Baylor
Oklahoma State
BSB Hits the Road to Face No. 15 Oklahoma State
3/23/2023 3:45:00 PM | Baseball
Bears riding season-long three-game win streak into second weekend of Big 12 play
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BAYLOR BEARS (9-12, 2-1 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (9-12, 2-1) at OKLAHOMA STATE (17-5, 1-2) March 24, 2023 • 6:00 p.m. CT March 25, 2023 • 6:00 p.m. CT March 26, 2023 • 1:00 p.m. CT Stillwater, Okla. • O'Brate Stadium (8,000) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Fri. only) Talent: Dave Hunziker (play-by-play) & Tom Holliday (analyst) WATCH: okstate.com (Sat. & Sun.) Talent: Rex Holt, Matt Davis LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM & 92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith (play-by-play), Max Calderone (analyst) Baylor Social Media:    |
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OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (17-5, 1-2 Big 12) Location: Stillwater, Okla. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Josh Holliday (Oklahoma State, 1999) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Packing its bags for the first time since getting outscored 52-7 by Duke in a three-game sweep at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C., Baylor baseball (9-12, 2-1) will face 15th-ranked Oklahoma State (17-5 1-2) in a three-game series that starts Friday at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.
"We got punched in the gut and have had to respond," first-year head coach Mitch Thompson said of that Duke series. "And I'm sure there's going to be another punch in the gut coming sometime soon. That's just the way this game is. If you're winning the conference or you're in last place in the conference, you're going to get punched. It's all about how you respond."
The Bears have responded by winning three-straight and four of their last five, opening Big 12 play by taking the last two of a home series against Kansas State.
Thompson said the improvement has been across the board, including the hitters "two-out, two-strike hitting better."
Baylor still ranks last in the Big 12 with a .248 batting average, but the 1 through 5 batters are all hitting .290 or better. Freshman Kolby Branch leads the way at .354 with three homers and 18 RBIs, followed by Hunter Simmons (.318), Hunter Teplanszky (.315), Cole Posey (.292) and John Ceccoli (.290).
"We've really started stringing hits together, we've started putting up big innings," Posey said. "What that's done for the pitchers is given them the ability to go out there and throw up that zero without having the pressure of having to put up zeroes the whole game. Whenever you're scoring a little more, it makes it a little easier for everybody."
In Sunday's 8-4 win over K-State in the series finale, the Bears exploded for all of their runs in an eight-run sixth inning. But that came after Will Rigney (2-0) threw three perfect innings out of the bullpen, striking out six of the nine batters he faced.
"That dude, he's the definition of a thermostat not a thermometer," Posey said of Rigney, the reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. "I think it's something you can see, whenever he gets out there, he changes the whole demeanor."
Thompson said Rigney, who has worked through three season-ending injuries, "comes in with energy, fills up the strike zone, attacks the hitters and brings a little presence to him out there."
"Anytime you see somebody do that, I think it gives everybody else a little bit more credence, a little more, 'Hey, I can do that, too,''' Thompson said. "And we, obviously, need some guys on our team to do that, to step up and realize, 'Hey, I'm here for a reason, I'm here for a purpose,' and let's go perform."
Oklahoma State had strung together 12-straight wins before losing two of three at Texas Tech last weekend in Lubbock. The Cowboys bounced back with a 10-1 road win over Wichita State, with Roc Riggio hitting two of the team's four home runs.
"Offensively, they return a lot of their lineup, really heavy-laden left-hitting team that has power up and down the lineup," Thompson said. "This is not a place that you want to play them when the wind's blowing out big-time. That's not a good recipe for success. They're a really good team that knows how to win, really well-coached, power, speed, likes to run, big arms."
Fifth-year senior right-hander Blake Helton (0-3, 7.77 ERA) will start Friday's 6 p.m. series opener opposite junior right-hander Brian Hendry (1-0, 2.78), a transfer from St. John's. Helton has given up early three-run innings in his last two starts.
"I've had some tough breaks, some rough patches in there," Helton said. "Moments of good stuff, moments of bad stuff. If I can just kind of get out of my own way, then maybe I'll put together a good outing."
In Saturday's 6 p.m. game, the pitching matchup has Baylor sophomore righty Mason Marriott (1-2, 4.94) going against Oklahoma transfer Ben Abram (3-0, 4.79). The Cowboys have named Long Beach State transfer Juaron Watts-Brown (2-1, 2.96) as the starter for Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale, with Rigney possibly getting a scheduled short start.
"Still to be determined," Thompson said. "We're going to figure out what's the best way to use him, the best way to use the rest of our staff."
Friday's game will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Dave Hunziker and former OSU head coach Tom Holliday calling the action.
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball hits the road for the first time in a month to visit No. 15 Oklahoma State for a three-game series in Stillwater, Okla.
• The Bears are riding a season-long three-game win streak and have won four of their last five games.
• Currently, BU is tied for first place in the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma and Texas Tech after winning two of three over K-State to start Big 12 play.
• The Bears won a wild Tuesday night game over Sam Houston, 7-6, after an hour and 10-minute rain delay before the start of the eighth inning.
• Freshman OF Caleb Bergman delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eighth as a pinch hitter, then started an 8-6-2-5 double play with no outs in the top of the ninth to prevent SHSU from scoring.
• BU is coming off its best week of the 2023 season, going 3-1 with a two-hit shutout victory over Rice in the midweek contest, then taking two of three from K-State over the weekend.
• Sunday's come-from-behind victory against the Wildcats was the first time BU had overcome a deficit of four or more runs since May 19, 2022, when the Bears erased an eight-run deficit for a 13-11 victory over Oklahoma State.
• The Bears are 9-0 this season when scoring six or more runs, 7-0 when out-hitting their opponents and 7-0 when leading the ballgame after six innings.
• Freshman INF Kolby Branch has reached base in all 21 of Baylor's games so far this season.
BIG RIG EARNS BIG PRAISE
• Fourth-year junior RHP Will Rigney earned his first-career awards of any kind after being named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and one of 13 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Players of the Week on Monday.
• Rigney was brilliant across two outings last week, throwing five perfect innings and striking out 11 of the 15 batters he faced. He also earned two wins, including the first by a BU starter this season.
• In just his second appearance since coming back from his third season-ending injury of his collegiate career, Rigney made the midweek start against Rice last Tuesday and worked two innings with five strikeouts, earning the win as part of BU's two-hit shutout over the Owls.
• Then, in relief on Sunday against K-State, Rigney out-did himself by going three innings with six punchouts, retiring all nine he faced in order.
• This year, he boasts an unblemished 0.00 ERA across 6.0 IP. 13 of his 18 recorded outs have been K's. Opposing batters are hitting just .100 against him.
ADD IT TO THE K-COUNTER
• The Bears have eclipsed double-digit strikeouts on the mound in 16 of their 21 games so far this season.
• BU has punched out at least 13 opposing hitters in nine games this year.
• Baylor leads the Big 12 and ranks 9th nationally with 236 strikeouts.
• BU's 11.12 strikeouts per nine innings also leads the conference and ranks 15th nationally.
SERIES HISTORY VS OSU / BY THE NUMBERS
• Baylor trails, 54-44, in the all-time series against Oklahoma State.
• The Pokes took two of three from the Bears last season in Waco, and eliminated BU from the 2022 Big 12 Championship with a run-rule victory on May 26.
• Baylor is looking for its first series win over the Cowboys since 2018, when the Bears took two of three in Waco.
• This is BU's second series at the newly opened O'Brate Stadium (2021), where the Cowboys are 13-1 this year.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Friday, March 24 • 6:00 p.m. • RHP Blake Helton (0-3, 7.77 ERA) vs. RHP Brian Hendry (1-0, 2.76 ERA)
• Saturday, March 25 • 6:00 p.m. • RHP Mason Marriott (1-2, 4.94 ERA) vs. RHP Ben Abram (3-0, 4.79 ERA)
• Sunday, March 26 • 1:00 p.m. • TBD vs. RHP Juaron Watts-Brown (2-1, 2.96 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• Friday's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, while Saturday and Sunday's games will be available for free on okstate.com.
• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor radio broadcast on ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM, featuring Derek Smith (play-by-play) and Max Calderone (analyst) on the call.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
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