May 15, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAMES 53-55 • MAY 16-18 • DAN LAW FIELD • LUBBOCK, TEXAS

BAYLOR (30-22, 10-14) at TEXAS TECH (23-29, 7-17)

FRIDAY: 6:05 p.m. CDT

SATURDAY: 2:00 p.m. CDT

SUNDAY: 1:00 p.m. CDT

Baylor concludes its regular season this weekend, traveling to Lubbock, Texas, for a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Texas Tech. The Bears and the Red Raiders meet Friday at 6:05 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. This is the third time in the 12-year history of the Big 12 that Baylor has played at Texas Tech in the season's final weekend (2002, 2004).

The Bears (30-22, 10-14) won a pair of midweek home games, defeating Texas State 7-2 Tuesday night and Stephen F. Austin 11-0 in seven innings Wednesday night. Those games followed an eight-day break in the schedule for spring semester final exams. This is Baylor's first Big 12 series since dropping two of three against Texas the first weekend of May. The Bears are 6-4 in their last 10 games, dating back to April 26. Baylor is 9-12 on the road, all coming on opponents' home fields, including a 4-8 mark in Big 12 action. The Bears, who are 3-5 in Big 12 series and have lost three straight, are unranked in all four major polls.

The Red Raiders (23-29, 7-17) split a doubleheader at home Tuesday against Dallas Baptist, dropping the opener 8-4 and rebounding for a 9-8 victory in the nightcap. Tech dropped two of three at Oklahoma State last weekend, overcoming an 8-0 deficit for a 12-10 victory in Sunday's series finale. The Raiders are 4-6 in their last 10 games, dating back to April 23. Tech is 13-10 at home this season, including a 5-7 mark in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders, who are unranked in all four major polls, are 1-7 in Big 12 series and have lost four straight since taking two of three against Missouri at home in late March.

Baylor and Texas Tech have played 13 common opponents this season -- Dallas Baptist, Oral Roberts, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas State, UTSA and the eight other Big 12 schools. The Bears are 14-19 against those teams, while the Red Raiders are 12-21.

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 Texas Tech series at www.TexasTech.com.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY

Baylor: RHP Shawn Tolleson, Fr. (5-3, 4.71 ERA, 65.0 IP, 30 BB, 56 K)

Texas Tech: RHP Zach Stewart, Jr. (2-2, 5.31 ERA, 39.0 IP, 19 BB, 36 K)

SATURDAY

Baylor: RHP Craig Fritsch, Fr. (3-3, 3.72 ERA, 46.0 IP, 14 BB, 47 K)

Texas Tech: RHP Chad Bettis, Fr. (4-4, 5.95 ERA, 65.0 IP, 26 BB, 39 K)

SUNDAY

Baylor: TBA

Texas Tech: RHP Nate Karns, So. (2-6, 9.00 ERA, 45.0 IP, 37 BB, 43 K)

THE SERIES

Overall: Texas Tech leads 68-65

Waco: Baylor leads 41-24

Lubbock: Texas Tech leads 42-20

Neutral Site: Baylor leads 4-2

Since Start of Big 12: Texas Tech leads 20-17

Regular Season: Texas Tech leads 19-14

Postseason: Baylor leads 3-1

Smith vs. Texas Tech: 18-27

First Meeting: Baylor 14, at Texas Tech 1 [1928]

Last Meeting: at Baylor 14, Texas Tech 4 [3/25/2007]

COACHES

BAYLOR: Steve Smith

Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986

Career Record: 520-333-1 [14th season]

Record at Baylor: 520-333-1 [14th season]

TEXAS TECH: Larry Hays

Alma Mater: Eastern New Mexico, 1966

Career Record: 1,507-859-4 [38th season]

Record at Texas Tech: 812-478-3 [22nd 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.TexasTech.com

BAYLOR-TEXAS TECH SERIES

Baylor and Texas Tech meet for the 134th, 135th and 136th times this weekend. The Red Raiders hold a slim 68-65 advantage in the all-time series, the seventh most-played series in Baylor baseball history. The series dates back to a 14-1 Baylor victory at Lubbock in 1928.

The series is decidedly tilted toward the home team. While the Bears are 40-24 against the Raiders in Waco, Baylor is 20-42 at Lubbock. The Bears are 1-11 in their last four trips to Dan Law Field, suffering sweeps in 2000, 2002 and 2004, and winning only the series opener in 2006. Baylor won the opener (5-1) and the finale (14-4, seven innings) in last year's series in Waco; Tech won the middle game 8-7 in 10 innings.

Tech holds a 19-14 advantage in regular-season meetings since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1997. Baylor won the series in 1998, 1999 (sweep), 2003, 2005 and 2007. Tech has won each of the other six series. Baylor is 18-27 against Texas Tech during head coach Steve Smith's tenure. Tech and Texas (26-29) are the only Big 12 schools against which the Bears have a sub-.500 record under Smith.

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD NOT YET SETTLED

Entering the regular season's final weekend, all 10 programs are still alive for next week's Big 12 Conference Championship at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. Texas A&M, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Missouri and Texas have already clinched spots in the event. The Bears, who enter the Texas Tech series in sixth place in the Big 12 standings, need only one win to clinch a berth. The top eight teams in the league qualify for the Big 12 Championship. Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the only schools who have qualified for each of the 11 previous Big 12 postseason tournaments.

While a win at Texas Tech would assure the Bears a spot in this year's Big 12 Championship, it is possible for Baylor to qualify without a win. If Baylor is swept at Texas Tech, the Bears could still finish in the league's top eight spots.

There are two scenarios in which this would happen. The Bears can finish no lower than eighth if Oklahoma State wins its series against Oklahoma this weekend or if Kansas State wins two and only two games against Kansas this weekend. The only scenario in which Baylor would not qualify after being swept is if Oklahoma won its series and either Kansas State swept Kansas or Kansas won the series against Kansas State.

TEAM NOTES

Baylor was 28-24 overall and 9-15 in Big 12 play through 52 games last season. The Bears swept Kansas State in the regular season's final series and won three of four games at the Big 12 Championship. ... Baylor has played back-to-back games without an error for only the second time this season. The Bears also accomplished the feat in mid-March against Oral Roberts and Oklahoma State. Baylor has committed only one error in its last four games. ... The Bears are tied with Texas Tech for the Big 12 lead in double plays turned with 52. ... After surrendering only 23 home runs in the season's first 36 games, the Bears allowed 23 home runs over the next nine games. However, Baylor has allowed only two home runs in the seven games since that stretch. ... The Bears have hit 46 home runs through 52 games this season, two shy of last year's 62-game total. Baylor has not produced 50 home runs in a season since hitting 54 over 60 games in 2004. The 2008 Bears have matched the homerun total of the 2005 team, which played a school-record 70 games. ... Baylor has scored only four runs in four Big 12 series openers on the road, scoring one run in each game. Only once did the Bears score prior to the seventh inning (a one-run sixth inning at Texas A&M). The Bears hit .150 in those four games, and Raynor Campbell has six of the team's 18 hits. ... Either Baylor or its opponent has scored at least 10 runs in 22 of the Bears' 52 games (42.3 percent). The Bears have reached double figures 14 times, while their opponents have accomplished the feat 12 times. Baylor is 3-0 when both teams scored at least 10 runs, defeating Purdue 11-10, Mississippi State 16-11 and Texas State 25-13. In 2005, Baylor played 70 games and either team scored at least 10 runs only five times. ... Baylor has employed two players at first base for the majority of the season -- Dustin Dickerson and Adam Hornung. That duo has taken all but five of the team's 202 at bats by first basemen and are hitting a combined .340 (67-for-197) while at first base.

PLAYER NOTES

• Ben Booker has reached safely in 12 of the last 13 games. He is hitting .300 (15-for-50) in that time with five multiple-hit games. Booker has seven home runs this season after hitting only four home runs in his first two seasons combined. He has posted a .220 batting average (18-for-82) in the leadoff spot; he is hitting .313 (31-for-99) elsewhere in the lineup.

• Raynor Campbell has hit safely in 10 of the last 11 games; he is hitting .366 (15-for-41) in that time with five multiple-hit games. Campbell also has hit safely in 20 of the last 25 games; he is hitting .375 (36-for-96) over that span and has not gone hitless in consecutive games in that time. Despite missing the season's first 15 games due to injury, he is tied for third on the team with 15 multiple-hit games, just two behind the team lead. Campbell started the year 0-for-15 in Big 12 play; since then, he is hitting .420 (29-for-69) in conference action.

• Dustin Dickerson leads the team with a .367 average (29-for-79) in road games, joining Campbell (.311) as the only Baylor players hitting over .300 in such games. Dickcerson is tied for the team lead in games with at least three hits with seven.

• Craig Fritsch has allowed two earned runs over 15.0 innings in his last three outings. He has tallied 18 strikeouts against only two walks in that time. In the first of those three appearances, Fritsch established a Baylor Ballpark record with 10 strikeouts in relief April 30 against Sam Houston State; it also was a career high.

• Gregg Glime has reached safely in 11 consecutive games. He has collected 10 hits and eight walks and has been hit three times in that span, reaching base safely in 21 of 45 plate appearances for a .467 on base percentage. Glime has scored 10 of his 21 runs on the season during the last 11 games.

• Shaver Hansen has gone hitless in consecutive games only twice this season with no three-game droughts. He is hitting .388 (26-for-67) over the last 17 games with a home run, eight doubles, a triple, 13 RBI and 21 runs scored. Hansen is hitting .328 (38-for-116) in the leadoff spot this season; the other six players who have hit in that position have a collective .215 average (20-for-93). He leads the team with a .385 average (15-for-39) over the last 10 games and ranks third on the team with a .333 average (27-for-81) over the last 20 games. Hansen has reached safely in 18 consecutive games, a career-long streak; he has posted .477 on base percentage (41-for-86) in that time. He also has reached safely in 30 of the last 32 games, failing to reach only in first two games of the Kansas State series (April 11-13).

• Adam Hornung has reached safely in 25 of the last 28 games and has not gone consecutive games without reaching safely this season. He has hit safely in the last seven road games, going 12-for-31 (.387) in those games.

• Willie Kempf is 6-1 in 10 starts; he left with the lead in all three of his no-decisions. Baylor is 8-2 in his starts. However, three of his last four appearances have been in relief. Kempf has allowed fewer than four earned runs in 12 of his 13 appearances.

• Randall Linebaugh has averaged 9.23 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in his last 10 appearances (27 strikeouts in 26.1 innings). He made his first start of the season Tuesday against Texas State and allowed two runs on six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over 6.0 innings. It was his highest strikeout total since fanning a career-high eight against Dallas Baptist in 2006. Linebaugh has tossed 3.0-plus innings in relief six times this season.

• Tim Matthews has posted a 2.57 ERA in 17.1 innings over 10 relief appearances. He has 13 strikeouts against one walk in those relief outings. Matthews recorded the first complete game and the first shutout of his career Wednesday in the Bears' 11-0, seven-inning victory over Stephen F. Austin. Matthews allowed three hits and one walk with six strikeouts. He retired 14 consecutive batters between a leadoff single in the third and a two-out walk in the seventh. Matthews has allowed fewer than three earned runs in 14 of 16 appearances. His 6.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio (39-6) would be a Baylor single-season record.

• Baylor is 18-5 in the 23 games in which Paul Miles has started in center field. He was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in Wednesday's game against Stephen F. Austin, producing his first multiple-hit game since the Bears' second game of the year.

• Aaron Miller is the first Baylor player with at least 10 home runs since 2004 when Josh Ford had 14 and Michael Griffin had 10. Miller would be the first underclassman to lead Baylor in home runs since Chris Durbin did so with 14 in 2001. Miller has reached safely in 17 of the last 18 games, producing a .422 on base percentage (35-for-83) in that time. After suffering 14 multiple-strikeout outings in the season's first 39 games, Miller has not struck out more than once in any of the last 13 games. He averaged 1.23 strikeouts per game in the first 39 contests but has trimmed that to 0.54 per game over the last 13 contests, striking out only seven times in that span.

• Jon Ringenberg leads the team with five pinch hits this season, the most by a Baylor player since 2003 when Zach Dillon had seven and Reid Brees had five.

• Mace Thurman has allowed a staff-low 1.27 extra-base hits per 9.0 innings this season, surrendering four doubles and one home run in 35.1 innings. He has tallied 13 strikeouts in 8.0 innings over his last three appearances.

• Shawn Tolleson's first-inning ERA is 11.57 (15 earned runs in 11.2 innings) with an opponents' batting average of .383 (18-for-47); his ERA is 3.21 after the first inning with a .228 opponents' batting average. Tolleson is the only Baylor starter to pitch into the ninth inning this season; he has done so three times with two complete games. Tolleson has been Baylor's best pitcher on the road by far, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.86 ERA in such games. He has allowed 10 runs, eight earned, on 33 hits and 15 walks with 34 strikeouts over 38.2 innings in six appearances, all starts. Opponents are hitting .239 against Tolleson on the road. He has completed at least 7.0 innings in four of the six road starts; the others were a 5.0-inning effort for a win at Mississippi State and a predetermined 2.0-inning start at UT Arlington. The lone loss on the road was at Missouri, when he allowed three runs, two earned, in 7.0 innings but was foiled when the Bears were shutout.

• Kendal Volz has posted a 2.37 ERA (eight earned runs in 30.1 innings) over his last five starts, but he is 0-3 and Baylor is 1-4 in those games. He has been given 11 total runs of support in those games, including one run three times. Volz has 41 strikeouts against 12 walks in his last five starts.

• Beamer Weems hit .172 (11-for-64) with three extra-base hits, eight RBI and five errors in the season's first 19 games. Since then, he is hitting .325 (39-for-120) with 14 extra-base hits, 20 RBI and four errors in 32 games. Weems has committed one error in his last 16 games. He is hitting .351 (13-for-37) in the last 10 games and .342 (25-for-73) in the last 20 games.

EIGHT BEARS EARN ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 HONORS

Eight Baylor baseball student-athletes were named 2008 Academic All-Big 12 Conference, the league office announced Thursday. All eight earned first-team status. Baylor, which led all schools in first-team honorees, tied Texas and Texas A&M for the second most total Academic All-Big 12 honorees with eight, one less than Nebraska, which had seven first-team honorees and two second-team selections.

The eight Baylor student-athletes honored were senior pitcher Erik Forestiere (political science), 3B Shaver Hansen (business), RHP Willie Kempf (business), RHP Wade Mackey (speech communication), RHP Tim Matthews (political science), RF Aaron Miller (business), RHP Shawn Tolleson (health science studies) and RHP Kendal Volz (business).

Baylor baseball student-athletes have earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors 64 times in the league's 12-year history, 14 more than any other school in the conference. Nebraska (50) ranks second, followed by Oklahoma State (47), Kansas (40), Oklahoma (37), Missouri (34), Kansas State (31), Texas (29), Texas Tech (26) and Texas A&M (24).

Mackey and Matthews were first-team honorees for the second consecutive season; the other six were all first-time selections in their first year of eligibility.

MILLER, HANSEN NAMED ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT VI

Two Baylor baseball student-athletes earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI honors, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Thursday. RF Aaron Miller was a first-team selection, while 3B Shaver Hansen earned second-team honors. Both were first-time honorees, and both are business majors.

At least one Baylor baseball student-athlete has earned academic all-district honors every year since 1998. In that time, 17 Bears have been so honored 24 times. Jason Jennings (1998, 1999), Jon Topolski (1998, 1999), Ross Bennett (2002, 2003), Michael Griffin (2004, 2005, 2006), Zach Dillon (2005, 2006) and Jeff Mandel (2006, 2007) all earned academic all-district honors multiple times.

In order to be eligible for academic all-district honors, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a 4.00 scale and participate in at least 50 percent of his team's games. Freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible. By virtue of earning first-team honors, Miller is eligible for Academic All-America honors; that team will be announced May 27.

BAYLOR IN BIG 12 CONFERENCE STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Baylor ranks eighth in batting average (.286), seventh in ERA (4.99) and second in fielding percentage (.971) through games of May 14. In league games, the Bears rank 10th in batting average (.253), fourth in ERA (5.30) and sixth in fielding percentage (.972).

Individually in all games: 3B Shaver Hansen ranks 20th in batting average (.327), third in triples (5) and tied for eighth in doubles (16). RF Aaron Miller is tied for seventh in home runs (11) and tied for fourth in doubles (18). LF Ben Booker is tied for sixth in triples (3). RHP Willie Kempf is 15th in ERA (3.79), while RHP Kendal Volz is 18th (4.13). Kempf also is tied for seventh in victories (6). Volz also ranks fourth in strikeouts (79) and second in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (10.89). RHP Shawn Tolleson and RHP Tim Matthews are tied for 14th in victories (5). Tolleson also ranks second in shutouts (2) and tied for third in complete games (2). Matthews also is tied for third in shutouts (1) and tied eighth in complete games (1). RHP Nick Cassavechia is tied for sixth in saves (5).

Individually in league games: 2B Raynor Campbell is 15th in batting average (.345). SS Beamer Weems is tied for fourth in triples (2). Tolleson ranks 11th in ERA (4.17), while Kempf is 14th (4.29); they are tied for fifth in victories (4). Tolleson also ranks ninth in strikeouts (43), eighth in innings pitched (49.2), tied for first in shutouts (2), tied for second in complete games (2) and ninth in opponents' batting average (.243). Volz ranks second in strikeouts (58), and Matthews is tied for eighth in saves (2).

NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Through games of May 11, Baylor ranked 22nd in double plays turned (22), 24th in double plays turned per game (1.02), 37th in fielding percentage (.970), 41st in strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched (8.0), 41st in walks (233) and 53rd in triples (16).

Individually, 3B Shaver Hansen was 69th in triples (5) and 60th in triples per game (0.10), while RHP Kendal Volz was 51st in strikeouts (79) and 18th in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (10.89).

CARDIAC KIDS

After going 4-5 in one-run games last season, Baylor is 10-7 in such games this season. However, the Bears are 3-7 in one-run games after winning their first seven. The 10 one-run wins and the 17 one-run games are the most by a Baylor team since the 2005 squad was 15-8, establishing a school record for one-run wins. In 2004, Baylor established a school record for one-run losses with a 7-16 mark.

Baylor has won two games in its final at bat -- the season-opener against Purdue and the series opener against Kansas. However, the Bears have lost eight games in their opponents' final at bat, including five in Big 12 play.

EXTRA-INNING SUCCESS HAS TURNED IN 2008

Baylor is 15-7 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season but 1-3 in such games this season. The Bears were 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. 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 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).

NEXT UP ...

Should Baylor qualify for next week's Big 12 Conference Championship at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, the Bears would travel from Lubbock, Texas, to Oklahoma City following Sunday's series finale. Pool play in the Big 12 Championship begins Wednesday.