March 2, 2017

Shriners Classic Notes

HOUSTON -- Baylor baseball heads to Houston this weekend for the 2017 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park. The Bears (9-0) will face No. 9 Ole Miss (7-1) Friday at 12:05 p.m. CT, No. 3 LSU (8-1) Saturday at 3:35 p.m. and No. 11 Texas A&M (8-1) Sunday at 5:05 p.m. with all three games airing on FOX Sports Net.

All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on Waco's 1660 ESPN Central Texas (1330 AM/100.9 FM in Temple, Belton and Killeen). Derek Smith provides the play-by-play with Steve Johnigan adding color commentary. Live streaming audio, video and GameTracker also are available for all Baylor baseball home games online at BaylorBears.com.

SERIESà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € INFO
Date(s): March 3-5, 2017
Time(s): 12 PM | 3:30 PM | 5 PM CT
Location: Houston, Texas
Stadium: Minute Maid Park (41,168)
TV: FSN (each game)
Talent: Brett Dolan (pxp), Pat Combs (color)
Radio: ESPN/KRZI 1660 AMà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (Waco)
Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Steve Johnigan (color)

SERIES HISTORY (OM | LSU | TAMU)
Overall: 4-1 | 2-8 | 129-181-4
Streak: W4 | L4 | L1
Waco: 2-1 | N/A | 70-70
Road: 2-0 | 1-7 | 37-78-2
Neutral Site: N/A | 1-1 | 6-7
Rodriguez vs: N/A | N/A | N/A
First Meeting: 2-12-99 | 4-15-60 | 4-9-1904
Last Meeting: 3-8-00 | 3-7-15 | 3-8-15

SERIES MULTIMEDIA
Live Stats: BaylorBears.com
Audio: BaylorBears.com
Video: FSGO app or FSGO web
Twitter Updates: @BaylorBaseball

BAYLOR BEARS
2017 Record: 9-0
2017 Big 12 Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Steve Rodriguez
Career: 319-327 (14th season)
BU: 33-29 (2nd season)

2017 STAT LEADERS
AVG: Aaron Dodson (.462)
2B: Cascadden, Cunningham (5)
HR: Dodson, Langeliers (2)
RBI: Tucker Cascadden (11)
SB: Four Players (1)

OLE MISS REBELS
BA 20 USA 24 CB 9 NCBWA 13 D1 11
2017 Record: 7-1
2017 SEC Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Mike Bianco
Career: 737-442-1 (20th season)
OM: 637-371-1 (17th season)

LSU TIGERS
BA 4 USA 3 CB 3 NCBWA 3 D1 4
2017 Record: 8-1
2017 SEC Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Paul Mainieri
Career: 1,332-675-8 (35th season)
LSU: 468-183-3 (11th season)

TEXAS A&M AGGIES
BA 25 USA 20 CB 11 NCBWA 12 D1 15
2017 Record: 8-1
2017 SEC Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Rob Childress
Career: 466-239-2 (12th season)
TAMU: 466-239-2 (12th season)

TEAM QUICK NOTES
*Baylor is 9-0 to start a season for the first time since 1984 (13-0, best start in school history).

*Baylor is 1 of 6 undefeated teams in NCAA DI baseball.

*Baylor has won 9 straight games for the first time since winning 24 straight from March 16-April 22, 2012.

*Baylor is 3-4 under Steve Rodriguez against Baseball America ranked teams and 197-292-1 all-time, including a 28-39 mark in neutral sites, and 32-40 mark since 2011.

*Baylor is 44-79 all-time against Baseball America top 5 team -- its last win was May 20, 2015 vs. No. 5 TCU (6-5) and last win vs. a No. 4 team was March 8, 2014 vs. Cal State Fullerton (5-4).

*In 9 games, Baylor's starting pitchers have combined to give up just 12 runs (11 earned) on 41 hits and 16 walks with 33 strikeouts in 45.2 innings for a 2.17 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. The quartet of Sr. RHP Nick Lewis, Jr. RHP Montana Parsons, Fr. LHP Cody Bradford, Fr. Luke Boyd and Jr. RHP Alex Phillips also have picked up 8 wins with no losses.

*In 9 games, Baylor's newcomers have picked up 6 wins on the mound (Parsons, Bradford (2), Boyd, Phillips (2)) while going 33-for-93 (.355) at the plate with 26 runs, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers and 33 RBI. BU as a team is 103-for-304 (.339) at the plate with 83 runs, 30 doubles, 5 triples, 6 homers and 76 RBI.

*In 9 games, Baylor's pitchers have posted a 3.22 ERA and 1.44 WHIP while striking out 78 batters in 81 innings.

*Jr. closer RHP Troy Montemayor's 3 saves rank 4th in NCAA. He converted his first 8 career save attempts last season, and after blowing a save in his 9th attempt, has converted 9 straight. He's 17-for-18 in converting save attempts in his career. He now ranks 7th on BU's career saves list (17).

One of only six remaining unbeaten teams in Division I baseball, the Baylor Bears (9-0) will get their three toughest tests to date when they face three ranked teams at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Classic this weekend at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Baylor's actually the only unranked team in a World Series-worthy field that includes top-ranked TCU, No. 4 LSU, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 11 Ole Miss and No. 15 Texas A&M. Between them, the six teams are a combined 47-5.

"It's like I explained to them, if you're expecting to get to Omaha, this is exactly what you're going to see," Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez said, referring to the host site for the College World Series. "What a great opportunity. . . . You're playing against a bunch of SEC schools who have great traditions of winning and getting to Omaha. So, if you want to challenge yourself, what a great way to do it."

The Bears, off to their best start since 1984, will open the tournament against the 11th-ranked Rebels (7-1) at 12:05 p.m. Friday, face No. 4 LSU 8-1) at 3:05 p.m. Saturday and then 15th-ranked Texas A&M (8-1) at 5:05 p.m. Sunday.

"It's something special to take (batting practice) at a professional baseball field and to line up against . . . some of the best teams in the nation and tee it up against them," said Baylor senior DH Matt Menard, who is hitting .333.

Junior shortstop Tucker Cascadden, who's hitting .269 with five doubles and 10 RBI, said "the biggest thing for us is to play our game."

"Not worry about what they're doing, worry about what we're doing," Cascadden said. "We've got a chip on our shoulder, we're hungry. And these guys (Ole Miss, LSU and A&M) probably think they're going to come out and they're going to win. And that whole bus over there thinks differently. I think we've got just as good a chance to win as they do."

In Baylor's 9-0 start, the Bears have hit .339, belted 41 extra-base hits and averaged 9.2 runs with series wins over Niagara and South Alabama and midweek victories over Nevada, Texas State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. On the mound, the pitchers have compiled a 3.22 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 81.0 innings.

"Two words - bought in," Menard said. That's been the message Coach Rod has been preaching from Day One, since he got here last year. Buying into the process, and the process will speak for itself." Rodriguez got the chance to visit Minute Maid Park last summer for Baylor Day, and said, "What an amazing stadium."

"In my opinion, I don't know if there's anything better for a baseball player," Rodriguez said of playing in a Major League Baseball stadium. "When you get to actually go out there and play on the surface, you get to look around, you see the big screen, you see the stands, you see all the people . . . that's your ultimate goal as a baseball player, to get to that level. Being able to play on there should be an extremely high event for these guys in their lives."

The pitching matchup for Friday's game will have Baylor senior right-hander Nick Lewis (2-0, 2.25 ERA) going facing Ole Miss lefty David Parkinson (2-0, 2.77). Junior Montana Parsons 1-0, 3.38) goes up against LSU's Jared Poche' (2-0, 0.00) on Saturfday, followed by freshman lefty Cody Bradford (2-0, 2.08) versus A&M's Mitchell Kilkenny (1-0, 4.82) on Sunday.

All three games will be televised by FSN, with Brett Dolan and former Baylor pitcher Pat Combs calling the action.

The Bears will close out the road trip with a 6:30 p.m. matchup Tuesday at Sam Houston State before hosting Houston for a three-game series next weekend.