Baseball Hosts 2012 QTI Baylor Classic
3/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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| 2012 QTI Baylor Classic March 2-4, 2012 | Waco, Texas | Baylor Ballpark (5,000) TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | GAME NOTES | ||||||
| vs. UC Irvine Fri. | 6:05 p.m. BU - LHP Josh Turley UCI - LHP M. Whitehouse |  | vs. Lamar Sat. | 2:05 p.m. BU - RHP Max Garner LU - LHP J. Dziedzic | | vs. UC Irvine Sat. | 6:05 p.m. BU - TBA UCI - RHP A. Thurman | | vs. Lamar Sun. | 3:05 p.m. BU - LHP Brad Kuntz LU - TBA |
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Baylor hosts UC Irvine and Lamar for the 2012 QTI Baylor Classic starting Friday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark. The tournament runs through Sunday with two games each game.
The 25th-ranked Bears take on UC Irvine at 6:35 p.m. Friday and Saturday and face Lamar at 2:05 p.m. Saturday and 3:05 p.m. Sunday.
Baylor has a 7-2 record through nine games, tying its second-best start of the 18-year Steve Smith era. The Bears are ranked as high as No. 21 in the USATODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll, and they have a perfect 5-0 record at Baylor Ballpark this season.
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on Waco's 1660 ESPN Radio. Tom Barfield provides the play-by-play with Lark Smith adding color commentary. 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 CBS College Sports Network. Saturday's 6 p.m. game will not be broadcast on 1660 ESPN due to a conflict with Baylor men's basketball, but live audio will still be available through BaylorBears.com.
Live streaming video is available for the second game of each day of the QTI Baylor Classic. The only Baylor game that will not have live video is the first game on Saturday against Lamar. For more information, follow the Baylor All-Access link at www.BaylorBears.com.
SERIES INFORMATION
UC IRVINE ANTEATERS
Overall: Baylor leads 4-3
Waco: UC Irvine leads 3-1
Irvine: Baylor leads 3-0
Neutral Site: Never Met
Smith vs. UCI: 4-3
First Meeting: 2/28/2003
Last Meeting: 3/7/2009
SERIES INFORMATION
LAMAR CARDINALS
Overall: Baylor leads 41-29-1
Waco: Baylor leads 22-10
Beaumont: Lamar leads 19-16-1
Neutral Site: Baylor leads 3-0
Smith vs. LU: 4-1
First Meeting: 3/6/1967
Last Meeting: 3/30/2011
COACHES
BAYLOR: Steve Smith
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 626-417-1 (18th season)
Record at Baylor: 626-417-1 (18th season)
UC IRVINE: Mike Gillespie
Alma Mater: USC, 1962
Career Record: 943-550-4 (25th season)
Record at UCI: 173-74 (5th season)
LAMAR: Jim Gilligan
Alma Mater: Lamar, 1969
Career Record: 1,208-774 (36th season)
Record at LU: 1,198-764 (35th season)
BAYLOR-IMG COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK
1660 ESPN RADIO (Waco)
Tom Barfield (pxp) and Lark Smith (color)
BAYLOR - UV IRVINE SERIES HISTORY
Baylor is 4-3 all-time against UC Irvine, but the Bears are 1-3 in games played in Waco. UC Irvine swept a three-game series against the Bears in 2004 at Baylor Ballpark, and the Bears knocked off fifth-ranked UCI, 4-3, in the second game of the 2009 QTI Baylor Classic. Baylor is 3-0 against the Anteaters in games played in Irvine, having swept a three-game series as part of an 11-game winning streak in 2003.
BAYLOR - LAMAR SERIES HISTORY
Baylor is 41-29-1 all-time against Lamar, including a 22-10 record at Baylor Ballpark and a 4-1 record during the Steve Smith era. The Bears hosted the Cardinals for one game last season, losing 7-3 on March 30. Baylor and Lamar also played as part of the 2010 NCAA Fort Worth Regional, a game the Bears won 6-4 to end Lamar's season. The Bears have won all three neutral site meetings in the series and are 16-19-1 in games played in Beaumont.
BAYLOR vs. BIG WEST CONFERENCE
Baylor is 14-19 all-time against teams currently playing as members of the Big West Conference. The Bears have played against UC €ˆIrvine (4-3), Cal State Fullerton (2-4), Long Beach State (5-10) and Pacific (3-2). The two games against UC €ˆIrvine in the QTI €ˆBaylor Classic are Baylor's only games against Big West teams this season.
BAYLOR vs. SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
Baylor is 309-135-1 all-time against teams currently playing in the Southland Conference. The Bears have played 10 different Southland teams: Lamar (41-29-1), McNeese State (8-7), Nicholls State (7-2), Northwestern State (11-7), Sam Houston State (58-39), Stephen F. Austin (27-0), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-0), Texas State (46-18), UT €ˆArlington (78-29) and UTSA €ˆ(28-4).
Saturday's and Sunday's games will be the third and fourth of 13 games against Southland Conference teams in 2012. Baylor plays at home and on the road against four different Southland teams: Sam Houston State, UT €ˆArlington, UTSA and Texas State. The Bears host TAMU-Corpus Christi for two midweek games in April and Lamar plays Baylor twice as part of the QTI Baylor Classic. Baylor is 2-0 so far this season against Southland teams, knocking off Texas State, 5-1, on Feb. 22 at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock and defeating Sam Houston State, 6-2, Tuesday night at Baylor Ballpark.
QUICK NOTES
• SERIES: Baylor leads the all-time series against UC €ˆIrvine, 4-3, but the Bears are 1-3 against the Anteaters in games played in Waco. Baylor won the last meeting against UC €ˆIrvine, 4-3, on March 7, 2009.
• Baylor is 14-19 all-time against teams currently playing as members of the Big West Conference.
• SERIES: Baylor leads the all-time series against Lamar, 41-29-1, including a 22-10 record in €ˆWaco. The teams last played in €ˆWaco on March 30, 2011, with the Cardinals winning 7-3.
• The Bears are 309-135-1 all-time against teams currently playing as members of the Southland Conference.
• Baylor remained at No. 25 in Baseball America's Top 25 Poll for the second straight week.
• Baylor has been ranked in at least one in-season BA Top 25 poll in 14 of the last 16 seasons.
• Baylor leads the Big 12 in: OBP €ˆ(.415), SLG (.434), doubles (22) and walks (51); the Bears rank 2nd in batting average (.302), runs (56); hits (89), triples (4), RBI (53) and fielding percentage (.988).
• Baylor jumped from receiving votes (29th) to No. 21 in the first in-season USATODAY/ESPN Coaches' Poll.
• 11 Baylor relievers have combined for 30 strikeouts, 26 hits and a .186 opponents' batting average over 40.0 IP.
• Logan Vick and Trent Blank earned Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week on Monday, marking the 3rd time in program history the Bears have won both weekly honors on the same day.
• Baylor went 6-2 in its first 8 games of the season -- all against 2011 NCAA €ˆTournament teams.
• Baylor's 6-0 start was its best since starting the 2008 season 7-0.
• Baylor's bullpen went 18.0 innings before allowing its first run this season (9th inning vs. TCU).
• Baylor's 2012 schedule is rated the 13th-toughest nationally (No. 1 in Big 12) by Boyd's World.
• Baylor's 56-game 2012 schedule features 28 games against 2011 NCAA €ˆTournament teams.
• Baylor has ranked in the nation's top 25 in attendance in all 13 years since Baylor Ballpark opened in 1999.
• Baylor's 3-game sweep of Oral €ˆRoberts was its first series sweep since May 21-23, 2010.
• Since the start of the 2003 season, Baylor is 24-16 in extra-inning games.
• Baylor returned 20 of 25 letterwinners from last season's 31-28 Houston Regional runner-up team.
• The Bears were picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll, behind Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma.
• Baylor is 43-18 in its last 61 games at Baylor Ballpark, including a 24-6 mark in non-conference games.
• Eight players on Baylor's roster have been selected in previous MLB €ˆDrafts.
• Baylor is 1 of 14 programs nationally to play in 12+ NCAA Tournaments since 1998.
• Baylor has had a winning record in 11 of its last 17 regular season weekends.
• Baylor had won 4 straight series (at Nebraska, at No. 19 Oklahoma State, vs. No. 13 Oklahoma, vs. ORU) before dropping the final two games of a three-game set at No. 22 UCLA.
• Baylor snapped a 13-game homerless drought with three home runs in the first three innings of Sunday's series finale at UCLA.
• Three Baylor pitchers combined to carry a no-hitter through 7.2 IP in a 7-1 win vs. No. 15 TCU on Feb. 21.
• The Bears were 28-6 last season when scoring 4+ runs in a game and 3-22 when scoring 3 or fewer -- This season, Baylor is 5-1 when scoring 4+ runs and 2-1 when scoring 3 or fewer.
HOT START AGAINST STRONG COMPETITION
Baylor plays half of its 2012 schedule (28 of 56 games) against 2011 NCAA €ˆTournament teams. The Bears' first eight games of the season were all against teams that played in last year's tournament, and the Bears posted an impressive 6-2 record in those games.
Baylor opened the season with a three-game sweep of perennial NCAA €ˆTournament team Oral Roberts, including wins in both games of a double-header after rain postponed the second game of the series. The Bears then rolled to a 7-1 win over No. 15 TCU on Feb. 21, with three pitchers combining to carry a no-hitter through 7.2 innings.
The Bears continued their hot streak with a 5-1 win over Texas State at The Dell €ˆDiamond in Round Rock, and they extended their winning streak to six with a 15-3 win at No. 22 UCLA €ˆon Feb. 24. The Bears finally cooled off with losses in their last two games at UCLA, including losing a two-run lead in the eighth inning of the series finale.
Four of the eight games during the season-opening stretch were away from Baylor Ballpark, and the Bears went 2-2 in those games. In the four home games during the stretch, Baylor pitchers allowed only six total runs, posting a 1.00 ERA.
UP NEXT
Baylor plays its first of four straight Tuesday road games when the Bears travel to TCU for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. The Bears then host Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Baylor Ballpark before taking on Memphis in a three-game weekend series. Baylor's next four Tuesday games are all on the road (at TCU on March 6, at UT €ˆArlington on March 13, at Sam Houston State on €ˆMarch 20 and at Houston on March 27).
