Friday, February 25
Waco, Texas
3 PM
Baylor
2-3
4
vs
2
Duke
3-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Duke
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
2
3
1
Baylor
0
1
0
0
0
3
0
0
X
4
6
3
BSB Takes Down No. 23 Duke In Series Opener
2/25/2022 7:32:00 PM | Baseball
Thomas shines on the mound, leads Bears to 4-2 win
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Tyler Thomas was in the zone so much in Friday's series opener at Baylor Ballpark, the fifth-year senior left-hander didn't have a clue that he took a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
"I'm so locked-in that sometimes I've got to go back to the chart and say, 'Oh, OK, this is what this guy did the last at-bat,''' Thomas said. "That's cool, but I had no idea."
Extending his scoreless streak to 11 innings, Thomas (1-1) threw six shutout innings and allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out five in Baylor's 4-2 win over 23rd-ranked Duke (3-2). It was a stark contrast from last Friday's 4-0 loss to Maryland, when Thomas gave up two first-inning runs.
"From the first inning on, he did just a phenomenal job pounding the zone with all of his pitches, keeping their hitters off-balance against a really a really talented Duke team," said Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez, whose team improved to 2-3.
Chris Davis broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single to center field in the top of the fifth, but Thomas worked out of a two-out, two-on jam when Andrew Yu lined out to second base. He worked a 1-2-3 sixth inning and was at 89 pitches before having to sit through a 40-minute half an inning as the Bears plated three insurance runs against six different pitchers.
Saying "everything" was working for him, Thomas "felt confident, I felt good."
"They swung early, which helps," Thomas said. "Getting the first-pitch strike helps. When you're ahead, it makes your job kind of easy."
While Baylor's top five batters went a combined 0-for-18 with 10 strikeouts, the Nos. 6-9 hitters went 6-for-13 with three RBI and four runs scored.
That group got the Bears on the board first when Chase Wehsener had a one-out single off Duke starter Marcus Johnson (0-2) in the second inning and scored on Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo's infield single after Kobe Andrade reached base on a two-base error by the left fielder.
"That was one thing we were trying to focus on. Make sure you put the ball in play. Put the barrel on the baseball as best you can," Rodriguez said. "That pitching staff at Duke is really good. They did a great job today, you can just tell by the swing-and-miss that we had. (Saturday), we have to be better in our execution, but the bottom half of the order just came up great today."
That 1-0 lead held up till the sixth inning, when the Bears broke through with three runs on two hits, three walks and a wild pitch as Duke coach Chris Pollard made six trips to the mound and five pitching changes.
"Coach Pollard knows his team better than anybody else. He knows what they're capable of, and he knows what it's going to take to try to help them win that ballgame," Rodriguez said. "The thing is, I've seen a lot of different things. That doesn't surprise me."
After a one-out single by Wehsener, the Blue Devils made the first of their five changes, bringing in reliever Josh Allen for Johnson. After the next two batters walked to load the bases, Harrison Caley roped a two-run single to left-center, plating Wehsener and Alex Gonzales.
Summoned from the bullpen, Michael Foltz uncorked a couple of wild pitches and walked the only batter he faced in four pitches. With two runners in scoring position, relievers Colten Smith and Caleb McRoy got the final two outs to end the frame.
"Oh man, when Harrison Caley comes up with that hit, it's a huge deal, especially in conditions like today when it's hard to hit a ball out or get a ball over the outfielders; head," Rodriguez said. "It does relieve a little bit of pressure, but knowing how good Duke is, there's still nothing really comfortable. We have to make sure our pitchers do their job, and luckily they did."
The Blue Devils ended Baylor's shutout bid in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk by Wil Hoyle off reliever Matt Voelke. Going the last 2 2/3 innings, Voelke allowed just one hit and gave up an unearned run in the ninth to pick up the save, closing it out when Alex Stone grounded out to second for the final out.
"Somebody who's older like that, with some versatility . . . who has the wherewithal to be able to know what to do out there, not feel rushed, not feel panicked and have some composure, those are the type of guys you love having out there in those moments," Rodriguez said. "In the ninth, it came up, do we leave him out there?' He was doing so well, we wanted to make sure we could solidify the win as best we could with a guy who has been out there."
Baylor will go for the series win in Game 2 at 3 p.m. Saturday, weather permitting. If they can't play on Saturday, the Bears and Blue Devils will play a doubleheader on Sunday.
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (2-3) took down No. 23 Duke (3-2) by a final of 4-2 Friday at Baylor Ballpark.
Senior LHP Tyler Thomas (1-1) threw six scoreless innings and picked up five strikeouts, while holding the Blue Devils to just one hit en route to his first victory of the season.
BU opened the scoring in the bottom of the second following a Chase Wehsener single and a Duke two-base error. Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo drove in the game's first run with an infield hit to give Thomas some run support.
One seemed to be all he needed, as Thomas took a no-hitter into the fifth before DU got their first tally of the day.
In the bottom of the sixth, Baylor plated three more runs off two hits and three walks in an inning that saw five pitching changes for the Blue Devils. Wehsener collected his second base hit, but it was Harrison Caley who delivered a two-RBI single to extend the lead. Jack Pineda added some insurance with a bases loaded walk that made it 4-0.
After fourth-year sophomore RHP Anderson Needham took over in the seventh, senior lefty Matt Voelker came on to dance out of a jam, stranding the bases loaded and holding Duke to just one run in the inning.
Voelker went the rest of the way for the Bears and allowed one unearned run in the ninth, picking up his first save of the season in sealing the win for BU.
NOTES
• Baylor improves to 3-0 all-time against Duke and 1-0 against the Blue Devils under seventh-year head coach Steve Rodriguez.
• Sophomore OF Jared McKenzie has now reached base in 11-straight games, dating back to last season.
• Junior INF Jack Pineda has now reached base in eight consecutive games, dating back to 2021.
• Sophomore LHP/OF Kobe Andrade picked up his first-career hit with a single in the fourth inning.
• Junior 1B Chase Wehsener tallied his second multi-hit effort of the season.
• Sophomore C Harrison Caley collected his first multi-hit and first multi-RBI game of the year.
• Senior LHP Tyler Thomas earned his first win of the season.
• Senior LHP Matt Voelker notched his first save of the season and 15th of his career.
STAT OF THE GAME
6 – Senior LHP Tyler Thomas went six scoreless innings on the mound for the Bears, allowing just one hit and picking up five strikeouts.
TOP QUOTES
Head coach Steve Rodriguez
On the bottom half of the order stepping up…
"That was the one thing we were trying to focus on, was making sure you put the ball in play. Put the barrel on the baseball as best you can. That pitching staff at Duke is really good. They did a great job today. You can just tell by the swings and misses that we had. Tomorrow we have to be better in our execution, but the bottom half of the order just came up great today. Harrison Caley with a humongous two-RBI hit. That just kind of sparked our team a little bit."
Senior LHP Tyler Thomas
On his performance and if he had an idea he had a no-hitter going…
"I had no clue. That's cool, but I had no idea. I'm so locked in that sometimes I have to go back to the chart and say 'Ok, this is what this guy did at the last at-bat.' I felt confident, I felt good. They swung early, which helps. Getting the first-pitch strikes help when you're ahead and makes your job kind of easy."
Sophomore C Harrison Caley
On his two-RBI hit…
"It felt good. This is my first year here, so being able to do little things for the program like that are fun. Those are the kind of moments you practice and play for."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears (2-3) are scheduled to play game two of the series against No. 23 Duke (3-2) at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 26, at Baylor Ballpark.
For the latest news on the Baylor baseball team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
Baylor Bear Insider
Tyler Thomas was in the zone so much in Friday's series opener at Baylor Ballpark, the fifth-year senior left-hander didn't have a clue that he took a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
"I'm so locked-in that sometimes I've got to go back to the chart and say, 'Oh, OK, this is what this guy did the last at-bat,''' Thomas said. "That's cool, but I had no idea."
Extending his scoreless streak to 11 innings, Thomas (1-1) threw six shutout innings and allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out five in Baylor's 4-2 win over 23rd-ranked Duke (3-2). It was a stark contrast from last Friday's 4-0 loss to Maryland, when Thomas gave up two first-inning runs.
"From the first inning on, he did just a phenomenal job pounding the zone with all of his pitches, keeping their hitters off-balance against a really a really talented Duke team," said Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez, whose team improved to 2-3.
Chris Davis broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single to center field in the top of the fifth, but Thomas worked out of a two-out, two-on jam when Andrew Yu lined out to second base. He worked a 1-2-3 sixth inning and was at 89 pitches before having to sit through a 40-minute half an inning as the Bears plated three insurance runs against six different pitchers.
Saying "everything" was working for him, Thomas "felt confident, I felt good."
"They swung early, which helps," Thomas said. "Getting the first-pitch strike helps. When you're ahead, it makes your job kind of easy."
While Baylor's top five batters went a combined 0-for-18 with 10 strikeouts, the Nos. 6-9 hitters went 6-for-13 with three RBI and four runs scored.
That group got the Bears on the board first when Chase Wehsener had a one-out single off Duke starter Marcus Johnson (0-2) in the second inning and scored on Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo's infield single after Kobe Andrade reached base on a two-base error by the left fielder.
"That was one thing we were trying to focus on. Make sure you put the ball in play. Put the barrel on the baseball as best you can," Rodriguez said. "That pitching staff at Duke is really good. They did a great job today, you can just tell by the swing-and-miss that we had. (Saturday), we have to be better in our execution, but the bottom half of the order just came up great today."
That 1-0 lead held up till the sixth inning, when the Bears broke through with three runs on two hits, three walks and a wild pitch as Duke coach Chris Pollard made six trips to the mound and five pitching changes.
"Coach Pollard knows his team better than anybody else. He knows what they're capable of, and he knows what it's going to take to try to help them win that ballgame," Rodriguez said. "The thing is, I've seen a lot of different things. That doesn't surprise me."
After a one-out single by Wehsener, the Blue Devils made the first of their five changes, bringing in reliever Josh Allen for Johnson. After the next two batters walked to load the bases, Harrison Caley roped a two-run single to left-center, plating Wehsener and Alex Gonzales.
Summoned from the bullpen, Michael Foltz uncorked a couple of wild pitches and walked the only batter he faced in four pitches. With two runners in scoring position, relievers Colten Smith and Caleb McRoy got the final two outs to end the frame.
"Oh man, when Harrison Caley comes up with that hit, it's a huge deal, especially in conditions like today when it's hard to hit a ball out or get a ball over the outfielders; head," Rodriguez said. "It does relieve a little bit of pressure, but knowing how good Duke is, there's still nothing really comfortable. We have to make sure our pitchers do their job, and luckily they did."
The Blue Devils ended Baylor's shutout bid in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk by Wil Hoyle off reliever Matt Voelke. Going the last 2 2/3 innings, Voelke allowed just one hit and gave up an unearned run in the ninth to pick up the save, closing it out when Alex Stone grounded out to second for the final out.
"Somebody who's older like that, with some versatility . . . who has the wherewithal to be able to know what to do out there, not feel rushed, not feel panicked and have some composure, those are the type of guys you love having out there in those moments," Rodriguez said. "In the ninth, it came up, do we leave him out there?' He was doing so well, we wanted to make sure we could solidify the win as best we could with a guy who has been out there."
Baylor will go for the series win in Game 2 at 3 p.m. Saturday, weather permitting. If they can't play on Saturday, the Bears and Blue Devils will play a doubleheader on Sunday.
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (2-3) took down No. 23 Duke (3-2) by a final of 4-2 Friday at Baylor Ballpark.
Senior LHP Tyler Thomas (1-1) threw six scoreless innings and picked up five strikeouts, while holding the Blue Devils to just one hit en route to his first victory of the season.
BU opened the scoring in the bottom of the second following a Chase Wehsener single and a Duke two-base error. Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo drove in the game's first run with an infield hit to give Thomas some run support.
One seemed to be all he needed, as Thomas took a no-hitter into the fifth before DU got their first tally of the day.
In the bottom of the sixth, Baylor plated three more runs off two hits and three walks in an inning that saw five pitching changes for the Blue Devils. Wehsener collected his second base hit, but it was Harrison Caley who delivered a two-RBI single to extend the lead. Jack Pineda added some insurance with a bases loaded walk that made it 4-0.
After fourth-year sophomore RHP Anderson Needham took over in the seventh, senior lefty Matt Voelker came on to dance out of a jam, stranding the bases loaded and holding Duke to just one run in the inning.
Voelker went the rest of the way for the Bears and allowed one unearned run in the ninth, picking up his first save of the season in sealing the win for BU.
NOTES
• Baylor improves to 3-0 all-time against Duke and 1-0 against the Blue Devils under seventh-year head coach Steve Rodriguez.
• Sophomore OF Jared McKenzie has now reached base in 11-straight games, dating back to last season.
• Junior INF Jack Pineda has now reached base in eight consecutive games, dating back to 2021.
• Sophomore LHP/OF Kobe Andrade picked up his first-career hit with a single in the fourth inning.
• Junior 1B Chase Wehsener tallied his second multi-hit effort of the season.
• Sophomore C Harrison Caley collected his first multi-hit and first multi-RBI game of the year.
• Senior LHP Tyler Thomas earned his first win of the season.
• Senior LHP Matt Voelker notched his first save of the season and 15th of his career.
STAT OF THE GAME
6 – Senior LHP Tyler Thomas went six scoreless innings on the mound for the Bears, allowing just one hit and picking up five strikeouts.
TOP QUOTES
Head coach Steve Rodriguez
On the bottom half of the order stepping up…
"That was the one thing we were trying to focus on, was making sure you put the ball in play. Put the barrel on the baseball as best you can. That pitching staff at Duke is really good. They did a great job today. You can just tell by the swings and misses that we had. Tomorrow we have to be better in our execution, but the bottom half of the order just came up great today. Harrison Caley with a humongous two-RBI hit. That just kind of sparked our team a little bit."
Senior LHP Tyler Thomas
On his performance and if he had an idea he had a no-hitter going…
"I had no clue. That's cool, but I had no idea. I'm so locked in that sometimes I have to go back to the chart and say 'Ok, this is what this guy did at the last at-bat.' I felt confident, I felt good. They swung early, which helps. Getting the first-pitch strikes help when you're ahead and makes your job kind of easy."
Sophomore C Harrison Caley
On his two-RBI hit…
"It felt good. This is my first year here, so being able to do little things for the program like that are fun. Those are the kind of moments you practice and play for."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears (2-3) are scheduled to play game two of the series against No. 23 Duke (3-2) at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 26, at Baylor Ballpark.
For the latest news on the Baylor baseball team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
-BaylorBears.com-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Thomas, Tyler (1-1)
L: Johnson,Marcus (0-2)
S: Voelker, Matt (1)
Batting:
RBI: Hoyle,Wil 1
SH: Hoyle,Wil 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Knight,Chad 1 ; Davis,Chris 1
Batting:
RBI: Cardoza-Oquendo, Esteban 1 ; Caley, Harrison 2
SH: Cardoza-Oquendo, Esteban 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wehsener, Chase 2 ; Gonzales, Alex 1 ; Cardoza-Oquendo, Esteban 1
SB: McKenzie, Jared 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
LHP/OF
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball1B
/ BaseballBaylor Athletics: Chris Durbin Interview
Thursday, October 16
Baylor Baseball: Postgame vs. Oklahoma State | Big 12 Championship | May 21, 2025
Thursday, May 22
Baylor Baseball: Highlights vs. Oklahoma State | May 21, 2025
Thursday, May 22
Baylor Baseball: Highlights at UCF (Game 3) | May 17, 2025
Monday, May 19
