Big 12 Sports Blog by Big 12 Fans

BAYLOR BASEBALL UPDATE: Bears slide into six-seed, defeat Nebraska in round one action

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – For a season that began on a high note, then quickly turned sour, the Baylor Bears baseball team (32-24) – along with skipper Steve Smith – have got to be happy with Wednesday’s 10-4 round one victory over Nebraska (39-13-1).

BU went back to their roots on Wednesday evening in Oklahoma City – beginning with pitching perfection on the mound and ending with offensive outbursts at the plate.

“For us it all started on the mound, and Shawn [Tolleson] gave us a really good performance,” Smith said following the Bears round one victory. “[Tolleson had] very good command, kept his fastball down and didn’t make very many mistakes at all. He gave up a two strike hit and followed it up with a walk or a hit batter, and they were able to create some offense there and get a couple of runs on the board. He pitched really well, and that was as important for us as anything.”

Baylor’s offense was also awakened from a prolonged slumber, as the Bears faired well at the plate – scoring 10 runs on nine hits.

“The guys just did a great job at the plate,” Smith said. “Nebraska threw a bunch of really good arms at us, and while we didn’t get a ton of hits – you’re not usually going to get a ton of hits against those kinds of arms – we did get some free bases, and we got some timely hits.

“The big hit in the game was when they chose to take a gamble and play the infield in with the bases loaded, and that’s a gamble. Shaver’s [Hansen] bounding ball gets over the first baseman and cleared the bases, and then they had to play again after that and [Adam] Hornung got one to go through on the right side. Those two balls weren’t well struck. They were just situations where we put the ball in play and got the benefit out of it.”

BU third baseman Shaver Hansen led the way for the Bears on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 at the plate with four runs batted in (RBI).

“We really wanted to go up there and be aggressive and to be ready to jump on that first pitch fastball if they were throwing it,” Hansen said. “The lefty [Dan] Jennings that threw today, we saw him in relief during the Big 12 games that we had during the year, and he had a pretty good slider, so being able to attack his fastball was important for us. We all went out there with a do or die attitude and we got it done.”

According to the skipper, relaxation and confidence – along with superb mound work –helped propel the Bears in Wednesday’s tourney opener.

“Our guys were relaxed and took good at bats,” Smith said. “It looked like a pretty confident, pretty mature group of guys. Ben [Booker] says we did, but we didn’t play a flawless game because he didn’t get the bunt down. But, the next couple of times up he got a base hit to load the bases before Shaver did what he did, and then he absolutely scolded that ball of the right field fence after they had answered.

“They were back in the game; they’ve still got outs to play with. That was as big as anything. We got off to a good start, they responded, and then we responded. We didn’t shut it down; we played the game all the way from start to finish.”

Freshman Shawn Tolleson picked up with W for the Bears, going 6.1 solid innings – yielding four runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two.

“Early in the game I was able to get good command of my pitches,” Tolleson said. “I was getting my fastball down in the zone. They were hitting a lot of ground balls and infield pop ups. Later in the game I struggled a bit with control, but luckily I was able to get a few outs.”

Despite going 1-2 in their final season road woes in a pair of setbacks against Texas Tech, the Bears locked up the six-seed in the conference tournament with a blowout victory over the Red Raiders in the middle game of the three-game series.

And despite starting the season hot before taking a turn for the worse, Baylor’s baseball team compiled an impressive 31-24 regular season record while bouncing back in Big 12 play after a rough start – ending the year with an 11-16 mark in conference contests.

“After our last game at [Texas] Tech, we knew that we had to come out and bring our ‘A’ game to win this thing and do what we want to do,” Baylor junior left fielder Ben Booker said following the Bears victory. “This is a new start for us. We need to play every game like we did today. This was the ‘A’ team that we brought today, and most of the year we really haven’t brought that. Everyone knows now what we are expected to do, so we just need to bring that game out again [on Friday].

“We have to [win] or we are not going to play anymore. We have been telling each other that for the last three weeks, but it hasn’t really clicked. I don’t really know what the problems have been, but today on the field you could tell it was a different team. We drew walks, we situational hit, we pitched well and there were no flaws in the game today, so that is what we need to do [on Friday].”

Baylor enjoyed a day off on Thursday before returning to the diamond on Friday, May 23 in a round two match-up with Oklahoma State. First pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT at Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Ballpark.

“I’m sure it will be the same as it was last night – it is intense,” Hansen said. “We are gunning for everybody because we know we can win; we think we can win. We are happy that we won, but we know that we have another good to team to face, and another good team after that. We have to take it one game at a time, one pitch at a time. It is pretty intense because we need to play our best ball and we know it.”

The Bears continue Big 12 Tourney play on Saturday, with Baylor scheduled to face Kansas State at 7:30 p.m. prior to Sunday’s Big 12 Championship.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR BASEBALL UPDATE: No. 20 Bears bounce back with big win over Houston Baptist after three-game skid, improve to 14-7 overall

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – After a trio of games saw the Baylor baseball team scratch across just two runs while dropping all three games against Big 12 rival Missouri, the No. 20 Bears bounced back against Houston Baptist University on Tuesday night, March 25 in Waco.

Baylor (14-7) reestablished their offensive groove against HBU on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, knocking in run after run en route to a 12-4 victory while the Bears’ Tim Matthews picked up his first win of the season after relieving BU starter Craig Fritsch after 3.1 innings of play.

“I wanted to split the game up between [Tim Matthews] and Craig [Fritsch],” Baylor Head Coach Steve Smith said. “I wanted to give Craig an opportunity to start a game and to get his feet wet like that, but I’ve seen him better.

“He wasn’t as good tonight as what we’ve seen. That experience and that extended look out there will help him. Tim has a lot of experience and has done everything. He did a good job.”

After Smith’s duo of pitchers handled the first seven innings of work, the Bears handed the ball to Baylor’s bullpen beast, Nick Cassavechia – who pitched two innings of one-hit baseball after BU’s weekend collapse against the Tigers.

“He [Cassavechia] looked a lot better,” Smith said. “His stuff was better, his velocity was better, and he was sharper. That’s a good feeling for him. All of this stuff is just about confidence, and you can’t do anything without it.

“Some of the things that have gone against him and some of the bad games he’s had, obviously they’ve taken a toll on him mentally. From a hitter’s perspective, the whole weekend took a toll on us, so tonight was a good opportunity to get well in terms of confidence.”

Leading the offensive charge for the Bears was a trio of talent, as Beamer Weems, Adam Hornung and Aaron Miller picked up three hits apiece.

“It [bouncing back with a win] was definitely big,” sophomore Baylor outfielder Weems said. “We take nothing away from the Missouri staff because they threw us really well, and that’s a place where you don’t want to go when you’re not on your A-game.

“After the weekend we had, to come out here and jump out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, you could see it in the dugout that everybody’s shoulders dropped a little bit, and everybody relaxed and started having more fun.”

The more fun the Bears had, the more their lead extended over HBU – as Miller posted back-to-back homers after going 0-for-12 prior to Tuesday’s match-up in Waco.

“I just let them come to me,” Weems said. “The whole problem I’ve had has been pitch selection. In the last couple of weekend I haven’t been swinging the bat too well, and I’d been going out of the zone and trying to make something happen instead of just letting it happen. I told myself today that I was just going to make them throw strikes before I started swinging, and I got a few I could handle.”

Count Coach Smith as one to echo his star outfielder’s comments – as the BU skipper was the first to let the media know that Weems would probably be sleeping a bit better in the nights to come.

“He squared the ball up pretty well,” Smith said. “He’s just got some pop, and when he gets the ball up in the air like he does, it can blow out of the park on a night like tonight. It was good to see him swing the bat better after the weekend he had. He’ll sleep a little better tonight.”

Baylor junior first baseman Hornung also had a major impact in the Bears 12-run outburst against HBU – helping to break BU’s three-game skid.

“It was definitely a big improvement from the weekend; it was good to see us start driving some balls again and putting up runs,” Hornung said. “In the first inning we put up four runs, so it was good to see that early.

“At Missouri we had the chance to score early twice and we didn’t, so it’s good to see us get on the board and keep getting on the board. It definitely helped us relax a little more once we put up four in the first, and then we scored in every inning except for two, so it was good to see.”

Matthews, who pitched 3.2 innings of two-hit, no-run baseball, picked up his first win of the season on Tuesday night against HBU – improving his overall ERA to 1.62.

“Lately I’ve just been attacking guys with fastballs,” Matthews said. “That’s pretty much my thing, throwing the sinker and just going right after guys without trying to be too fine. It’s been working out.”

Working out is exactly right, and despite an evening with high winds, the senior pitcher accomplished the task at hand – successfully taking the mound and attacking the HBU batters.

“I’m pretty much a groundball pitcher, and throwing a two-seamer down in the zone is usually pretty good on a night like this,” Matthews said. “Keeping the ball out of the air is always good, and usually I do a pretty good job of keeping the ball out of the air. Nights like this don’t worry me too much, but if you do get it up, it’s one of those nights that can be dangerous. If you just try to keep it down and induce groundballs, it usually works out.”

Fortunately, skipper Smith and his young and talented BU baseball team have bounced back after dropping a trio of games in Missouri – and even with extensive winds blowing out of Baylor Ballpark Tuesday night, the Bears picked up a much-needed W.

“This would’ve been a tough night had we come out here and had the wind blowing in our faces after this weekend,” Smith said. “The hitters needed a night that at the least didn’t work against them, and this one definitely worked for them. We had some guys that took some good at bats, and we made some good contact.”

The Bears return to the diamond on Wednesday, March 26 in a one-game match-up with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Baylor Ballpark at 4 p.m. CT before opening a three-game series at Oklahoma on Friday, March 28 at 6 p.m. CT.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

No. 11 Bears sweep through QTI Baylor Classic, remain undefeated

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – The Baylor Bears baseball team is on fire, remaining undefeated after sweeping a weekend series with a trio of teams.

Steve Smith’s Bears (7-0) – ranked No. 11 in the latest Baseball America polls – picked up three more wins this past weekend in the annual QTI Baylor Classic, blowing out their opening round opponent before squeaking by in the second two games to keep their undefeated record intact.

“There are five one-run games in there, so we could easily be 4-3,” Smith said following Baylor’s 4-3 victory over Stephen F. Austin in the QTIBC finale on Sunday, March 2. “We’ve played pretty well defensively, and we’re making a lot of plays. The one thing that needs to get better is going to be the walk number for our pitchers being too high.

“We give a lot of teams free bases; [Sunday] we did it quite a bit, but we made pitches too. [Sunday is] a perfect example of that. Willie [Kempf] loaded the bases almost by himself in one inning, and [he] was able to make pitches to get out of it. He had pretty good defensive play behind him, and we’ve got a good bullpen. We’ve got a lot of good arms and some of them haven’t been out there much yet. I still like the club, and as the time goes on we’ll see better and better swings out of our offense.”

On Sunday, the Bears were not ensured of a W until the game’s final pitch – clinching yet another one-run victory on the season – taking an early 3-0 lead only to see it evaporate late prior to Baylor tacking on a seventh inning run and holding on for the win.

“A win is a win, but it’s good when you see different guys contributing and you see different guys making plays in fairly tight situations when there’s little margin for error,” Smith said. “Erik Forestiere going out today and getting six outs with a one-run lead is a pretty big deal for him. It certainly will give him a lot of confidence, and the players out there behind him a lot of confidence, knowing that it doesn’t always have to be Nick [Cassavechia] that goes in for those situations.”

Forestiere appeared to welcome the late-innings challenge, attacking the batters early and often to garner the save.

“He came in throwing strikes with three pitches right away,” Smith said. “He did that the other day when he went out there, and that’s requirement number one. It always troubles me when a guy goes in a game and the catcher’s diving for his first pitch. I’ve seen that quite a bit, and I know it’s early in the year, but that kind of thing needs to get better. Erik threw strike one and strike two right off the bat.”

Despite the near pitcher-perfect picture from the mound this season, Smith is a bit concerned about his offense relying heavily on homeruns.

“I don’t know if it’s a thought pattern or if it’s [our] approach, but we’re living on the flyball right now,” Smith said. “We’re living on homeruns, and that won’t work against good-quality pitching. [On Sunday] we got ourselves out quite a bit with a lot of big swings and lot of weak flyballs. We’re thinking long-ball too much, and that might be a carryover from the Friday night game.”

On Friday, Feb. 29, the Bears opened the QTI Baylor Classic with a major offensive outburst, crossing home plate 20 times (on 21 hits) while limiting Illinois to just six runs on nine hits.

“We got extra opportunities,” Smith said following Friday’s 20-6 Baylor victory over Illinois. “They kicked it around a little bit on defense and they left the guy out there. They weren’t in any hurry to go to their bullpen, and our guys were seeing him well and taking good swings.”

One of those taking swings for the fences on Friday night included Aaron Miller, the first Bears baseball player to hit three homeruns at Baylor Ballpark.

“Hitting is contagious, and the guys swung the bats very well,” Smith said. “Obviously he’s [Miller] got some juice in his bat; it was quite a display. He’s a pretty special kid.”

Baylor sophomore starting pitcher Kendal Volz – who picked up the win on Friday against Illinois – concurs with his skipper, adding that Miller is probably one of the toughest outs in the nation.

“We all know he [Miller] can hit, and [on Friday] he just showed his potential,” Volz said. “He’s a great hitter; one of the best hitters. Throwing against him in all of the intrasquads in the fall, he’s one of the best hitters that we’ll throw to, and we could say that about almost every hitter on our team. There aren’t too many times you’ll see that, or even hear about that.”

According to Miller, it took a total team effort for the BU victory – and he credits the team’s overall ability to Baylor being able to smoke 21 hits in the QTIBC opener.

“We’ve always had the ability to do something like that, and I think we’re going to do it quite a bit more,” Miller said. “[Against Illinois,] we showed a little bit about what our lineup can do. Up and down the lineup, [we had] doubles, home runs, just absolutely killing the ball. Once we get in a flow, it’s going to be a really hard lineup for opposing pitchers to attack.”

Miller’s exactly right – especially with a lineup as offensively packed as the Bears – and against Illinois, every single player in the lineup picked up at least one hit.

“It definitely does [help] with the way Adam [Hornung] is swinging, and Dustin [Dickerson] behind him,” Miller said. “Dustin had three doubles today, and Beamer [Weems] ahead of me got a few hits. There are really no weaknesses in our lineup.

“I really feel bad for other teams when you come out and guys are swinging this well. Landis [Ware] had three hits in the nine-hole, and when teams are swinging it that well, there’s just really not much you can do.”

Baylor followed Friday’s blowout win with a come-from-behind victory on Saturday, March 1 against Illinois-Chicago – falling behind early before battling back with a four-run seventh to garner a 5-4 win.

“This game was about pitching and defense,” Smith said. “We played it really well on the defensive side. Beamer [Weems] and Shaver [Hansen] on the left side of the infield were really, really good, and Beamer showed that he is in fact a human with that error in the ninth; but he made some tremendous plays, as did Shaver.

“Shaver’s play when he had to come get that ball [in the eighth inning] was a great play. I couldn’t be more pleased with how we’re playing defense in the infield. They’ve been really, really good.”

Junior outfielder Ben Booker was Saturday’s hero for the Bears, blasting a two-run triple that temporarily gave Baylor a 4-3 lead before BU pitching hung on to clinch the win.

“That lefty [Chris Kovacevich] was throwing all kinds of off-speed,” Booker said. “When the count got to 3-1 and he threw me another off-speed pitch I was like, ‘he might as well throw it again.’ He left it up and I put a good swing on it, but I saw that center fielder going after it and I thought ‘please just let it drop one time.’ It was good for us.

“This team is veteran enough where once we get down one or two runs it’s not a big deal because up and down the lineup everybody hits the ball pretty well. Our pitchers throw the ball well, and when you get up two or three and have Nick [Cassavechia] coming in, one of the best relievers, you feel solid once you get the lead.”

Senior center fielder Paul Miles, who picked up a hit and also crossed home plate in Saturday’s BU victory, was happy to see Baylor’s deep and talented team pull together once again for a one-run win.

“The day before we came out and really put a ton of hits up there, and then the next day we’ve got to come out and win close games,” Miles said. “That’s a good thing about this team. One day we can do it by beating guys pretty well, and then the next day we can come and pitch, play, throw the ball around and win one-run ball games. That’s pretty good for our team dynamic. We can get it done a lot of ways.”

Sophomore third baseman Shaver Hansen agrees with his teammate, dropping in two hits in Sunday’s finale against Stephen F. Austin – a 4-3 Baylor victory.

“Early in the season it builds a lot of confidence being able to come back and win,” Hansen said. “[We have had] timely hits, our pitchers never give up, and everything is kind of adding up. As long as we can get the win, that’s all that matters.”

However, according to Hansen – as well as the coaching staff – the team needs to learn to quit relying on the long-ball if they expect to continue their highly successful season.

“We’ve been popping it up in the air, which is something we need to shy away from,” Hansen said. “We’ve had the wind blowing the last couple of days, and that has benefited us. When that doesn’t happen, and when we get a guy that’s going to have pretty lights-out stuff, we need to be able to square the ball up and hit it on a line or on the ground.

“That’s what we’re going to work on in practice. That and bunting. We’ve missed on a couple of bunts and things like that, so we need to get that done; [we need to work on] the little parts of the game and not so much the long-ball.”

Practice makes perfect; so far, the Baylor baseball team has done just that – remaining perfect thus far with a 7-0 record.

The Bears aim to keep that record intact when they face Louisiana Tech in a two-game series at Baylor Ballpark beginning on Tuesday, March 4 and concluding on Wednesday, March 5.

Check back on Friday, March 6, for the latest news and notes from the green and gold baseball team as the Bears look to continue their winning ways…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR 10, TEXAS SOUTHERN 1: Bears blast Southern, improve to 4-0 overall

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – The Bears baseball team remains undefeated after a 10-1 victory over Texas Southern University (TSU) on Tuesday evening, Feb. 26 at Baylor Ballpark.

Tuesday’s offensive outburst gives Baylor (4-0) an eight-game winning streak over Texas Southern (1-3), as the Bears have now defeated Southern in every mound match-up thus far – starting with the team’s first showdown on April 28, 2004 in Waco, a 10-3 BU victory over TSU.

“This one was pretty sharp; that was a goal, to try to play well, and that started on the mound with our guys throwing strikes,” Baylor Head Coach Steve Smith said. “Most of our free bases that we had given up over the weekend had to do with the mound – either bases on balls, hit batters or a wild pitch here and there.

“Wade [Mackey] only walked two guys, one of the guys that reached by error we picked off, and so they only got two or three free bases tonight, and we had over 20.  From that standpoint, we played the game itself pretty well.”

Mackey (1-0), the Bears starting pitcher against Southern, tossed 5.2 solid innings for Baylor – allowing a mere three hits and three walks, while surrendering no runs and striking out four, through 22 batters faced.

“Given what I asked him [Mackey] to do, which was basically to throw a lot of fastballs right at guys, he did a good job,” Smith said. “They [Texas Southern] throw you a soft left-hander, with the wind blowing in your face, and that is a recipe for a lot of fly ball outs. The guys knew that going in, and they did a good job of trying to stay on top of the ball and stay away from that.

“We hit the ball square more often than not, and we hit some balls really well. The ball [Ben] Booker hit that they caught against the fence, I really thought that ball was going out even with the wind. I don’t know that I’ve seen him hit a ball that well in a game.”

Wind or no wind, Mackey makes his way to the mound with the same mindset every time out – painting the corners of the zone while minimizing bases on balls.

“The ball’s never going to go anywhere when the wind is blowing like that, so it’s not a bad thing,” Mackey said. “It’s something that you know in the back of your mind; if the ball gets up it’s probably not going to go out. As far as pitching, it doesn’t really change my thinking.

“[My approach is] pretty much the same as last year; I just try to go out there and get comfortable. I want to throw strikes; I really don’t like walking people.”

In addition to the Bears beginning their 2008 campaign with an unscathed mark while being ranked as high as No. 13 by Baseball America, Baylor’s Kendal Volz was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on Monday, Feb. 25.

“He’s a lot more comfortable, and his body language on the mound looks a ton more confident,” Smith said. “His command of his stuff is better. He just pounded the strike zone the other day with three pitches, and his velocity was 92-96 the whole time he was out there. He’s just continuing to get better as he matures, as any player will do with the more opportunities they get.”

Junior shortstop Beemer Weems also had a breakout game for the Bears against Southern, garnering his first multi-hit game of the season while driving in a run.

“My swing’s felt good all year,” Weems said. “It’s just been my timing, and I felt like my timing kind of kicked in today – it felt good to get a couple of hits.”

Weems and the Bears made the necessary adjusts in Tuesday’s windy showdown with Southern, taking a 3-0 lead after three innings of play and never looking back.

“You kind of have to [adjust to weather conditions],” Weems said. “If you hit the ball in the air with the wind blowing in like that, they’re just going to catch it, so you really try to get on top of the ball and hit hard ground balls and line drives. That’s your best bet at getting on [base].”

Pitching, as always, was also a key to picking up another victory on the diamond.

“Wade [Mackey] came out there and threw strikes and did really well, and for the most part the defense did really well,” Weems said. “We [the Baylor offense] kept the ball out of the air, so it was a pretty good turnout today.”

The Baylor lineup also packed on a number of runs after picking up three consecutive one-run victories to begin the season, as the Bears capitalized with 10 runs on 10 hits against Southern en route to a nine-run W.

“For the conditions, we did a pretty good job of keeping the ball out of the air and trying to hit it on the ground to make them make plays,” junior right fielder Adam Hornung, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, said. “We hit a few balls well too; [Ben] Booker hit that ball to the wall that would probably have gone out any other day. We did a good job of laying-off of a lot of pitches, and we didn’t strike out much, so that was a plus.

“It [playing in wintry weather conditions] is something you go through each year. Starting in February, you’re going to play in some cold weather. The cold weather’s not bad, but [playing in the] wind and cold is pretty rough.”

Whether cool weather arrives or not, the Bears aim to keep their hot streak alive this weekend when they host the QTI Baylor Classic – beginning on Friday, Feb. 29 and concluding on Sunday, March 2.

“The thing that’s different about this weekend is that everybody we play will have played [this season],” Smith said. “We’re not going to have the advantage that we had against Purdue. We clearly had an advantage in that series defensively because they hadn’t even been outside.”

The upcoming Baylor baseball tourney includes a trio of home games against Illinois, Illinois-Chicago and Stephen F. Austin (SFA).

“We won’t walk into this weekend with that kind of advantage because everybody’s had a chance to be outside and play some games,” Smith said.

Baylor’s QTI tourney begins on Friday, Feb. 29 at 6:30 p.m. CT against Illinois, followed by a Saturday, March 1 match-up at 6:30 p.m. CT with Illinois-Chicago, and wraps up on Sunday, March 2 at 3 p.m. CT against SFA.

Other tournament showdowns include Illinois-Chicago and SFA playing on Friday at 2 p.m. CT, Illinois facing SFA on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT, and Illinois and Illinois-Chicago facing off on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.

“We’ve played in different tournaments over the years, and it’s actually kind of fun playing three different teams in three days,” Weems said. “It should be a lot of fun seeing new faces every day, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com