Baseball Selected as the No. 2 Seed in the Los Angeles Regional

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Each of the last two years, Baylor baseball had to wait until one of the final regions was revealed to find out where the Bears were headed for the NCAA tournament.
            This time, they barely had a chance to get comfortable in their seats.
            Just after top-ranked UCLA (47-8) was announced as the overall No. 1, Baylor (34-17) came up as the No. 2 seed in the UCLA Regional that begins Friday in Los Angeles. The Bears will play West Coast Conference tourney champion and third-seeded Loyola Marymount (32-23) at 3 p.m. CDT Friday, with UCLA taking on fourth-seeded and Summit League champion Omaha (31-22-1) at 9 p.m.
            Baylor's road to the College World Series in Omaha would go through top-seeded UCLA and potentially defending national champion and 16^th-seeded Oregon State in the Super Regional.
            "I tell our guys all the time, you're going to have to go through the best teams in the country to get to Omaha," said Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez, who led his team to its third straight NCAA regional and the program's 21^st.
            "I'm comfortable with where we're going. The teams we're going to be playing are all going to be very good. Loyola just won their conference tournament. UCLA, obviously, No. 1 team in the country. So, I know we're going to have our work cut out for us. At the same time, I'm really excited about our guys being able to go out and see a different part of the country and play against some different teams."
            Last year, the Bears were sent to Palo Alto, Calif., in a regional headed by No. 2 national seed Stanford and got knocked out by the Cardinal after a first-round loss to Cal State Fullerton and a win over Wright State.
            "I think when we saw that on the screen, it was not a shock, but we were thinking, 'We're one of the better 2 seeds," said senior Josh Bissonette, one of eight Baylor players from the state of California. "And to see us going to the No. 1 overall team in the country, obviously we're going to be like, 'What? That's weird.' But, baseball is a crazy game. Anyone can win at any moment. If we just go in with a lot of energy and trusting in our abilities, we're going to like our success."
            Baylor has a load of regional tournament experience, with eight returning starters from last year and four who have been in the lineup for the last two postseason trips.
            "It's hard to duplicate things in college baseball – playing in front of huge crowds, playing in hostile environments, going to California, traveling a really long distance," said senior outfielder Richard Cunningham. "Whatever it might be, it's really hard to duplicate. It's really hard to catch you by surprise. And to know that California is somewhat in our element, and to know that this is the third year in a row of going to a regional, it feels really comfortable to us."
            After leading the Big 12 going into the final weekend of the regular season, the Bears have dropped four of their last five games, including a 1-2 finish at the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City.
            "It just really depends on how the team reacts," Rodriguez said. "We could have gone all the way to the championship game and lost. Does that create a bad taste in your mouth? If you win it, are you absolutely exhausted emotionally and physically that it takes it out of you the next weekend? It's hard to say. I know our guys are relaxed, our guys are pretty comfortable right now."
            Baylor's native Californians include a pair of All-Big 12 picks in third baseman Davis Wendzel and designated hitter Andy Thomas, first baseman Chase Wehsener, Bissonette at second base and reliever Daniel Caruso from Los Angeles.
            "All of a sudden, everybody starts getting on their phones and texting all their families and friends," Rodriguez said. "I can guarantee you that our fan contingency out there is going to be pretty good."
            Baylor is opening the regional against a Loyola team that is making its first regional appearance in 19 years. The Lions were seeded fourth in the West Coast Conference postseason tournament, but upset regular-season champion BYU, 4-1, in the first round and knocked off Saint Mary's, 4-2, in the final.
            Senior right-hander Codie Paiva was named the WCC Pitcher of the Year, going 7-5 with a 1.71 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 95.0 innings.
            Baylor pitching coach Jon Strauss was Loyola's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2003-05.
            After losing the opening game in the last two regionals, Rodriguez said "winning the first game just gives you a little bit of momentum carrying through."
            "The first game is huge," he said. "Coming through the loser's bracket is always tough, just because you've got to tax your pitching pretty good. At the same time, it's postseason, so anything goes right now."
            This is the second time UCLA has been the overall No. 1 seed. In 2015, the Bruins were upset by third-seeded Maryland and didn't make it out of their own regional.

WACO, Texas – The Bears have advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the third time in four years under head coach Steve Rodriguez, as they were selected as the No. 2 seed in the UCLA Regional in Los Angeles, May 31-June 3, it was announced Monday by the NCAA.

Baylor (34-17) is making its third-straight NCAA Regional appearance for the first time since a stretch of four-consecutive appearances between 2009-12. This is the 21^st regional selection in program history.

BU will open up against No. 3 seed LMU (32-23) on Friday, May 31 at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN3 at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium. Depending on the result of the first game, the Bears will face either the winner of loser of the No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 4 Omaha matchup in game two on Saturday, June 1.

Baylor is 44-46 all-time in postseason play, 37-29 in regionals, 23-15 in neutral regional games and 4-12 in away regional contests. The Bears have not played any of the four opponents in the UCLA Regional in 2019. This is also the first time the Bears have played in a regional in Los Angeles and the second-straight season the Bears have been selected to a West Coast regional, after being the No. 2 seed in the Stanford Regional in 2018.

-baylorbears.com-

Baseball Selected as the No. 2 Seed in the Los Angeles Regional

Players Mentioned

Josh Bissonette

Daniel Caruso

Richard Cunningham

Andy Thomas

Chase Wehsener

Davis Wendzel

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