2012 College World Series: An In-depth Look at Baylor Bears Baseball
By Ryan Wright
The Arkansas Razorbacks (42-19) open up Super Regional action on Saturday vs. the Baylor Bears (48-15) at 4:00 p.m. CT at Baylor Ballpark.
Despite advancing to the super regional round and winning the Big 12 regular season conference title what do college baseball fans really know about the Baylor Bears?
Baylor won 24 straight games starting with Texas Tech on March 16 through a series sweep of Texas A&M on April 22. The teams they beat during the 24-game onslaught included Tech, Sam Houston State, Kansas, Houston, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Louisiana Monroe, Kansas State, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Texas A&M.
Their streak was halted by a mid-week 4-1 loss vs. UT-San Antonio.
As a team the Bears hit the ball well finishing with a .312 average on the season led by All-American catcher Josh Ludy’s .368 batting average; .317 in conference batting average.
Ludy is not the only live bat in the order. Five other Bear starters hit .300 or better during the 2012 college baseball season- infielder/outfielder Logan Vick (.344), first base/outfielder Dan Evatt (.340), left fielder Lawton Langford (.316), first baseman Max Muncy (.313), and catcher/DH Nathan Orf (.308).
Make no mistake about the heart of the Bears’ offense, it starts and finishes with Ludy. Ludy, a senior, leads the team in average, homeruns (15), RBI (69), total bases (142), hits (82), and slugging percentage among regular starters (.637).
Dan Evatt (1B/OF) provides the next tier of pop in the lineup hitting eight homeruns with 30 RBI on the season. Cal Towey (3B/OF) hits for decent average (.293) and has driven in the third highest total of runners on the team (49).
The two hitters that could cause the Arkansas Razorback pitching staff the most trouble is Logan Vick and Max Muncy. Vick and Muncy have a knack for getting on base and drawing walks. Vick has the team lead with 40 base on balls but Muncy is right on his heals walking 39 times.
The Bears will put the bat on the ball to force the opposition to make plays in the field. IfArkansas’ defense is not up to the task, Baylor has the ability to make the defense pay. For the season Baylor has committed 59 errors while the opposition was forced into 72 errors.
Allowing a team with a lineup full of good hitters extra opportunities is never good and those type of mistakes cost the Razorbacks several key victories throughout the season.
Baylor’s pitching staff has an effective one-two punch with senior RHP Trent Blank (10-1, 2.32 ERA) and junior LHP Josh Turley (9-1, 1.83 ERA).
To be noted, both pitchers can be hit. Blank allows a .240 opposition batting average and Turley is hit at a rate of .229.
Taken a step further, neither pitcher is a strikeout pitcher. Turley struck out 75 batters in 103 innings while giving up 90 hits. Blank struck out 56 in 97 innings of work.
Should the Super Regional extend into a third day, look for Baylor to start senior RHP Tyler Bremer (7-1, 3.08 ERA). Bremer made eight starts during the season with 14 total appearances. In 49.2 innings of work he struck out 42 batters.
The Bears turn to junior RHP Max Garner as their closer (10 saves). Garner has a 4.84 ERA mixed between six starts and 15 relief appearances.
Sporting a team ERA of 3.14 is impressive in Division-I. But make no mistake about the game strategy for the Bears, they want to blow the game wide open. In tight games the Bears struggle. When scoring zero to three runs in a game, Baylor has a 2-9 record.
The offense looks to jump on the opposition early scoring 57 total runs in the first inning of play. Feasting on relief pitchers and tired starters, by the sixth and seventh inning the offense wakes up again scoring a total of 63 runs in each inning throughout the year.
If Big 12 fans are tired of hearing this mantra during the college football season they have to again roll their eyes during the college baseball season, but it serves a valid point; how good are the Baylor Bears and have they really been tested during Big 12 conference play?
Baylor staved off elimination in their own regional after losing the opening game to Oral Roberts 4-2. The Bears bounced back to beat UT Arlington, Oral Roberts, and Dallas Baptist twice while averaging 8.25 runs per game.
The only game they faced a team ace was against Oral Roberts
The Bears have played against three teams that are still ranked at the end of the season- No. 6 UCLA, No. 12 Oklahoma, and No. 19 Texas A&M. Their record against ranked teams is 4-7; UCLA 1-2, A&M 3-0, and Oklahoma 0-5.
The Razorbacks have played against No. 1 LSU, No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 Florida, No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 18 Rice, No. 21 Kentucky, and No. 24 Mississippi State.
The Arkansas Razorback pitching staff should be able to slow down the talented Baylor Bear offense.
Inside the Numbers
Baylor 48-15, 20-4 in conference, 33-4 at home, 12-9 away, 3-2 neutral field
Non-Conference Losses for Baylor
Oral Roberts 4-1
UCLA 1-2
Michigan State 0-1
TCU 1-1
Lamar 0-2
UT-Arlington 2-1
UT-San Antonio 1-1
Significant Wins for Baylor
Vs. UCLA 1-2
Vs. TCU 1-1
Vs. Texas A&M 3-0
Vs. New Mexico State 2-0
Baylor’s Record vs. Common Opponents 15-7
Oral Roberts: Baylor 3-0 regular season record, 1-1 in Waco Regional
Sam Houston State 2-0
TexasTech 3-0
Houston1-0
Missouri 3-0
Oklahoma 0-3 regular season record, 0-2 in Big 12 Tournament
Texas 2-1
Arkansas’ Record vs. Common Opponents 7-2
Texas Tech 1-0
Houston 0-1
Texas 1-0
Oklahoma 0-1
Oral Roberts 1-0
Missouri 2-0
Sam Houston State 2-0
Baylor Bears in the 2012 MLB Draft (6)
Max Muncy, Oakland A’s, Round 5
Josh Ludy, Philadelphia Phillies, Round 8
LoganVick, Cleveland Indians, Round 11
Josh Turley, Detroit Tigers, Round 16
Tyler Bremer, Chicago Cubs, Round 27
Trent Blank, Colorado Rockies, Round 30