No. 14 Bears Travel to No. 4 Missouri
3/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 19, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAMES 18-20 • MARCH 21-23 •
No. 14 BAYLOR (13-4, 2-1) vs. No. 4
FRIDAY: 6:30 p.m. CST
SATURDAY: 2:00 p.m. CST
SUNDAY: 1:00 p.m. CST
Baylor returns to action this weekend, traveling to
The Bears (13-4) took two of three against 23rd-ranked
The Tigers (15-2, 0-0) have won 10 straight after a pair of midweek wins at home against
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY
Baylor: RHP Kendal Volz, So. (3-0, 2.51 ERA, 28.2 IP, 10 BB, 31 K)
SATURDAY
Baylor: RHP Shawn Tolleson, Fr. (2-0, 4.43 ERA, 22.1 IP, 10 BB, 16 K)
SUNDAY
Baylor: RHP Willie Kempf, So. (3-0, 3.47 ERA, 23.1 IP, 13 BB, 15 K)
THE SERIES
Overall: Baylor leads 25-19
Neutral Site: Baylor leads 6-3
Smith vs.
First Meeting: result unknown [5/5/1905]
Last Meeting: Baylor 10,
COACHES
BAYLOR: Steve Smith
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 503-315-1 [14th season]
Record at Baylor: 503-315-1 [14th season]
Alma Mater:
Career Record: 456-310-2 [14th season]
Record at
BAYLOR/ISP SPORTS NETWORK
1660 ESPN RADIO (
Tom Barfield, play-by-play
Lark Smith, color
INTERNET FEEDS
GameTracker: www.BaylorBears.com
Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Video: www.MUTigers.com
BAYLOR-MISSOURI SERIES
Baylor and
Arguably the most competitive series in Big 12 history, this is the only series in the league's 12-year history that has never been swept. Baylor has won six of the 11 series, but
Baylor is 8-7 all-time at
BAYLOR IN BIG 12 ROAD OPENERS
Baylor has won its first Big 12 Conference road series four times in the league's 11-year history, winning in 1997 at Texas A&M (1997), in 1999 at
This is the first time Baylor has played its first Big 12 road games of the season at
While Baylor is just 4-7 in its first Big 12 road series of the season, the Bears are 6-5 in their first Big 12 road games of the season. Baylor won at
BEARS PLAY SIX STRAIGHT GAMES AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Due to Tuesday night's game against
The last time Baylor played at least six consecutive games against ranked opponents was in 2005 when the Bears played seven straight twice. Baylor posted a 7-0 record during the first stretch and a 4-3 record in the second stretch.
The first stretch was during the regular season when the Bears swept a three-game series at eighth-ranked Vanderbilt, defeated 24th-ranked TCU in a midweek game and then swept a split series against top-ranked
Baylor's final seven games that season were against ranked opponents. The Bears took two of three against 13th-ranked Clemson in the NCAA Waco Super Regional; Baylor then went 2-2 at the College World Series with wins over second-ranked
BAYLOR ALL-TIME AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Baylor is 151-223-1 against ranked opponents since the beginning of the Baseball America rankings in 1981, including a 106-136-1 mark under head coach Steve Smith. Baylor is 67-142 in road games, including a 48-114 mark on opponents' home fields, and 126-187-1 in regular-season games.
Historically, Baylor's best month to face a ranked opponent is March: the Bears are 42-49 (.462) against ranked opponents in the year's third month. Baylor is 98-136 against ranked conference opponents, including a 50-55 mark against ranked Big 12 opponents.
Baylor is 3-4 against ranked
SMITH CLAIMS CONFERENCE WIN No. 200
Last Saturday's 3-0 win over
Earlier this season, Smith joined Sullivan as the only coaches in Baylor athletics history to amass at least 500 career victories. Win No. 500 came was Baylor's 16-11 victory over MSU in the second game of a doubleheader. It was a fitting locale for Smith, who spent five seasons as an assistant coach at
STREAKS AND TIDBITS
LF Ben Booker is 3-for-21 (.143) since capping a nine-game hitting streak with a three-hit, five-RBI performance March 9 at
TOLLESON NAMED BIG 12 PITCHER OF THE WEEK
RHP Shawn Tolleson was named Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Tolleson was so honored after tossing a complete-game, two-hit shutout in Baylor's 3-0 victory over then-No. 23
This is the first time Tolleson, a redshirt freshman from
Tolleson tossed the complete-game shutout in only the fourth start of his career. In fact, only VanAllen, who was honored after his first career start, earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors earlier in his career. Tolleson is the second Baylor pitcher in four weeks this season to be named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, joining Volz who won the season's first honor.
It was Baylor's first shutout since Mackey's two-hit gem in a 3-0 victory at then-No. 23 TCU last season. Tolleson's was the Bears' first in a Big 12 game since April 7, 2006, when LaMotta tossed a three-hit shutout in Baylor's 14-0 victory over
A product of
COLLEGE BASEBALL FOUNDATION HONORS TOLLESON
RHP Shawn Tolleson was named to this week's National All-Star Lineup, selected by the College Baseball Foundation. Tolleson is the second Bear to earn National All-Star Lineup honors this season; head coach Steve Smith was honored last week after earning career win No. 500.
CARDIAC KIDS
Baylor is 7-2 this season in one-run games after going 4-5 in such contests last season. The Bears already are one one-run win shy of matching their season total from 2006 (8-7). Baylor's 2005 College World Series squad was 15-8 in one-run games; the previous year, the Bears led the nation in one-run games (23) and one-run losses (16).
WEEKEND WARRIORS
Baylor is 11-1 this season in weekend games, sweeping series against Purdue and Mississippi State, winning all three games at the QTI Baylor Classic (Illinois, Illinois-Chicago and Stephen F. Austin), and winning two of three last weekend against Oklahoma State. In fact, dating back to last season, the Bears have won 14 of 15 regular-season weekend games. Baylor swept
VOLZ LOOKS TO BUILD ON FRESHMAN SUCCESS
RHP Kendal Volz became the ninth freshman in Baylor history to record at least six victories last season. Furthermore, he is only the third to accomplish the feat during head coach Steve Smith's tenure. Here is a look at how the nine pitchers fared as sophomores and in their careers:
PLAYER YEARS FRESHMAN SOPHOMORE CAREER
Ricky Fox 1971-1974 6-4 3-5 19-17
Mike Roberts 1976-1979 6-2 3-1 20-6
Andy Beene 1976-1979 8-1 0-0 15-5
Ted
Bruce Aguilar 1986-1989 6-3 2-1 21-13
Aaron Lineweaver 1993-1995 9-5 4-6 16-18
Ryan LaMotta 2003-2006 7-3 2-5 21-16
Abe Woody 2003-2005 6-0 5-1 21-4
Kendal Volz 2007-present 6-2 3-0 9-2
BEARS DROPS TO No. 14 IN BASEBALL
Baylor dropped four spots in this week's Baseball America Top 25, released Monday by the publication. The Bears were one of four of last week's top 10 teams to drop at least one spot in this week's ranking. Baylor was 3-3 last week, winning at Mississippi State, dropping two games at Oral Roberts, and winning two of three at home against then-No. 23
In other rankings, the Bears are No. 13 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll, No. 15 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30 and No. 16 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 30.
BAYLOR IS EXTRA SPECIAL
Baylor is 15-4 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season, including a 1-0 mark in such games this season. Baylor was 2-1 in extra-inning games last season, 0-1 in 2006, 6-1 in 2005, 1-0 in 2004 and 5-1 in 2003.
Five of the 15 wins over the past six 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 during mid-May.
FIVE BAYLOR GAMES SLATED FOR TELEVISION
Five Baylor games are scheduled for television broadcast this season, including two home games. The Bears will be on CSTV twice: April 1 at TCU (7 p.m. CT) and April 22 vs.
Since 1988, Baylor has played on television 57 times, including a program-best 12 games in 2005. Over the past 20 years, the Bears are 28-29 in televised games.
BAYLOR AMONG NATIONAL APR LEADERS
Baylor received a public recognition award from the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program in 2007 for having an Academic Progress Rate (APR) score that ranks among the top 10 percent within their sport. The Bears' most-recent APR score was 983 with an adjusted squad size mark of 992. Baylor was one of 30 Division I programs honored by the NCAA. Head coach Steve Smith's squad was the only of Baylor's 19 varsity teams so honored.
CASSAVECHIA AMONG NATIONAL CAREER SAVES LEADERS
RHP Nick Cassavechia entered the 2008 season with 19 career saves, a total that was tied for second in Baylor history and led all active Big 12 Conference pitchers. Furthermore, Cassavechia ranked sixth nationally in career saves among active players behind only Kelly Heyne (24,
Cassavechia's career total is even more impressive considering he has been Baylor's closer for not even two full seasons. He moved into the closer role during the first week of April in 2006 and has amassed all his saves since that point. He tallied 11 saves as a junior in 2007, tying for fourth in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally. It also tied for the third-best season total in Baylor history. Cassavechia, who had eight saves as a sophomore in 2006, joins Zane Carlson (2000, 2001) as the only Baylor pitchers to record at least eight saves in consecutive seasons.
BAYLOR BALLPARK CELEBRATES MILESTONE GAME
Baylor's 2008 season opener was the Bears' 300th game at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears are 225-83 (.731) at home since the stadium opened in 1999. Baylor Ballpark, which celebrates its 10th season in 2008, has drawn over 800,000 fans in its existence. Baylor is one of only eight Division I schools to average at least 2,700 fans per game each season since 2000. The facility was voted the nation's third-best college baseball stadium in a 2003 Baseball
While the season opener was the Bears' 300th game at Baylor Ballpark, the facility already had celebrated its 300th college game. Including the 1999, 2000 and 2005 NCAA Regionals and the 2006 and 2007 Quala-T Imprints Baylor Classics, a total of 16 Division I games that did not involve the Bears have been played at Baylor Ballpark.
TRIPLE YOUR PLEASURE
Baylor batters tallied 58 triples over the past two seasons. Only
Furthermore, Baylor joins
Baylor's Jon Topolski led the nation with 11 triples in 1998. Seth Fortenberry tied for third nationally with 10 triples in 2006, and Ben Booker tied for 15th nationally last season with seven. Michael Griffin was 25th nationally with 0.12 triples per game in 2003, one year after Mike Huggins was 25th nationally with 0.11 triples per contest.
BIG 12 COACHES PICK BAYLOR THIRD
Baylor was picked third in the 2008 Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bears garnered one first-place vote and 65 total points, six behind second-place
This is Baylor's highest preseason pick by the league's coaches since 2004 when the Bears were tabbed second. The Bears have been picked fourth in the preseason poll each of the past three seasons.
In the 11-year history of the Big 12, only five schools have claimed regular-season titles: Baylor (2000, 2005);
FIVE BEARS EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Five Baylor players garnered preseason accolades from various publications and outlets this year, including two preseason All-America honors.
RHP Nick Cassavechia was a preseason All-America pick by
SS Beamer Weems was a second-team preseason All-America selection by Rivals.com and by
RHP Shawn Tolleson was ranked second nationally on the Rivals.com 2008 Impact Freshmen List. He sat out the 2007 season as a medical redshirt.
2B Raynor
RHP Kendal Volz was named the third-best pro prospect in the Big 12 Conference for the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.
SIX BEARS ON BASEBALL
Baseball
RHP Shawn Tolleson was rated as the 15th-best prospect among freshmen; Tolleson, who missed the 2007 season with a medical redshirt, will be draft eligible in 2009 after his sophomore seasons.
Four Bears appearend on the sophomore list: RF Aaron Miller (11th), RHP Kendal Volz (14th), 1B Dustin Dickerson (32nd) and 2B Raynor Campbell (50th). Of that group, only
RHP Randall Linebaugh was rated as the 14th-best prospect among seniors. Linebaugh, one of only two three-year lettermen on Baylor's 2008 roster, has never been drafted.
BEARS ON SHORT LIST FOR RECENT NCAA SUCCESS
Baylor is one of 15 NCAA Division I programs and one of only two from the Big 12 Conference with at least nine NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 10 years. The Bears have made nine tournament appearances in that time (missing only the 2004 event) with three Super Regional appearances and one College World Series appearance.
Others on the elite list are:
MIDWEEK PREVIEW
Baylor plays a pair of midweek home games next week, hosting Houston Baptist at 6:30 p.m. CDT Tuesday, March 25, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 26. These are Baylor's only home games in a nine-game stretch.
The Bears have played Houston Baptist only once before; that was a 10-6 Houston Baptist victory April 12, 1994, in
Baylor is 4-0 all-time against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Bears defeated the Islanders 7-1 at home April 26, 2000. Baylor swept the Islanders in a three-game series at home the following season.
