Big 12 Sports Blog by Big 12 Fans

BAYLOR-OKLAHOMA PREVIEW: Bears ready, waiting to host No. 1 Sooners in Saturday afternoon showdown at Floyd Casey Stadium

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

WACO, Texas – Sooner or later, an upset of the No. 1 team in the nation will occur on the Baylor campus.

Whether or not that miracle occurs this weekend is yet to be seen, as No. 1 Oklahoma visits unranked Baylor for a Big 12 opener on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 4, at Floyd Casey Stadium – with kickoff slated for 11:30 a.m. CT on FSN.

“Obviously everybody, they either want to be No. 1, or they want to play No. 1,” Baylor freshman quarterback Robert Griffin said. “We have the opportunity to play No. 1 this week, and we’re going to go out there and take advantage of it.”

For BU head coach Art Briles and company, Saturday means hitting the gridiron for the first time in two weeks while also hosting an explosive Oklahoma football program.

“We are glad to be back playing; it will be fifteen days since our last game,” Briles said. “We are excited to get on the field and get back to it over these next eight weeks.

“As a program, everything that they [Oklahoma] have had come their way over the last 10 years is certainly well deserved – especially what they have done in the Big 12 south. They are a very good offense, defense and special teams. They have a good football team. It will no doubt be a good test for us.”

In addition to entering Saturday’s match-up against one of the conference’s paramount programs, the Bears also kick off an eight-week marathon of Big 12 games.

“We broke the season down and look at the first four games as last season,” Briles said. “It will have been 15 days since we have been on the field and somebody blows the whistle. We feel like the next eight games are a new season. I can honestly say that and we are smart enough to understand that we will be judged by theses last eight games and not the first four.

“We’re in the Big 12, we live in Texas, we’re apart of this part of the nation. What we did in Washington, Connecticut, Louisiana, and North Carolina doesn’t matter. We recruit down here; we’re going to be judged down here so it is what we do here that matters. That makes up our 2008 season.”

Saturday’s Big 12 test will also offer quite a bit a big time challenges – but don’t look for any major changes when it comes to facing the top team in the nation.

“We aren’t looking at it that way; what we are going to do is play hard for 60 minutes, play well for 60 minutes and win a football game in 60 minutes,” Briles said. “Their rankings and all of that is going to be hyped up without us getting involved in all of that.

“What we are going to try to do is be a better football team than we were against Connecticut. We are going to get on our home turf and represent Baylor University. We’ve got our guys, our people, our university – so that is the way we are approaching the football game.”

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

SPORTS ADDICT: With a bye-week on the horizon, Bears can take a momentary sigh of relief…

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

WACO, Texas – A bye-week couldn’t come at a better time for the Baylor Bears football team.

Following a Friday night heartbreaker in Connecticut, all the Bears needed after a safe ride home was some time off to reflect – as well as prepare – on a season on the brink of Big 12 action.

Just ask head coach Art Briles, who’s welcoming the off-week with open arms.

“It is a real good time [for a bye week],” Baylor football head coach Art Briles said. “I think it is good because the inconsistency of the schedule to start our season. With the Thursday, Saturday, Friday and Friday [games], the bye allows us to get on a consistent basis and look at what we have – and what we have is eight Saturdays ahead of us.”

Not only eight Saturdays, but eight Big 12 Saturdays… Either way, coach Briles is happy his Bears will be hitting the field on a routine basis.

“I think consistency is the key to success,” Briles said. “That is in everyday life and not just football. Whatever you do, you have to form good habits. That is what we are in the process of still doing here. We are excited about playing on Saturday [for the rest of the season].”

Briles is right on the money, because consistency is definitely a key ingredient to winning games.

Another key ingredient would have to be fan support. As an example, let’s look back to the Baylor road game at Connecticut last Friday night.

“I give them [Connecticut] credit for knowing how to get ready for a football game,” Briles said. “For their fans, they know how to get ready for a football game. What we can’t let happen here is to show up on October 4^th against Oklahoma and have more people out in that parking lot that have OU on their car than we do Baylor people.

“We have to show up and we have to be ready before the game starts. [When the Connecticut fans showed up at 3 p.m.,] that is how you do it; that is college football. They make it a big time event.”

Team effort has also been vital to the Bears success thus far – and win or lose, Baylor aims to keep that tradition alive.

“Nothing has changed since Friday night [against Connecticut],” Briles said. “What I am proud of is the effort and attitude that our players played with. We are not going to be a team that is intimidated by anything, anywhere or anyplace. Our guys rose up and put themselves in a position to win the football game. That is what we have to do; now we just have to cross the bridge and win it.”

Protecting freshman quarterback Robert Griffin will also be a necessity as the Bears prep for a Big 12 showdown with Oklahoma to kickoff conference play.

“I have got to do a better job of taking some of the load off of him [Griffin]; that will help us as a team,” Briles said. “[Pressure on the quarterback] will be one of the things that we will assess in our open date. The open date comes at a great time for us, both mentally and physically.”

The bye week also comes at a time when the Bears seek to grow from a challenging road game at Connecticut – a match-up where a momentary lapse of reason could shape the final score – and bounce back mentally prepared for the season ahead.

“I think it [a tough road game] certainly allows us to understand how important each play is – whether it is special teams, offense or defense,” Briles said. “How critical that change of field position might be, converting or not converting, stopping a drive or maintaining a drive… I think those things are glorified more in a close game because you certainly understand what could or could have been.

“I think we saw that when we play hard and fight hard for each other, we are going to have a good opportunity to win each game that we are in. We are going to continue to do that. If it is an intangible, we are going to control it.”

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

CONNECTICUT 31, BAYLOR 28: Bears fall to Huskies in Friday night heartbreaker

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

WACO, Texas – Despite a three-point loss to undefeated Connecticut on Friday night, Sept. 19, the Bears showed up to play – and brought some fireworks along for the ride – in front of a Huskies crowd and an ESPN audience.

With a freshman quarterback bearing a name no one had ever heard of until last week, Robert Griffin led Baylor’s football team like a veteran – while his counterparts did a near perfect job in both the secondary as well as the offensive and defensive lines.

And with a sports-frenzied hype surrounding Griffin entering Friday night’s affair – a coach’s worst nightmare – Griffin brought everything he had in him, and then some, to face the Huskies.

“You really can’t compare him to anyone else,” Baylor tight end Justin Akers said following Friday night’s loss at U-Conn. “The things that he does, the way that he cuts back, moves his body and the way he can throw on the run very accurately is something we really need in this offense.”

However, and regardless of the fact that Baylor fought to the finish and continued to keep a final drive alive until the game’s closing seconds, the Bears came up just short in a 31-28 setback at Connecticut.

“Any time you don’t win, it’s hard,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said following the Bears defeat. “That’s why we play the game. I feel terrible for our seniors and our guys who are fighting to be a bowl-eligible team. We had a great opportunity tonight to take a positive step toward bowl eligibility, a positive step toward the respect that we’re after and we came out where it didn’t work out right there in the end.

“I don’t think I did a good job right there at the end of the game of allowing our guys to get in position to get a field goal. I was thinking ‘touchdown’ and not thinking ‘field goal’ because we didn’t come up here to tie and go into overtime.”

After taking a 14-14 tie into the locker room at the break, Connecticut took a brief three-point lead before Griffin and company stepped up to lead the Bears down the field for a go-ahead touchdown with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter and Baylor on top, 21-17.

But Baylor’s lead was short-lived, as the Huskies answered the Bears score with a touchdown of their own, giving Connecticut a 24-21 lead heading into the fourth and final quarter.

Baylor took a 28-24 lead with 11:13 remaining in the game, and were primed to hold onto the lead until a late stop by Connecticut midway through the quarter forced the Bears to punt out of their own end zone – giving the Huskies a short field with the game on the line.

“It was a bad sequence of events,” Briles said. “The defense did a great job in stopping [Robert Griffin]. We’re starting out of our end zone and they make a couple of plays defensively. We almost popped a screen then had to punt out and then everything happens on top of it. A call not going our way and we get a 15-yard penalty tacked on to it which puts them at our 32-yard line, on a short field. That was the worst part of it.”

Shortly thereafter, the Huskies made one final push – and one final score – to give Connecticut a 31-28 lead with 6:04 left in the game.

But the Bears weren’t through fighting, and neither was their freshman play-caller.

Griffin, sometimes single-handedly, drove Baylor into Connecticut territory and had the Bears setup to score with just minutes left on the game clock.

This time around, though, the Huskies defense stopped the Bears in their tracks – and after having to burn their last two timeouts on a fourth-and-11 attempt inside the Connecticut 40-yard line, Griffin couldn’t connect with his received as the Bears fell in a heartbreaker.

“It’s a tough loss; everyone was out there playing as hard as they can,” Akers said. “Obviously, there are a lot of good things we can take out of it and also, there are a lot of bad things. There’s a few plays we should have had, a few costly penalties and stuff we usually don’t do. In an atmosphere like this, things kind of get into your head; you always want to play up to your potential – all the time – but one thing we have to strive for is to keep our head’s up.

“We have Oklahoma two weeks from now so we just have to stay focused for that. Any time you can play a team like this, play them this close for this long and come down to the last few plays on national TV, someone’s going to notice us. Obviously, someone’s going to have at least a little more respect [for us] than at the beginning.”

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

BAYLOR-CONNECTICUT PREVIEW: Bears hit the road to face Huskies in Friday night showdown on ESPN2

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

WACO, Texas – After a lackluster opening game, the Bears have been on a roll behind freshman phenom Robert Griffin – rattling of two straight blowout victories to improve to 2-1 on the young season.

Baylor aims to keep the momentum going when they face the U-Conn Huskies (3-0) on Friday night, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

“They [Connecticut] are a good football team; they went 9-4 last year, won the Big East and went to a bowl game,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said. “They have 19 of 22 starters back. They are 26-8 at home over the last four years and they have won the last eight or nine in a row. They are a tough team.”

Friday will mark the Bears first road trip of the season, but having an entire week to prepare for the Huskies – despite the reason being Hurricane Ike – has been quite a blessing for Briles and company.

“Having a full week of practice after playing Friday really turned out great,” Briles said. “That was our thing going into the game last week; if we could take care of business and get a good win it would put us on the equal week. It was a good fortune for us without a doubt because we were able to start on Connecticut last Saturday.”

So, will Friday’s ESPN-coverage of the game weigh more heavily on the Bears than their prior match-ups thus far?

“Every game is important and they are all big games,” Briles said. “It doesn’t matter when you’re playing, who you’re playing or whether it is on television or not. Every time you step on the field you have a chance to prove yourself as a player, a team and a program and that is what we want to do.

“We are in the process of doing it. When people talk about Baylor football, we want them to talk about it with respect and the only way we are going to get that is if we do things the proper way. We are going to take full advantage of these chances we have in the upcoming weeks.”

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Work In Progress

Baylor’s Bears have, no doubt, improved upon Briles taking over the green and gold pigskin program.

However, there’s still a lot of work ahead if Baylor hopes to remain competitive come Big 12 time – a time quickly approaching.

“I think we are still a work in progress,” Briles said. “I think as we get to know each other a little better and understand our personnel, we may be able to hang our hat on something. Right now we are still searching what fits everyone on the field best.

“The thing that helps us from an offensive and defensive standpoint is that we are really playing well up front on both sides of the ball. If we continue to do that, we can find a niche offensively and we will keep great turnovers from the defensive standpoint. It all starts up front.”

Despite the rough road ahead for the Bears, Briles – as well as Baylor fans across the nation – have begun to see improvement.

“The thing I am most proud of is that we are learning to play fast, and that is what we are really stressing and taking a hold of,” Briles said. “We want to be known as a fast, physical football team with discipline and intelligence. We look for effort and speed, and when you play with great effort and speed you have a chance to have a good football player.”

Running the Offense

A key ingredient to the Bears’ early season success has been their ability to run the football – something the coaching staff aims to continue as Baylor moves on through the season with first-year coach Briles at the helm.

“The running game all starts up front,” Briles said. “We were able to dominate up front [last week]. We played physical, fast and intense and we had good tempo. When you have those things working in your favor, you have a chance to rush the ball up and down the field.”

According to Briles, the upperclassmen on the squad have also helped to be an inspiration to their younger Baylor football teammates.

“They all have to work well together and those guys that have had good experience have done a good job for us as far as leading and practicing hard,” Briles said. “Every time we recruit a player, I find out how he practices. You practice more than you play and if you practice hard you play well.

“The older guys have really practiced hard and are really teaching the younger guys how to practice hard and prepare, and then it turns into performance on game day. We don’t feel that we have arrived, we have a long way to go, but the encouraging part is that we’re climbing and that is what you have to keep doing.”

Another key to Baylor’s 2-1 start lies in the hands and arms of one of the newest players on the team – a guy by the name of Robert Griffin, who will be making his first road start of the season against U-Conn on Friday.

“We are working on a silent count on offense and we will have some crowd noise in practice today, tomorrow and Thursday,” Briles said. “Other than that we just have to be us. We have to be Baylor and we have to take care of ourselves.

“We are going to play our game and we are not going to change what we do. We have to do what we do and do it really well. We are going to go up there and expect to come home with a win.”

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

BAYLOR 45, WASHINGTON STATE 17: Bears cruise to blowout victory over Cougars under Friday night’s lights

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Baylor freshman quarterback Robert Griffin is used to shining in Friday night’s spotlight.

On Friday night, Sept. 12 against Washington State, Griffin had a chance to relive some of his high school pigskin moments – in addition to driving the Bears to a 45-17 landslide victory in a historical and record-breaking performance at Floyd Casey Stadium.

“Robert is a gifted athlete no doubt,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said following Friday’s victory. “He handles it in a very mature manner. That is the thing I am most proud of about him. He is a really, really good team player.”

Due to concerns of Hurricane Ike’s impact on Central Texas, Baylor officials decided to move Saturday’s showdown between the Bears and Cougars to a Friday night kickoff – a wise decision, especially considering the outcome.

“I appreciate the fans that came out tonight,” Briles said. “We felt like if we went out and played well and played to sneak out a victory that it would really help us in our preparation for next week. Now we are on pace to prepare for the next one.”

Against the Cougars, Griffin racked up 129 yards in passing, going 7-for-15 – in addition to garnering 225 yards in the rushing department (on only 11 carries).

“It was a confidence boost,” Griffin said. “People were saying that to come out and beat Northwestern State wasn’t that great because they are not a good team, so we came out and beat Washington State who is a pretty legitimate team.

“We didn’t just beat them, but we beat them pretty good. Going on the road for the first time for me [next week] isn’t that big of a deal. It was definitely good to get a win and then go on the road.”

Overall, Baylor picked up 555 yards of offense while limiting Washington State to just two touchdowns and a field goal – with the Bears doing a good job of controlling things at the line on both sides of the ball, something Briles stresses to the team daily.

“Every win is important,” Briles said. “It is like we told the players before the game in November we are add them up and we needed one to count on the right side of the column. And we got one – we got a win against a Pac-10 football team.

“We’ve got to keep grinding; we’ve got to keep getting better. And that is the thing I like about this football team. We are not satisfied and we certainly don’t think we’ve got all of the answers.”

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

BAYLOR-WASHINGTON STATE PREVIEW: Briles, Bears prep for upcoming home game against Cougars

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Week three of the college football season is nearly underway, and come Saturday afternoon at Floyd Casey Stadium the Baylor Bears football team has a chance to shine – as well as an opportunity to move above .500 under head coach Art Briles.

Last week against Northwestern State, the Bears showed what they were truly made of – garnering 537 yards of total offense in a 51-6 blowout victory over the Demons.

On Saturday, Sept. 13 at 11:40 a.m. CT, Baylor (1-1) will face Washington State (0-2) – as Briles and company aim to pick up their second straight victory at home. Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on FSN.

“Washington State is a very good football team; they are a team who has had a lot of success over the last few years,” Briles said. “In 2002 they played in the Rose Bowl, in 2003 they went to the Holiday Bowl where they beat Texas. Last year they won three games in the PAC-10. If they had a more suitable conference schedule last year they would have been a bowl team. They had a record of 5-7, missed out by one win to be bowl eligible. These guys who are fifth year seniors coming in after the Holiday Bowl in ’03, they have been around a program that has had a lot of success.

“They are going to come to Baylor determined, but they’re going to walk into a stadium with a bunch of determined guys on the other team too. We are still fighting ourselves and getting ready to become a really good football team, and every week is an opportunity for us to get better and that’s the way we’re approaching it.”

Once again, the Bears will be turning to freshman quarterback Robert Griffin to lead the charge on Saturday against the Cougars.

“What he did for our team, he maintained his composure, protected the football, took what the defense gave us and that is what we’re looking for,” Briles said. “We talked about his job to make everyone on the field look better and that is the point that we are getting to. Our thing with Northwestern, as it will be with Washington State, is that we are going to win upfront on both sides of the ball.

“I haven’t ever planned to be smart but I am smart enough to figure that out. If you have good O-line and D-Line with you, you’ve got a good football team and our guys are getting better upfront. That is going to give us some chances to have success this year. We are striving to become dominant on both sides up front.”

So what will the Bears do more of come Saturday at Floyd Casey: run, or pass?

“Every week is different,” Briles said. “We would like to stay balanced but it depends on how people are playing and how we feel we match up against the opponent. We aren’t going around this week thinking that all of a sudden we have arrived and we have all the answer.

“If anyone has any questions on how to play football or perform on the field we can give them the answers. We feel like we were able to come back after a disgusting opening game and perform at a better level, but we still understand that it’s the bridge we haven’t gotten to yet. We have a long way to go and a lot of things to prove before we get there.”

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

BAYLOR-NORTHWESTERN STATE REVIEW: Bears bounce back with big win, destroy Demons 51-6

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Baylor head football coach Art Briles picked up his first victory at the helm of the Bears pigskin program with a 51-6 annihilation of Northwestern State on Saturday evening, Sept. 6 at Floyd Casey Stadium.

Forget opening week’s loss to Wake Forest, a team quickly climbing the top-25 ladder.

The real way a team is defined is by how the respond to defeat. And the Bears showed exactly what green and gold team would be hitting the gridiron on Saturday night against the Demons.

“We had a good crowd tonight; I am really, really proud for them,” Briles said following the Bears victory. “I guess last week we felt people came out here ready to see it happen and to help us make it happen, and we did not fulfill expectations. We played intelligent and took care of the football. It was a situation where we did what we had to do. We had to be a dominant football team against them and we were.”

The Bears racked up 537 yards of total offense against the Demons, garnering seven touchdowns to go along with a 20-yard field goal.

“We want to run the ball; we didn’t run it quite as effectively as we wanted to,” Briles said. “We will try to stay balanced, that is the main thing to us. The execution was good. We hit a couple big plays early and we were able to establish a little something. I was proud we won the turnover battle and we didn’t have many penalties. I thought we played a pretty clean, disciplined football game.”

Freshman quarterback Robert Griffin played a major role in the Bears victory over the Demons, going 15-for-19 in passing for 294 yards and no interceptions.

“He did exactly what he needed to do; control the tempo on offense, make a couple plays, get himself out of a couple jams and be protective of the football,” Briles said. “He did a great job of throwing the football tonight.”

So what was the key to the Bears victory?

“The key to the game for us was up front on both sides of the ball,” Briles said. “That was our theme going into the week. We knew we had a chance to dominate up front and that is what we did, and that is what we will continue to try and do each week.”

For now, Baylor’s Bears – along with Briles – can temporarily take a sigh of relief after picking up win number one of the young season.

“It’s tough anytime to get a win,” Briles said. “This is a big win for this football team. It’s a big win for our university and we will certainly try and use it as a springboard.”

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

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 BASKETBALL UPDATE: Bears fall to Purdue in NCAA Tourney, garner highly successful season with Drew at the helm

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

WACO, Texas – Now that the bracket’s been notched down to the Sweet 16, it’s time to take a look back at the season that was for the Baylor Bears basketball team.

The green and gold men’s hoops team, under the direction and leadership of the one and only Scott Drew, had a highly successful season – compiling a 21-11 overall record while establishing the team as one of the up-and-coming programs in a very elite conference with a 9-7 mark in Big 12 play.

Despite a disappointing first round Big 12 Tourney loss to Colorado in double overtime, the Bears still made the Big Dance – with BU bursting their bubble status when the final pairings were announced on Selection Sunday.

“How sweet man,” Baylor’s Curtis Jerrells said following the news the team had made the NCAA Tourney. “I was a little nervous. It was faith. First off, we just want to thank God for giving us the opportunity for being a part of the NCAA Tournament.

“This is something that we set out to do all season. We felt like we worked hard enough to do it, and it just came down to that last spot. We just had to have faith, so we just want to thank God.”

Coach Drew concurred with his junior star guard.

“I think I lost my voice in all of the screaming and the excitement, so I apologize for that,” Drew said. “I also want to echo CJ’s [Curtis Jerrells] thoughts about thanking the Lord for helping us get to this situation. Being the 65^th pick is indicative of the Baylor Bears; we persist and we hang in there. When it looks like we are down and out, we are able to come through. This is very exciting for us and the fans.

“When you put in perspective, it is the second time Baylor has been to the NCAA tournament in 58 years. So it has been a long time coming. Being able to progress this far as we have in such a short time is just a tribute to the players that we brought in, the school administration and the community that has been able to support us over this time.”

And regardless of a first round 90-79 loss to Purdue when the NCAA Tournament tipped off last week, the Baylor Bears still have a lot to be proud of – and they also have a lot to look forward to.

“It wasn’t the performance that we wanted, but at the same time I think this team has accomplished a tremendous amount this year,” Drew said. “It’s something that hopefully they can be proud of the rest of their lives.”

Jerrells led the way for Baylor in their match-up with Purdue, netting 27 points while dishing out eight assists in the Bears first round loss to the Boilermakers.

“In the second half, we thought we were coming back,” Baylor sophomore guard Tweety Carter said. “We had all season long. But we just couldn’t come back [against Purdue].”

Also contributing in the scoring department for BU were freshman guard LaceDarius Dunn with 15 points and junior guard Henry Dugat, who matched his freshman teammate by chipping in with 15 points.

“We gained a lot; we gained hunger,” Jerrells said. “I think the taste in our mouth will be a whole lot better next year. And we’ll actually guard somebody.”

One way or the other, the Bears have a lot to be proud of – as senior guard Aaron Bruce can testify.

“When I first got here, thinking of days like this and thinking about going to the tournament wasn’t even in the picture,” Bruce said. “I think it is just a testament [to this program]; the coaching staff, and the people that they brought in. We’re fighters and we are going to keep fighting.

“You count us out, we are going to show up on a board on the NCAA tournament sooner or later, and that is what we did. It is just a credit to those guys, credit to the staff, and everybody that has something to do with [the Baylor basketball program].”

In addition to leading the team in scoring in a losing effort for Baylor against Purdue, Jerrells also became the first player to score at least 27 points and eight or more assists since Dwyane Wade put up 29 points and dished out 11 assists for Marquette in an Elite Eight battle with Kentucky on March 29, 2003 – a game that Wade and the Golden Eagles won to advance to the Final Four.

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