Bears, Longhorns Open Big 12 Play
3/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 15, 2007
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GAMES 20-22
BAYLOR (12-7, 0-0) vs. #10
MARCH 16 • DISCH-FALK FIELD •
MARCH 17-18 • BAYLOR BALLPARK •
Baylor begins Big 12 Conference play this weekend with the annual split-series against
Baylor (12-7, 0-0) won two of three at home in last weekend's Quala-T Imprint Baylor Classic. The Bears' Tuesday game against
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on
Live streaming video also is available for the Saturday and Sunday games. For more information, follow the BearCasts link at www.BaylorBears.com.
COACHES
BAYLOR: Steve Smith
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 464-290-1 [13th season]
Record at Baylor: 464-290-1 [13th season]
Alma Mater:
Career Record: 1,599-745-8 [39th season]
Record at
BAYLOR/ISP NETWORK
1660 ESPN RADIO (
Tom Barfield, play-by-play
Lark Smith, color
INTERNET FEEDS
GameTracker: www.BaylorBears.com
Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Video (Saturday/Sunday): www.BaylorBears.com
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Baseball
NCBWA NR
Collegiate Baseball NR
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, March 16
BU RHP Jeff Mandel (2-3, 3.48 ERA, 33.2 IP, 9 BB, 35 K)
UT LHP James Russell (3-2, 3.32 ERA, 38.0 IP, 13 BB, 32 K)
Saturday, March 17
BU RHP Kendal Volz (2-0, 4.79 ERA, 20.2 IP, 6 BB, 13 K)
UT RHP Adrian Alaniz (5-1, 2.14 ERA, 33.2 IP, 9 BB, 32 K)
Sunday, March 18
BU RHP Randall Linebaugh (2-1, 2.60 ERA, 27.2 IP, 10 BB, 17 K)
UT LHP Joseph Krebs (3-0, 2.59 ERA, 31.1 IP, 3 BB, 33 K)
QUICK HITS
• Since the start of the 2003 season, Baylor is:
- 126-46 (.733) when its starting pitcher lasts at least 5.0 innings
- 30-7 (.811) when its pitching staff records at least 10 strikeouts
- 119-33 (.783) when scoring first
- 136-25 (.845) when out-hitting its opponent
- 129-35 (.787) when holding its opponent to fewer than five runs
- 114-23 (.832) when scoring at least six runs
- 103-15 (.873) when scoring at least seven runs
• Since the start of the 2002 season, Baylor is 165-7 (.959) when leading after eight innings. The Bears have won 25 straight, 59 of their last 60 and 94 of their last 96 such games.
• Baylor has won 22 of its last 23 games when hitting at least two home runs.
• Baylor is 14-3 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season.
• The Bears are 43-10 (.811) at Baylor Ballpark since the start of the 2005 postseason.
• Baylor is 19-3 all-time at Baylor Ballpark in finales with a chance to sweep a three-game series (does not include the
• The Bears have three walk-off victories this season, one shy of their total from the last two seasons combined.
• Baylor has out-scored its opponents 19-1 in the eighth inning and 20-5 in the second inning this season.
• Baylor's bullpen is 6-1 with a 2.59 ERA this season.
• The Bears are hitting .303 (90-for-297) with runners on base this season but only .259 (53-for-205) with runners in scoring position. That means Baylor is hitting .402 (37-for-92) with a runner only at first base.
• Baylor is in the middle of a stretch where it plays 22 of its 26 games against 2006 NCAA Tournament participants.
• The Bears' six-hole hitters are hitting .395 (30-for-76) with five doubles, four triples, three home runs, 13 RBI and 16 runs scored this season.
• LF Ben Booker is hitting .385 (5-for-13) over the last four games with three RBI, three doubles, a triple and six runs scored.
• 3B Raynor
• RHP Nick Cassavechia has stranded 30 of 34 inherited runners in his career.
• CF Chase Gerdes has reached safely and/or scored in 18 of 19 games this season.
• Gerdes has hit safely in five consecutive games, going 9-for-15 (.600) with five doubles, five RBI, three runs and six stolen bases in that time.
• Gerdes has stolen third base four times this season.
• Gerdes is hitting .429 (12-for-28) with three doubles, a triple, a home run, eight RBI and six runs scored when batting seventh in the lineup (eight games).
• 1B/DH Tim
• All three of
• Baylor is 14-4 in RHP Randall Linebaugh's 18 career starts, including a 14-2 mark in 16 career regular-season starts.
• Linebaugh is 7-1 with four no-decisions in 11 career starts in which he lasted at least 5.0 innings.
• Linebaugh is 8-0 in 23 career appearances at Baylor Ballpark.
• RHP Jeff Mandel has been given just seven runs of support in his three losses.
• Mandel has posted a 1.99 ERA in his last three starts with only a 1-2 record.
• Matthews has allowed two earned runs in his last 14 relief appearances, dating back to last season.
• RF Aaron Miller has reached safely in 11 consecutive games and in all but one game this season.
THE
Baylor and
Baylor is 20-19 against
Baylor and
Five of the last six regular-season meetings between Baylor and
Overall:
Neutral Site: Baylor leads 11-7
Since Start of Big 12: Baylor leads 20-19
Regular-Season Big 12: Baylor leads 17-13
Smith vs.
First Meeting:
Last Meeting:
TOP TWO BIG 12 PROGRAMS MEET
Entering the 11th season of Big 12 Conference baseball, Baylor and
Baylor has led the Big 12 in all-time winning percentage 38 of the last 39 weeks of conference competition, including a stretch of 36 consecutive weeks from March 17-19, 2003, to May 5-7, 2006. Last season,
BAYLOR IN THE BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Through games of March 14, Baylor ranks 10th in the Big 12 Conference in batting average (.259), third in ERA (3.00) and seventh in fielding (.964). The Bears are tied with
Individually, LF Ben Booker is tied for second in triples (4), while 1B/DH Dustin Dickerson and RF Aaron Miller are tied for eighth (2). CF Chase Gerdes is tied for ninth in stolen bases (7).
RHP Randall Linebaugh is tied for 13th in the league with a 2.60 ERA, tied for fifth among pitchers with at least five starts. He also is 10th in opponents' batting average (.220). RHP Nick Cassavechia is tied for seventh in wins (3), tied for fifth in saves (2) and tied with RHP Tim Matthews for seventh in appearances (9). RHP Jeff Mandel is tied for second in strikeouts (35) and tied for first in complete games (1).
BEARS STRONG IN LATE INNINGS
Baylor has posted five come-from-behind victories this season, largely due to the Bears' dominance of the late innings. Through 19 games, Baylor has out-scored its opponents 25-9 from the eighth inning on, including a 19-1 advantage in the eighth inning.
Meanwhile, Baylor's bullpen has been much stronger than the opponents' bullpen. The Bears' pen is 6-1 this season with a 2.59 ERA and a .264 opponents' batting average. Opposing bullpens, on the other hand, have posted an 0-5 record with a 6.35 ERA; Baylor is hitting .286 off opposing relievers.
Baylor is hitting .314 (22-for-70) as a team in the eighth inning with four doubles, three triples, one home run, 17 RBI and a .443 on base percentage. The only other inning in which the Bears are hitting .300 or better is the second inning (.316, 24-for-76). Baylor has out-scored its opponents 20-5 in the second inning.
On the mound, Baylor pitchers posted a 1.56 ERA from the eighth inning on. The Bears have not allowed an eighth-inning earned run this season.
Baylor is 9-1 when leading after six innings and 2-1 when tied after six. The Bears are 10-0 when leading after seven innings and 1-0 when tied after seven. Baylor is 8-0 when leading after eighth and 2-0 when tied after eight.
BAYLOR IN THE MIDST OF TOUGH STRETCH
Baylor's weekend series against
A LITTLE HELP, PLEASE
RHP Jeff Mandel has been given just seven runs of support in his three losses this season, including three runs of support in his last two losses. Meanwhile, Mandel allowed just five earned runs in 13.2 innings (3.29 ERA) in his last two losses. Baylor batters have given Mandel 4.40 runs of support in his four starts, the lowest of Baylor's five starters.
Mandel has posted a 1.99 ERA in his last three starts, allowing five earned runs in 22.2 innings. He has 20 strikeouts against six walks and has held opponents to a .233 batting average in that time. However, he is only 1-2 in those three starts.
BEARS ARE EXTRA SPECIAL
Baylor is 14-3 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season, including a 2-0 mark in such games this season. Last year, the Bears lost their only extra-inning game -- a 13-inning, 7-6 loss at home to
Five of the 14 wins over the past five seasons have come on an opponent's home field (
Baylor's luck was not as good in 2002 when the Bears were 1-5 in extra-inning games, including a span of three consecutive games lost in extra innings in mid-May.
TRIPLE YOUR PLEASURE
Through games of March 14, Baylor is tied with
Last season, Baylor tied for second nationally with 32 triples, which also tied for the fourth-best season total in school history.
MIDWEEK SUCCESS CONTINUES
Baylor is 17-4 in non-conference midweek games since the start of the 2006 season, including a 15-3 mark on Tuesdays. The Bears have won 10 consecutive Tuesday games and 17 straight Tuesday home games against non-ranked opponents. Baylor was 7-8 in non-conference midweek games during the 2005 season, including a 6-6 mark on Tuesdays.
BEARS STRONG AT BAYLOR BALLPARK
Baylor's series-finale loss to Oral Roberts earlier this season snapped a 14-game winning streak for the Bears at Baylor Ballpark. It was Baylor's longest home winning streak since a facility-record 15-game run in 2000.
Since the start of the 2005 postseason, the Bears are 43-10 (.811) at Baylor Ballpark. Six of those 10 losses were to ranked opponents. Baylor also has five home wins against ranked opponents during that time, including a sweep of fifth-ranked
Baylor has lost consecutive home games only once since the start of the 2005 postseason: a 6-4 loss to second-ranked Rice on a Josh Rodriguez ninth-inning home run and a 7-6, 13-inning loss to eighth-ranked
CASSAVECHIA NAMED TO STOPPER WATCH LIST
RHP Nick Cassavechia was named to the 2007 Stopper of the Year Watch List, announced in early February by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Cassavechia joined
A product of St. Mark's High School in
Cassavechia's 2006 saves total tied for the sixth-best tally in school history. He tied fellow Bear Jeff Mandel for fourth in the Big 12 last season in saves. Cassavechia and Mandel, who moves to the starting rotation for 2007, are the two top returning pitchers in saves in the conference this year.
SCHEDULE AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST
Baylor's 2007 schedule is projected as the nation's 20th-most difficult slate, according to Boyd Nation of BoydsWorld.com. The Bears' schedule is rated as the third-most difficult in the Big 12 behind
Long Beach State's schedule is predicted to be the most difficult, followed by Southern California, UCLA, Stanford, Cal Poly, Pacific, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara and Texas.
BEARS PICKED FOURTH IN PRESEASON BIG 12 COACHES' POLL
Baylor was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference, according to the preseason coaches' poll released by the league office. The Bears garnered 57 total points, seven behind third-place
Defending regular-season champion
This is the third consecutive season in which Baylor was picked to finish fourth in the preseason coaches' poll. In the 10-year history of the Big 12 Conference, only five schools have claimed regular-season titles: Baylor (2000, 2005);
BAYLOR RANKED NATION'S 17TH-BEST PROGRAM
Baylor was listed as the nation's 17th-best collegiate baseball program since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1999, according to a recent study by Baseball
With 150 total points, Baylor was the third highest-rated Big 12 Conference program behind only top-rated
Baseball
Programs were awarded one point for every .010 above a .500 winning percentage, five points for each regional appearance, seven points for each super regional appearance, 10 points for each College World Series appearance, 20 points for each national title, one point for each CWS appearance prior to 1999, five points for each first-team All-American, three points for each second-team All-American, two points for each third-team All-American, two points for each player drafted in the top 10 rounds and two points for each former player to play in the Major Leagues during the period of study.
With 19 players drafted in the top 10 rounds since 1999, Baylor tied
BAYLOR/ISP SPORTS NETWORK
Catch every inning of Baylor baseball in 2006 on the flagship station for Baylor athletics, 1660 ESPN Radio.
Popular on-air personality Tom Barfield enters his fourth season as the primary play-by-play man for Baylor baseball. Barfield, the operations manager for KRZI/KRZX and KLRK-FM in
Barfield is joined by Lark Smith in the booth. 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 audio for all Baylor baseball games also are available online at www.BaylorBears.com.
INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout
HEAD COACH Steve Smith
Steve Smith is in his 13th season as head coach of Baylor's baseball program in 2007. In his first 12 years, Smith guided the program to unprecedented heights, including the most successful nine-year run in the program's 102-season history and a College World Series appearance in 2005.
Smith has compiled a 466-291-1 career record, all at Baylor. He ranks second among the program's 18 head coaches in career victories. Smith has led Baylor to eight NCAA Regional appearances, three NCAA Super Regional appearances, one College World Series appearance and two Big 12 Conference titles. He also has coached 12 All-America selections and seven USA Baseball National Team members while at Baylor.
The 2005 USA Baseball National Team head coach, 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.
Smith has tutored seven pitchers in the last 13 years who were selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. He also has coached at least one all-conference pitcher in each of the last 13 years.
UP NEXT ...
Baylor continues a six-game home stand Tuesday, March 20, hosting
