Baylor
Texas
BSB Takes On No. 12 Texas
4/13/2023 5:08:00 PM | Baseball
Bears looking for first series win over the Longhorns since 2017
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BAYLOR BEARS (12-21, 4-8 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (12-21, 4-8) vs TEXAS (24-11, 4-8) April 14, 2023 • 6:30 p.m. CT April 15, 2023 • 2:00 p.m. CT April 16, 2023 • 1:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Baylor Ballpark (5,000) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: Pete Sousa (play-by-play), Pat Combs (analyst) LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM & 92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Ryan Boyd, Nolan Bay Baylor Social Media:    |
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TEXAS LONGHORNS (24-11, 6-3 Big 12) Location: Austin, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: David Pierce (Houston, 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
One of the hottest hitters in the country, New Mexico transfer Cole Posey sees a belief in this Baylor baseball team "that wasn't there to start the year."
"Part of that's a young team, part of that's a new team," said Posey, who is hitting .415 (27-of-65) over the last 17 games. "But we're really coming together, getting to know one another, trusting the coaches and trusting each other. We're really starting to believe that we can go out there, compete and be successful. I think that's the biggest difference."
After winning its first two conference series at home, Baylor (12-21, 4-8) will host 12th-ranked and league-leading Texas (24-11, 6-3) in a weekend series that begins with Friday's 6:30 p.m. game at Baylor Ballpark.
"They're loaded with talent, they're on a roll, they've played really well," first-year Baylor head coach Mitch Thompson said. "I'm glad we get an opportunity to play them here at home. I've got great respect for their program, great respect for their history. They've always been a challenge for anybody that plays them."
The Longhorns got out to a slow start, losing seven of their first 11, but they swept then-No. 14 Texas Tech in the opening conference series and are 20-4 over the last five weeks.
A balanced lineup that's hitting .279 as a team, Texas has four players hitting over .300 with seven homers apiece – Peyton Powell, Porter Brown, Eric Kennedy and Dylan Campbell. Ranked 10th nationally with a conference-best 3.45 ERA, the Longhorns will go with junior lefty Lucas Gordon (3-0, 2.17 ERA) in Friday's series opener and 6-8 junior right-hander Charlie Hurley (3-0, 2.43) in Saturday's 2 p.m. game.
"They're a good overall team, but our pitching staff has the ability to compete and throw strikes," said sophomore reliever Gabe Craig, who has not allowed a run in league play with four strikeouts and no walks in 3.2 innings, "but our pitching staff has the ability to compete and throw strikes.
"I know if we can go out there and do what (pitching coach James Leverton) and Coach Thompson have asked us to do all year, we can beat those guys, 100%."
Much better at home, the Bears have won seven of their last 10 at Baylor Ballpark, taking a series from Oklahoma with a 5-3 victory in Saturday's series finale. After rallying from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Sooners, 10-6, in the opener, BU got a quality start from Will Rigney (3-1) and shutdown innings from Craig and closer Hambleton Oliver in Saturday's clincher.
"What we did is we pitched pretty well," Thompson said. "We had some starting pitching that came out and gave us some good innings and followed up by our bullpen. It's a whole team effort. Every time out, you've got to swing it, you've got to field and you've got to pitch it. And if you don't any of those three things, then it's tough to win. And for too many times this year, we've struggled with at least one, maybe two of them at different times."
Craig said his recent outings "definitely helps build your confidence."
"The more you can go out there in those kinds of situations and get the job done over and over again, it helps," Craig said. "It gives you that confidence that every time you go out there, you can continue to do it and continue to execute what you need to do."
Posey isn't the only hot bat in the lineup. Over the last month, Baylor is hitting .288 as a team and has seen its averaging raise 30 points to .260.
During the 17-game stretch, the Bears have had double-digit hits 11 times. Besides Posey, freshman shortstop Kolby Branch is hitting .382 over the last month, followed by junior outfielder Hunter Simmons (.352) and sophomore third baseman Hunter Teplanszky (.333).
"Moving forward, we've seen ourselves really grow and compete in a way that we haven't all year," said Posey, who is hitting a team-high .378 in conference play while raising his overall average to .344. "I think we're going to take that momentum into Texas and really give them a good fight. I know the guys are amped up and ready to go. It's going to be fun."
Baylor will use the same starting rotation it employed last week, with fifth-year senior righthander Blake Helton (0-3, 7.61) starting Friday's series opener, followed by sophomore righty Mason Marriott (1-5, 7.97) on Saturday and Rigney (3-1, 3.31) in Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m.
"We need a big crowd, it'll always be helpful to have a good atmosphere," Thompson said. "And we're going to try to play as hard as we can to give them something to be happy about. Our guys are looking forward to the opportunity.
"And that's what this is, it's the next step. And no matter who we play in conference, they're big games. We get 24 of them, and they're 24 big ones. So, these will be three big ones, and they're here. So, we'd love to have these seats filled with green and gold."
All three games will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with KWTX morning news anchor Pete Sousa and former Baylor pitcher Pat Combs calling the action.
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball welcomes No. 12 Texas to Baylor Ballpark this weekend for a three-game series to start the second half of Big 12 play.
• The Bears are coming off a tight, 6-5 loss at No. 21 DBU Tuesday night. Down to their last strike, the Bears rallied to load the bases in the top of the ninth and had the game-tying run just 90 feet away before junior OF Hunter Simmons' 105 mile-an-hour line drive was caught in center field.
• The Bears bounced back from an 0-4 week to go 3-1 against Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma, claiming their second conference series victory of the year and moving into 8th place in the league standings at 4-8.
• BU hit .283 as a team last week, including standout performances from freshman INF Kolby Branch (.467), junior INF/OF Cole Posey (.438) and junior OF Hunter Simmons (.412).
• In Thursday night's series-opening win against Oklahoma, the Bears crushed three home runs, including back-to-back jacks by Cole Tremain and Walker Polk, the squad's first consecutive homers in two seasons.
• Polk delivered his second pinch-hit blast of the year, while Hunter Simmons also connected for his first-career HR in the green and gold.
• Baylor is 11-3 this season when scoring six or more runs and 4-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.
• BU is also 9-0 this year when leading the ballgame after six innings and 9-3 when out-hitting its opponent.
• Freshman INF Kolby Branch continues to produce offensively at a high rate, ranking fourth in the Big 12 with 48 hits, tied for third with 13 doubles, and tied for seventh in the league with a .364 batting average.
• Sophomore INF Hunter Teplanszky leads the squad with a 21-game on-base streak, approaching Branch's season-high mark of 23 games.
• Junior RHP Hambleton Oliver collected two saves on the week in both wins against Oklahoma. He combined to throw 2.2 scoreless frames with two strikeouts and allowed just one hit.
ADD IT TO THE K-COUNTER
• The Bears have eclipsed double-digit strikeouts on the mound in 17 of their 33 games so far this season.
• BU has punched out at least 13 opposing hitters in 10 games this year.
• Furthermore, Baylor has racked up 15 or more K's in four games this season, including a program record for Big 12 games with 18 at Oklahoma State on March 24.
• Baylor ranks third in the Big 12 and 34th nationally with 319 strikeouts.
• BU's 9.74 strikeouts per nine innings also ranks second in the conference and 58th nationally.
OFFENSE HEATING UP
• Over the last month (17 games), Baylor's offense is hitting .288 and has raised its batting average 30 points, from .230 to .260.
• During conference games, BU is hitting .282 as a team, the fifth-best mark in the league.
• Baylor's offense has produced 15 double-digit hitting outputs this season, including 11 in its last 17 games.
• Junior INF/OF Cole Posey is on an absolute tear, hitting .415 (27-for-65) during the stretch.
• Four Bears are hitting .333 or better during that stretch in Posey (.415), freshman INF Kolby Branch (.382), junior OF Hunter Simmons (.352) and sophomore INF Hunter Teplanszky (.333).
BY THE NUMBERS VS TEXAS
• Texas leads the all-time series, 250-112-4, over Baylor and has won nine of the last 11 meetings.
• BU is looking for its first series win over the Longhorns since 2017, though the two sides split a two-game series in 2019.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Friday, April 14 • 6:30 p.m. • RHP Blake Helton (0-3, 7.61 ERA) vs. LHP Lucas Gordon (3-0, 2.17 ERA)
• Saturday, April 15 • 2:00 p.m. • RHP Mason Marriott (1-5, 7.97 ERA) vs. RHP Charlie Hurley (3-0, 2.43 ERA)
• Sunday, April 16 • 1:00 p.m. • RHP Will Rigney (3-1, 3.31 ERA) vs. TBA
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• This weekend's series will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Pete Sousa (play-by-play) and former Baylor pitcher Pat Combs (color analyst) on the call.
• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor radio broadcast on ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM, featuring Derek Smith, Ryan Boyd and Nolan Bay.
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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