Baseball Plays at Oklahoma, Hosts Texas State
3/28/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 29: 6:05 PM CT | Radio | Live Stats | FSOK
March 30: 6:30 PM CT | Video | Radio | Live Stats
March 31: 4:00 PM CT | Radio | Live Stats | FSOK+
April 2: 6:45 PM CT | Video | Radio |
Baylor Game/Series Notes
MEDIA INFORMATION
Video: FSOK
Radio: ESPN 1660/Baylor All-Access
Radio Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Steve Johnigan (analyst)
Live Stats: SoonerSports.com
Twitter: @BaylorBaseball | #SicOU
Pitching Matchup: BU LHP Cody Bradford (3-2, 2.95 ERA) vs. OU RHP Jake Irvin (4-0, 2.27 ERA)
Video: SoonerSports.com
Radio: ESPN 1660/Baylor All-Access
Radio Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Steve Johnigan (analyst)
Live Stats: SoonerSports.com
Twitter: @BaylorBaseball | #SicOU
Pitching Matchup: BU RHP Hayden Kettler (3-2, 2.72 ERA) vs. OU RHP Devon Perez (3-0, 2.01 ERA)
Video: FSOK+
Radio: ESPN 1660/Baylor All-Access
Radio Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Steve Johnigan (analyst)
Live Stats: SoonerSports.com
Twitter: @BaylorBaseball | #SicOU
Pitching Matchup: BU RHP Jacob Ashkinos (0-1, 3.68 ERA) vs. OU RHP Nathan Wiles (1-1, 4.68 ERA)
Video: BaylorBears.com
Radio: ESPN 1660/Baylor All-Access
Radio Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Steve Johnigan (analyst)
Live Stats:
Twitter: @BaylorBaseball | #SicTXST
Pitching Matchup: TBA vs. TBA
BAYLOR
13-9, 3-3 Big 12Ranking: NR
2018 Big 12 Record: 3-3
Head Coach: Steve Rodriguez
Career Record: 357-359 (15th season)
BU Record: 72-61 (3rd season)
OKLAHOMA
17-10, 3-0 Big 12Ranking: RV
2018 Big 12 record: 3-0
Head Coach: Skip Johnson
Career Record: 17-10 (1st season)
OU Record: 17-10 (1st season)
TEXAS STATE
14-9-1, 3-3 Sun BeltRanking: NR
2018 Sunbelt record: 3-3
Head Coach: Ty Harrington
Career Record: 605-477-2 (19th season)
TXST Record: 605-477-2 (19th season)
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
Sophomore pitcher Jacob Ashkinos admits that he couldn't have done this at the beginning of the year.
"I don't think I was ready," said Ashkinos (0-1, 3.68), a junior college transfer who will replace freshman Tyler Thomas in the weekend rotation when Baylor baseball (13-9, 3-3) faces Oklahoma (17-10, 3-0) in a series that starts Thursday at Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla. "I had some stuff at the beginning of the year that I needed to learn. Now, I'm ready to go."
Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez decided to make the change after Thomas (0-2, 3.12) struggled with control issues in losses to Texas Tech and Kansas. Ashkinos will make his third start and team-high 10th appearance in Saturday's 4 p.m. series finale.
"He's done a really good job the last couple outings of being able to compete in and out of the zone with his fastball," Rodriguez said. "I just like his competitive nature out there on the mound. I think that's something we're going to be able to really get excited about and rally around."
Whether it's as a middle reliever or midweek starter, Thomas is "going to continue to pitch for us, because he still has great stuff," Rodriguez said.
"We just have to make sure we're putting him in a spot where he can continue to succeed, go out there and let him have some success on the mound," he said.
Ashkinos said Thomas is "definitely a guy that can help us."
"He's got some of the best stuff on the team. He just has to realize it," Ashkinos said. "I try to figure out what's going on in his head when stuff goes wrong and try to help him through it. I did it early in the season, and they helped me figure it out. Now, I'm trying to help him figure it out, because he has great stuff."
A hard-throwing right-hander, Ashkinos showed off his stuff in last week's 5-2 win over Dallas Baptist, tossing four shutout innings and striking out nine of the 16 batters he faced.
"I was able to locate the fastball in and out, up, down," he said. "My splitter was working really well, my curveball was right where I needed it to be. I just made the pitches I needed to, and they didn't hit it. I tried to make them hit it. I was hoping they would hit it earlier in the count to keep my pitch count down, but they just didn't hit it."
The Bears lost Sunday's series rubber match against Kansas, 8-5, before matching a season-high in a 17-5 win over Prairie View A&M on Monday, when they had 16 hits and 12 walks.
"I like that our guys weren't forcing at-bats," Rodriguez said. "That's something I think we have a tendency to do, everybody wants to hit. But sometimes, your best at-bat is to take the walk and let the next guy get up there. When you force at-bats, then usually you swing at a pitch you traditionally wouldn't swing at."
Baylor will face some of the Big 12's best arms this weekend in 6-5 right-handers Jake Irvin (4-0, 2.27 ERA) and Devon Perez (3-0, 2.01). The Bears will counter with sophomore lefty Cody Bradford (3-2, 2.95) in Thursday's 6:30 p.m. series opener and sophomore right-hander Hayden Kettler (3-2, 2.72) in Friday's 6:30 p.m. Game 2.
Rodriguez expects Bradford to bounce back after giving up four first-inning runs in last Friday's 6-5 loss to Kansas.
"He's done a great job. If he doesn't have a great outing, he bounces back the next outing. I think that's part of his maturity, too, which is exciting," Rodriguez said. "I think sometimes the smart kids are the toughest ones, because they can really over-think things out there. I just want him to go out and trust the staff that he has and realize he doesn't have to be better than that."
Ashkinos will be matched against sophomore righty Nathan Wiles (1-1, 4.68), who made his Big 12 debut last year in a 3-0 victory over Baylor that clinched the series win for the Sooners in Waco.
"I'm really happy with how we're seeing the ball," Rodriguez said. "I think if our guys go out and play the way we can play, just give us three good baseball games with a chance to win at the end."
WACO, Texas - Baylor baseball plays its first Big 12 road series at Oklahoma this weekend before returning home for a 6:35 p.m. CT game on Monday vs. Texas State. Games at OU are scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.
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.
For tickets, visit: http://www.baylorbears.com/tickets/. For updates on the program follow @baylorbaseball on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
TEAM QUICK NOTES
*Baylor has won eight of its last 10 games.
*Baylor has won 10 of its last 14 games.
*Baylor has scored a season-high 17 runs twice in its last three games.
*Baylor is 3-2 in three-game series this season (0-1 on road, 3-1 at home) and has a combined record of 8-5.
*Baylor has hit a home run in six straight games (nine total). BU had a streak of six straight games last season from May 13-19, 2017 (15 total).
*Baylor has hit 102 home runs in 132 games under third-year head coach Steve Rodriguez. BU hit 51 in 2017 for its most homers since 2010 (57). BU has 17 in 2018.
*Baylor 28 multi-home run games under Rodriguez (nine 2016, 14 in 2017, five in 2018).
*Fr. IF/OF Nick Loftin was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week March 26 after he hit .471 (8-for-17) in four games with six runs, first two career home runs, seven RBI and one walk.
*Among NCAA leaders, Baylor ranks 17th (first in Big 12) in double plays per game (1.05), 41st (second in Big 12) in ERA (3.37), 51st (second in Big 12) in hits allowed per nine innings (7.89), 51st (third in Big 12) in shutouts (2) and 55th (fifth in Big 12) in triples per game (0.32).
*Among NCAA individual leaders, Troy Montemayor ranks 16th (second in Big 12) in saves (6), Kyle Hill ranks 23rd (first in Big 12) in hits allowed per nine innings (4.81), Andy Thomas ranks 10th (first in Big 12) in on-base percentage (.526) and 39th (second in Big 12) in average (.400) and Davis Wendzel ranks 49th (sixth in Big 12) in doubles (9).
*Baylor is 20-9 in midweek games under third-year head coach Steve Rodriguez with a 13-8 home mark and 7-1 road record. BU is 3-1 in 2018 (1-1 at home, 2-0 on road).
*Baylor has finished its home schedule with a .500 record or better (9-5 in 2018) in all 19 seasons at Baylor Ballpark (since 1999) and is 425-198 all-time at the park.
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