Friday, May 14
Stillwater, Okla.
6 p.m.
Baylor
at
Oklahoma State
Baseball Finishes Big 12 Road Slate at No. 21 Oklahoma State
5/13/2021 12:08:00 PM | Baseball
The Bears and Cowboys will begin the crucial series on Friday at 6 p.m. in Stillwater
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Coming off its fourth-straight Big 12 series win, Baylor baseball (29-14, 9-9) will try to keep the momentum going with a three-game weekend series at No. 21 Oklahoma State (28-15-1, 10-11) at sparkling-new O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.
"I heard it's absolutely stunning," Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez said of the Cowboys' new ballpark that rivals Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field as the best college baseball stadium in the country. "They say it's pretty impressive, so I'm looking forward to seeing it."
The Bears have won 16 of their last 20 games and are coming off one of the most impressive offensive weekends in program history, hitting .401 (45-of-112) and scoring 43 runs in taking two of three from Kansas State. In the 23-3 win in Sunday's series finale, Baylor batted around twice in a 17-run fifth inning.
"You go up to hit your second time, and you say, 'Man, I just hit,''' said sophomore shortstop Jack Pineda, who's hitting .324 after a five-hit weekend. "Then, you look up at the scoreboard and there's still no outs. I always think it's pretty cool when there's not enough space on the scoreboard, they just write the last digit of the runs you scored. That was cool."
Oklahoma State has won four of its last five, including beating Oklahoma, 7-3, in a Bedlam midweek game on Tuesday. The Cowboys have moved up to fifth in the Big 12 standings, just a half-game behind Baylor, going into their last conference series.
But, the Bears carry a certain amount of confidence and swagger into Stillwater.
"We've proven that if we play our game, there's not a team in the country that can beat us," Pineda said. "We go into this, it's not really what Oklahoma State's got, what OU's got, what Kansas State's got. If we play our game, there's not a team that can stop us, especially when we swing the bats the way we did (against K-State)."
Rodriguez said Baylor still doesn't have all-hands-on-deck after dealing with some COVID issues last weekend, "but we're getting there."
After missing his last start, though, junior left-hander Tyler Thomas (5-2, 2.05 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday's 6 p.m. series opener and will be matched against lefty Mitchell Stone (1-0, 2.11). Coming off a no-hitter against Kansas in his last outing, 6-7 OSU freshman right-hander t Justin Campbell (5-1, 2.09) takes the mound for Saturday's 6 p.m. game and will be opposed by fifth-year Baylor senior Hayden Kettler (3-2, 3.62).
Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale will be a matchup of right-handers, with Baylor sophomore Blake Helton (4-2, 2.93) going against the Cowboys' Bryce Osmond (2-4, 6.80).
"They're playing well, very talented team offensively and on the mound," Rodriguez said of OSU. "The biggest thing is we just have to control our environment, making sure that we execute offensively and make sure the pitchers do their job keeping the ball down. We know they're a big home run-hitting team (60), so we have to minimize as many of those opportunities as possible."
Helton, the beneficiary of Baylor's 23-run explosion on Sunday, said it "definitely feels good pitching with a lead."
"If you give up a couple of runs, we have confidence that our guys are going to get them back for you," Helton said. "As long as you don't let them run up the score, we'll probably be OK."
As a fill-in starter, freshman Cam Caley (1-1, 4.44) had an impressive outing against K-State, giving up just one run on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Caley left with a 2-1 lead in the sixth, but the bullpen gave up two seventh-inning runs and seven in the ninth in a 10-3 loss in Saturday's sandwich game.
"It was really good to see, knowing that when we get to postseason that if he needs to take a start we have plenty of confidence for him to do that," Helton said. "Having Chase (Wehsener) out, having T-Tom (Tyler Thomas) out, we seemed like we didn't really skip a beat. (Kyle) Nevin goes to first base, Alex (Gonzales) goes to the outfield, and they filled those spots well. We have guys who can step up and play if they need to."
All three games this weekend will be streamed live by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Mike Wolfe and longtime OSU coach Tom Holliday calling the action.
STILLWATER, Okla. – Baylor finishes its Big 12 road slate with a crucial series at No. 21 Oklahoma State on May 14-16 at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla. The Bears (29-14, 9-9 Big 12) and the Cowboys (28-15-1, 10-11 Big 12) will begin the series on Friday at 6 p.m., with game two on Saturday at 6 p.m. and the finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Oklahoma State leads the all-time series against Baylor, 49-42. In Stillwater, OSU holds the 22-17 advantage, while head coach Steve Rodriguez is 5-7 against the Cowboys. The last time the two teams met was for two games on May 16-17, 2019 in Stillwater with Oklahoma State taking both contests.
SERIES INFO
Date: May 14-16 (Fri.-Sun.)
Game Times: 6 p.m./6 p.m./1 p.m.
Site: Stillwater, Okla. /O'Brate Stadium (3,500)
TV: Big 12 Now (ESPN+)
• Talent: Brian Hanni (pxp), Kevin Wheeler (color)
Radio: ESPN 1660/92.3FM
• Talent: Derek Smith (pxp)
Live Stats: OkState.com
Twitter Updates: @BaylorBaseball
Series History: OKST leads 49-42
Streak: Oklahoma State, W3
First Meeting: April 20, 1925
Last Meeting: May 16-17, 2019 (OKST won both games)
Under Rodriguez: 5-7
PITCHING MATCHUP
Fri. May 14 – LHP Tyler Thomas (5-2, 2.05 ERA) vs. LHP Mitchell Stone (1-0, 2.11 ERA)
Sat. May 15 – RHP Hayden Kettler (4-2, 3.62 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Campbell (5-1, 2.09 ERA)
Sun. May 16 – RHP Blake Helton (4-2, 2.93 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Osmond (2-4, 6.80 ERA)
STORY LINES
• The Bears will attempt to win their fifth-straight Big 12 series for the first time since 2012. BU has won its last four series against WVU, Kansas, Texas Tech and Kansas State.
• Baylor is now in the postseason conversation after winning 16 of its last 20 games. Both D1Baseball and Baseball America have the Bears projected as a No. 2 seed or No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bears have climbed all the way up to the No. 4 spot in the Big 12 after starting conference play 1-5 in March. BU has an RPI of 33.
• Baylor is averaging 11.9 runs per game over the last seven games and is outscoring its opponents 79-12 in its last five wins, in each of their last five wins the Bears have scored double-digit runs.
• Fifth-year senior Andy Thomas was named a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week and the Bobby Bragan Slugger Award Player of the Week after leading the Big 12 in hitting with an impressive .727/.800/1.636. Thomas also led the conference with three home runs, nine RBI and 18 total bases as he had multiple hits in all three games. Thomas tied for the Big 12 lead with eight hits (8-for-11), while coming in tied for second with six runs scored. Additionally, for his work on and off the field, Thomas was named a finalist for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award.
• Baylor is outscoring its opponents 50-19 in the first inning and has a 23-7 record when scoring first (22-5 when scoring in the first frame). The Bears also hold a 34-15 advantage in the eighth inning.
• Baylor has scored double-digit runs in 13 games in 2021. The Bears are first in the Big 12 in batting average (8th nationally) with a .311 clip. BU is second in the Big 12 in earned run average with a 3.58 ERA (22nd nationally) and are 3rd in the conference in fielding percentage (.975).
• Individually, the Bears have a number of players at the top of the conference as McKenzie is 1st in runs scored (7th in the nation), 2nd in hits (5th in the nation), 3rd in batting average, Andy Thomas is 3rd in RBI, Hayden Kettler is 1st in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.17) and 1st in walks per nine innings (1.09), Tyler Thomas is 2nd in ERA (2.05) and Luke Boyd is 2nd in saves (12th in the nation) with eight.
To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on Facebook (Baylor Baseball), Twitter (@BaylorBaseball) and Instagram (@BaylorBaseball).
Baylor Bear Insider
Coming off its fourth-straight Big 12 series win, Baylor baseball (29-14, 9-9) will try to keep the momentum going with a three-game weekend series at No. 21 Oklahoma State (28-15-1, 10-11) at sparkling-new O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.
"I heard it's absolutely stunning," Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez said of the Cowboys' new ballpark that rivals Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field as the best college baseball stadium in the country. "They say it's pretty impressive, so I'm looking forward to seeing it."
The Bears have won 16 of their last 20 games and are coming off one of the most impressive offensive weekends in program history, hitting .401 (45-of-112) and scoring 43 runs in taking two of three from Kansas State. In the 23-3 win in Sunday's series finale, Baylor batted around twice in a 17-run fifth inning.
"You go up to hit your second time, and you say, 'Man, I just hit,''' said sophomore shortstop Jack Pineda, who's hitting .324 after a five-hit weekend. "Then, you look up at the scoreboard and there's still no outs. I always think it's pretty cool when there's not enough space on the scoreboard, they just write the last digit of the runs you scored. That was cool."
Oklahoma State has won four of its last five, including beating Oklahoma, 7-3, in a Bedlam midweek game on Tuesday. The Cowboys have moved up to fifth in the Big 12 standings, just a half-game behind Baylor, going into their last conference series.
But, the Bears carry a certain amount of confidence and swagger into Stillwater.
"We've proven that if we play our game, there's not a team in the country that can beat us," Pineda said. "We go into this, it's not really what Oklahoma State's got, what OU's got, what Kansas State's got. If we play our game, there's not a team that can stop us, especially when we swing the bats the way we did (against K-State)."
Rodriguez said Baylor still doesn't have all-hands-on-deck after dealing with some COVID issues last weekend, "but we're getting there."
After missing his last start, though, junior left-hander Tyler Thomas (5-2, 2.05 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday's 6 p.m. series opener and will be matched against lefty Mitchell Stone (1-0, 2.11). Coming off a no-hitter against Kansas in his last outing, 6-7 OSU freshman right-hander t Justin Campbell (5-1, 2.09) takes the mound for Saturday's 6 p.m. game and will be opposed by fifth-year Baylor senior Hayden Kettler (3-2, 3.62).
Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale will be a matchup of right-handers, with Baylor sophomore Blake Helton (4-2, 2.93) going against the Cowboys' Bryce Osmond (2-4, 6.80).
"They're playing well, very talented team offensively and on the mound," Rodriguez said of OSU. "The biggest thing is we just have to control our environment, making sure that we execute offensively and make sure the pitchers do their job keeping the ball down. We know they're a big home run-hitting team (60), so we have to minimize as many of those opportunities as possible."
Helton, the beneficiary of Baylor's 23-run explosion on Sunday, said it "definitely feels good pitching with a lead."
"If you give up a couple of runs, we have confidence that our guys are going to get them back for you," Helton said. "As long as you don't let them run up the score, we'll probably be OK."
As a fill-in starter, freshman Cam Caley (1-1, 4.44) had an impressive outing against K-State, giving up just one run on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Caley left with a 2-1 lead in the sixth, but the bullpen gave up two seventh-inning runs and seven in the ninth in a 10-3 loss in Saturday's sandwich game.
"It was really good to see, knowing that when we get to postseason that if he needs to take a start we have plenty of confidence for him to do that," Helton said. "Having Chase (Wehsener) out, having T-Tom (Tyler Thomas) out, we seemed like we didn't really skip a beat. (Kyle) Nevin goes to first base, Alex (Gonzales) goes to the outfield, and they filled those spots well. We have guys who can step up and play if they need to."
All three games this weekend will be streamed live by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Mike Wolfe and longtime OSU coach Tom Holliday calling the action.
STILLWATER, Okla. – Baylor finishes its Big 12 road slate with a crucial series at No. 21 Oklahoma State on May 14-16 at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla. The Bears (29-14, 9-9 Big 12) and the Cowboys (28-15-1, 10-11 Big 12) will begin the series on Friday at 6 p.m., with game two on Saturday at 6 p.m. and the finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Oklahoma State leads the all-time series against Baylor, 49-42. In Stillwater, OSU holds the 22-17 advantage, while head coach Steve Rodriguez is 5-7 against the Cowboys. The last time the two teams met was for two games on May 16-17, 2019 in Stillwater with Oklahoma State taking both contests.
SERIES INFO
Date: May 14-16 (Fri.-Sun.)
Game Times: 6 p.m./6 p.m./1 p.m.
Site: Stillwater, Okla. /O'Brate Stadium (3,500)
TV: Big 12 Now (ESPN+)
• Talent: Brian Hanni (pxp), Kevin Wheeler (color)
Radio: ESPN 1660/92.3FM
• Talent: Derek Smith (pxp)
Live Stats: OkState.com
Twitter Updates: @BaylorBaseball
Series History: OKST leads 49-42
Streak: Oklahoma State, W3
First Meeting: April 20, 1925
Last Meeting: May 16-17, 2019 (OKST won both games)
Under Rodriguez: 5-7
PITCHING MATCHUP
Fri. May 14 – LHP Tyler Thomas (5-2, 2.05 ERA) vs. LHP Mitchell Stone (1-0, 2.11 ERA)
Sat. May 15 – RHP Hayden Kettler (4-2, 3.62 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Campbell (5-1, 2.09 ERA)
Sun. May 16 – RHP Blake Helton (4-2, 2.93 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Osmond (2-4, 6.80 ERA)
STORY LINES
• The Bears will attempt to win their fifth-straight Big 12 series for the first time since 2012. BU has won its last four series against WVU, Kansas, Texas Tech and Kansas State.
• Baylor is now in the postseason conversation after winning 16 of its last 20 games. Both D1Baseball and Baseball America have the Bears projected as a No. 2 seed or No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bears have climbed all the way up to the No. 4 spot in the Big 12 after starting conference play 1-5 in March. BU has an RPI of 33.
• Baylor is averaging 11.9 runs per game over the last seven games and is outscoring its opponents 79-12 in its last five wins, in each of their last five wins the Bears have scored double-digit runs.
• Fifth-year senior Andy Thomas was named a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week and the Bobby Bragan Slugger Award Player of the Week after leading the Big 12 in hitting with an impressive .727/.800/1.636. Thomas also led the conference with three home runs, nine RBI and 18 total bases as he had multiple hits in all three games. Thomas tied for the Big 12 lead with eight hits (8-for-11), while coming in tied for second with six runs scored. Additionally, for his work on and off the field, Thomas was named a finalist for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award.
• Baylor is outscoring its opponents 50-19 in the first inning and has a 23-7 record when scoring first (22-5 when scoring in the first frame). The Bears also hold a 34-15 advantage in the eighth inning.
• Baylor has scored double-digit runs in 13 games in 2021. The Bears are first in the Big 12 in batting average (8th nationally) with a .311 clip. BU is second in the Big 12 in earned run average with a 3.58 ERA (22nd nationally) and are 3rd in the conference in fielding percentage (.975).
• Individually, the Bears have a number of players at the top of the conference as McKenzie is 1st in runs scored (7th in the nation), 2nd in hits (5th in the nation), 3rd in batting average, Andy Thomas is 3rd in RBI, Hayden Kettler is 1st in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.17) and 1st in walks per nine innings (1.09), Tyler Thomas is 2nd in ERA (2.05) and Luke Boyd is 2nd in saves (12th in the nation) with eight.
To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on Facebook (Baylor Baseball), Twitter (@BaylorBaseball) and Instagram (@BaylorBaseball).
Players Mentioned
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