Baylor
West Virginia
BSB Welcomes No. 17 West Virginia For Three-Game Set
4/27/2023 4:45:00 PM | Baseball
Bears round out home conference slate with league-leading Mountaineers
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BAYLOR BEARS (15-26, 6-12 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (15-26, 6-12) vs WEST VIRGINIA (30-11, 8-4) April 28, 2023 • 6:30 p.m. CT April 29, 2023 • 2:00 p.m. CT April 30, 2023 • 11:00 a.m. CT Waco, Texas • Baylor Ballpark (5,000) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: Lincoln Rose (Fri. PxP), John Morris (Sat. & Sun. PxP), Pat Combs (Color) LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM & 92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Max Calderone Baylor Social Media:    |
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WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (30-11, 8-4 Big 12) Location: Morgantown, W.Va. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Randy Mazey (Clemson, 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Mitch Thompson knows this is what he signed up for when he took the Baylor baseball job last summer.
After going a combined 2-4 against top-15 teams Texas and Texas Tech the previous two weekends, the Bears (15-26, 6-12) welcome 17th-ranked and league-leading West Virginia (30-11, 8-4) for a three-game series starting with Friday's 6:30 p.m. game at Baylor Ballpark.
"That's the name of the game, it's just the way it is in this league," Thompson said. "You're going to play good people, you're going to compete against really talented players. That's the task at hand this week."
Picked sixth in the Big 12 coaches' preseason poll, West Virginia has been the league's biggest surprise, sweeping preseason-favorite TCU last weekend in Morgantown and run-ruling the Horned Frogs in Sunday's series finale. WVU is atop the Big 12 standings, percentage points ahead of Oklahoma State (28-13, 11-7).
"West Virginia is a really athletic ballclub," Thompson said. "This is a team that's built to beat you in several different ways. They probably have 50, 55 home runs with almost 100 stolen bases (91). Five guys with double-digit stolen bases. They're pressure, pressure, pressure, bunt game. And then, they have one of the best hitters in college baseball in J.J. Wetherholt."
After suffering a hand injury in a game at Oklahoma State two weeks ago, Wetherholt came in as a pinch-hitter and went 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs in Sunday's game against TCU.
"They're fast, they hit the ball around everywhere," said junior left-hander Cam Caley, who gave up only one earned run in 6.2 innings in Saturday's 6-4 win over Tech. "We just have to focus on getting one out at a time and playing the game how it's supposed to be played. And it should take care of itself."
Thompson said one of the keys to limiting the Mountaineers' running game is to keep them off the base.
"It puts pressure on the pitchers, for sure. Definitely the catcher, too," he said. "The best way to stop a running game is not let them get on base. Try to eliminate the freebies, make them earn everything they get. Try to get out to a lead where they don't want to give up outs on the bases. They're fun to watch play. I look at them and go, 'Oh baby, that's a quality club.'''
Junior centerfielder Cole Tremain, who is hitting .271 with three homers and 15 RBIs, said the wins over Texas and Texas Tech the last two weekends "says a lot about the belief that we have."
"I feel like a lot of times, we're just never done," Tremain said. "Especially, you've seen the ninth-inning rallies that we've had that have really come with one out and sometimes two outs. I think it says a lot about these guys."
While the Bears are 4-5 in their last three conference series, including taking two of three against Oklahoma, Thompson has had to adjust the lineup with injuries to outfielder Hunter Simmons and third baseman Hunter Teplanszky. They are both hitting over .300 and have combined for seven homers and 54 RBIs.
"We just don't have the depth in our lineup to continue to replace guys who hit in the top four spots in the lineup," Thompson said. "We're giving other guys opportunity and getting them in the game, but it's a different opponent to pitch to, for sure. If we can get those guys back, we'll obviously be better. We'll have to wait and see how everything goes through today and tomorrow and see how they feel."
Baylor will go with a different rotation this weekend, starting sophomore Mason Marriott (1-5, 8.86 ERA) going against WVU left-hander Ben Hamilton (4-1, 3.99) in Friday's game and senior righty Will Rigney (3-1, 3.80) matched against Blaine Traxel (5-3, 3.44) for Saturday's 2 p.m. game. Caley is an option for Sunday's 11 a.m. series finale, but no starter has been announced.
"I think the thing that he did last week and probably the last couple outings is he's thrown more strikes, he's in the zone with his stuff," Thompson said of Caley. "The last couple times out is more of what we were expecting to get out of him throughout the whole year, and we just hadn't until lately. It's good to see him show up. And hopefully, we can have him have another great outing either out of the bullpen or potential start on Sunday."
All three games will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Lincoln Rose, "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor pitcher Pat Combs calling the action.
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball concludes its home conference slate this weekend with a three-game set against No. 17 West Virginia in Waco at Baylor Ballpark.
• The Bears picked up their first two road wins of the season last week at Sam Houston and at No. 13 Texas Tech.
• With a pair of double-digit hitting performances on Saturday in Lubbock, the Bears have now reached double figures in hits 18 times this season.
• BU out-hit TTU in Saturday's doubleheader, 25-24.
• Baylor's game two victory over the Red Raiders marked the 11th time this season that the Bears have tallied at least nine hits and nine strikeouts in the same game this season.
• On Tuesday at Sam Houston, Baylor won its first road game of the season in a contest that had seven lead changes and two ties.
• Baylor is 14-6 this season when scoring six or more runs and 5-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.
• BU is also 10-1 this year when leading the ballgame after six innings and 10-3 when out-hitting its opponent.
• Freshman INF Kolby Branch continues to produce offensively at a high rate, ranking third in the league with 16 doubles, fifth in the league with 59 hits and seventh with a .362 batting average.
• Junior LHP/OF Cam Caley turned in a brilliant start on short notice Saturday, going a career-long 6.2 innings with just one earned run allowed, six strikeouts and zero walks.
YOU SHALL NOT SCORE
• Over the last 14 games, Baylor pitchers have inherited 42 baserunners and have allowed just 10 of them to score.
• Freshman LHP Ethan Calder (6/1) and junior southpaw Cam Caley (5/0) have been effective coming out of the bullpen, stranding a combined 10 out of 11 inherited runners over that stretch.
• Calder (7.2 IP, 4 ER) and Caley (12 IP, 4 ER) have also provided great length, going a combined 19.2 IP in their last five combined outings (since 4/14 vs. Texas).
• Junior RHP Cole Stasio leads the team with 11 scoreless relief outings, including each of his last four appearances. He alone has stranded 11 baserunners in his last six outings.
• Sophomore RHP Gabe Craig entered with the bases loaded Saturday at Texas Tech, stranded all three baserunners and collected his second save of the season with a pair of punchouts to end it.
ADD IT TO THE K-COUNTER
• The Bears have eclipsed double-digit strikeouts on the mound in 18 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 fourth in the Big 12 with 385 strikeouts, though BU's 9.50 strikeouts per nine innings ranks second in the conference.
AGAINST THE MOUNTAINEERS
• Baylor and West Virginia are tied, 14-14, in the all-time series.
• The Mountaineers swept the Bears last season in Morgantown, though BU had won each of the last three series.
• Baylor is 2-8 this season against ranked opponents, though four of those losses have come within a two-run margin.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Friday, April 28 • 6:30 p.m. • RHP Mason Marriott (1-5, 8.86 ERA) vs. LHP Ben Hamilton (4-1, 3.99 ERA)
• Saturday, April 29 • 2:00 p.m. • RHP Will Rigney (3-1, 3.80 ERA) vs. RHP Blaine Traxel (5-3, 3.44 ERA)
• Sunday, April 30 • 11:00 a.m. • TBA vs. RHP Robby Porco (4-1, 7.92 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• All three games this weekend will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
• Lincoln Rose will handle play-by-play duties on Friday, while John Morris will have the call on Saturday and Sunday.
• Former Baylor pitcher Pat Combs will provide the color commentary for all three games.
• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor home radio broadcast on ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM, featuring Derek Smith, Ryan Boyd and Nolan Bay 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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