Baylor
TCU
BSB Takes on TCU in Fort Worth
5/11/2023 3:15:00 PM | Baseball
Bears set for important Big 12 series finale against the Horned Frogs
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BAYLOR BEARS (16-32, 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 (16-32, 6-15) at TCU (27-21, 8-10) May 12, 2023 • 3:30 p.m. CT May 13, 2023 • 4:00 p.m. CT May 14, 2023 • 1:00 p.m. CT Fort Worth, Texas • Lupton Stadium (4,500) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM & 92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Max Calderone Baylor Social Media:    |
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TCU HORNED FROGS (27-21, 8-10 Big 12) Location: Fort Worth, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Kirk Saarloos (Cal State Fullerton) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Mitch Thompson knows exactly what's at stake when his Baylor baseball team (16-32, 6-15) plays TCU (27-21, 8-10) in a three-game series that starts with Friday's 3:30 p.m. game at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth.
A game behind Kansas (22-26, 7-14) at the bottom of the Big 12 standings, the Bears will need to win at least two games to stay alive for a spot in the Big 12 Championship that will be held May 24-28 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Baylor and Oklahoma are the only schools in the league that have played in each of the previous 25 conference tournaments
"We're just going to go try and win games," Thompson said. "I think if we harp on anything else, we're going to be putting added pressure on our guys. And you never play that way. We have a lot to play for. we've got to try to finish this thing right. So, that's what we're trying to do."
Back on the mound for the first time in two weeks, senior Will Rigney (3-2, 3.55 ERA) is starting Friday's series opener opposite TCU freshman Louis Rodriguez (1-1, 4.46). While he is "feeling good enough," Rigney will "go out there and give his best effort, whatever he's capable of doing," Thompson said.
"He's the guy for us to go on Friday right now. This week, for sure. And then, we'll follow up with whoever else we've got left as we go Saturday, Sunday. We're not announcing them yet because we're going to win games when we can when we can win games."
Sophomore catcher Cortlan Castle, who was Rigney's teammate at Midway High School, said he is a "super smooth guy up there."
"He brings a lot of energy, and it really does affect everybody else," Castle said. "He's a lot of fun to catch. And then, we're good friends outside of the ball field, too, so it just makes everything a lot more fun."
Because of Rigney battling through three season-ending injuries, the rest of the team "knows how bad that he wants to be out there. And they know how hard of a worker he is."
"It's really easy to get behind a guy like that," Thompson said. "He's vocal and he'll show a lot of emotion. It's fun to watch, fun for the fans to watch, fun for his teammates to watch and fun for his teammates to play behind him."
After a break for semester final exams, the Bears lost to Grand Canyon, 4-2, on Tuesday and then gave up five ninth-inning runs in a 9-2 loss to Lamar. They have lost nine of their last 11 games, including getting swept at home by West Virginia.
"Obviously, we pitched well enough probably to win both games, until the ninth inning (Wednesday). We just didn't hit," Thompson said. "I think we've got some guys that are starting to feel the length of the season, playing high-profile positions. And all of a sudden, I'm out there every day, and it's kind of wearing on them a little bit. We're going to take it very easy tonight and see if we can regain our legs a little bit and maybe go up there and play well."
The preseason Big 12 favorite, TCU has lost five of its last six conference games but is coming off a series win over then-No. 24 Cal State Fullerton. Brayden Taylor, the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, is hitting .275 with 15 homers and 41 RBIs.
"(Taylor) hasn't quite put up the numbers that he had, but a really good player," Thompson said. "Cole Fontenelle, a switch hitter that played for me at McLennan, he's one of their best hitters (.319, 10 homers, 40 RBIs), a talented, hard-nosed kid. . . . There's been some struggles there for them as well. So, they're trying to get healthy and go through finals and do everything else that we're trying to do. I'm sure this weekend is big well for them."
A junior infielder that transferred to TCU after three seasons at Baylor, Tre Richardson is hitting .312 with 15 extra-base hits and 37 RBIs and ranks among the Big 12 leaders with 20 stolen bases.
"They bring a lot of experience, a lot of talent," Rigney said. "They control the strike zone really well. I think they can run. Middle of the lineup, they can be tough at times. Brayden Taylor, Tre Richardson, Austin Davis . . . they definitely have some speed and a lot of talent. So, it'll be a tall task."
The series continues with games at 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, with all three games streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball travels north to Fort Worth for an important Big 12 series against TCU this weekend, its final conference series of the 2023 season.
• BU embarks on a season-closing sprint, with seven remaining games scheduled over the next nine days.
• The Bears are coming off a pair of midweek losses against Grand Canyon and Lamar.
• 9 of the 13 runs BU allowed this week were unearned.
• Baylor is 15-7 this season when scoring six or more runs and 6-0 when scoring 10 or more runs.
• BU is also 11-2 this year when leading the ballgame after six innings and 11-4 when out-hitting its opponent.
• Junior OF Hunter Simmons is 8-for-16 with three runs scored, a home run and three RBIs since returning from injury.
• Sophomore C Cortlan Castle boasts a career-high 12-game on-base streak in which he is hitting .372 with four extra-base hits and six RBIs.
• Freshman INF Kolby Branch continues to lead the club in virtually every offensive category. He sits just two doubles shy of the program's doubles record by a freshman (18, Matt Williams, 1998).
• Junior RHP Anderson Needham and sophomore RHP Gabe Craig are tied for the team lead with 13 scoreless appearances out of the bullpen this year for the Bears.
• Junior RHP Jared Matheson worked a season-high 5.0 innings and struck out a personal-best six against Lamar on Wednesday, earning a no-decison in the loss.
MOTHER'S DAY MEMORIES
• Over the last 10 seasons, Baylor has played on Mother's Day just three times, and owns an unbeaten 3-0 record.
• In 2021, the Bears crushed Kansas State 23-3 in seven innings for one of its most lopsided victories in recent history.
• In 2018, Baylor topped No. 20 Oklahoma State 7-3 to win the series over the Cowboys in Waco.
• In 2017, BU won a one-run contest over OSU in Stillwater, 8-7, to cap off a series sweep.
FRIDAY FINALES
• Baylor has won four of its last six Friday night ballgames in its final Big 12 series of the season, including each of the last two.
• BU came from behind to shock No. 8 Oklahoma State last season, erasing an eight-run deficit to win 13-11 via a walk-off home run by Antonio Valdez.
ADD IT TO THE K-COUNTER
• The Bears have eclipsed double-digit strikeouts on the mound in 20 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 445 strikeouts, though BU's 9.39 K/9 innings ranks second in the conference.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Baylor leads the all-time series, 151-130, over TCU.
• The Bears salvaged last season's series in Waco with a 7-3 win on Sunday.
• In their last meeting, TCU topped BU 4-2 in the opening round of the 2022 Big 12 Championship at Globe Life Field.
• Baylor is 1-8 this season in road conference games -- it's lone win came in the series finale at Texas Tech.
• Baylor is 8-10 this year against fellow teams from the state of Texas.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Friday, May 12 • 3:30 p.m. • RHP Will Rigney (3-2, 3.55 ERA) vs. RHP Louis Rodriguez (1-1, 4.46 ERA)
• Saturday, May 13 • 4:00 p.m. • TBD vs. TBD
• Sunday, May 14 • 1:00 p.m. • TBD vs. TBD
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• This weekend's games will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
• 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 (color 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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