Baylor
Abilene Christian
BSB Set For Pair of Midweek Bouts
5/1/2023 5:51:00 PM | Baseball
Bears head to Abilene Christian, host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before idle weekend
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BAYLOR BEARS (15-29, 6-15 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (15-29, 6-15) at ABILENE CHRISTIAN (26-16, 11-10) May 2, 2023 • 6:05 p.m. CT Abilene, Texas • Crutcher Scott Field (4,000) BAYLOR (15-29, 6-15) vs TEXAS A&M-CC (20-23, 14-10) May 3, 2023 • 6:30 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Baylor Ballpark (5,000) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: ESPN+ / Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: John Morris (PxP), Pat Combs (Analyst) LISTEN: Learfield / ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM & 92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Max Calderone Baylor Social Media:    |
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ABILENE CHRISTIAN WILDCATS (26-16, 11-10 WAC) Location: Abilene, Texas Conference/Affiliation: WAC Head Coach: Rick McCarty (Murray State, 2003) Roster | Stats |
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TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI ISLANDERS (20-23, 14-10 Southland) Location: Corpus Christi, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Southland Head Coach: Scott Malone (McMurray, 1998) Roster | Stats |
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball gets set for a pair of midweek contests against Abilene Christian and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this week before a five-day break for final exams that results in an idle weekend.
• The Bears are coming off a winless week that saw them remain in competitive ballgames until the late innings.
• BU trailed 4-2 to Tarleton through seven innings on Tuesday before dropping a 6-2 final.
• The Bears dropped Friday's opener to No. 17 West Virginia by just one run after leading 4-3 through seven innings.
• On Saturday, Baylor trailed just 2-0 after seven complete before WVU broke it open.
• In Sunday's series finale, the Bears were within reach trailing 8-4 in the seventh before the Mountaineers pulled away in the final two frames.
• Baylor is 14-6 this season when scoring six or more runs and 5-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.
• BU is also 10-2 this year when leading the ballgame after six innings and 10-3 when out-hitting its opponent.
YOU SHALL NOT SCORE
• Over the last 17 games, Baylor pitchers have inherited 60 baserunners and have allowed just 18 of them to score.
• Fifth-year junior RHP Anderson Needham leads the team with 12 scoreless appearances on the year.
• Junior RHP Cole Stasio is right behind him 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 has also worked 11 scoreless outings and has stranded all five of his inherited runners since the beginning of April.
ADD IT TO THE K-COUNTER
• The Bears have eclipsed double-digit strikeouts on the mound in 19 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 412 strikeouts, though BU's 9.47 strikeouts per nine innings ranks second in the conference.
AGAINST THE WILDCATS
• Baylor leads the all-time series over Abilene Christian, 14-3.
• ACU claimed a 5-2 victory earlier this season in 11 innings in Waco over BU.
• Since the Wildcats made the jump to Division I, the Bears are 2-1 against them.
AGAINST THE ISLANDERS
• Baylor is a perfect 8-0 all-time against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
• The Bears and the Islanders have not met since 2014, when BU took an 8-4 victory in Waco.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Baylor is 6-4 this season in midweek games.
• BU is 7-8 this year against fellow teams from the state of Texas.
• The Bears have faced ranked opponents in three-straight weekend series and currently own a 2-11 record against such foes.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Tuesday, May 2 • 6:05 p.m. • RHP Blake Helton (0-5, 8.72 ERA) vs. ACU's TBA
• Wednesday, May 3 • 6:30 p.m. • TBA vs. TAMU-CC's TBA
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• Tuesday's game at ACU will be broadcast on ESPN+, while Wednesday's game against TAMU-CC will be carried on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
• The Voice of the Bears John Morris will handle play-by-play duties at home on Wednesday and be joined by former Baylor pitcher Pat Combs who will provide the color commentary.
• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor home radio broadcast on ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM, featuring Derek Smith (play-by-play) and Max Calderone (color analyst) on the call.
