Baylor baseball celebrates its series sweep over Texas A&M with a 7-5 victory Sunday at Baylor Ballpark after junior Max Garner closed out the game.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

No. 3 Baylor baseball will take on the No. 25 New Mexico State Aggies tonight and Saturday. Both games of the two-game series will be at Baylor Ballpark, and the top 25 showdown should test both teams.

Offensively, New Mexico State makes their living by drawing walks. In their 41 games this season, the Aggies have drawn 271 walks, leading the nation by over 50. They also rank No. 36 in the country in getting hit by pitches. They manage to take many free bases however they can get them.

“[They] are very good, and [they] do what they do extremely well,” head coach Steve Smith said. “When you look at their stat sheet … it will not look like anybody’s stat sheet that you’ve seen all year … they lead the world in walks and getting hit by pitches.”

New Mexico State seizes the opportunities that they are given with free base runners. The Aggies are capable of piling on runs in innings.

“They’re doing a good job of hitting with runners in scoring position and [getting] guys on base. They’re averaging about eight runs per game,” Smith said.

With this in mind, Smith stressed the importance of Baylor’s pitching staff getting ahead of batters in the count.

“Throw strike one. Throw strike one. Throw strike one,” Smith said, emphasizing the importance of first-pitch strikes. “[It] is as big a pitch in the game as there is. It won’t necessarily mean we have to change anything, and I don’t expect them to change anything. We just need to continue to be who we are and do what we’ve been doing.”

Junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley will get the call tonight. Turley is 6-0 in his 10 starts. He leads the team in strikeouts with 51, and his ERA is 1.94.

“It’s always important to win games, especially when you have a tough schedule like we do,” Turley said.

The Bears recently bounced back from a loss that ended their 24-game winning streak. The loss came to the University of Texas at San Antonio 4-1 on Tuesday.

“Coming off of the series [with] Texas A&M … everybody was pumped up about that. [Then we played] a team like UTSA who doesn’t take anybody for granted [and is] trying to beat big teams like us. It was a good win for them. It’s a bad loss for us,” Turley said.

Baylor responded with a strong outing against the University of Texas at Arlington 6-4 Wednesday.

“To come back from [the loss] the next day and beat a quality team like UTA is a good thing for us. I think we played well, for the most part, until late. I’m just glad we got the W,” Turley said.

Baylor is 36-8 overall, 18-0 in conference and 25-3 at home. While this is a nonconference game, it will help prepare the team for their final two conference series against Oklahoma and Texas.

Despite a perfect conference record late in the season, the Bears have not locked up the conference title. Texas is currently 11-4 in conference play and 24-14 overall.

First pitch will be at 6:35 p.m. for tonight’s game.

No. 9 first baseman Max Muncy tags out a runner during a record-breaking win Wednesday at Baylor Ballpark against Texas A&M — Corpus Christi.
David Li | Lariat Photographer

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

No. 6 Baylor baseball will take its program-record 21-game winning streak to College Station at 7 p.m. today to take on the Texas A&M Aggies.

The series will start with an away game for the Bears, but the final two games of the series will be played at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

Junior right-handed pitcher Josh Turley will get the start in the first game against the Aggies.

Head coach Steve Smith said he isn’t going to rely on the momentum to carry his team.

“Momentum is as good as Josh Turley will be on Friday night,” Smith said. “There were a lot a lot of positives that went on [against Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi]. Hopefully that will carry over.”

Baylor is sitting atop the Big 12 standings at 15-0 in conference play. Right behind the first-place Bears is the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies are 9-3 in Big 12, which ties them with the Texas Longhorns, but a better overall record gives them the tiebreaker.

Nine of the conference wins have come at home for the Bears compared to seven for the Aggies. Both teams have played mostly home games thus far.

The Bears are riding a 15-game conference-winning streak and are the hottest team in the country.

Despite being in second place in the Big 12, Texas A&M has lost two games in a row and three of its last five. This marked the third time this season that the Aggies have lost back-to-back games, but they have yet to lose three in a row.

“Definitely excited, definitely ready, definitely have something to prove every game,” sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Kuntz said. “[We] are just going to take it one game at a time and just keep rolling.”

The Aggies dropped a game at home to University of Texas–Arlington, won two of three at the University of Kansas and lost to Rice University in College Station on Tuesday. The recent miniature slump has dropped the Aggies to No. 13 in the rankings.

Aggie outfielder Tyler Naquin led the nation in hits last season. He earned All-American honors and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year. He has started all 37 games for the Aggies and is batting .403 with 58 hits.

Texas A&M’s best hitting infielder is first baseman Jacob House. Last season, House led the Aggies in RBI’s. This season is more of the same. House leads the team with 36 RBI’s and 5 homeruns. He is batting .336, and he has also started every game this season.

Pitching has also been strong for the Aggies this season. Texas A&M is ranked No. 18 in the country in team ERA at 2.87

In the preseason poll, Baseball America picked Texas A&M to finish first in the Big 12. It had the Aggies listed at No. 7 in the nation, with Texas at No. 13 and Oklahoma at No. 19. Baylor was not in the preseason top 25.

Baylor Basketball’s Quincy Acy will be throwing out the first pitch for Saturday’s game.

No. 4 junior designated hitter Nathan Orf hits the ball against the University of Louisiana-Monroe Wednesday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears are currently on a 19-game winning streak.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

Baylor baseball has continued to claw its way up the standings. The Bears have reached the No. 6 overall ranking according to Baseball America, and the latest victim in their 19-game winning streak was the Kansas State Wildcats.

The Bears completed their sweep of Kansas State on Sunday. Baylor won the first game 5-2 on the shoulders, or rather, the arm of junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley.

Turley pitched his second complete game of his career and moved to 5-0 with the win. He notched six strikeouts, allowed six hits and just one earned run.

“He was really, really good. He threw four [types of] pitches for strikes and threw a lot of strikes,” head coach Steve Smith said. “They put the ball on the ground, and it’s a tough matchup for him, but he did a great job with it and just kept throwing strike after strike.”

Junior first baseman Max Muncy led the Bears on the offensive side. Muncy finished with three hits, including a home run and two doubles that drove in two runs.

Senior catcher Josh Ludy finished with two hits and two RBIs. Ludy’s single in the seventh inning drove in the two runs that broke the 2-2 tie.

Baylor and Kansas State began Saturday’s game at 1 p.m. After five innings, the Bears trailed 10-4. A four-run rally in the sixth inning brought the score to 10-8, but the game was postponed until Sunday while Baylor had runners at the corners.

When the game did finally resume, the Bears added one more run in the top of the sixth inning to cut the lead to one.

In the top of the seventh inning, freshman outfielder Michael Howard singled to drive in the tying run. Howard went 4 of 5 on the day and scored twice.

Junior designated hitter Nathan Orf followed with a three-run homer to left field.

The Wildcats added two runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Bears’ lead to 14-12, but Baylor was able to contain the damage. Junior right-handed pitcher Max Garner sealed the victory, pitching the final two innings without allowing a hit.

“Obviously this was a hitters’ day today, which makes it miserable for coaches and pitchers, because you know a lead is never safe,” Smith said. “There’s nothing in baseball more difficult than winning in extra innings on the road, and we got it done.”

In the final game of the series, the Bears jumped out to an early 1-0 lead only to allow five runs in the second inning.

Ludy cut the Wildcat lead to two after hitting his first home run of the day with one runner on base. Baylor added three more runs in the fourth inning. Outfielder Logan Vick, Orf and junior shortstop Jake Miller all scored in the inning, giving the Bears a 6-5 lead.

Ludy started the fifth inning with a solo home run — his second of the day. Baylor’s lead was short-lived, however. Kansas State added three runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth and one more in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-7 lead.

The Bears mounted a comeback in the eight inning after Orf was hit by a pitch and second baseman Lawton Langford walked. Ludy followed with a home run over the right field fence, his third home run of the day. The next batter, junior third baseman Cal Towey, hit a solo shot over the right field fence.

Baylor took an 11-9 lead, but Kansas State would tie and send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the 11th inning, Howard homered down the right field line to give the Bears a 12-11 lead. Baylor would hang on in the bottom of the inning to seal the deal.

“It was as competitive as it could’ve possibly been,” Smith said. “I think the world of the K-State club, because they competed so hard and made things so difficult on us, but then I think just as much of our guys. Our guys played hard, both teams played extremely hard, and it’s as good of a win as I can remember in a very long time.”

The Bears will take on Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 6:35 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark

Baylor's baseball team has not lost since March 12, exactly one month ago.

No. 28 Dillion Newman fires a pitch in Baylor’s 8-7 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday. During the Bears’ 16-game winning streak, Newman is one of 10 different pitchers to record a win.
David Li | Lariat Photographer

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

Beavers have played a significant role throughout the course of human history. They have made their way onto Canadian money and helped shape the economy of New Netherland.

The beavers are at it again. This time, a beaver is helping the Baylor baseball team win games. And whatever beavers do, they do well. The team’s current streak is up to 16 games. The team takes on Kansas State starting tonight in Manhattan, Kan.

“We saw the beaver in the parking lot right as the winning streak started,” junior left-handed pitcher (and unofficial team beaver expert) Crayton Bare said. “Max Muncy hit a home run, and Josh Michalec from the dugout yelled, ‘Feed the beaver!’ [The] joke is feeding the beaver with a home-run ball.”

The beaver frequents Baylor Ballpark’s parking lot. It comes up every once in awhile to eat acorns. Apparently, he has been eating his fill.

“It’s really big. It’s colossal in size,” Bare said. “The [Texas] Rangers have their antlers and their bear claw. We have our beaver.”

Since the beaver has blessed the baseball team with his presence, “feed the beaver” has caught on. Fans are wearing white T-shirts that depict a beaver holding a baseball and bat. The Baylor Beaver now has his own twitter feed. Baseball fans have been using the hashtag #FeedTheBeaver, which was trending at times over the last few weeks.

“I didn’t see it coming down to this, honestly,” junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley said. “That’s how big of a deal it has gotten. Our Dia shirts [say], ‘Feed the beaver,’ and now they’re selling them.”

Head coach Steve Smith has appreciated the energy that the beaver has brought to the fans.

“I think [the fans] have enjoyed it. It’s unique. It’s ours. He’s our beaver. They don’t have one down at A&M or Texas,” Smith said. “It isn’t going to make a difference in winning or losing.”

Interactions with the beaver have been more than passive sightings. Players have taken pictures of the animal, and junior center fielder Logan Vick has even touched it.

“I’ve actually petted the beaver before. He’s getting really fat, so he’s not too fast,” Vick said. “I went out one day after practice and he was eating some acorns … one of the guys dared me to touch him. I touched him, and I don’t know. I had two hits the next day. It might have been a little luck. If I see him again, I am definitely going to pet him.”

The beaver is wild, and the team cannot take it to away games. To continue to feed the beaver away from Baylor Ballpark, the team has purchased a toy stuffed beaver.

“[The beaver] is kind of on his own schedule,” Bare said. “We have a little travel beaver that comes with us. I guess we just like him around.”

Smith has left this beaver craze to the players but takes a comical approach to the stuffed travel beaver.

“I don’t know if somebody sleeps with that thing or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did,” Smith said.

Feeding the beaver will not stop when the winning streak stops. The players hope to keep it going throughout the year.

“When we do lose a game, we’re still going to say it. It is still going to be a part of what we like to use as a rallying point,” Turley said. “Regardless, win, lose, it’s still there. It’s still feed the beaver.”

Vick takes a more optimistic, albeit unlikely, stance.

“Hopefully it’s a streak thing and a season-long thing,” Vick said. “That means we’re streaking all the way through.”

The Bears next opponent, the Wildcats, are 3-6 in the Big 12 and 17-15 overall. Baylor is currently in first place at 12-0 in Big 12 play and 27-7 overall.

No. 18 junior third baseman Cal Towey hits the ball out of the park for a three-run home run against Oklahoma State Sunday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears celebrated a 5-4 victory in 13 innings.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

Amid all of the excitement surrounding Baylor’s success on the basketball court, you may not have realized the Bears have been winning on the baseball diamond.

In fact, the Bears have rattled off 11 wins in a row to move to 22-7, are first place in Big 12 play and have moved up to No. 8 in Collegiate Baseball Top 30.

“It’s definitely exciting in our dugout for sure. We’re looking forward to playing every day and getting after it,” sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Kuntz said.

Baylor’s most recent sweep was of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The first game was a 7-4 win on Friday night. The Bears came back from an early 4-1 deficit to tie the game in the sixth inning. Kuntz earned the win in relief after the Bears added three more runs in the subsequent innings.

“That’s the nature of baseball. You get lots of opportunities to respond, and [Kuntz] was big tonight. And that’s why we put him out there; we know what he’s capable of,” head coach Steve Smith said.

A crowd of nearly 3,500 showed up to Baylor Ballpark Saturday to watch the Bears earn their second win over the Cowboys. Senior right-handed pitcher Trent Blank earned the win and moved to 7-0 on the season. Blank now leads the nation in wins.

“Trent was maybe as good as I’ve seen him this year,” Smith said. “Coming off of the last one, that’s really good to see. He bounced back from last weekend really really well.”

Baylor struck first blood in the bottom of the second inning when senior designated hitter Dan Evatt hit a solo home run to right-center field. The home run was Evatt’s second of the year and No. 20 of his career.

Junior third baseman Cal Towey also hit a solo home run to right-center field, about the same spot where Evatt hit his home run. This was Towey’s first home run of the season, and the Bears coasted to a 3-2 win.

Blank was very appreciative of the high number of fans in attendance.

“I came here because I heard this was a baseball school. People love baseball here and it’s great to see them out here and supporting us,” Blank said. “I hope they keep coming out.”

The final game of the series was a nail-biter that lasted 13 innings.

Baylor was down 3-0 and had not recorded a hit going into the seventh inning. Junior center fielder Logan Vick ended the drought with a single that was hit right back to the pitcher. Evatt followed with another single before Towey tied the game with a three-run homer over the right-field fence.

“I felt like I hit him pretty well my second at bat, [I] just lined out to center,” Towey said. “I was just trying to get the ball in the air, get the guy in, and start a rally.”

The score remained tied until the top of the 13-inning. Oklahoma State added a run to take a 4-3 lead going into the bottom half of the inning.

To start the bottom of the 13th, junior left fielder Nathan Orf reached on a single. Junior first baseman Max Muncy followed with a double down the right field line. Senior catcher Josh Ludy followed with an RBI single that advanced Muncy to third.

The score was 4-4. After Vick walked, Josh Turley stepped to the plate with no outs and the winning run on third. Turley singled up the middle to score the winning run for the Bears. The dugout emptied as the Bears celebrated their 11th win in a row.

“I was just looking for a fastball in that situation. That’s what I got,” Turley said. “All around, we’re happy with the result. We fought as a team and this is a big win for us.”

Baylor will take on Texas State at 3:05 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark.

It took 13 innings and nearly four hours, but the No. 21 Baylor Bears earned their 11th win in a row and third Big 12 sweep of the season. The team is now 22-7 and 9-0 in conference play.

“Somebody was going to take a loss today that really played well,” head coach Steve Smith said. “That’s just the way baseball is.”

Oklahoma State struck first in the top of the forth inning. Cowboy first baseman Mark Ginther grounded out to the infield, but allowed the runner to score from third. The next batter, Gabe Weidenaar, hit an RBI sacrifice fly to right field, which allowed another run to come home.

Junior left-handed pitcher Crayton Bare replaced Garner in the top of the sixth inning.

Ginther drove in another run on an RBI single to right field after Baylor’s pitching change to extend Oklahoma State’s lead to 3-0.

Bare was pulled after facing just two batters. He was replaced by senior right-hander Joey Hainsfurther.

Baylor finally got its first hit of the game when junior center fielder Logan Vick shot the pitch back to the mound off of the pitcher’s glove. The next batter, Dan Evatt, singled through to left field, which advanced Vick to third. Junior third baseman then hit a three-run homer over the right field fence to tie the game.

“I felt like I hit him pretty well my second at bat, [I] just lined out to center,” Towey said. “I was just trying to get the ball in the air, get the guy in, and start a rally.”

This marks Towey’s second home run in as many days.

The score remained tied going into the bottom of the ninth inning. The first batter, senior designated hitter Dan Evatt hit the ball high to deep left field. The crowd stood up, anticipating a walk-off home run. The ball had the distance, but hooked just a few feet foul.

Baylor failed to score in the inning, and the game continued into extra innings.

The Bears had a chance to hold Oklahoma State scoreless in the inning, but junior left fielder Nathan Orf dropped a fly ball that would have been the final out of the top of the tenth.

Luckily for the Bears, Hainsfurther forced the next batter to pop out to second base, and the score remained tied going into the bottom of the tenth inning.

Baylor came up empty in the bottom of the tenth inning, and sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Kuntz replaced Hainsfurther on the mound.

With two outs and a runner on second, Kuntz was called for a balk. This advanced Oklahoma State’s base runner to third. The batter hit a slow roller back to the mound and the Bears escaped the inning with no damage done.

With two outs and runners on the corners, Baylor brought senior right-hander Tyler Bremer in to close the inning out.

Bremer walked the first batter, and the second hit a line drive to center. It looked like the Cowboys would take the lead until Vick made a diving catch to end the top of the twelfth.

After failing to score in the bottom of the inning, Oklahoma State led off with a double. The runner advanced on a wild pitch by Bremer. Cowboy pinch hitter Saulyer Saxon hit an RBI single to break the tie with no outs.

Bremer was pulled with one out in the top of the 13th inning for freshman right-hander Austin Stone. Stone struck out the first batter he faced and forced the next to fly out to deep center field.

Baylor trailed 3-4 going into the bottom of the 13th inning.

To start the bottom of the 13th, Orf reached on a single. Junior first baseman Max Muncy followed with a double down the right field line. Senior catcher Josh Ludy followed with an RBI single that advanced Muncy to third.

The score was 4-4. Vick stepped to the plate with no outs and the winning run on third. Oklahoma State intentionally walked Vick to load the bases for junior pinch-hitter Josh Turley.

Turley singled up the middle to score the winning run for the Bears. The dugout emptied as the Bears celebrated their 11th win in a row.

“I was just looking for a fastball in that situation. That’s what I got,” Turley said. “All around, we’re happy with the result. We fought as a team and this is a big win for us.”

No. 30 senior catcher Josh Ludy gets a base hit against TCU on March 6 at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears beat TCU 7-1. Ludy is batting .337 with 26 RBIs and one home run.
Matthew McCarroll | Lariat Photographer

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

No. 21 Baylor baseball will take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a three-game series this weekend. The Bears have won eight straight and have scored at least eight runs in each game over the course of this streak.

Oklahoma State will pitch their ace on at 6:35 p.m. Friday at Baylor Ballpark. Cowboy left-hander Andrew Heaney will take the mound with a 5-1 record this season. He ranks second in the nation with 65 strikeouts and second in the Big 12 with a 1.12 ERA.

“We saw him last year. I think he came out of the bullpen last year, and he was a good arm,” junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley said. “We’re going to do our best to get the sticks rolling early and try and put a little pressure on him.”

There are many reasons why the baseball team has won eight straight games. Baseball players are generally superstitious, so some unconventional trends have started in the clubhouse.

“I’m not going to shave [my beard] until we lose, and hopefully that won’t be for awhile,” Turley said.

Junior first baseman Max Muncy has gone a different route with his game-day routine.

“I wear the same thing on game day. I wear some slacks and a Polo shirt,” Muncy said.

The team has devised a theory that starts off of the field. In fact, it starts in the parking lot. Around the day that the winning streak started, a beaver made its way from the Brazos River into the parking lot of Baylor Ballpark to eat acorns. The Beaver usually makes a daily appearance, and the players have started using the phrase, “Feed the Beaver.”

“I’ve heard about the beaver. I have not personally seen the beaver. I’ve heard numerous stories about the beaver, though. And I would like to see that beaver,” head coach Steve Smith said.

He also admitted he is not a particularly superstitious individual.

“I think Cal [Towey] gets more credit than the beaver,” Smith added.

In the series against Kansas amid the winning streak, junior third baseman Towey went 4 for 9 with five RBIs. He is third on the team in RBIs with 18 and is slugging .430. He has also reached base in 14 straight games.

Superstitions aside, the Bears have been swinging the bat well as a team. Their streak of scoring at least eight runs per game in something that Baylor has not done since 1998.

“Everyone is relaxed in there. We’re not stressing about any games that are coming up. We’re just going out and having fun,” Muncy said. “When you’re relaxed, everyone is joking about it. It helps you relieve it and just play better with it.”

Muncy is batting .337 on the season. During the win streak, the National Baseball Writers Association named him the National Hitter of the Week. Muncy scored seven runs and batted in nine more during the week. He also hit two home runs and hit .500 during this span.

Oklahoma State is only 14-11 on the year, and is 1-2 in conference play. In away games, they are just 2-8. This plays into Baylor’s hands because the Bears are 15-3 at home.

“It’s big for us because after this weekend, we don’t have another actual home series because we have the split with [Texas] A&M and Texas,” Turley said. “The road is going to be tough, but anywhere you go, it’s going to be difficult. People coming in here … it’s going to be difficult for them.”

Baylor is sitting atop the Big 12 with a perfect conference record at 6-0. All of these wins have been at Baylor Ballpark. All of Oklahoma State’s conference games have come on the road. The Cowboys are currently seventh in conference standings.

This series will mark Baylor’s annual Military Appreciation weekend. The Bears will incorporate camouflage into their uniforms to honor those who have served.

Baylor baseball wrapped up the QTI Baylor Classic this weekend, finishing 2-2 and bringing its overall record to 9-4.

The Bears kicked off the Classic with a 4-2 win over the University of California, Irvine. Junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley earned the win for the Bears, his first in three starts.

“It was a typical Josh Turley type of outing. I think it’s very much what he is like when he’s on,” head coach Steve Smith said.

The Bears dropped the first game of their Saturday doubleheader against Lamar University 8-0. Lamar scored in all but three innings.

The second game was against UC-Irvine. The Bears won 6-1 on the arm of senior right-handed pitcher Trent Blank.

“[Blank’s pitching] is unbelievable. That’s about it. I mean, hopefully he keeps it up all year because he is a big tool for us right now,” senior right-handed pitcher Joey Hainsfurther said.

Blank is now 4-0 on the season in five starts with a 0.81 ERA. Batters are only hitting .130 against him this season.

“I got in the groove and started throwing strikes and letting the defense work. That’s what happens,” Blank said.

Baylor closed out the Classic with another loss to the Lamar Cardinals. Lamar was able to jump out to an early lead again, recording five runs, two on a home run to right field by catcher Thomas Henk.

“They were swinging the bat. They swung the bat good,” Smith said. “The first inning [had] a lot of parts … that bothered me in terms of how it was going about. But really if we just play the game the rest of the way, we come back.”

The Bears were able to claw their way back from a 6-0 hole after the top of the first. Trailing 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning with the winning run on first base, junior center fielder Logan Vick struck out looking.

Freshman right-fielder Michael Howard only played in the final two games of the weekend but was 4 of 6, scored three runs, drew two walks and had three RBIs.

The Bears take on TCU at 6:30 p.m. today in Forth Worth.

Junior Trent Blank awaits the signal before delivering a pitch in Baylor’s Feb. 20, 2011, win over Oral Roberts. Trent Blank earned the win for the Bears in Friday's season-opening 3-2 win over ORU.
Lariat File Photo | Makenzie Mason

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

The Baylor baseball team kicked off their season with a 3-2 win against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. Trent Blank earned the win for the Bears. Lars Liguori was charged with the loss for Oral Roberts, and Baylor’s Dillon Newman recorded the save.

“Anytime coach tells me to get up, ill be ready. And I’ll throw strikes and let the defense work. I just trust everybody on this team, it’s a great team,” Blank said after the game. “That was a lot of fun and I’m really glad we pulled that out. I hope the fans liked it. I’ll tell you this: we had a lot of fun.”

Josh Turley, the starting pitcher for the Bears, threw 4.2 innings and allowed 2 unearned runs. Both runs came in the 5th inning on an error that allowed ORU’s Brandon King to score. A Nate Goro single to center field scored Chris Williams later that inning.

In the 6th inning, catcher Josh Ludy singled to left-center. This allowed third basemen Cal Towey to score and cut the lead in half. In the 8th inning, Lars Liguori came in to pitch for the Golden Eagles. After walking Towey, throwing a wild pitch, and walking first baseman Max Muncy, Ludy hit a double down the right field line. Towey scored on the play.

After intentionally walking center fielder Logan Vick, freshman Michael Howard came to the plate to pinch-hit for his first at bat in his college career. Howard drew a walk to give the Bears the lead going into the 9th inning.

“Coming off of the bench, it’s tough, but [the coaches] do have a lot of trust and faith in us. I just did what I had to do,” Howard said. “I think ill remember this day for the rest of my life. Just to be able to say, ‘Hey, my first college at bat, I had a game winning RBI for our opening day.’”

“When you get your chances to play, you just play. God for Michael [Howard] that he was able to draw that walk,” head coach Steve Smith added. “My only words of wisdom were ‘have fun.’”

Sophomore Dillon Newman came in to close the game out. Newman forced King to fly out and then struck out the final two batters to end the game and give Baylor their first win of the season.

Baylor will square off against Oral Roberts again Saturday, February 18 at 2:05 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark. Because the Baylor men’s basketball game will end during the baseball game, a Kansas State basketball ticket will also work for admission into Baylor Ballpark.

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

The Baylor baseball team is looking to redeem itself after a heartbreaking end to last season. The Bears came within one strike of winning their first regional title in six years, but a four-run 9th inning by the California Golden Bears sent Baylor into the off-season.

“I’m just excited that the season is finally here,” junior outfielder Logan Vick said. “It’s been a long off-season. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point. It’s been a long journey. It’s been a bad taste in our mouth since the last game we played — to lose like that. I’m just excited to get a chance to start a new season. A new clean slate.”

Baylor returns eight position starters and nine pitchers. Juniors Josh Turley (4-5, 3.39 ERA) and Max Garner (3.12 ERA, 8 saves) are two of the top returning pitchers. Two of Baylor’s starting pitchers last season — Logan Verrett and Brooks Pinckard — were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the New York Mets and the Cincinnati Reds, respectively.

“We’re all really excited. It’s been a long time coming … since last year with the tough loss and everything like that,” junior pitcher and outfielder Josh Turley said. “I think were prepared for it. We spent the fall preparing for it, and these few weeks that we’ve had to get ready this spring have been really good weeks for us.”

With so many returning starting position players, opposing teams will be hard pressed to find a weak link in the Bears’ roster.

“I don’t really see an Achilles’ heel, a real glaring spot defensively. Pitching-wise, we don’t have what you might consider just a dominant guy. I don’t think we had that last year,” head coach Steve Smith said. “But I do think we have a lot of capable guys, and I think they will be prepared and hopefully we can do a good job of putting them in positions to be successful.”

This year’s team includes nine freshmen, though few of them will be given major roles.

“I’m not going to put an ‘impact tag’ on anybody, but I think [outfielder] Adam Toth will be in our lineup to get us started. He brings speed to the table,” Smith said. “I think at some point in time, we will get a taste of [outfielder] Michael Howard and probably [outfielder] Logan Brown. I don’t know that we’re going to weigh heavy on any freshman arms, but I think we’ve got some that, over the course of this kind of season, they will do some things.”

The Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll picked Baylor to finish fourth in the conference for the second year in a row. Baylor received 42 points, placing them behind Texas A&M (64), Texas (56) and Oklahoma (48).

The Aggies, Sooners and Longhorns are all ranked in the top 25 nationally according to the USA Today/ESPN College Baseball 2012 Preseason Poll.

The Bears begin their season at 4:05 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark. They will begin a three-game series against Oral Roberts.

“I’m three years into [my college career], but there is no feeling like opening day. It’s a different kind of nervousness, it’s a different kind of excitement, and [we’re] just ready to get going,” Vick said.

Big 12 Conference play begins March 16 against Texas Tech at Baylor Ballpark.

“Right now we’re just imagining winning the first game [today], but in the long term, it’s definitely going to have to be winning the Big 12 Championship as our first goal, and then host the regionals as our second goal,” said junior first baseman Max Muncy.