Baylor
Kansas State
BSB Travels to K-State
5/12/2022 4:15:00 PM | Baseball
Bears have won seven of the last 10 meetings against the Wildcats
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BAYLOR BEARS (23-22, 5-13 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Steve Rodriguez (Pepperdine, 2001) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (23-22, 5-13) vs KANSAS STATE (25-22, 6-12) May 13, 2022 • 6:00 p.m. CT May 14, 2022 • 4:00 p.m. CT May 15, 2022 • 1:00 p.m. CT Manhattan, Kan. • Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ LISTEN: Learfield / ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM & 92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith (Play-by-Play), Max Calderone (Analyst) Baylor Social Media:    |
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KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (25-22, 6-12 Big 12) Location: Manhattan, Kan. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Pete Hughes (Davidson, 1990) Roster | Stats | Game Notes |
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Bruised and beat up by injuries and illness this season, Baylor's pitching staff welcomed back a familiar face three weeks ago when fourth-year junior Blake Helton threw 19 pitches in recording the last four outs in a 13-4 loss at Texas.
Still on a pitch-count limit, Helton was back in the rotation for the first time since the series opener against Maryland and threw 37 pitches in a two-inning start when the Bears defeated Texas Tech, 11-7, in their last conference game.
Now, after a nine-day break for semester final exams, Helton hopes to get in a "full start" when Baylor (23-22, 5-13) faces Kansas State (25-22, 6-12) in a three-game series that starts Friday at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.
"It feels really good to be back out there, finally," said Helton (0-1, 5.06 ERA), who will start Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale. "I was in the dugout, on the sidelines, watching for a couple of months. . . . I feel like while I was out, (Tyler Thomas and Will Rigney) did a great job of carrying this team along, and now I've got to take the baton and do my part to pick up where they left off."
Thomas underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery, while Rigney has been out since leaving two batters into the second inning of that Saturday loss at Austin that Helton finished. The other projected starters this weekend are Nevada transfer Jake Jackson (3-4, 8.93) in Friday's 6 p.m. series opener and Kobe Andrade (3-3, 5.13) in Saturday's 4 p.m. game.
With sophomore reliever Brett Garcia also back for the first time in four weeks, Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez said "it's nice to kind of be on the upswing, for a change, this year."
"Since the beginning of the season, we haven't had one of our top starters," Rodriguez said of Helton, who was 4-3 with a 3.44 ERA and a team-high 13 starts last season. "Being able to get a guy like that back, and hopefully in the rotation, gives us an opportunity to compete. To get us somewhat into the middle of the game would be great."
Unlike the other pitchers, Helton's injury had nothing to do with on-the-field issues. Involved in an accident that totaled his car, he was "dealing with some back issues that I didn't know were there until that first weekend when I started really pushing my body."
After giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 2.0 innings of a 9-5 loss to Maryland, Helton didn't pitch again until coming out of the bullpen in that series against Texas when the Bears lost both Thomas and Rigney.
"We got it under control. I went up to Dallas, got six cortisone shots in my spine. Then just a short rest and right back to it," he said. "It definitely gets tight sometimes. Some days are better than others. Thanks to the doctors and the training staff, it's to the point now where I can go out there and compete and feel fine."
Helton could play a big part in the final two conference series, as the Bears try to make the Big 12 tournament for the 25th-straight time. The only team that has qualified every year, Baylor is battling Kansas State and Kansas (20-29, 4-14) for one of the final two spots in the eight-team tournament that will be held May 25-29 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
"I don't explain all that to them," Rodriguez said. "Most of them are really bright, and they understand how to research stuff. And they're pretty good at math, too. The biggest thing for us is we just need to go out and play. Winning games fixes a lot of things. Just taking care of our business really takes care of the other stuff."
After this weekend, Baylor finishes the regular season with a game Tuesday against Stephen F. Austin and a three-game series at home against league-leading and third-ranked Oklahoma State (34-14, 13-5).
"I don't know how the other guys are taking it, but I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself," Helton said. "As long as we go out there and execute the way that we can, we'll be just fine."
K-State, which has won four of its last five conference games, ranks near the bottom of the league in ERA (5.77). But, the Wildcats are hitting .284 as a team and have hit 74 homers, which is the second-most in the Big 12 behind only Texas (96).
"(Tointon Field) plays small, so we've got to make sure we take care of that," Rodriguez said. "They have several guys who have hit quite a bit of home runs. . . . For me, it's just a matter of going out and playing really good baseball, and hopefully this break has given our guys a little bit of energy to go out these next couple weeks and finish strong."
All three games will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor returns to the baseball diamond after a nine-day layoff from action with a three-game series at Kansas State.
• BU currently sits in 8th place in the Big 12 standings at 5-13 in conference play, with 2 Big 12 series remaining.
• The Bears are one game back of K-State (6-12, 7th) and one game ahead of Kansas (4-14, 9th) in the league standings.
• The Bears continue to turn double plays at a high rate, leading the Big 12 and ranking third nationally with 51 total twin killings and 1.13 per game.
• BU has recorded at least one extra-base hit in each of its last 24 games, have notched at least two XBH in 13 of its last 14 games.
• Baylor's pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts on Tuesday against Tarleton for its 12th double-digit strikeout performance of the season.
• Sophomore LHP Cam Caley carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before allowing an RBI double.
• Against Texas Tech on Sunday, May 1, sophomore OF Kyle Nevin logged BU's first five-hit game since Shea Langeliers did so on June 1, 2019 vs. Omaha as part of the Los Angeles Regional.
• Nevin also tied his career high with 4 RBIs and set a new personal best with three doubles, which also tied the Baylor program record for most doubles in a single Big 12 game.
• Junior INF Jack Pineda leads the Big 12 and is tied for 11th nationally with five triples. He sits two behind the nation's leader with seven regular-season games to play.
• Five triples are the most by a Bear in a single season since Richard Cunningham led the team with five in 2016.
• Baylor also ranks second in the league with 12 total triples on the year.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Baylor holds a 52-30 advantage in the all-time series over Kansas State.
• Under seventh-year head coach Steve Rodriguez, the Bears are 9-7 against the Wildcats.
• BU has won each of the last three series vs. K-State, including a sweep the last time the Bears visited The Little Apple.
• Baylor is 7-3 against K-State over the last 10 matchups.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, May 13 • 6:00 p.m. CT • RHP Jake Jackson (3-4, 8.93 ERA) vs. RHP Blake Adams (4-4, 4.57 ERA)
Saturday, May 14 • 4:00 p.m. CT • LHP Kobe Andrade (3-3, 5.15 ERA) vs. RHP German Fajardo (4-1, 2.18 ERA)
Sunday, May 15 • 1:00 p.m. CT • RHP Blake Helton (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs. TBD
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• This weekend's series will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
• Fans can also tune in to ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM and 92.3 FM for the Baylor radio broadcast, featuring Derek Smith (play-by-play) and Max Calderone (analyst) on the call.
TURNING TWO
• Baylor leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally with 51 double plays turned in 2022 (1.13 per game).
• Entering the weekend, BU is just one off the nation's lead of 52, currently held by New Mexico and New Orleans.
• Sophomore 2B Tre Richardson has an assist in 36 of those 51 twin killings so far this season.
• The Bears rolled just 33 double plays in all of 2021 (0.65 per game).
TRIPLES TRIBUTE
• Jack Pineda leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th nationally with five triples.
• The fourth-year junior shortstop is just two three-baggers shy of the nation's leader.
• Pineda's five triples are the most by a Bear in a single season since Richard Cunningham led the team with five in 2016.
• Pineda's sixth triple would be the most by a BU player in a single season since Brooks Pinckard in 2010.
• No Bear has reached seven triples since Ben Booker in 2007 and that mark has only been reached 11 times since 1970.
-BaylorBears.com-
