Friday, February 21
Baylor Ballpark
6:30 p.m. CT
Baylor
vs
Oral Roberts University
Baseball Welcomes Oral Roberts to Waco for Three
2/20/2020 10:13:00 PM | Baseball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Baylor baseball is proving that age doesn't matter.
Freshmen Jared McKenzie (.588) and Tre Richardson (.333) are two of the team's top hitters, junior college transfer Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo (.333) has started all four games at third base, freshman pitcher Hambleton Oliver threw two shutout innings and got the win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and freshman Evan Godwin is moving into the weekend rotation.
"They come out here every day wide-eyed and bushy-tailed," said junior shortstop Nick Loftin, who is hitting .316 with one homer and a team-high seven RBI.
"I remember that's kind of how I was when I first got here and the game being so fast-paced. But, they're doing a really good job managing it and slowing it down as best as possible, and they're putting together one heck of a start. I'm really happy for them."
Riding a three-game winning streak, Baylor (3-1) will host Oral Roberts (2-2) in a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark, starting with Friday's series opener at 6:30. Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the series finale is at 1 p.m. Sunday, with all three games streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Richardson and McKenzie have been at the top of the lineup in the last three games after the Bears dropped the season opener to Nebraska, 19-9. McKenzie hit .571 (8-for-14) in the opening series against Nebraska with two doubles and three RBI and reached base nine times in 17 plate appearances.
"For some kids, there could be a little bit of stage fright," Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez said. "They go out there, and they don't want to swing and they don't want to make mistakes. And I told them, 'Hey look, I don't care about the mistakes. Just be aggressive. And as long as I can tell what you're attempting to do, we're going to be fine.' They're going to be fun to watch this year."
In taking two of three in the opening series against Nebraska, the Bears showed amazing resiliency. They gave up 11 first-inning runs in Friday's 19-9 loss, rallied for an 8-7 walk-off win in Game 2 and then beat the Cornhuskers in Sunday's series finale, 7-2.
"Tip your hat to Nebraska, because they came out and did a job on us early on," Rodriguez said. "(Winning the next two games), I was really happy with what I saw and the competitive nature they had – their attention to detail and how they executed. For the most part, the last three games have been fun to watch and really fun to coach."
On Tuesday, Oliver was the first of four Baylor pitchers that combined for a two-hit shutout in a 10-0, run-rule victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
"After that Friday game, we could have let that dictate what we did the rest of the series," Loftin said. "But we bounced back from that Friday loss and ended up winning the series. It's just been great momentum rolling through it. So, I'm excited about what the future holds for us."
Opening-game starter Jimmy Winston, who didn't record an out in that 11-run first inning, is "a little sore right now," Rodriguez said, and was replaced in the weekend rotation by Godwin. Paul Dickens will start Friday's series opener against ORU, followed by Godwin on Saturday and Hayden Kettler (1-0, 3.60 ERA ) on Sunday.
"Early on, especially with the weather conditions the way it is, we're not going to push anything," Rodriguez said of Winston. "We're going to make sure we monitor him. He might come in out of the bullpen this weekend, and he might start on Wednesday (against UT-Rio Grande Valley). It's going to be day-to-day. We're not going to push him this early."
Kettler, who gave up two runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts in five innings, said he definitely "left some room to grow, which is good."
"Obviously, I'm excited that we were able to get the win and win the series," Kettler said. "There are definitely things that I need to work on moving forward, but I'm pleased with the fact that I was able to go five innings and give our team a chance to win. That's basically what I try to do every weekend."
After the series against ORU, Baylor will wrap up its eight-game home stand with Wednesday's 3 p.m. game against UT-Rio Grande Valley. The Vaqueros (2-2) are facing Oklahoma State this weekend in Stillwater after splitting a four-game, season-opening series against Kansas State.
SERIES INFO
Dates: Friday, Feb. 21-Sunday, Feb. 23
Game Times: 6:30 p.m. CT/2:00 p.m. CT/1:00 p.m. CT
Site:Waco, Texas / Baylor Ballpark (5,000)
TV:Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: 1660 am/92.3 fm (Fri/Sun),104.5fm (Sat) | TuneIn app
• Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Hoot Johnigan (color)
Live Stats: BaylorStats.com
Twitter Updates: @BaylorBaseball.com
Series History: BU leads, 24-20
First Meeting: April 21, 1978
Last Meeting: June 3, 2012
Streak: BU W1
PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRI | SR LHP Paul Dickens (0-0, 12.46 ERA) vs. JR RHP A.J. Archambo (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
SAT | FR LHP Evan Godwin (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RS-SR RHP Tanner Rogen (0-1, 4.70 ERA)
SUN | SR RHP Hayden Kettler (1-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. JR RHP James Notary (0-1, 1.69 ERA)
STORY LINES
• The Bears remain at home as part of an eight-game homestand as they welcome Oral Roberts for a weekend series starting Friday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Game two is set for 2 p.m. CT and game three's first pitch on Sunday is at 1 p.m. CT.
• The Bears enter the weekend on a three-game winning streak after run-ruling UAPB 10-0 on Tuesday.
• The Bears are coming off a 2-1 opening weekend series with Nebraska. The Bears bounced back after an opening day loss to the Huskers, 19-9 to take game two 7-2 in walk-off fashion and game three, 7-2 on Sunday.
• FR CF Jared McKenzie was outstanding in the season-opening weekend, leading the team with a .571 average with a team-high eight hits, including two doubles and three RBIs over the three games. He reached base in 9-of-17 plate appearances.
• Baylor has finished its home schedule with a .500 record or better in all 20 seasons at Baylor Ballpark (since 1999) and is 459-205 all-time at the park after starting off the 2020 season 3-1 at home.
• The Bears return all members of its pitching staff from 2019 with the exception of All-American closer Kyle Hill. That includes Friday and Saturday starters Jimmy Winston and Paul Dickens. The Bears also add six talented newcomers to the pitching staff (five freshmen, one junior college transfer), highlighted by RHP Will Rigney, drafted in the 38th round by the San Francisco Giants in 2019 and LHP Evan Godwin.
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/ BaseballBaylor Baseball: Postgame vs. Oklahoma State | Big 12 Championship | May 21, 2025
Thursday, May 22
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Thursday, May 22
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Monday, May 19
Baylor Baseball: Highlights at UCF (Game 2) | May 16, 2025
Saturday, May 17
