No. 16 Baseball Hosts Texas State
4/2/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 2, 2012
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Texas State (18-10) at No. 16 Baylor (22-7) Baylor: RHP Dillon Newman, So. (0-1, 3.26 ERA, 19.1 IP, 20 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 21 K) Texas State: RHP Taylor Black, RFr. (2-0, 0.90 ERA, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 7 BB, 10 K) | |
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Baylor baseball puts its 11-game winning streak on the line when it hosts Texas State at 3:05 p.m. Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears will be looking for their longest winning streak since winning 14 straight in 1999.
Baylor has won 11 straight games at Baylor Ballpark, though only nine of those games came during the Bears' 11-game overall winning streak. This will be the second of three meetings between the two teams this season. Baylor won 5-1 at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock when the Bears and Bobcats went head-to-head on Feb. 22.
All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on Waco's 1660 ESPN Radio. Live streaming audio and GameTracker 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.
Live streaming video is available for weekend games at Baylor Ballpark. The game against Texas State will not have live video, but every remaining weekend home game is scheduled to be broadcast and can be accessed through an All-Access subscription on BaylorBears.com.
SERIES INFORMATION
TEXAS STATE BOBCATS
Overall: Baylor leads 46-18
Waco: Baylor leads 34-14
San Marcos: Baylor leads 11-4
Neutral Site: Baylor leads 1-0
Steve Smith vs. TSU: 32-13
Streak: Baylor has won last 2 meetings
COACHES
BAYLOR: Steve Smith
Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986
Career Record: 641-422-1 (18th season)
Record at Baylor: 641-422-1 (18th season)
TEXAS STATE: Ty Harrington
Career Record: 434-307 (13th season)
Record at TSU: 434-307 (13th season)
BAYLOR-IMG COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK
Online at www.BaylorBears.com
1660 ESPN Radio in Waco
Tom Barfield (pxp) and Lark Smith (color)
BAYLOR VS. TEXAS STATE SERIES HISTORY
Baylor is 46-18 in the all-time series against Texas State, including a 34-14 mark in games played in €ˆWaco and a 32-13 record during the Steve Smith era. The teams met earlier this season on €ˆFeb. 22, a game Baylor won 5-1 at The Dell €ˆDiamond in Round Rock.
Baylor and Texas State split a pair of games in 2011. The Bears won 6-4 in San Marcos on March 8 to avenge a 13-2 home loss on March 1. Baylor is 16-7 all-time against Texas State in games played at Baylor Ballpark, which opened in 1999.
RECORD-SETTING START TO BIG 12 PLAY
Baylor's 9-0 start to Big 12 play is the best by any team in the league's 16-year history. Texas held the previous record with a 7-0 start in 1999. The Bears have swept three consecutive Big 12 series for the first time in program history. Combined with a win in its last Big 12 game in 2011, Baylor has won a school-record 10 consecutive Big 12 games. The Bears 9-game Big 12 winning streak this season ties 1999 for the longest single-season Big 12 winning streak in program history.
The Bears have tied the fifth-longest single-season winning streak in Big 12 Conference history:
- 17 games -- Texas 2000
- 16 games -- Texas A&M 2008
- 14 games -- Nebraska 2000
- 10 games -- Oklahoma 2006
- 9 games -- Baylor 2012; Oklahoma State 2004; Oklahoma 2004; Missouri 2003; Texas 2000; Baylor 1999; Texas A&M 1997
BLANK-ING OPPONENTS
Baylor senior RHP €ˆTrent Blank leads the nation with seven wins (7-0) and has won nine straight decisions dating back to his last two decisions in 2011.
Blank's success can be attributed to a drop in his arm slot, which was done during a bullpen session at the recommendation of pitching coach Trevor Mote. Blank's first outing with the lower arm slot was May 10, 2011 at TCU, when he went 3.1 scoreless innings.
With the lower arm slot, Blank has combined to go 9-0 with a 2.59 ERA over 62.2 innings pitched. If one bad outing in the 2011 Houston €ˆRegional against California is removed from the record, he's gone 9-0 with a 1.89 ERA €ˆover 62.0 innings of work. Prior to changing his arm slot, Blank had gone 6-4 with a 6.15 ERA €ˆover 98.0 innings in his first two-and-a-half seasons at Baylor. Here's a before and after comparison of his numbers:
| BEFORE Feb. 9, 2009 - April 30, 2011 | AFTER May 10, 2011 - present | |
| W-L | 6-4 | 9-0 |
| ERA | 6.15 | 2.59 |
| IP | 98.0 | 562.2 |
| H | 124 | 43 |
| R/ER | 73/67 | 18/18 |
| WHIP | 1.643 | 1.053 |
PILING €ˆUP €ˆBIG €ˆ12 PLAYER €ˆOF €ˆTHE €ˆWEEK HONORS
Baylor shortstop Jake Miller was named Big 12 Conference co-Player of the Week on April 2, giving Baylor four Player of the Week honors this season. Max Muncy earned the award on March 26 and Logan Vick was honored on Feb. 27 and March 19.
With four Player of the Week awards this season, Baylor is one shy of tying Texas Tech €ˆ(2004) for the most in a single-season in conference history. Eight teams have earned four Player of the Week honors in one season, and Baylor is responsible for three of those (2004, 2011, 2012).
Miller had nine hits during the week, including a three-hit game in a win at Houston and a three-hit game in the series opener against Oklahoma State. Miller had two hits in the second game of the OSU series and had a 12th-inning single in the series finale as the Bears rallied to complete the sweep.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Six Baylor players have started every game in 2012, including four who have started at the same position in every game. Max Muncy (1B), Cal Towey (3B), Logan €ˆVick (CF) and Jake Miller (SS) have started every game at the same position, while Lawton Langford (2B) has started 24 of the last 25 games, giving the Bears the same infield starters in 24 of 25 games since Feb. 21.
Nathan €ˆOrf (LF/DH) and Josh €ˆLudy (C/DH) have also started every game. The consistency carries over to the batting order, as Orf (leadoff/2nd/3rd), Muncy (2nd/3rd), Ludy (cleanup/6th) and Vick (cleanup/5th) have hit in three or fewer spots in the lineup in every game.
Adam Toth started 7 of the first 8 games in right field before breaking his wrist, and Logan Brown (12 games) and Michael Howard (9 games) split time with Toth out.
QUICK HITS
• SERIES: Baylor leads the all-time series 46-18, including a 34-14 record in €ˆWaco and 1-0 this season.
• Baylor is ranked in all five college baseball polls this week. The Bears' highest ranking is in the Collegiate Baseball poll (No. 8), which is the Bears' highest ranking in that poll since 2005.
• Baylor's current 11-game winning streak is the 3rd-longest nationally, trailing only New Mexico State (13) and North €ˆDakota State (12). The Bears have also won 11 straight home games and 10 straight Big 12 games.
• Baylor's 11-game winning streak is its longest regular-season winning streak since an 11-game streak in 2003.
• Baylor has won 10 straight Big 12 games, which topped the previous school record of 9 straight Big 12 wins.
• Baylor's 9-0 start in Big 12 play is the best by any team in the conference's 16-year history.
• Baylor has 24 errors in 29 games played and it ranks 3rd in the Big 12 with a .978 fielding percentage.
• Baylor is tied for 9th nationally with 142 walks drawn. Combined with 44 HBP, the Bears have more free bases (186) than strikeouts (182). Four Baylor starters have more walks than strikeouts.
• Baylor has homered in 5 of the last 6 games after snapping a 15-game, 499-at-bat homerless drought.
• Six Baylor starters have on-base percentages of .429 or higher, including three at .452 or higher.
• Baylor started a Big 12 season 3-0 for the first time since sweeping No. 1 Texas to open Big 12 play in 2005.
• Baylor's sweep of Texas Tech was its first Big 12 sweep since May 21-23, 2010 against Oklahoma State.
• Baylor also swept Kansas & OSU €ˆto record 3 straight Big 12 series sweeps for the first time in school history.
• Baylor leads the Big 12 in on-base percentage (.408), walks (142), wins and fewest home runs allowed (5).
• Baylor is 2nd in the Big 12 in slugging (.415), doubles (53), ERA (3.11) and opponents' batting average (.241).
• Six Baylor players have started every game this season, including four who have started at the same position.
• Baylor's 11-game winning streak ties the nation's 9th-longest winning streak in 2012.
• Baylor has outscored opponents 87-34, hit .323 as a team and posted a 2.29 team ERA during the streak.
• Baylor is 14-0 this season in games started by junior LHP €ˆJosh Turley (7-0) or senior RHP €ˆTrent Blank (7-0).
• Baylor leads the Big 12 with a 2.25 ERA €ˆin conference games this season - 1.00 better than any other team.
• Sunday's 13-inning win vs. Oklahoma State was Baylor's longest game won since at 14-inning loss at Texas on May 1, 2010. It was the longest Baylor win since a 13-inning victory at Vanderbilt on March 11, 2005.
• Baylor has swept four series this season (ORU, TTU, KU, OSU) after sweeping one series in 2011 (LaTech). The last time Baylor swept four series in a season was in 2005 when BU swept five series on its way to Omaha.
• Baylor is 18-3 at home in 2012, and BU is 56-21 in its last 77 home games (28-9 in non-conference games).
• Baylor is 4-3 this season when scoring three or fewer runs. The Bears were 3-22 in such games last season.
• Junior SS €ˆJake Miller was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, giving Baylor 4 such honors this season.
• Junior 1B Max Muncy was named NCBWA €ˆNational Hitter of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week on March 26.
• Senior RHP €ˆTrent Blank leads the nation with 7 wins and has won 9 straight decisions dating back to 2011.
• Junior C/OF Nathan €ˆOrf ranks 2nd nationally after being hit by a pitch 17 times this season.
• Junior CF Logan Vick enters the week tied for 11th nationally with 13 doubles and tied for 20th with 24 walks.
• Honoring a legend: Mickey Sullivan passed away on March 22 in €ˆWaco after a long battle with cancer. The Bears' all-time winningest head coach was 80 years of age. He coached Baylor from 1974-1994.
• 18 Baylor relievers have combined for a 3.03 ERA, 91 strikeouts, 93 hits and a .225 opponents' BA over 115.2 IP.
• Muncy has started 111 consecutive games at 1B for Baylor. He has missed one start in 148 team games since joining the Baylor program before the 2010 season.
• Vick has won Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season (Feb. 27 & March 19). He's the fifth player in program history to win multiple Big 12 Player of the Week awards in the same year.
• For the first time in Big 12 history, Baylor played its first 9 conference games at home. Baylor's longest previous league-opening homestand was 7 games in 2003 (Bears went 5-2).
• Baylor is currently 15th nationally in total home attendance (54,697) and 22nd in average (2,734).
• Baylor has ranked in the nation's top 25 in attendance in all 13 years since Baylor Ballpark opened in 1999.
• Baylor had a streak with 8+ runs scored in 6 straight games for the first time since an 8-game streak in 1998.
• Baylor's 9-0 win vs. Kansas on March 24 was its first shutout since May 1, 2011 at Nebraska.
• Baylor's 2-1 win vs. Memphis was its first victory with 3 hits or less since March 15, 2005 against TCU.
• Baylor tied an NCAA €ˆrecord with 10 batters hit by pitch on March 6 at TCU. The teams combined to hit 13 batters in the game, breaking the previous NCAA €ˆrecord of 12 combined hit batsmen.
• 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.
• Baylor has played two doubleheaders this season and has won both games both times.
• Baylor's 55-game 2012 schedule features 28 games against 2011 NCAA €ˆTournament teams.
• Baylor's complete 2012 schedule is rated the 13th-toughest nationally (No. 1 in Big 12) by Boyd's World.
• Since the start of the 2003 season, Baylor is 26-16 in extra-inning games.
• The Bears were picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll, behind Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma.
• 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 been ranked in at least one in-season Baseball €ˆAmerica Top 25 poll in 14 of the last 16 seasons.
• Baylor went 6-2 in its first 8 games of the season - all against 2011 NCAA €ˆTournament teams.
• Baylor's 8-2 start tied the second-best 10-game start of the 18-year Steve Smith era (9-1 in 2008).
UP NEXT
Baylor hits the road for the first time in Big 12 play when the Bears travel to Columbia, €ˆMo. for a three-game set against Missouri. The series will be played Thursday through Saturday due to the Easter holiday. €ˆFirst pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and noon on Saturday.
