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Bears, Longhorns Meet in Key Big 12 Series
May 1, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
GAMES 48-50 • MAY 2-4 BAYLOR (27-20, 9-12) vs. FRIDAY: 6:30 p.m. CDT -- Equipment Depot Baylor Baseball Card Set giveaway (first 1500 fans wearing Gold) SATURDAY: 2:30 p.m. CDT -- FSN TV SUNDAY: 1:00 p.m. CDT -- Baylor returns to action this weekend with the annual split-series against Texas. The Bears and the Longhorns meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. CDT at Baylor Ballpark. The series then shifts to Austin's UFCU Disch-Falk Field for games Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Baylor enters the series sixth in the Big 12 standings, one game behind The Bears (27-20, 9-12) has won three straight after a pair of 14-4 midweek victories at UT Arlington and at home against The Longhorns (27-18, 10-11) have won three of their last four games, taking two of three at Baylor and Texas have played 12 common opponents this season -- Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas Southern, Texas State, UT Arlington and UTSA. The Bears are 14-12 against those teams, while the Longhorns are 16-12. Baylor is 9-9 against the six Big 12 teams, while All Baylor baseball games are broadcast live on PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS FRIDAY Baylor: RHP Kendal Volz, So. (3-4, 4.19 ERA, 62.1 IP, 26 BB, 72 K) SATURDAY Baylor: RHP Shawn Tolleson, Fr. (4-3, 5.15 ERA, 57.2 IP, 24 BB, 49 K) SUNDAY Baylor: RHP Willie Kempf, So. (6-2, 3.99 ERA, 56.1 IP, 29 BB, 39 K) THE SERIES Overall: Neutral Site: Baylor leads 11-7 Since Start of Big 12: Regular Season: tied 17-17 Postseason: Smith vs. First Meeting: at Last Meeting: COACHES BAYLOR: Steve Smith Alma Mater: Baylor, 1986 Career Record: 517-331-1 [14th season] Record at Baylor: 517-331-1 [14th season] Alma Mater: Career Record: 1656-773-8 [40th season] Record at TELEVISION FOX SPORTS NETWORK (Saturday) Greg Lucas, play-by-play Jack Lazorko, color BAYLOR/ISP SPORTS NETWORK 1660 ESPN RADIO ( Tom Barfield, play-by-play Lark Smith, color INTERNET FEEDS GameTracker: www.BaylorBears.com Audio: www.BaylorBears.com Video (Friday): www.BaylorBears.com Video (Saturday/Sunday): www.TexasSports.com BAYLOR-TEXAS SERIES Baylor and Baylor is 20-23 against Baylor and Six of the last 10 regular-season meetings between Baylor and Texas have been decided by two runs or less, including five one-run game. BEARS BID FAREWELL TO SIX SENIORS Baylor's 2008 senior class will be honored prior to Friday night's series opener. Over the past four seasons, these players have helped the Bears to a 145 wins, three NCAA Regional appearances and one College World Series appearance. Those honored will be RHP Nick Cassavechia, RHP Erik Forestiere, LHP Drew Jeffcoat, RHP Randall Linebaugh, RHP Tim Matthews and CF Paul Miles, the group's only fifth-year senior (redshirt season in 2004). Cassavechia and Linebaugh joined the program as true freshmen in 2005, while Jeffcoat transferred to Baylor from Texas Wesleyan that season. Matthews joined Baylor in 2006 after one season at UT Tyler. Forestiere came to Baylor in 2006 after two seasons at nearby BAYLOR ON TELEVISION Baylor is 28-32 all-time in televised games since 1988. The Bears are 0-3 in such games this season, falling 3-2 at TCU, 8-2 against TEAM NOTES Baylor was 26-21 overall and 8-13 through 47 games last season. The Bears went 5-3 the remainder of the regular season, including a 4-2 mark in Big 12 play, and won three of four games at the Big 12 Championship. ... After surrendering only 22 home runs in the season's first 35 games, the Bears have allowed 25 home runs over the last 12 games. This stretch comes on the heels of a five-game span without allowing any home runs. Baylor pitchers have allowed at least one home runs in eight of the last nine games. ... With 43 home runs in 47 games this season, Baylor batters already have eclipsed the 2006 team's 63-game total of 35. The Bears are on pace to hit 50 home runs in 55 regular-season games this year; that would be the most by a Baylor team since the 2004 squad hit 54, four of which came at the Big 12 Championship. ... Baylor's staff ERA is 8.09 in the ninth inning this season; the Bears have been out-scored 32-14 in the ninth. The Bears' ninth-inning ERA was 3.98 last season, 3.77 in 2006, 2.23 in 2005 and 3.21 in 2004. The only other innings in which the Bears' staff ERA is higher than 4.79 is the first (6.89) and the seventh (7.91). The Bears' two highest innings in walks per nine innings are the seventh (6.4) and the ninth (7.0); Baylor is allowing 3.1 walks per nine innings elsewhere in the game. ... Baylor has scored only four runs in four Big 12 series openers on the road; only once did the Bears score prior to the seventh (a one-run sixth inning at Texas A&M). The Bears hit .150 in those four games, and Raynor Campbell has six of the team's 18 hits. ... Baylor pitchers have tallied 31 strikeouts against only five walks over the last three games, recording at least 10 strikeouts in all three games. ... The Bears did not issue a walk in Wednesday's game against PLAYER NOTES Ben Booker has hit safely in six straight games, posting a .375 average (9-for-24) in that time. He has six home runs this season after hitting four home runs in his first two seasons combined. Booker has posted a .220 batting average (18-for-82) in the leadoff spot; he is hitting .333 (27-for-81) elsewhere in the lineup. ... Raynor Campbell also is riding a six-game hitting streak with a .435 average (10-for-23) in that time. VOLZ CLIMBS STRIKEOUTS LISTS RHP Kendal Volz ranks third in the Big 12 and 28th nationally with 72 strikeouts on the season. He is averaging 10.40 strikeouts per nine innings, which would rank second in Baylor's records book (since 1968). Volz has been even stronger in conference games, where he leads the league with 51 strikeouts and 11.10 strikeouts per nine innings. He is two strikeouts shy of cracking Baylor's single-season top 10 list for Big 12 games, and his strikeouts-per-nine-innings average in league play would be the best in Baylor history. Volz has 87 career strikeouts in Big 12 play, already tying Mark McCormick for 10th all-time at Baylor. BAYLOR IN BIG 12 CONFERENCE STATISTICAL RANKINGS Baylor ranks sixth in batting average (.290), eighth in ERA (5.20) and fourth in fielding percentage (.971) through games of April 30. In league games, the Bears rank eighth in batting average (.262), fourth in ERA (5.47) and fifth in fielding percentage (.973). Individually in all games: 3B Shaver Hansen is tied for eighth in hits (58), tied for ninth in doubles (14) and tied for third in triples (5). 1B Adam Hornung is tied for 10th in hits (57), while OF Ben Booker is tied for fifth in triples (3). RF Aaron Miller is tied for fifth in home runs (10), third in triples (17) and sixth in total bases (103). DH Dustin Dickerson is tied for fourth in doubles (15). RHP Willie Kempf is 17th in ERA (3.99) and tied for fifth in wins (6). RHP Kendal Volz is 19th in ERA (4.19), tied for ninth in innings (62.1), third in strikeouts (72) and second in strikeouts per nine innings (10.40). RHP Shawn Tolleson is tied for first in games started (11), second in shutouts (2) and tied for third in complete games (2). RHP Nick Cassavechia is sixth in saves (5). Individually in league games: 2B Raynor Campbell is 10th in batting average (.370) and tied for seventh in hits (27). Miller is tied for ninth in home runs (4). Kempf is 13th in ERA (4.62) and tied for fifth in wins (4). Tolleson is 14th in ERA (4.68), tied for seventh in wins (3), eighth in innings (42.1), eighth in strikeouts (7.65), tied for first in shutouts (2), tied for second in complete games (2) and eighth in opponents' batting average (.237). Volz is 20th in ERA (5.44), tied for ninth in innings (41.1), first in strikeouts (51) and first in strikeouts per nine innings (11.10). RHP Tim Matthews is tied for fourth in saves (2). NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS Through games of April 27, Baylor ranked sixth in double plays turned (50) and 11th in double plays turned per game (1.11). The Bears' fielding percentage (.971) ranked 32nd nationally. Baylor also ranked 25th in walks drawn (214) and 37th in triples (15). Individually, 3B Shaver Hansen was 43rd in triples (5) and 53rd in triples per game (0.11). RF Aaron Miller was 92nd in doubles (16), while Dustin Dickerson was 94th (15). RHP Willie Kempf was 64th in wins (6). RHP Kendal Volz was 28th in strikeouts (72) and 33rd in strikeouts per nine innings (10.40). TOLLESON, VOLZ LOOKING FOR SUPPORT In 14 combined Big 12 Conference starts, RHPs Shawn Tolleson and Kendal Volz have garnered a total of 39 runs of support (2.8 per game) with 30.8 percent of those runs (12) coming in one game (April 5 vs. The Bears are 1-6 in Volz' six Big 12 starts, scoring 17 runs in those seven games (five vs. Oklahoma State, none at Missouri, two at Oklahoma, four vs. Kansas, one at Kansas State, one at Texas A&M and four vs. Nebraska). The Bears are 3-4 in Tolleson's seven Big 12 starts, scoring 22 runs in those games (three vs. Baylor has given Tolleson 12-plus runs in three of his 11 starts this season -- 16 at Mississippi State, 12 against Kansas and 14 in a predetermined 2.0-inning start Tuesday at UT Arlington. In Tolleson's other eight starts, the Bears have produced 26 runs (3.3 per game). Volz earned 45.5 percent of his run support this season in one game -- 20 of 44 runs in a 20-6 victory over CARDIAC KIDS After going 4-5 in one-run games last season, Baylor is 10-7 in such games this season. However, the Bears are 3-7 in one-run games after winning their first seven. The 10 one-run wins and the 17 one-run games are the most by a Baylor team since the 2005 squad was 15-8, establishing a school record for one-run wins. In 2004, Baylor established a school record for one-run one-run losses with a 7-16 mark. Baylor has won two games in its final at bat -- the season-opener against Purdue and the series opener against EXTRA-INNING SUCCESS HAS TURNED IN 2008 Baylor is 15-7 in extra-inning games since the start of the 2003 season but 1-3 in such games this season. The Bears were 2-1 in extra-inning games last season, 0-1 in 2006, 6-1 in 2005, 1-0 in 2004 and 5-1 in 2003. Baylor's luck was not as good in 2002 when the Bears were 1-5 in extra-inning games, including a span of three consecutive games lost in extra innings during mid-May. Five of the 15 wins over the past six seasons have come on an opponent's home field ( FIVE BAYLOR GAMES SLATED FOR TELEVISION Five Baylor games are scheduled for television broadcast this season, including two home games. The Bears will be on CSTV twice: April 1 at TCU (7 p.m. CT) and April 22 vs. Since 1988, Baylor has played on television 59 times, including a program-best 12 games in 2005. Over the past 20 years, the Bears are 28-31 in televised games. BAYLOR AMONG NATIONAL APR LEADERS Baylor received a public recognition award from the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program in 2007 for having an Academic Progress Rate (APR) score that ranks among the top 10 percent within their sport. The Bears' most-recent APR score was 983 with an adjusted squad size mark of 992. Baylor was one of 30 Division I programs honored by the NCAA. Head coach Steve Smith's squad was the only of Baylor's 19 varsity teams so honored. TRIPLE YOUR PLEASURE Baylor batters tallied 58 triples over the past two seasons. Only Furthermore, Baylor joins Baylor's Jon Topolski led the nation with 11 triples in 1998. Seth Fortenberry tied for third nationally with 10 triples in 2006, and Ben Booker tied for 15th nationally last season with seven. Michael Griffin was 25th nationally with 0.12 triples per game in 2003, one year after Mike Huggins was 25th nationally with 0.11 triples per contest. SIX BEARS ON BASEBALL Baseball RHP Shawn Tolleson was rated as the 15th-best prospect among freshmen; Tolleson, who missed the 2007 season with a medical redshirt, will be draft eligible in 2009 after his sophomore seasons. Four Bears appearend on the sophomore list: RF Aaron Miller (11th), RHP Kendal Volz (14th), 1B Dustin Dickerson (32nd) and 2B Raynor Campbell (50th). Of that group, only RHP Randall Linebaugh was rated as the 14th-best prospect among seniors. Linebaugh, one of only two three-year lettermen on Baylor's 2008 roster, has never been drafted. BEARS ON SHORT LIST FOR RECENT NCAA SUCCESS Baylor is one of 15 NCAA Division I programs and one of only two from the Big 12 Conference with at least nine NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 10 years. The Bears have made nine tournament appearances in that time (missing only the 2004 event) with three Super Regional appearances and one College World Series appearance. Others on the elite list are: MIDWEEK PREVIEW Baylor takes an eight-day respite for final exams. The Bears return to action Tuesday, May 13, hosting
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