallied seven infield hits, tops on the team.
* 3B Michael Griffin has five multiple-hit games in his last nine contests. He leads the team with 16 multiple-hit games.
* RF Mike Pankratz has reached safely in 15 of his last 16 games.
* After going hitless in each of his first five starts this season, SS Kyle Reynolds has hit safely in 25 of his last 29 starts, including 17 of the last 18.
* 2B Drew Sutton has reached safely in 36 of 42 games this season.
* LHP Trey Taylor has allowed no more than two earned runs in seven of 11 starts this season.
* After 6.0 no-hit innings Wednesday, LHP Cory VanAllen has yet to allow a hit in 12.0 innings as a starter at Baylor Ballpark.
* Prior to Texas Southern's three-run seventh Wednesday night, the Bears enjoyed a 19.1 consecutive scoreless innings streak.
* Baylor's .322 batting average in Big 12 games is 14 points higher than second-place Texas Tech (.308) and 35 points higher than third-place Nebraska (.287).
* 18 of Baylor's 22 losses this season have come to teams ranked nationally at some point this season.
* Baylor is 18-6 this season when scoring five or more runs and 19-6 when out-hitting the opposition. The Bears are 16-2 when doing both.
* Through 16 Big 12 Conference games, Baylor has 21 home runs against league pitching. Last season, the Bears had 20 home runs in their first 16 conference games. At 8-8, Baylor is one game off last year's 16-game Big 12 pace and the 2003 Bears dropped their next three league contests.
* The Bears have recorded at least one extra-base hit in 27 consecutive games.
* After hitting just three home runs in their first 17 games, the Bears have knocked 31 homers in their last 25 games.
* Having committed 58 errors with 64 unearned runs allowed, Baylor has a averted run percentage of 1.103. Baylor's opponents have committed 57 errors, but the Bears have scored only 34 unearned runs (0.596 ARP).
* The Bears have five shutouts this season, the most by a Baylor staff since the 2001 corps also registered five blankings.
* The Bears have played 12 errorless games in 42 contests this season. Ironically, the 2004 Bears are 4-8 this season when not committing an error.
* Baylor relief pitchers have held opponents to a .233 batting average this season with 128 strikeouts in 137.2 innings.
* Opponents are 7-for-76 (.092) in first at bats against Baylor relievers with six double plays and 23 strikeouts.
* 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).
* Since the start of the Big 12 in 1997, the Bears have the league's best conference record at 132-79 (.626). 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 STATE SERIES
Baylor and Kansas State meet for the 25th, 26th and 27th times this weekend. The Bears hold a 19-5 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to a 2-0 Baylor victory March 28, 1966. The Bears are 18-4 against the Wildcats as Big 12 Conference opponents, 18-3 in regular-season meetings. Baylor 6-3 all-time at Manhattan, Kan., all coming since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997. The Bears have won 15 of the last 18 meetings, including a three-game series sweep at Baylor Ballpark last season. In Baylor's last trip to Manhattan, the Bears lost the first two games 14-9 and 12-9, respectively, before taking a 6-5 decision in the series finale.

THE KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
Kansas State (22-20, 2-13) is under the direction of first-year head coach Brad Hill, a 1985 Emporia State graduate. Prior to arriving at Manhattan, Hill spent nine seasons as head coach at Central Missouri State, where he led the Division II Mules to seven College World Series appearances with a 418-91 overall record.

K-STATE Notes: The Wildcats have dropped 14 of their last 17 after a 19-6 start. Kansas State also has dropped 13 consecutive Big 12 games after a 2-0 league start; however, the Cats last four opponents in conference play have been Nebraska, Texas, at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. K-State enjoyed an 11-game winning streak earlier this season and has wins over traditional powers Alabama, Ohio State and Southwest Missouri State. ... Kansas State hits .266 as a team with 18 home runs, 75 doubles, 11 triples, 186 walks against 278 strikeouts, 45 stolen bases in 60 ventures and 5.7 runs per game. ... RF Steve Murphy (.358, 3 HR, 36 RBI) leads the team in batting average, RBI and slugging percentage (.506). Leadoff batter and LF Terry Blunt (.304, 3, 19) is the only other Wildcat hitting .300 or better and is a threat on the bases with 11 swipes in 15 attempts. 3B Zack Saunders (.235, 5, 24) is tops on the team in home runs. ... The Wildcats tote a 4.91 staff ERA with one complete game, 11 saves, 298 strikeouts against 165 walks in 387.0 innings and a .274 opponents' batting average. ... Projected Friday starter LHP Brett Bagley (4-5, 5.43 ERA) has appeared in 13 games with 11 starts. He has 50 strikeouts against 28 walks in 64.2 innings with a .294 opponents' batting average. The likely Saturday starter RHP Carlos Torres (5-4, 3.69), who has appeared in 12 games with 11 starts and one complete game. He has 58 strikeouts against 24 walks in 85.1 innings with a .248 opponents' average. Penciled in to start Sunday is RHP Jim Ripley (3-5, 4.44), who would make his 10th appearance (all starts). Ripley has 54 strikeouts and 21 walks in 48.2 innings and holds opposing batters to a .240 clip. RHP Matt Petersen (1-0, 4.37) shoulders closer responsibilities with five saves. Peterson has 19 strikeouts and 10 walks in 22.2 innings with a .253 opponents' batting average. ... The Wildcats field at a .966 clip with 56 errors and 38 double plays in 42 games.

BEARS LOOK TO CLOSE APRIL STRONG
After an uncharacteristically slow first two months of the season, Baylor caught fire in April. The Bears are 10-5 in the year's fourth calendar month with one game remaining. In those 15 games, Baylor has hit .327 with 19 home runs, a .522 slugging percentage and 7.4 runs per game. The Bears have reached double figures in runs five times in April and have tallied at least nine hits in every game save the series finale at top-ranked Texas. Baylor's pitchers have been sharp this month, too, posting a 3.87 staff ERA with a .245 opponents' batting average. Last season, the Bears were 9-8 in April.

GERDES FAST OUT OF THE GATES
Any speculation that the fast start by CF Chase Gerdes was a flash in the pan has been laid to rest. After missing the first eight weeks of the season due to a bone fracture in his left foot, Gerdes tallied four hits in his first collegiate game March 27 at Oklahoma. Sixteen games and 43 at bats later, Gerdes is still red hot with a .488 batting average, a .581 slugging percentage and a .577 on base percentage. With graceful speed, the redshirt from Uvalde has already assumed the team lead for infield hits with seven and is third on the squad with six stolen bases.

RAIN, RAIN, STAY AWAY
When more than an inch of snow fell in Waco and forced postponement of Baylor's season opener Feb. 14, the Bears should have guessed it would be a troublesome season weather wise. The following morning, three inches of snow blanketed Ferrell Field but was gone by noon and a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount ensued. Since then, Baylor has been forced to reschedule one midweek game and has lost two conference games due to inclement weather. With the loss of those two Big 12 games and barring any further cancellations, the Bears will play five more road games (15) in conference play than home games. The Bears have seen first-pitch temperatures ranging from 38 degrees (Feb. 15 vs. Loyola Marymount) to 87 degrees (April 27 at TCU). However, only five of the 42 games have started with a temperature at or above 80 degrees (the Bears are undefeated in those five contests). Even in a three-game series at Long Beach State in sunny southern California, Baylor was greeted with temperatures in the lower 50s with persistent rain.

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).

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, 14 points higher than second-place Texas Tech (.308) and 35 points higher than third-place Nebraska (.287). The struggle for Baylor in conference games has been fielding, where in 16 games the Bears have committed 33 errors. Baylor has committed just 23 errors in 24 non-conference games. The Bears are collared with a .943 fielding percentage in league play, 20 points behind ninth-place Kansas (.966).

GRIFFIN CRACKS CAREER HITS CHART
With his fourth-inning single Tuesday night at TCU, 3B Michael Griffin moved into Baylor's career hits list. Griffin now has 222 safeties as a Bear, 10th in school history and four shy of ninth-place Tony Huey (1984-1987). Griffin currently appears in eight of Baylor's career offensive top 10 lists: at bats (10th, 698); hits (10th, 222); doubles (10th, 46); home runs (10th, 25); RBI (ninth, 159); extra-base hits (sixth, 93); total bases (ninth, 367); and times hit by pitch (tied-ninth, 17). He also is one triple shy of cracking the top 10 (currently he has 12).

OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY REPORT
Baylor has an uncharacteristically low offensive efficiency rating this season. The Bears have a total offensive production of 20.2 bases per game and an offensive efficiency rating of 1.344 (anything below 1.375 is considered very poor). Things have been ever more troublesome in one-run games, in which Baylor is 4-13. In those 17 one-run contests, the Bears have a total offensive production of 16.8 bases per game with an offensive efficiency rating of 1.265. In the other 23 games, Baylor has a TOP of 22.2 bases per game and an offensive efficiency rating of 1.392. 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 THIRD NATIONALLY
According to the April 26 strength of schedule ratings at BoydsWorld.com, Baylor's schedule ranks as the nation's third toughest behind only Southern California and Arizona. Through games of April 28, the Bears' first 20 opponents have a combined record of 517-326-6 (.624) this season and five are ranked in this week's Baseball America Top 25 (No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Long Beach State, No. 14 UC Irvine, No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 16 Texas A&M). Of Baylor's 22 losses this season, 18 have come at the hands of opponents who have been ranked at some point this season in one of the four major college baseball polls. The records could be even better, though, as the 20 opponents have played each other 156 times this season. That gives Baylor an adjusted opponents' winning percentage (total minus losses to common opponents and all games against Baylor) of .765 (495-150-6). Only three of Baylor's 2004 opponents - Houston (21-22), Sam Houston State (14-24-1) and Texas Southern (13-18) - have sub-.500 records, and Houston's strength of schedule is ranked 16th nationally.

ERRORS COSTLY FOR BEARS
Through 42 games, the Bears have committed 58 errors, and opponents have turned those errors into 64 unearned runs. That works out to an averted run index of 1.103. 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 57 errors, but the Bears have scored only 34 unearned runs (0.596 ARI). The Bears' current fielding percentage of .964 would rank sixth 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.

CARDIAC KIDS
Baylor has played 17 one-run games this season; the Bears are 4-13 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.

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 363-225-1 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 returns home Tuesday, hosting Dallas Baptist for a 6 p.m. CDT first pitch at Baylor Ballpark. Dallas Baptist defeated Baylor 2-0 April 20 at Baylor Ballpark. This is the final game for the Bears before a one-week break for exams.

Resurgent Baseball Travels to Kansas State

Players Mentioned

Chase Gerdes

Mike Pankratz

Kevin Sevigny

Cory VanAllen

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Resurgent Baseball Travels to Kansas State

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Players Mentioned

Chase Gerdes

Mike Pankratz

Kevin Sevigny

Cory VanAllen

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