Baylor Bears
Big 12 (42-12, 20-4)
The Baylor Bears baseball program, under the direction of Steve Smith, has some unprecedented success: 12 Regional appearances since 1998, three Super Regional appearances and a 2005 College World Series. The 2012 Baylor team appears to have the talent in place to again earn a trip to Omaha in 2012. Josh Ludy and Josh Turley are both Golden Spikes Award watch list members. The Bears 18 game Big 12 Conference win streak to secure the outright conference championship has helped the squad rocket up toward the top of the rankings. And with one of the top stadiums in college baseball and the potential to stay at home all the way to Omaha, this could be a huge opportunity for this team to cap off what has been a banner year for Baylor athletics.
Big Wins: 2/21 vs TCU (7-1), 2/24 at UCLA (15-3), 4/20 at Texas A&M (5-3)
Bad Losses: 3/3 vs Lamar (0-8), 3/7 vs Michigan State (0-4), 4/24 vs UT-San Antonio (1-4)
Coach: Steve Smith (18 seasons at Baylor)
Why They Can Surprise:
This Baylor squad has proved it can stand up and play some of the most consistent baseball in the country with a 24 game winning streak during the middle portion of the season and winning their first 18 Big 12 games. Josh Ludy, Max Muncy, and Logan Vick spark what can be a very explosive offense. They put 15 runs on the board at UCLA, which with their pitching, is no small feat. Also, having Josh Turley as the ace is huge. Having that difference maker type of ace that can anchor you through Regional and Super Regional play is very important in getting to Omaha.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The losses to mid-major type of competition and some of the occasional struggles offensively would be a potential concern. In a regional situation, if you get a MLB Draft caliber ace pitching against you as a number four seed, the upset potential is going to be prevalent even with the Bears most likely hosting in Waco all the way through to Omaha. There also have been issues in the past with number one overall national seeds not winning the national championship. The best case scenario for the Baylor program is avoid the curse of the number one national seed and be safely in the top eight national seeds to ensure being protected with home field advantage until Omaha. Also, having the Big 12 regular season title wrapped up too early could come back to possibly hurt them as well by not having as much to play for.
Key Field Players:
Josh Ludy, Senior, C, .347 BA, 9 HR, 54 RBI
Max Muncy, Junior, IF, .316 BA, 6 HR, 49 RBI
Logan Vick, Junior, IF/OF, .347 BA, 33 RBI, 14 SB
Cal Towey, Junior, IF/OF, .291 BA, 43 RBI
Dan Evatt, Senior, IF/OF, .312 BA, 7 HR, 26 RBI
Key Pitchers:
Josh Turley, Junior, Starting Pitcher, 1.67 ERA, 8-0 W/L, 86.1 IP, 66 SO
Trent Blank, Senior, Starting Pitcher, 2.11 ERA, 10-1 W/L, 85.1 IP, 49 SO
Max Garner, Junior, Closer, 5.09 ERA, 2-2 W/L, 40.2 IP, 39 SO, 10 SV
By the Numbers:
Batting Average: .312 (12th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Offense: 6.6 (32, 1)
Doubles per Game: 1.83 (68, 2)
Triples per Game: 0.26 (101, 5)
Home Runs per Game: 0.63 (64, 1)
Slugging Percentage: .440 (25, 1)
Stolen Bases per Game: 1.43 (45, 4)
Earned Run Average: 3.12 (27, 3)
Fielding Percentage: .974 (39, 4)
Double Plays per Game: 0.74 (169, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2011 | Regional | defeated California, defeated Rice, lost to California, eliminated by California |
| 2010 | Regional | lost to Arizona, defeated Lamar, defeated Arizona, eliminated by TCU |
| 2009 | Regional | defeated Minnesota, lost to LSU, eliminated by Minnesota |
| 2007 | Regional | lost to TCU, defeated Prairie View, eliminated by TCU |
| 2006 | Regional | defeated Arizona State, lost to Rice, defeated Arizona State, eliminated by Rice |
*all team stats through 5/20
See All Baseball Postseason Capsules
