Preview: Baylor at Big 12 Baseball Tournament
May 20, 2002
Postseason Guide Part I (Notes) in PDF Format Postseason Guide Part II (Stats) in PDF Format
#25 Baylor (34-22, 13-13 Big 12) at Big 12 Tournament
quick notes * Thanks to a stellar bullpen, the Bears are 26-2 this season when leading after eight innings. * Head coach Steve Smith needs just four more victories to reach the 300-win mark for his career. Smith, in his eighth season (all at Baylor), has a career record of 296-176-1. * The Bears have won 10 games this season in their last at-bat, including six exhilarating walk-off wins.
* Bears among the Big 12 leaders, through games of May 20:
* Bears among the national leaders, through games of May 12: -- Kyle Edens, 12 saves (t-5th) -- Jared Theodorakos, 10.7 K/9 innings (17th) -- Mike Huggins, 0.13 triples per game (18th) * Baylor has three major league parks on its schedule this season: Enron Field, Dodger Stadium and The Ballpark in Arlington. The Bears are believed to be the first NCAA team to play in three major league parks in one year.
baylor at the big 12 tournament The Ballpark, home of the Texas Rangers, is serving as the site for the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in the conference's six-year history. Each of the previous five tournaments were played in Oklahoma City. All Sports Stadium was the site of the first Big 12 Tournament in 1997; the next year, Bricktown Ballpark opened in OKC, and the home of the Triple-A Oklahoma Redhawks hosted the conference tourney from 1998-2001. The tournament returns to Bricktown in 2003 and again in 2005; Arlington will again play host in 2004. Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997, Baylor has appeared in all six conference tournaments -- one of just five Big 12 teams to have done that. The Bears advanced to the tournament championship in 1999 and 2000, but lost in the final game to Nebraska each time. Baylor does have three conference tournament titles under its belt, having won it all in 1977, 1978 and 1993 in the old Southwest Conference. The Bears' first-round game against Nebraska (as well as the other three first-round match-ups) will have live streaming video on the Internet at www.Big12Sports.com. For tickets, go to www.Big12Sports.com or TexasRangers.com, or call 817-273-5100.
2001 big 12 tournament recap In the first round, the Bears scored four runs in the first inning but were shutout the rest of the way in an 18-4 loss to Oklahoma State. OSU jumped on Baylor starter Steven White early, scoring six earned runs, including a pair of home runs before White was relieved by Derek Brehm in the fourth inning. Brehm allowed six runs on six hits in one and two-thirds innings and the scoring barrage continued through Jay Lockett's two-thirds of an inning. Freshman Cody Hall was the only Baylor pitcher to shut out the Cowboys; he went two innings and struck out two batters while not allowing a hit. The loss was the worst for Baylor since 1996, when the Bears lost to Texas Tech 24-2 in Lubbock. OSU's 18 runs were the most scored on the Bears since 1998, when Oklahoma racked up 19 runs. It was also the most lopsided game in Big 12 Tournament history to date. The next day, Baylor racked up three home runs and led Iowa State for six innings, but it was not enough as the Cyclones scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Bears 6-5. The win was Iowa State's first Big 12 Tournament win ever, and with the school disbanding its team after the season, proved to be the Cyclones' last win as well. Baylor starter Justin Taylor worked seven-plus innings, allowing three runs on 11 hits while striking out four and walking none. Reliever Zane Carlson took the loss, giving up one earned on three hits in an inning and a third.
last time out On Friday night, the Red Raiders scored three runs in the eighth to get back in the game late, then pushed across three more in the bottom of the 10th to pull out an 8-7, 10-inning win over Baylor. Justin Taylor threw six solid innings, allowing just two runs on four hits, but Paul Thorp allowed three runs in the eighth and Kyle Edens gave up three more in the 10th after Baylor had taken the lead in the top of the frame on Mike Huggins' two-run homer. Saturday, Tech scored twice in the eighth inning off the Baylor bullpen to break open a one-run game and claimed game two of the series, 5-2. Jared Theodorakos took the loss despite a gutsy seven-inning outing in which he allowed just three early runs on five hits,. walking three and striking out seven. In the series finale, Raider shortstop Gera Alvarez hit two home runs in the first four innings and drove in seven runs as Texas Tech completed the weekend sweep with an 11-1, seven-inning run-rule win. Steven White lasted only 3.2 innings, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits. The Bears managed only three hits and one run in the shortened game, both season lows. Baylor doubled Houston's hit total, but a late rally fell short as the Bears fell to a 5-4 defeat Tuesday in Waco. Steven White had his longest start since March and struck out a season-high nine men, but two home runs victimized the Bears. After falling behind 5-0 at the end of three, White and Paul Thorp held the Cougars in check the rest of the way. Baylor scored twice in the seventh and added two more in the ninth, but stranded the tying run on second in the ninth inning.
bears best in the big 12 Through five full seasons, Baylor leads all schools in both first team All-Big 12 selections (15), and including 2002, the Bears lead in first team Academic All-Big 12 selections (30) as well.
Big 12 conference records, year-by-year and cumulative
with honors Bennett was also named to the 2002 Verizon District VI Baseball Academic Team.
baylor in the rankings The No. 8 ranking by Baseball America on March 18 was Baylor's top ranking so far this season and was the Bears' highest seat since they checked in at No. 8 in the Baseball Weekly coaches' poll April 9, 2001.
an eye on the watch list
rpi stays sky high The same site ranked Baylor 14th in the country in its Iterative Strength Ratings (ISR), a formula that includes a more accurate strength-of-schedule ranking than the usual RPI. Rice (3rd), Houston (7th) and Texas (8th) are the only teams in the state ahead of Baylor; besides Texas, no other Big 12 school is ranked ahead of the Bears. The same statistic names the Bears' schedule as the ninth-toughest in the country.
cardiac kids The heroics began Feb. 23 against Oral Roberts, when Paul Richmond singled in the winning run for a 9-8 win. The next afternoon, Richmond hit a three-run home run for a 4-2, come-from-behind Baylor victory. In March, a pair of walk-off hits led to a three-game sweep of Kansas. In the Friday game (March 15), Chris Durbin's bases-loaded blast in the bottom of the 9th first appeared to be a game-winning grand slam. Durbin passed the runner on first base, however, and the play was sorted out as a three-RBI single. Durbin was called out for passing the runner, but since the out was only the second of the inning, three runs scored and Baylor came away with the victory. The Sunday game against Kansas (March 17) was much simpler; Paul Witt singled up the middle in the 11th inning, plating Trey Webb for a 5-4 win. At the end of the month, Baylor came from behind to take game one of the series from Oklahoma (March 29). Trailing 4-3 going to the ninth inning, the Bears put together three hits and a hit batsman to push across two runs. With two outs, Mike Huggins came through with a first-pitch single through the right side that skipped under the diving OU first baseman and into right field to drive in Tim Hartshorn with the winning run. In game one against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Ross Bennett singled to left-center to score Chris Durbin in the bottom of the ninth as Baylor edged the Islanders, 6-5 (April 12). With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Durbin hit a screamer towards third base that ricocheted off the fielder and let Durbin take second base with a double. After an intentional walk to Mike Huggins, Bennett hit a rope over the shortstop's head. When the Islander left fielder bobbled the ball, Durbin scored easily with the winning run. Two days later, it took a six-run eighth inning to break a 7-7 tie as the Bears defeated TAMU-CC 13-9 (April 14). After Tim Hartshorn and Paul Witt each reached base to start the inning, Trey Webb beat out a bunt for an infield single. When the third baseman's throw sailed past first base, Webb moved all the way to third as both Hartshorn and Witt scored to break the tie. Three more hits and another error added up to six runs (only three earned) off the Islanders in the frame. Ross Bennett's bouncer up the middle drove home Tim Hartshorn with the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Bears defeated Texas A&M 6-5 (April 20). Hartshorn led off the ninth with a pinch-hit, six-pitch walk. Hartshorn advanced to third after Trey Webb showed bunt, then swung away and slashed the ball over the third baseman's head for a double, putting two men in scoring position with nobody out. After a strikeout and an intentional walk, the stage was set for Bennett. The junior hit a high hopper up the middle, where the A&M second baseman fielded the ball and flipped to the shortstop for the second out of the inning. The relay throw to first was not in time to get Bennett as Hartshorn raced across the plate with the winning run.
carlson out for the season Carlson, a junior from Dallas, set the Baylor career saves record as a freshman in 2000 with 15. He saved eight more games last season but struggled at times as the pain began sporadically early in the year. Despite resting all fall, the pain returned in January, and after multiple diagnostic tests revealed nothing, surgery was decided upon as the course of action. Baylor will apply for a medical redshirt for Carlson.
smith approaching milestone win He is already the second-winningest coach in school history in terms of total wins, behind Baylor legend Mickey Sullivan. Smith's career winning percentage is the highest in program history of any manager with at least five seasons under his belt.
three mlb parks in one season
keep your eyes on the charts Among the single-season records, Kyle Edens' has pitched in a record 30 games this season, while his 12 saves are three shy of the team record.
Other notable records:
baylor among elite programs
recruits roll in
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. B/T Hometown (School) Tyler Bullock C/1B 6-2 220 R/R Fort Worth, Texas (R.L. Paschal) Clint Everts RHP/SS 6-2 170 S/R Houston, Texas (Cy-Falls) Brad Ferguson RHP 6-2 170 R/R West, Texas (West HS) Seth Fortenberry OF/LHP 6-2 175 L/L Waco, Texas (Midway HS) Zach Golden RHP 6-2 183 R/R Pearland, Texas (Pearland HS) Ryan LaMotta RHP/IF 5-11 170 R/R Sugar Land, Texas (Clements HS) James Loney LHP/1B 6-2 190 L/L Missouri City, Texas (Elkins HS) Mark McCormick RHP 6-2 190 R/R Clear Creek, Texas (Clear Creek HS) Andy Pape RHP 6-4 235 R/R San Antonio, Texas (Ronald Reagan HS) Kyle Reynolds SS/2B 6-2 160 L/R Houston, Texas (Second Baptist HS) Jake Rippee IF 6-0 165 S/R Kerrville, Texas (Tivy HS) Kevin Sevigny OF 6-0 180 S/R Springvale, Maine (Sanford HS) Blake Womble* OF/2B 5-8 160 R/R Tyler, Texas (Robert E. Lee HS) * indicates spring 2002 signee Twelve of the Bears' 13 signees come from the state of Texas; the lone exception is outfielder Kevin Sevigny, who was ranked by Baseball America/Perfect Game as the top prospect in the state of Maine. Of the 11 Texas natives to sign with Baylor, eight were named to the Baseball America/Perfect Game Top 400 Prospects for the Class of 2002. Five of those players were ranked among the 25 best prospects in the state by Texas Baseball News: RHP Mark McCormick, RHP/SS Clint Everts, RHP Zach Golden, LHP/1B James Loney and RHP Ryan LaMotta. In addition to having put up excellent numbers on the field, the class as a whole also has an exceptional academic background. Six of the signees qualified for academic merit scholarship as a part of their overall aid package.
baylor alums in the pros Trevor Mote (15th round, Houston Astros), Matt Williams (15th round, St. Louis Cardinals) and Josh Scott (25th round, Philadelphia Phillies) each signed after completing their careers at Baylor. First baseman Mike Huggins was taken in the 25th round by the Colorado Rockies, but elected to return for his junior year. Three Baylor signees were also taken. Outfielder Alan Moye (3rd round, Cincinnati Reds) and infielder Josh Barfield (4th round, San Diego Padres) each chose to go pro, while LHP Trey Taylor turned down the Colorado Rockies, who used a supplemental pick before the third round on him. Baylor alums and former first-round draft picks Jason Jennings and Kip Wells began the 2002 season in major league rotations -- Jennings with the Rockies and Wells with the Pittsburgh Pirates (after an offseason trade). In all, 15 former Bears are active at some level of professional baseball. Of note: Trevor Mote was named Midwest League Player of the Week in the season's first week... Former all-Big12 outfielder Jeremy Dodson is being switched to the mound to take advantage of his plus-arm. See the listing in the sidebar of these notes for a complete list of former Baylor players active in the professional ranks.
bears earn quintet of big 12 weekly honors After a week "off", first baseman Mike Huggins added his name to the list in week four (Feb. 25-March 3) as he helped the Bears take two of three from No. 9 Texas. Steven White became the latest Bear to be honored when he was named Pitcher of the Week (March 4-10) after holding No. 8 Nebraska to one run in eight innings in a 2-1 Baylor win. Six weeks later, Huggins earned his second weekly honor and the team's fifth selection after blasting four homers in four games and slugging 1.357 for the week (games played April 22-28). The five weekly honors is a new team record for most players/pitchers of the week in a season, besting the previous high of four set in 1996 and matched in 1998 and 2000.
head coach steve smith The 2000 Big 12 Coach of the Year, Smith came to Baylor from Mississippi State, where he was an assistant under Ron Polk for five seasons. Prior to that, he served as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M. A former standout pitcher at Baylor in 1982-1983, Smith led the Southwest Conference with a 1.72 ERA as a junior, bettering league foes and future major leaguers Norm Charlton, Roger Clemens, Doug Drabek and Calvin Schiraldi. An accomplished pitching coach, Smith has tutored six pitchers in the last 10 years who were selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. He has also had at least one pitcher named to the all-conference first team in each of the last 10 years. In 1999, right-hander/designated hitter Jason Jennings won the Golden Spikes Award and was the 16th overall pick by the Colorado Rockies. In Smith's seven full seasons as head coach, the Bears have produced three first-round draft picks, eight all-Americans, five GTE/CoSIDA Academic all-Americans, one GTE/CoSIDA Academic all-American of the Year, 21 first-team all-conference performers, three freshman all-Americans, and three conference players of the year. Baylor has also placed 25 players on the Academic All-Big 12 first team in the past five seasons.
o captain, my captain
bears among big 12 statistical leaders A number of Bears ranked among the Big 12 individual leaders in a variety of statistics. Kyle Edens leads the league in saves with 12 and in appearances with 30 and Jared Theodorakos led all hurlers with 95 strikeouts, while Chris Durbin topped the conference in hitting (for league games only) at .385.
Others:
baylor on the air John Morris, Baylor's Director of Broadcasting, heads up the team as he begins his seventh season as the "Voice of the Bears." Morris is also the signature voice for Baylor's football and men's basketball broadcasts and serves as co-host of the weekly TV show "Inside Baylor Sports." Mark Rogers, a former Baylor pitcher and currently a sports reporter for KCEN-TV in Central Texas, enters his third season providing color commentary for the baseball broadcasts. Pete Kenworthy, Sports Director and weekday sports anchor for KWTX-TV, Tom Barfield, Program Director and on-air personality for flagship station KRZI, and Trent Weaver, a Baylor baseball letterman in 1988-89, will also be a part of the broadcast team for several games. All Baylor Baseball games in 2002 will be available world-wide on the internet at www.GoBaylorBears.com. BU baseball is also a staple of the daily "Baylor SportsBeat" hosted by Morris and airing weekdays at 7:25am and 5:25pm on KRZI 1660/1580-AM.
baylor on television
April 2, 1988 at Texas L 1-4 Home Sports Entertainment April 2, 1988 at Texas L 0-14 Home Sports Entertainment March 17, 1990 RICE L 0-2 Home Sports Entertainment March 17, 1990 RICE L 1-7 Home Sports Entertainment March 14, 1992 TCU W 6-5 Home Sports Entertainment March 14, 1992 TCU W 8-3 Home Sports Entertainment April 3, 1993 RICE W 6-5 Home Sports Entertainment May 15, 1993 at Texas % W 10-6 Home Sports Entertainment April 2, 1994 at TCU L 1-4 Home Sports Entertainment April 2, 1994 at TCU L 1-12 Home Sports Entertainment March 23, 1996 TEXAS TECH W 8-0 Prime Sports March 23, 1996 TEXAS TECH L 2-24 Prime Sports May 23, 1999 vs. Nebraska $ L 3-4 Fox Sports Net May 17, 2000 vs. Texas A&M ! W 12-3 College Sports Southwest May 18, 2000 vs. Texas ! W 3-2 College Sports Southwest May 20, 2000 vs. Texas Tech ! W 10-1 College Sports Southwest May 21, 2000 vs. Nebraska $ L 3-11 Fox Sports Net May 13, 2001 TEXAS TECH L 5-6 Fox Sports Net April 6, 2002 OKLAHOMA ST. W 8-6 Fox Sports Net |
