Baylor
UCF
BSB Caps Off 2024 with UCF Series
5/15/2024 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
Bears to honor nine players exhausting athletic eligibility on Saturday’s Senior Day
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BAYLOR BEARS (21-29, 9-18 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (21-29, 9-18) vs. UCF (30-17, 12-14) May 16, 2024 • 6:30 p.m. CT May 17, 2024 • 6:30 p.m. CT May 18, 2024 • 1:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Baylor Ballpark (5,000) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: John Morris, Pat Combs LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Tom Barfield Baylor Social Media:    |
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UCF KNIGHTS (30-17, 12-14 Big 12) Location: Orlando, Fla. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Rich Wallace (UCF, 2004) Roster | Stats |
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
After everything this team has been through, including more season-ending injuries than you can even count, an 11-game conference losing streak and multiple doubleheader days, Baylor baseball coach Mitch Thompson has no doubt that the Bears will "show up" this weekend.
Officially eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament for the second-straight year, the Bears (21-29, 9-18) will close out the season with a three-game series against UCF (31-17, 12-14) that begins with Thursday's 6:30 p.m. matchup at Baylor Ballpark.
"For us, this is it," Thompson said. "We have the option of either whimpering out of the season or coming in here and competing our tail off and playing through it and finishing strong. We have no gripe about not being in the tournament. We have to take ownership of the fact that we've won nine (conference) games; we needed to win more."
While Baylor was swept on the road at 17th-ranked Oklahoma last weekend, including a double dip on Saturday, the clincher was when Texas Tech (30-22, 12-17) had its series finale against Oklahoma State canceled on Sunday even though the rain wasn't expected until late that night.
UCF also had a game at Houston canceled by weather earlier, which would leave the Knights with a half-game lead on the Bears even if they're swept.
"The only way we could even possibly have a gripe is if we played well this weekend and won all three," Thompson said. "And if we do that, then okay, maybe you have a little gripe. It won't change the fact, but maybe it'll give us a little chip."
First baseman Cole Posey, one of nine players who will be honored on Saturday's "Senior Day," said it's hard not to play the "what if" game. A team that had 19 first-year players on the roster lost outfielders Hunter Simmons and Gavin Brzozowski and infielders Jack Little and Will Pendergrass to season-ending injuries.
"No doubt about it, I think there's a lot of what could have been," said Posey, who filled in for Pendergrass despite never playing first base in college before this year. "At the same time, I'm really proud of how we overcame – when you look at really significant injuries to key players – but I never really felt there was that kind of 'Oh woe is me.' I feel like it was always next man up.
"I hope those guys, through those injuries, kind of realize it's a precious game. And getting to play is a true gift. So, hopefully next year, it kind of sets another foundation for us to take another step forward."
With injuries starting even before the season began, Thompson said the Bears never came close to being the "team that we thought we had put together."
"It was just consistent hurdles," he said. "Who do we play here? Who do we move here? How do we do this? What's the best way to maximize what we have? And to the guys' credit, they were up for it. . . . To see all the opportunities that have opened up for guys, that part of the season has been rewarding watching those guys fight, because that's real life."
Senior pitcher Jared Matheson, who played for Thompson at crosstown McLennan Community College and was effective this year in a midweek starter role, said "dealing with injuries is tough."
"You have that feeling of, 'Man, what could I have done?''' he said. "For the guys that are hurt coming back, you've just got to keep your head up, keep working. Next year, they can do a lot for the team."
Along with Posey and Matheson, the seniors who will be honored this weekend are infielders Daniel Altman and Mason Greer, catcher Harrison Caley, outfielder Kade Fletcher and pitchers Kobe Andrade, Gabe Craig and Grant Golomb, who have all exhausted their athletic ability.
"I'm really proud of those guys," Thompson said. "The seniors, they're going to leave with real-life experience that things don't always go your way, but how you handle it and how you go about it matters. And they're going to leave with a Baylor degree that they're going to have forever. I think sometimes in recent years, we've downplayed the opportunity to get a college education and what that does for somebody for the rest of their life. And I don't think we ought to. I think that's a special thing."
The Bears will use the same pitching rotation as last weekend, with junior right-hander Mason Marriott (3-6, 5.80 ERA) getting the start on Thursday, sophomore left-hander Ethan Calder (4-3, 3.33) going in Friday's 6:30 p.m. game and redshirt freshman righty Collin McKinney (3-5, 6.61) starting Saturday's 1 p.m. series finale.
With heavy rain expected Thursday, the schedule could be adjusted to play a doubleheader on Friday. All three games this weekend will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
"I've been playing baseball for 20 years," Posey said, "and my dad always says this is kind of the last connection to the childhood that he had with me, still playing baseball. It's bittersweet – I'd say definitely more bitter than sweet – but being here at this place, it means everything to me. I couldn't be more grateful for that."
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball hosts UCF for a Thursday-Friday-Saturday weekend series to round out the 2024 season.
• BU was mathematically eliminated from Big 12 Championship contention after being swept at Oklahoma last weekend, in addition to Texas Tech's cancelled Sunday series finale.
• If the Bears were to sweep UCF this weekend, they will still finish a half-game behind UCF and Tech in the league standings, despite having a hypothetical 5-1 combined record against the Red Raiders and the Knights.
• Baylor will honor nine players who are exhausting their athletic eligibility on Senior Day, including Daniel Altman, Kobe Andrade, Harrison Caley, Gabe Craig, Kade Fletcher, Mason Greer, Grant Golomb, Jared Matheson and Cole Posey.
• Baylor's nine conference wins are its most since the 2021 season (11-13).
• According to Pro Baseball Radar, BU faced the nation's toughest schedule through the first month of the season based on 2023's RPI and win percentage.
• Baylor plays 26 games against the 2023 RPI top-50 this season, the most in the Big 12.
• 59% of Baylor's offense (275 of 465 hits) has been produced by underclassmen or players in their first season at Baylor.
• True or redshirt freshmen have accounted for 39% of innings pitched on the mound this season (169.0 of 436.1).
STACKING THE MIDWEEK WINS
• After defeating Tarleton 11-4 last Tuesday night, Baylor has now won each of its last five midweek contests and improved to 7-4 in midweek games this season.
• BU racked up 10 hits for its 19th double-digit hitting performance of the year against the Texans and scored 11 runs, eclipsing double figures for the 11th time this season.
• Baylor has since tallied two more double-digit hitting outputs over the weekend at Oklahoma, increasing its total to 21 games in double figures hitting.
• Under second-year head coach Mitch Thompson, the Bears are 16-10 in midweek ballgames.
MAGIC 8 BALL
• After reaching base in all five of his plate appearances Tuesday night vs. Tarleton (2-for-2, 3 BB), junior infielder Hunter Teplanszky became the third Bear this season to reach safely in eight-straight trips to the plate.
• Teplanszky increased his total to reaching in nine-straight plate appearances after walking in the first inning at OU on Friday night.
• Enzo Apodaca (at BYU, April 12-13) and Cole Posey (at WVU, vs. UTA April 28-30) have also accomplished the feat this year.
• Prior to the 2024 season, no player in Baylor's recorded history had reached in eight-straight plate appearances since Darryn Sheppard had eight consecutive hits on Feb. 26-27, 2016.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. UCF
• This will be the first-ever meeting between Baylor and UCF on the baseball diamond.
• BU is 5-4 this season against the Big 12 newcomers (Swept at Houston, Series Win vs. Cincinnati, Sweep at BYU)
• The Big 12 adds three more baseball schools next season in Arizona, Arizona State and Utah.
GLOVE WORK
• Through 50 games, Baylor has turned 45 double plays (0.90 per game) to lead the Big 12 and rank 17th nationally.
• In their last 10 games, the Bears have committed just six errors.
• From March 9-24, BU committed just four errors over that 10-game stretch.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Thurs. May 16 • 6:30 p.m. • RHP Mason Marriott (3-6, 5.80 ERA) vs. RHP Ben Vespi (3-3, 4.50 ERA)
• Fri. May 17 • 6:30 p.m. • LHP Ethan Calder (4-3, 3.33 ERA) vs. RHP Dom Stagliano (3-3, 4.07 ERA)
• Sat. May 18 • 1:00 p.m. • RHP Collin McKinney (3-5, 6.61 ERA) vs. TBD
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• All three games this weekend will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
• Fans can also tune in to ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM to hear the Baylor radio broadcast featuring Derek Smith and Tom Barfield 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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