Bears Welcome Red Raiders for Key Series
4/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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GAMES 45-47 • APRIL 29-
No. 11 BAYLOR (28-16, 13-5)
vs.
BAYLOR BALLPARK •
THE SERIES
Overall Record:
Neutral Site: Baylor leads 3-2
Since start of Big 12: Texas Tech leads 16-11
Smith vs. TTU: 12-23
First Meeting: Baylor 14,
Last Meeting: Baylor 8,
COACHES
BAYLOR:
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 400-250-1 (11th season)
Record at Baylor: 400-250-1 (11th season)
Alma Mater:
Career Record: 1,417-766-3 (35th season)
Record at TTU: 723-385-2 (19th season)
TELEVISION BROADCAST
FOX SPORTS NET
Greg Lucas, play-by-play
Jack Lazorko, color
BAYLOR RADIO NETWORK
ESPN/KRZI 1660 AM (
Lark Smith, color
INTERNET FEEDS
GameTracker: www.BaylorBears.com
Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Video: www.BaylorBears.com
BAYLOR NATIONAL RANKINGS
Baseball
Sports Weekly/ESPN/Coaches 16th
NCBWA 10th
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, April 29
BU - LHP Trey
TT - RHP Brian Wyatt (4-3, 5.33 ERA)
Saturday, April 30
BU - RHP Mark McCormick (6-2, 2.85 ERA)
TT - RHP Adam Lawford (2-5, 5.28 ERA)
Sunday, May 1
BU - LHP Cory VanAllen (6-3, 3.90 ERA)
TT - RHP Bill Carnline (5-1, 4.30 ERA)
Baylor returns to action this weekend, hosting Texas Tech for a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Red Raiders meet Friday at
The Bears (28-16, 13-5) defeated Texas-Arlington 8-5 Tuesday night at home. Ranked 11th in this week's Baseball America Top 25, Baylor is 9-4 in its last 13 games and enters the weekend atop the Big 12 Conference standings.
The Red Raiders (27-14, 7-9) picked up a pair of midweek victories, defeating New Mexico 10-2 Tuesday and College of the Southwest 11-4 Wednesday (both at home). Tech enters the weekend sixth in the Big 12 Conference standings.
Saturday's game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net. Greg Lucas handles play-by-play duties, while Jack Lazorko provides color analysis.
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on ESPN/KRZI 1660 AM in
Live streaming video also is available for the weekend series. For more information, visit the BearCasts link at www.BaylorBears.com.
LEADING OFF
SMITH EARNS CAREER VICTORY No. 400
Baylor head coach
During his time at Baylor, Smith has guided the Bears to six NCAA Regional appearances, two NCAA Super Regional appearances, one Big 12 Conference titles and four 40-plus win seasons. Smith is fourth in the Big 12 among active coaches in career victories at his current institution behind only Texas A&M's Mark Johnson, Texas Tech's Larry Hays and
QUICK NOTES ...
• Baylor and Texas Tech meet for the 124th, 125th and 126th times this weekend, the seventh most-played series in Baylor baseball history. The Red Raiders hold a slim 64-59 advantage in the all-time series, but Baylor leads 37-22 in games played in
• According to this week's rankings at www.BoydsWorld.com, Baylor ranks sixth nationally in RPI and 11th in ISR (Iterative Strength Rating).
• Baylor's strength of schedule ranks 10th nationally, according to www.BoydsWorld.com.
• Baylor is 12-8 against the latest RPI top 50, including a 10-6 mark against the top 30 and a 5-4 mark against the top 10.
• Baylor's 13-5 start in Big 12 play is its best six-series start since starting the 1999 season 15-3. The 2000 Big 12 Champions team started 12-6 and went 11-1 the rest of the way.
• Baylor is 11-3 this season against nationally ranked opponents, second nationally behind only Tulane (9-2).
• Baylor has won a program-best six consecutive games against teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. The previous program best was five in 1999.
• The Bears are 24-7 this season when the starting pitcher goes at least 5.0 innings.
• Baylor is 9-2 this season on Sunday.
• Baylor is 10-3 this season in Championship Gold jerseys.
• Baylor is 22-3 this season when scoring first.
• Baylor is 6-0 this season when hitting at least two home runs.
• Baylor is 22-2 this season when out-hitting the opponent.
• Baylor is 7-0 when leading after one inning,
• Over the last 20 games, Baylor's pitching staff has posted a 2.42 ERA with 146 strikeouts against 65 walks in 178.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .205 against Baylor pitching in that time.
• OFs Chase Gerdes and Kevin Sevigny are hitting .333 and .308, respectively, during the month of April. Gerdes entered the month hitting .213, while Sevigny entered the month hitting .136.
• OF Reid Brees is hitting .340 during the month of April; he began the month hitting .247.
• Brees is hitting .367 (11-for-30) over the last 11 games.
• Sevigny is hitting .359 (14-for-39) over the last 11 games.
• SS Paul Witt is hitting .370 (10-for-27) over the last eight games.
• C/DH Josh Ford has not hit below .300 at any point this season. He has reached safely in 42 of 44 games and has hit safely in 35 of 44 games. Ford enjoyed a career-long 14-game hitting streak earlier this season; he also enjoyed a career-long streak of 37 games in which he reached safely.
• 2B Michael Griffin has committed only seven errors in 201 chances at second base this season, his first collegiate season at second. He has played error-free ball in 39 of Baylor's 44 games.
• RHP Mark McCormick has allowed only 16 runs, 10 earned, on 31 hits and 24 walks with 58 strikeouts over his last 56.2 innings. In that time, he is 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA and a .156 opponents' batting average (199 at bats). McCormick's overall ERA has dropped from 10.27 to 2.85 in that time.
• Baylor is 9-2 this season in McCormick's 10 starts.
• In LHP Trey Taylor's last 22 starts, he has allowed three or fewer earned runs 18 times and two or fewer 14 times. Baylor is 14-5 in
• Last Friday's start was the 10th time since the beginning of the 2004 season that Taylor has pitched at least 5.0 innings and allowed fewer earned runs than the opposing pitching staff and did not earn a win. In two of those 10 games,
• RHP Ryan LaMotta has pitched scoreless ball in 18 of 22 appearances this season. Prior to giving up a leadoff home run in the ninth inning last Tuesday at TCU, LaMotta had pitched 28.2 consecutive scoreless innings covering 14 appearances.
• Since March 1, LaMotta is 2-0 with four saves and a 0.25 ERA, allowing only three runs, one earned, on 19 hits and eight walks with 43 strikeouts in 35.1 innings. In that time, LaMotta has held opponents to a .156 batting average.
• LaMotta has allowed six of 22 inherited runners to score. Four of those six runners scored by virtue of an error.
• RHP Jeff Mandel has not allowed an earned run in nine consecutive relief appearances, allowing only two unearned runs in that time (16.1 innings).
• Witt and C/DH Zach Dillon lead the team with 13 two-out RBI each this season. Witt has produced 61.9 percent of his 21 RBI this season with two outs, the best such percentage on the team.
• Since the start of the Big 12 in 1997, the Bears have the league's best conference record at 150-88 (.630). Baylor leads all conference schools in both first-team All-Big 12 selections (21) and first-team Academic All-Big 12 selections (47), and the Bears are the only Big 12 Conference program to have ranked in the top 10 nationally at some point during each of the past eight seasons (1998-2005).
• Baylor is tied for 27th nationally in total wins since 2000, third among Big 12 Conference teams, with 219 wins through games of
• Since 1998, Baylor also is third in the Big 12 in total wins with 310 victories behind only
BAYLOR STARTERS
LHP Trey Taylor (4-4, 3.62) makes his 12th start of the season Friday, his ninth Friday start this year. In 64.2 innings this season,
RHP Mark McCormick (6-2, 2.85) earns his 12th start of the 2005 season Saturday, his seventh Saturday start this year. In 66.1 innings this season, McCormick has allowed 27 runs, 21 earned, on 41 hits and 35 walks with 68 strikeouts. Opponents hit .174 against McCormick. Baylor has a 9-2 record in his 11 starts this season, including an 8-1 mark in his last nine starts. ... Saturday is McCormick's 37th career start, tying Alan Koonce (1982-85) for 10th all-time at Baylor. ... The Bears are 24-12 in McCormicks previous 36 starts.
LHP Cory VanAllen (6-3, 3.90) closes out the series with his 12th start of the season Sunday, his ninth Sunday start of the season. In 62.1 innings this season, VanAllen has allowed 28 runs, 27 earned, on 65 hits and 20 walks with 37 strikeouts. Opponents hit .277 against VanAllen, who has won four of his last five decisions in a seven-start span. ... Sunday is VanAllen's 16th career start. Baylor is 9-6 in his previous 15 starts.
THE
Baylor and Texas Tech meet for the 124th, 125th and 126th times this weekend. The Raiders hold a slim 64-59 advantage in the all-time series, the seventh most-played series in Baylor baseball history. The series dates back to a 14-1 Baylor victory in 1928.
The series is decidedly tilted toward the home team. While the Bears are 37-22 against the Raiders in
Tech holds a 13-10 advantage since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1997. Baylor won the series in 1998, 1999 (sweep) and 2003. Tech has won each of the other four series, including sweeps in 2000 and 2002.
Baylor is 11-20 against Texas Tech during
This weekend's series also matches the two winningest program's in the eight-year history of the Big 12. Baylor enters the weekend with an all-time Big 12 record of 137-80 (.631), while Tech is 134-87-1 (.606). The two are the only schools who have played .600 or better ball in the league's existence.
THE
Texas Tech (27-14, 7-9) is in its 19th season under the direction of head coach Larry Hays, a 1966
TTU Notes: The Red Raiders are 7-4 in their last 11 games, beginning with a 6-4 loss at home in the series opener against
BEARS' BULLPEN CONTINUES TO SHINE
Through 44 games, Baylor's bullpen has a 10-2 record with a 2.37 ERA and a .222 opponents' batting average in 163.0 innings. The Bears have been even stronger out of the pen on the weekend, going 7-1 with a 1.92 ERA, 11 saves and a .219 opponents' batting average in 103.1 innings.
Furthermore, the trio of RHP Ryan LaMotta, RHP Jeff Mandel and RHP Abe Woody has been dominant this season. That trio is 7-1 with a 1.33 ERA, 10 saves and a .183 opponents' batting average in 81.1 innings on weekends.
In Big 12 Conference play, Baylor's bullpen is 3-1 with a 1.38 ERA, seven saves and a .206 opponents' batting average in 52.0 innings. LaMotta (19.1 innings), Mandel (10.1 innings) and RHP Tyler Bullock (4.1 innings) have combined to allow only one unearned run in Big 12 play.
OUTFIELD BATS WARM WITH WARMER WEATHER
Through the season's first two months, Baylor OFs Reid Brees, Chase Gerdes and Kevin Sevigny had a combined .217 (40-for-184). Since the calendar turned to April, though, that trio has combined for a .329 average (46-for-140).
As a team, Baylor has hit .285 in the month of April after hitting .259 through February and March.
Meanwhile, Baylor's pitchers continue to sharpen as the season progresses. In February, the Bears had a staff ERA of 3.94. That dropped to 3.06 in March and has dropped to 2.55 in April. Opponents hit .251 against Baylor pitching in February, .229 in March and .215 in April.
ARSENAL OF OPPOSING ARMS CONTINUES
Through 44 games, only two opposing pitchers this season had a losing record going into the game: UTSA's Ryan Crew (0-1) and
In fact, the 44 opposing starting pitchers Baylor has faced this season had a combined 105-39 record entering their starts against Baylor. However, the Bears' opposing starting pitchers are 12-23 in their games against the Bears.
Additionally, Baylor has faced three of the nation's five returning 12-game winners, doing so in successive weekend series against Oral Roberts (Dennis Bigley),
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 150-88 (.630), the Bears are ahead of
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 eight seasons (1998-2005). Baylor joins
Including the 2004 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 (41).
BEARS REMAIN HIGH IN PSEUDO RPI RANKINGS
Baylor ranks sixth nationally in this week's pseudo RPI rankings at www.BoydsWorld.com. With a 0.625 rating, the Bears are percentage points behind fifth-place Georgia Tech (0.625).
A large reason for Baylor's high RPI ranking is its strength of schedule and the Bears' record against strong opponents. Baylor holds the nation's second-best record against nationally ranked opponents at 11-3 (behind only 9-2 Tulane), and the Bears' schedule ranks as the nation's 10th-toughest entering the week.
Of Baylor's 44 games this season, 41 were against teams ranked in the RPI top 100 with 20 games against the RPI top 50 and 16 games against the RPI top 30. The Bears are 10-6 against the top 30, including a 5-4 mark against the top 10.
BAYLOR SCHEDULE AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST
Baylor's 2005 schedule ranked fourth nationally preseason and is ranked 10th in this week's rankings at www.BoydsWorld.com. That tough schedule should come as no surprise; Baylor has ranked 13th or better in strength of schedule each of the past six seasons.
The Bears are 11-3 this season against ranked opponents, including a 6-0 mark against teams ranked in the top 10.
Baylor opened the season at the Minute Maid Park College Classic, followed by a streak of six consecutive weekend series against teams ranked nationally in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25. The Bears played 20 consecutive weekend games against teams ranked nationally in one of the four major polls at some point this season.
FORD, REYNOLDS ON WALLACE AWARD WATCH LIST
1B Kyle Reynolds and C Josh Ford represent Baylor on the watch list for the Wallace Award, which is presented to the nation's top collegiate player by the College Baseball Foundation. Cal State Fullerton catcher Kurt Suzuki won the initial Brooks Wallace Award last season.
The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semi-finalists by May 24. The selection committee then will narrow the list to three finalists following the NCAA Super Regionals.
The selection committee for the Wallace Award is comprised of a national panel of coaches, sports information directors, former winners and media. Screening Committee members will evaluate the candidates and will continue their review throughout the entire baseball season. Additional Wallace Watch candidates may be added as the season progresses. Voting for the three finalists and the Wallace Award winner will be conducted by confidential balloting, with totals tabulated by the J.W. Anderson & Associates accounting firm in
WOODY NAMED TO STOPPER WATCH LIST
RHP Abe Woody has been named to the initial watch list for the 2005 National Stopper of the Year Award, sponsored by the National
A product of Round Rock [
At the end the regular season, the Division I leader in saves and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as the award's finalists. These finalists will be released June 1, just prior to the beginning of NCAA regional play. From the list of finalists, the NCBWA's All-America Committee will select a winner. The inaugural winner will be announced on June 8, two days prior to the beginning of NCAA Super Regional action.
RHP Mark McCormick is among 42 pitchers named to the initial watch list for the 2005 Clemens Award, presented July 14 to the nation's top collegiate pitcher by the Greater Houston Baseball Association.
McCormick, who is projected to be a first-round draft pick in June's First-Year Player Draft, was 2-4 with a 4.70 ERA in 46.0 innings covering 11 appearances and 10 starts last season. However, he missed six weeks of the season due to a shoulder injury. McCormick was named first-team preseason All-America by Baseball
The list is comprised of all Division I pitchers who were named as pre-season All-Americans by either Baseball America or
HEAD COACH Steve Smith
Smith has compiled a 400-250-1 (.615) career record, all at Baylor. He holds the best winning percentage of any coach in Baylor baseball history, and he ranks second among the program's 18 head coaches in career victories. Smith has led Baylor to six NCAA Regional appearances, two NCAA Super Regional appearances and the 2000 Big 12 Conference title. He also has coached 12 All-America selections and seven USA Baseball National Team members while at Baylor.
In January 2005, Smith was named head coach of the USA Baseball National Team for the upcoming summer. Smith is just the second Big 12 Conference coach to serve as head coach of the national team. He also previously served as an assistant coach under his former
Smith led the Bears to their first-ever 50-win season in 1999 and a Big 12 championship in 2000, and piloted the team to six straight NCAA appearances from 1998 to 2003. His Bears have the best conference record in the Big 12 since the league began. Through the 2004 season, Smith ranked 47th 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
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 10 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 a league-leading 41 players on the Academic All-Big 12 first team in the past eight seasons.
STREAMING VIDEO AVAILABLE FOR SELECT GAMES
Live streaming video is available for select games during the 2004 season. A total of 24 games will be available online at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor athletics and a member of the College Sports Online network. Seventeen of the 24 webcasts will be against Big 12 Conference opponents, including the Bears' three-game league sets against Oklahoma, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Missouri, as well as the home portion of the Texas series.
Fans may purchase the games for $4.95 per game or $9.95 for a three-series. Fans also have the option of purchasing monthly ($6.95) or annual ($49.95) subscriptions which include all BearCasts in that time period. These remaining games will be available in the BearCast package:
April 29, 30, May 1 -
May 13, 14, 15 -
May 20, 21, 22 -
BAYLOR BASEBALL RADIO NETWORK
Catch every inning of Baylor baseball in 2005 on the flagship station for Baylor athletics, ESPN/KRZI 1660 AM Waco.
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
Live streaming audio for all 2005 Baylor baseball games are available on the Internet at www.BaylorBears.com. BU baseball is also a staple of the daily "Baylor SportsBeat" hosted by
BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases,
INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout
UP NEXT ...
Baylor concludes a five-game home stand Tuesday, May 3, hosting Texas-San Antonio for a
