May 14, 2007
WACO, Texas -- Baylor baseball returns to action Tuesday, May 15, traveling to Houston, Texas, for a midweek game at No. 2 Rice. First pitch between the Bears and the Owls is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT at Reckling Park on the Rice campus. The game will be televised nationally on CSTV.
This is the second and final scheduled meeting between Baylor and Rice this season. The Owls defeated the Bears 7-0 in second-day action of the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park in the season's first weekend.
Baylor (28-23) dropped two of three at Nebraska over the weekend, winning the series opener before falling in the final two games. The Bears are 6-4 in their last 10 games, including a 3-2 record on the road in that time. Baylor is unranked in all four major polls.
Rice (41-11) has won 14 straight and 22 of its last 23 after sweeping Tulane at home over the weekend. The Owls have lost consecutive games only twice this season - the second and third games of their season and losses to Cal State Fullerton and St. John's in early March. Rice is 29-4 since the loss to St. John's. The Owls are ranked second nationally this week in all four major polls.
Baylor and Rice have played 10 common opponents this season: Houston, Nebraska, Prairie View A&M, Texas, UTSA, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt. The Bears are 11-11 against those teams, while the Owls are 10-6.
This is the 212th meeting between Baylor and Rice, making this the fourth most-played series in Baylor baseball history behind only Texas (325), Texas A&M (258) and TCU (234). Baylor holds a 125-85-1 advantage the all-time series, which dates back to April 25, 1919. However, Rice has won 10 of the last 11 meetings and five straight. Baylor's lone victory in that stretch was a 6-1 victory at the 2005 Minute Maid Park College Classic. The Owls hold a 49-44-1 advantage in games played on the Rice campus.
Baylor freshman right-hander Willie Kempf (1-1, 2.42 ERA) earns his first career start on the mound for the Bears. A product of Medina Valley High School in Castroville, Texas, Kempf has made 16 relief appearances this season and has two saves. In 26.0 innings, he has allowed seven runs on 23 hits and 14 walks with 33 strikeouts. Opposing batters are hitting .240 off Kempf, who joins Wade Mackey and Kendal Volz as Baylor freshmen who have started at least one game this season.
Rice counters with junior right-hander Chris Kelley (2-2, 3.70 ERA), who has been the Owls' midweek starter throughout the season. He has appeared in 13 games with 12 starts. In 58.1 innings this season, Kelley has allowed 33 runs on 66 hits and 23 walks with 41 strikeouts; opponents are hitting .291 against Kelley.
Following Tuesday's game at Rice, Baylor concludes the regular season with a three-game Big 12 Conference series against Kansas State this weekend at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Wildcats meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Baylor enters the weekend series one-and-a-half games behind Kansas State in the Big 12 standings.
