Bears Face Texas Southern in Midweek Action

Baseball 2/25/2008 12:00:00 AM

Feb. 25, 2008

GAME 4 • FEB. 26 • BAYLOR BALLPARK • WACO, TEXAS

No. 13 BAYLOR (3-0) vs. TEXAS SOUTHERN (0-0)

TUESDAY: 6:30 p.m. CST -- $3 Tuesdays (all tickets $3 each)

In what will prove to be an exception to the norm, Baylor plays only one midweek game next week. The Bears host Texas Southern for a 6:30 p.m. CST first pitch Tuesday, Feb. 26, at Baylor Ballpark. This will be the eighth meeting between Baylor and Texas Southern; the Bears have won all seven previous meetings, including two games last season.

BAYLOR vs. SWAC OPPONENTS

Baylor is 12-0 all-time against teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. In addition to Texas Southern, the Bears have played Prairie View A&M (4-0) and Southern (1-0). Two of Baylor's victories against SWAC programs have come in NCAA Tournament play; the Bears defeated Southern in the 2003 Hattiesburg Regional and Prairie View A&M in last year's Houston Regional.

PROJECTED STARTER

RHP Wade Mackey (4-3, 3.16 ERA in 2007) is scheduled to start Tuesday. Mackey was 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA in nine midweek starts last season. He tallied 30 strikeouts against 11 walks over 43.2 innings and held opponents to a .235 batting average.

Mackey started two games against Texas Southern last season. The first was his first career victory; he held the Tigers to one run on three hits with two strikeouts in a predetermined 3.0-inning start. The second was his final midweek start of the season; he allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts over 2.0 innings but did not factor in the decision (Baylor won 16-4).

BEARS CLIMB TO No. 13 IN BASEBALL AMERICA TOP 25

Baylor climbed two spots to No. 13 in the latest Baseball America Top 25, released Monday by publication. It is Baylor's highest ranking since the Bears finished the 2005 season at No. 4, following a national semifinal appearance at the College World Series.

VOLZ NAMED BIG 12 PITCHER OF THE WEEK

RHP Kendal Volz was named Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Volz was honored after earning the victory in the Bears' 2-1 victory over Purdue in Friday night's season opener. He held Purdue scoreless on four hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts over 8.0 innings. His strikeout total was the best by a Baylor pitcher in a season opener since 1989.

Volz, a sophomore from Bulverde, Texas, is the 12th Baylor pitcher to earn the weekly honor in the league's 12-year history. He joins Kris Lambert, Jason Jennings (four times), Chad Hawkins, Kyle Evans (twice), Steven White (twice), Jared Theodorakos, Cory VanAllen (three times), Mark McCormick (four times), Abe Woody, Ryan LaMotta and Wade Mackey.

MIDWEEK MONSTERS

The Bears were 11-2 in regular-season midweek games last year, losing only at home to TCU and at second-ranked Rice. Over the past two seasons, Baylor is 24-6 in such contests. In Baylor's 2005 College World Series campaign, the Bears were just 7-8 in regular-season midweek games.

ODDS AND ENDS

• Baylor has won seven consecutive home games, dating back to last season.

• The Bears have won four straight home games in which the opponent scores in the first inning.

• All three Baylor victories over Purdue were one-run wins. The Bears did not win their third one-run game last season until the 53rd game -- a 9-8 victory over Kansas State in the opener of the final regular-season game.

• Baylor pitchers allowed 22 hits with 30 strikeouts over 29.0 innings in the Purdue series. The Boilermakers had only one extra-base hit, a first-inning triple Saturday.

• 3B Shaver Hansen's grand slam Saturday ended Baylor's streak of 168 games without a grand slam. The Bears hit 13 grand slams in the 168 games prior to the drought.

• 2B Landis Ware became the first Bear to homer in his first career start since Michael Griffin did so against TCU in the third game of the 2002 season.

• Saturday's 11-inning game was Baylor's longest since April 13, 2006, a 13-inning loss to Texas.

• Baylor is 15-4 in extra innings since the start of the 2003 season.

NEXT UP ...

Baylor welcomes Illinois, Illinois-Chicago and Stephen F. Austin to Waco for the third-annual QTI Baylor Classic. The Bears face Illinois at 6:30 p.m. CST Friday, Illinois-Chicago at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Stephen F. Austin at 3 p.m. Sunday.

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