BAYLOR BASEBALL: Bears Head to Texas State for Midweek Tilt

Tue Feb 19 00:15:02 CST 2019

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BAYLOR BEARS (4-0)
Location: Waco, Texas
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Steve Rodriguez (Pepperdine 2001)
Roster<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?path=softball> | Stats<https://baylorbears.com/cumestats.aspx?path=softball> | Game Notes<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2019/2/14/BU_Baseball_Notes_vs_Holy_Cross_.pdf>

BAYLOR (4-0) vs. Texas State (2-1)
February 19, 2019 – 6:00 p.m. CT
Waco, Texas • Bobcat Ballpark (2,500)

STATS: Live Stats<http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=249860>

WATCH: Live Stream<https://txstatebobcats.com/watch/?Live=1778&type=Live> ($)

Baylor Social Media: [auto twitter icon] <http://twitter.com/baylorbaseball>  [instagram png] <http://instagram.com/baylorbaseball>  [Facebook PNG] <http://facebook.com/baylorbaseball>

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Texas State  (2-1)
Location: San Marcos, Texas
Conference: Sun Belt
Head Coach: Ty Harrington (Texas, 1987)
Roster<https://txstatebobcats.com/roster.aspx?path=baseball> | Stats <https://txstatebobcats.com/cumestats.aspx?path=baseball> | Game Notes<https://txstatebobcats.com/documents/2019/2/18/021919_Baylor.pdf>

Story lines

• The Bears head out on the road for the first time this season, setting to San Marcos for a midweek contest at Texas State on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. CT.

                • The Bears and Bobcats split last year’s midweek series, as the Bobcats took game one by a score of 6-1, but the Bears came back in game two, winning in seven-innings, 17-5 in San Marcos.

                • The Bears and Bobcats will face for a second time this season in the Shriners College Classic in Houston on Sunday, March 3 at 11 a.m. CT.

• The Bears are coming off a big opening weekend victory, sweeping Holy Cross in a four-game set. The four-game sweep is the first time in program history since defeating Louisiana Tech on March 10-13, 2011 and the first opening weekend series sweep since the Bears defeated Niagra in three games on Feb. 17-18, 2017.

                • On opening day, the Bears defeated Holy Cross, 12-0, the largest opening day victory margin since defeating Centenary 15-1 to open up the 1997 season. RHP Hayden Kettler was outstanding, tying his career-long outing with 7.0 IP and collected a new career-high 8 strikeouts.

                • In game one of the double-header on Saturday, the Bears needed the heroics of redshirt sophomore Ryan Bertelsman to defeat the Crusaders. The Bears entered the top of the 10th inning trailing by one run but turned a two-out comeback. With two down and a runner on second, Davion Downey delivered his first game-tying hit of the series, doubling in the run to tie the game up at 5-5. Then Ryan Bertelsman, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, came through with his first-career home run, a walk-off three-run shot.

                • In game two of the double-header, senior Richard Cunningham was the star, going 5-for-5 with 2 RBIs as he was just a home run away from the cycle, tying his career-high mark of five hits, just one shy of the program single-game record.

                • In game four, freshman RHP Anderson Needham looked strong, striking out 6 batters in his first collegiate action in 4.2 innings of work. Sophomore Davion Downey looked strong in the game, going 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, including his first homer of the season, a two-run shot in the 7th inning.

• After the first weekend of play the Bears mostly stayed put in the rankings, sitting at No. 15 in the D1Baseball poll, No. 16 in the Baseball America poll, No. 12 in the Perfect Game poll. No. 21 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and moved up one to No. 15 in the NCBWA poll.

• Projected Pitching Matchup

Tues., Feb. 19 • 6:00 p.m. CT • RHP Jimmy Winston (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Zachary Leigh (0.0, 0.00 ERA)

                • Winston is slated to make his first start of 2019 and third start of his career. His first and longest start of his career came on April 17, 2018 vs Texas Southern, going 4.0 IP,. allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with 1 walk and 2 Ks. His next start was on May 9, 2018 against Prairie View A&M, going 3.0 innings, allowing no runs on no hits with 1 walk and 1 strikeout.

• Overall the Bears enter the 2019 season ranked in all the major preseason rankings. In addition to the No. 12 ranking by Perfect Game and No. 15 by D1Baseball, the Bears are No. 16 in the Baseball America poll, No. 16 in the NCBWA Poll, No. 18 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 21 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll.

• The Bears are the preseason No. 2 pick in the Big 12 and earned two first place votes, collected 58 total points, behind No. 1 Texas Tech’s 61 points. The second place finish ties the highest in program history, first time since 2004 the Bears were picked second and fifth time in program history. .

• Baylor returns 20 letterwinners after losing eight from the 2018 squad, including Preseason All-Big 12 selections Cody Bradford, Shea Langeliers, Davis Wendzel and Nick Loftin.

• Baylor welcomes 11 newcomers to the 2019 team. Seven of those are pitchers, including true freshmen in RHP
Ryan Segner, RHP Anderson Needham, RHP Blake Helton, RHP Branson Wilson, sophomore RHP William Gilbert and junior junior college transfers LHP Paul Dickens and RHP Logan Freeman. One newcomer, Brooks Helmer is a two-way guy, first baseman in the field and a RHP on the mound. The Bears then have three position player newcomers in freshman infielder Ricky Martinez, freshman catcher Jake Walsh and junior college transfer outfielder/first baseman Mack Mueller.

• Baylor returns all nine position starters, plus the entire pitching rotation from 2018. On the mount the Bears return 95 percent of their starts (55 of 58) from 2018 and 73 percent of their wins.

• The Bears are coming off the 2018 season where they collected 37 wins (37-21), improving upon 2017’s 34 wins, the most since 2012. The Bears finished with 13 wins in Big 12 play (13-11), the most since 2013.

___________________________________
Rachel Caton | Associate Sports Information Director
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
O: 254-710-3784
C: 254-652-2061

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