Bears Host Kansas for Key Big 12 Series

April 3, 2008

GAMES 28-30 • APRIL 4-6 • BAYLOR BALLPARK • WACO, TEXAS

BAYLOR (16-11, 3-6) vs. KANSAS (19-13, 1-5)

FRIDAY: 6:35 p.m. CST -- Presented by Reliant Energy

SATURDAY: 2:00 p.m. CST -- Military Appreciation Day

SUNDAY: 1:00 p.m. CST -- Presented by Guaranty Bank; Free admission 12 and under; BU cap first 500 fans

Baylor returns to action this weekend, hosting Kansas for a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Jayhawks meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. This is the fourth Big 12 series for Baylor and the third for Kansas.

The Bears (16-9, 3-6) have lost four of their last five and seven of their last 10 after dropping a pair of midweek games. Baylor lost 3-2 Tuesday night at TCU and 11-7 at home Wednesday night against UTSA. The Bears, who lost two of three at Oklahoma last weekend, are 5-10 since opening the season 11-1. Baylor is unranked in this week's Baseball America Top 25; the Bears are among teams receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll and ranked 29th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 30. Baylor is 12-3 at home this season, including a 2-1 mark in Big 12 play.

The Jayhawks (19-13, 1-5) defeated St. Mary's [Kan.] 13-0 at home Wednesday night to snap a four-game losing streak. Kansas was swept at home last weekend against Texas A&M and dropped a 7-3 decision Tuesday night at Wichita State. Unranked in all four major polls, Kansas is 10-9 away from home this season, including a 2-4 record on opponents' home fields; the Jayhawks are 1-2 on the road in Big 12 play, dropping a series at Texas in mid-March.

All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on Waco's 1660 ESPN Radio. Live streaming audio and GameTracker also are available for all Baylor baseball games online at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the CSTV Network. Live streaming video also is available for the Kansas series at www.BaylorBears.com.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY

Baylor: RHP Kendal Volz, So. (3-2, 5.40 ERA, 35.0 IP, 15 BB, 38 K)

Kansas: LHP Nick Czyz, Jr. (1-3, 7.24 ERA, 27.1 IP, 14 BB, 29 K)

SATURDAY

Baylor: RHP Shawn Tolleson, Fr. (2-1, 3.58 ERA, 37.2 IP, 14 BB, 24 K)

Kansas: RHP Andres Esquibel, Sr. (2-1, 2.68 ERA, 37.0 IP, 9 BB, 21 K)

SUNDAY

Baylor: RHP Willie Kempf, So. (4-1, 3.41 ERA, 34.1 IP, 17 BB, 22 K)

Kansas: LHP Sam Freeman, Jr. (4-0, 6.75 ERA, 28.0, 12 BB, 17 K)

THE SERIES

Overall: Baylor leads 33-5

Waco: Baylor leads 17-1

Lawrence: Baylor leads 14-4

Neutral Site: Baylor leads 2-0

Since Start of Big 12: Baylor leads 28-5

Regular Season: Baylor leads 27-5

Postseason: Baylor leads 1-0

Smith vs. Kansas: 28-5

First Meeting: Baylor 8, Kansas 1 [4/6/1957]

Last Meeting: Baylor 6, Kansas 2 [4/15/2007]

COACHES

BAYLOR: Steve Smith

Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986

Career Record: 506-322-1 [14th season]

Record at Baylor: 506-322-1 [14th season]

KANSAS: Ritch Price

Alma Mater: Willamette, 1978

Career Record: 409-383-2 [14th season]

Record at Kansas: 192-155-1 [6th season]

BAYLOR/ISP SPORTS NETWORK

1660 ESPN RADIO (Waco)

Tom Barfield, play-by-play

Lark Smith, color

INTERNET FEEDS

GameTracker: www.BaylorBears.com

Audio: www.BaylorBears.com

Video: www.BaylorBears.com

BAYLOR-KANSAS SERIES

Baylor and Kansas meet for the 39th, 40th and 41st times this weekend. The Bears hold a 33-5 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to an 8-1 Baylor victory during the 1957 season. Baylor is 17-1 all-time against Kansas in Waco; the Jayhawks won the middle game of a three-game series in their last trip to Waco (2006). The Bears have not lost a Big 12 series to the Jayhawks since dropping two of three in the first meeting as conference foes in 1997.

The Bears have won 28 of the last 31 meetings, sweeping seven of the last 10 season series and nipping the Jayhawks 2-1 in 10 innings at the 2005 Big 12 Tournament first round. The only non-sweeps in that span were in 2003 (Baylor took two of three at Lawrence), 2006 (Baylor took two of three in Waco) and last season (Baylor took two of three at Lawrence).

STREAKS AND TIDBITS

Baylor allowed 11 runs Wednesday night against UTSA; that was the most runs allowed in a midweek home game by a Baylor team since the Bears defeated UTSA 24-11 in seven innings April 20, 1999. ... LF Ben Booker came off the bench in each of the last two games and went 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI in the two games. His pinch-hit home run Tuesday at TCU was Baylor's first since Ross Bennett accomplished the feat May 22, 2002, against Nebraska. Booker is the first Baylor player this season to homer in consecutive games. His five RBI Wednesday night against UTSA tied his career high. ... CF Raynor Campbell was 6-for-12 with two doubles, a home run and two RBI in the three-game series at Oklahoma. That came on the heels of a 2-for-22 start to the season for Campbell, who missed the season's first three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage in his right thumb. ... RHP Nick Cassavechia has yet to allow a run in four appearances on the road this season. Meanwhile, his ERA is 6.92 in nine appearances at Baylor Ballpark; that is a contrast to the last three seasons, in which Cassavechia posted a 2.08 ERA in 35 appearances. Last season, he had a 1.69 ERA in 18 appearances at home. ... 1B/DH Dustin Dickerson endured a 1-for-15 slump after enjoying a career-long 11-game hitting streak. Since that slump, he has hit safely in four straight games with at least two hits in each game. Dickerson is hitting .600 (9-for-15) in those four games with four doubles and three walks. ... RHP Craig Fritsch established a career high with seven strikeouts in 5.0 innings of relief Tuesday at TCU. In both Fritsch's losses this season (at Oral Roberts, at TCU), an unearned run was the winning run. ... C Gregg Glime snapped an 0-for-22 slump with a single in his second at bat Tuesday night at TCU. ... 3B Shaver Hansen is riding a career-long seven-game hitting streak; he is hitting .321 (9-for-28) during the streak with one home run, two doubles, one triple, five RBI and six runs scored. ... After going 6-for-10 in the Oklahoma State to start his Big 12 career, 1B/LF Adam Hornung is 2-for-21 in his last six conference games. ... RHP Willie Kempf has allowed four or fewer earned runs in all six starts this season and three or fewer earned runs five times. He has struckout either three or four batters in all six starts. ... C Brooks Kimmey has hit safely in three of four starts and in five of eight games in which he has garnered at least one at bat. ... RHP Randall Linebaugh has not allowed more than three runs in any of his six appearances. However, the Bears' staff has allowed at least 11 runs in five of the six games in which he has appeared. ... RHP Tim Matthews has not allowed an earned run in six of eight appearances this season, allowing three earned runs in a 3.2-inning start against Louisiana Tech and allowing one earned run in a 2.0-inning save last Sunday at Oklahoma. ... RF Aaron Miller is 2-for-17 over the last five games; both hits were solo home runs. He has eight home runs on the season, matching or surpassing Baylor's regular-season home run leader from each of the past three seasons (2005 - Kyle Reynolds, 8; 2006 - Seth Fortenberry, 7; 2007 - Beamer Weems, 8). Miller did not strikeout in the series finale at Oklahoma, ending a streak of 15 consecutive games with at least one strikeout. ... DH Jon Ringenberg produced an RBI in each of the first three plated appearances of his career. ... RHP Shawn Tolleson has allowed three or fewer earned runs in five consecutive appearances. Since allowing five earned runs over 2.1 innings in his first career start, Tolleson has posted a 2.55 ERA (10 ER, 35.1 IP) with 21 strikeouts against 10 walks and a .233 opponents' batting average. Tolleson has lasted at least 7.0 innings in each of his last three starts; he has allowed four earned runs over 24.1 innings for a 1.48 ERA, yet he is 1-2 in those three games. ... RHP Kendal Volz did not allow a run in the first four innings during his first four starts this season; however, he has been touched for 17 runs in the first four innings during his last two starts. ... 2B Landis Ware has hit safely in six straight games, matching his career-long six-game streak that started his career. He is hitting .364 (8-for-22) during the current six-game streak with a double, a triple, a home run, five runs scored and three walks. Ware has gone hitless in consecutive games only once this season. ... SS Beamer Weems .333 (9-for-27) over the last eight games with eight walks against only three strikeouts in that time. He is hitting .294 (5-for-17) in the second spot in the order this season and .203 (15-for-74) Weems has committed five fielding errors and one throwing error this season; that is in contrast to the first two seasons of his career, in which he committed 16 throwing errors and only six fielding errors. Of Weems' six errors this season, five have come with two outs and five have scored.

BEARS' FORTUNES HAVE TURNED IN ONE-RUN GAMES

After starting the season 7-0 in one-run games, Baylor has lost four consecutive one-run affairs. The Bears 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).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

As the numbers go, so go the Bears. In its 16 wins this season, Baylor has hit .305 and averaged 8.1 runs per game with a 3.41 ERA. Conversely, the Bears have hit .214 and average 3.1 runs per game with a 6.82 ERA in their 11 losses.

Part of Baylor's offensive woes in losses can be attributed to two areas: leadoff on base percentage and average with runners in scoring position. Baylor's leadoff batter has reached safely in 44.4 percent of the innings (60-of-135), and the Bears are hitting .326 (62-for-190) with runners in scoring position in games won this season. Meanwhile, in losses, Baylor's leadoff batter has reached safely in 32.7 percent of the innings (32-of-98) and the Bears are hitting .179 (17-for-95) with runners in scoring position.

A large indicator for Baylor's success has been its ability to score without getting the leadoff batter on base. The Bears have failed to get the leadoff batter on base 128 times in 16 wins; Baylor has still scored in 22 of those innings (17.2 percent). At the same time, the Bears have failed to get the leadoff batter on base 66 times in 11 losses; however, Baylor has scored in only four of those innings (6.1 percent).

TOLLESON, VOLZ LOOKING FOR SUPPORT

In six combined Big 12 Conference starts, RHPs Shawn Tolleson and Kendal Volz have garnered a total of 12 runs of support (2.0 per game). The Bears are 0-3 in Volz' three Big 12 starts, scoring seven runs in those three games (five vs. Oklahoma State, none at Missouri and two at Oklahoma). The Bears are 1-2 in Tolleson's three Big 12 starts, scoring five runs in those three games (three vs. Oklahoma State, none at Missouri and two at Oklahoma).

Baylor's lone Big 12 victory in a game started by Tolleson or Volz was a 3-0 victory over Oklahoma State in which Tolleson pitched a two-hit shutout. In fact, 16 of Tolleson's 37 runs of support this season came in one game -- a 16-11 victory at Mississippi State. Likewise, Volz earned 20 of his 34 runs of support this season in one game -- a 20-6 victory over Illinois.

BAYLOR IN BIG 12 CONFERENCE STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Baylor ranks ninth in batting average (.370), eighth in ERA (4.72) and second in fielding percentage (.970) through games of April 2. In league games, the Bears rank 10th in batting average (.207), eighth in ERA (4.97) and fourth in fielding percentage (.973).

Individually in all games: RF Aaron Miller is second in home runs (8), tied for eighth in total bases (65) and seventh in slugging percentage (.637). 3B Shaver Hansen and LF Ben Booker are tied for sixth in triples (2), 1B/DH Dustin Dickerson is tied for fifth in doubles (10) and SS Beamer Weems is tied for 10th in walks (20). RHP Willie Kempf is 19th in ERA (3.41) and tied for fifth in wins (4). RHP Shawn Tolleson ranks 10th in innings pitched (37.2), tied for second in shutouts (1) and tied for fourth in complete games (1). RHP Kendal Volz is tied for fifth in strikeouts (38), while RHP Nick Cassavechia is tied fof fifth in saves (5) and tied for sixth in appearances (13).

Individually in league games: Miller is tied for fifth in home runs (2); Dickerson and Hansen are tied for sixth in doubles (3), while Dickerson is tied for 10th in stolen bases (2). Tolleson is fifth in ERA (1.48), tied for 10th in wins (1), first in innings pitched (24.1), tied for first in shutouts (1), tied for first in complete games (1) and seventh in opponents' batting average (.205). Kempf is 20th in ERA (4.24) and tied for second in wins (2). Volz is tied for sixth in strikeouts (17), while Craig Fritsch and Tim Matthews are tied for fifth in saves (1).

NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Through games of March 30, Baylor ranked 22nd nationally in sacrifice hits (25), third in double plays turned (33) and fourth in double plays turned per game (1.32). Individually, RF Aaron Miller was 29th in home runs (8), RHP Nick Cassavechia was 24th in saves (5) and RHP Kendal Volz was 64th in strikeouts (38).

WEEKEND WARRIORS

Baylor is 12-6 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 15 of 21 regular-season weekend games. Baylor swept Kansas State in the final Big 12 series last year.

BAYLOR IS EXTRA SPECIAL

Baylor is 15-5 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season, including a 1-1 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 (Arizona twice, Arizona State, Texas and Vanderbilt). Three of the 15 wins were either neutral-site games or games at Baylor Ballpark in which the Bears were the visitor. Four of the 15 wins have come in postseason play (two at the Big 12 Tournament, one in the NCAA Regional round and one at the College World Series).

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. Texas (7 p.m.). Two games will be aired on Fox College Sports: April 26 vs. Nebraska (6:30 p.m.), May 4 at Texas (1 p.m.). The Bears' May 3 game at Texas will be televised on FSN (2:30 p.m.).

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, Ball State), Joshua Fields (23, Georgia), Joseph Edesn (22, Samford), Daniel Kennedy (21, Georgetown) and Chris Manning (21, Belmont).

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 America survey.

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 Arizona (62) and Charlotte (59) hit more three-baggers in that time. The Bears tied for seventh nationally last season with 26 triples. In 2006, the Bears tied for second nationally with 32 triples.

Furthermore, Baylor joins Arizona and Texas as the nation's only programs to collect at least 20 triples in each of the past six seasons.

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 Missouri and five ahead of fourth-place Texas A&M.

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.

Texas was the coaches' preseason favorite, picking up eight first-place votes and 80 total points; Missouri earned the final first-place vote. Oklahoma State was picked fifth, while Nebraska was slotted sixth. Kansas State and Oklahoma tied for the seventh-place spot; Kansas and Texas Tech rounded out the poll.

In the 11-year history of the Big 12, only five schools have claimed regular-season titles: Baylor (2000, 2005); Nebraska (2001, 2003, 2005); Texas (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007); Texas A&M (1998, 1999) and Texas Tech (1997).

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 Ping! Baseball (first team) and by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (third team). Cassavechia also was named to the preseason watch lists for the Wallace Award, the Clemens Award and the NCBWA National Stopper of the Year.

SS Beamer Weems was a second-team preseason All-America selection by Rivals.com and by Ping! Baseball. He was one of four players honored by Baseball America as "Best Defensive Players," and Weems also was listed as the nation's third-best shortstop by CSTV.com. Baseball America also named Weems preseason All-Big 12 and listed him as the league's best defensive shortstop. In addition, Weems was named to preseason watch lists for the Golden Spikes Award and the Wallace Award.

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 Campbell was named preseason All-Big 12 by Baseball America. The publication also listed him as the league's best defensive third baseman in a survey of the league's coaches (conducted last fall).

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 AMERICA'S PRESEASON DRAFT LISTS

Baseball America, with assistance from Major League Baseball scouting directors, has compiled a list of the top 50 draft prospects in each class. Six Baylor players are on those lists, including five players from the Bears' heralded 2006 signing class.

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 Campbell is draft eligible this season as he turns 21 within 45 days of the draft. Miller was an 11th-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2006. Dickerson (15th round, Washington Nationals) and Volz (50th round, Arizona Diamondbacks) also were drafted that year.

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: Arizona State (9), Cal State Fullerton (10), Clemson (10), Florida State (10), Miami, Fla. (10), Mississippi State (9), North Carolina (9), Oral Roberts (10), Rice (10), South Carolina (9), Stanford (9), Texas (9), Tulane (9) and Wichita State (9). Of that list, only Tulane did not participate in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

MIDWEEK PREVIEW

Baylor plays a pair of midweek home games next week. The Bears host TCU at 6:30 p.m. CDT Tuesday and UT Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

This is the 237th all-time meeting between Baylor and TCU. The Bears hold a 133-104 advantage in what is the third most-played series in Baylor baseball history behind only Texas (325 meetings) and Texas A&M (259 meetings). This is the second meeting this season between the Bears and the Horned Frogs; TCU posted a 3-2 victory at Fort Worth last Tuesday night. The Frogs have won three straight meetings and five of the last six. Baylor holds a 68-40 advantage in games played in Waco. The Bears are 14-16 against the Horned Frogs under head coach Steve Smith.

Baylor and UT Arlington meet for the 100th time Wednesday. This is the eight most-played series in Baylor baseball history; Baylor has played more games against UTA than against any other program that was not a Southwest Conference member. In fact, the Bears have played more games against UTA since the series began Feb. 26, 1973, than against any other program. Baylor holds a 71-28 advantage in the all-time series, including a 43-12 edge in games played in Waco. The Bears have won each of the last seven meetings and are 25-8 against the Mavericks during Smith's tenure.

Bears Host Kansas for Key Big 12 Series

Players Mentioned

Ben Booker

Raynor Campbell

Nick Cassavechia

Dustin Dickerson

Seth Fortenberry

Craig Fritsch

Gregg Glime

Shaver Hansen

Adam Hornung

Willie Kempf

Brooks Kimmey

Randall Linebaugh

Tim Matthews

Aaron Miller

Jon Ringenberg

Shawn Tolleson

Kendal Volz

Landis Ware

Beamer Weems

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Bears Host Kansas for Key Big 12 Series

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Players Mentioned

Ben Booker

Raynor Campbell

Nick Cassavechia

Dustin Dickerson

Seth Fortenberry

Craig Fritsch

Gregg Glime

Shaver Hansen

Adam Hornung

Willie Kempf

Brooks Kimmey

Randall Linebaugh

Tim Matthews

Aaron Miller

Jon Ringenberg

Shawn Tolleson

Kendal Volz

Landis Ware

Beamer Weems

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