Baylor
Oklahoma
BSB Travels to Take On No. 17 Oklahoma
5/9/2024 1:45:00 PM | Baseball
Bears looking to snap eight-game losing streak in conference play
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BAYLOR BEARS (21-26, 9-15 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (21-26, 9-15) at OKLAHOMA (29-17, 18-6) May 10, 2024 • 6:30 p.m. CT May 11, 2024 • 4:00 p.m. CT May 12, 2024 • 2:00 p.m. CT Norman, Okla. • L. Dale Mitchell Park (3,180) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: SoonerVision on ESPN+ LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Tom Barfield Baylor Social Media:    |
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OKLAHOMA SOONERS (29-17, 18-6 Big 12) Location: Norman, Okla. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Skip Johnson (UTRGV, 1990) Roster | Stats |
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Not that March Madness has a patent on it or anything, but that's typically what comes to mind when someone throws out the phrase "survive and advance."
For Baylor baseball (21-26, 9-15), it's not exactly win-or-go-home dire straits . . . at least not yet. But losers of eight-straight conference games, including getting swept by TCU, the Bears go into a weekend series at 17th-ranked and league-leading Oklahoma (29-17, 18-6) needing to "win some games."
"This is advance and move on, and that's where we're at," said Baylor coach Mitch Thompson, whose team sits in 11th place in the conference standings, a game and a half back of Texas Tech (30-20, 12-15) for the 10th and final spot for the Big 12 Baseball Championship later this month at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
"Last week (against TCU) was not a win-at-all-cost thing, but now we are there. We were very competitive in three ballgames, and it was right there. We just have to take care of our own business. Try and play just a little bit better, pitch a little bit better, hit a little more. Get one more knock here, one more knock there, and all of a sudden, it changes games."
This isn't the best time to get a hot Oklahoma team that is coming off its fifth conference-series sweep, taking all three games on the road at Texas Tech. The league's best chance to get a host site for an NCAA regional, the Sooners have a three-game lead on Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Texas and can clinch at least a tie for the Big 12 title with a sweep of the Bears.
"They've got a ton of good arms and guys coming out of the pen," said junior catcher Cortlan Castle, who's hitting .287 for the season after getting off to a slow start. "We have to put a bif focus on being competitive on every single at-bat. More than anything, just giving our best and trying to take the game back a level. And then, just have fun. Focusing on having fun and competing, that's what it's all about."
It's a toss-up between Oklahoma and Cincinnati (28-21, 14-11) who's been the most surprising team in the league this season. Picked last in the coaches' preseason poll, Cincinnati is fifth and nipping at the heels of the three teams tied for second.
Nowhere to be found in the preseason national polls and pegged for a middle-of-the-pack finish in the Big 12, OU got off to a slow start and was just 15-12 after getting swept at home by a Lamar team that's leading the Southland Conference.
"They've put it together," said Thompson, who saw the Sooners at the season-opening Shriners Children's College Showdown in Arlington. "They're leading the league by three games. They're getting great pitching. I think they're leading the league in hitting. This is a good club. They've got talent, they've got experience, and their Friday night guy (Braden Davis) is the two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. So, this is a big challenge this weekend."
A junior left-hander, Davis (6-3, 4.43 ERA) was lights-out against Tech last Friday, throwing seven shutout innings and allowing just two hits with two strikeouts in an 8-0 win.
At times, though, Baylor junior right-hander Mason Marriott (3-5, 5.01) has been equally as impressive. He went a career-high 8.0 innings last Friday against TCU but didn't get out of the second inning the week before in an 18-5 loss at West Virginia.
"I just went out there and tried to wash West Virginia out of my head," he said. "Just continue to have confidence in myself and trust my work ethic and listen to Coach Thompson and (pitching coach James Leverton). I was as low as you can get. So, I just went out there and stayed focused and moved on from that (West Virginia loss) to the next game."
Baylor could get some help this weekend with Oklahoma State hosting Texas Tech and Texas playing at UCF (30-15, 11-12), which comes to Waco next weekend for a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark. If Tech gets swept, the Bears would only need to win three of their last six conference games to tie the Red Raiders and advance on winning the head-to-head series.
Survive and advance.
"If we'll win our games and take care of our own business, we don't need help from anybody else," Thompson said. "If we don't, then we're going to need help and a lot of it. So, we better just go take care of our own business."
The series begins with a game at 6:30 p.m. Friday at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, followed by 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be streamed by SoonerVision on ESPN+.
"Our mindset is just trying to put all those losses behind us," Marriott said. "Our back is up against the wall right now, and we've just got to keep swinging and keep attacking. We've got to win some ballgames and go in there with the right mindset."
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball hits the road for one last regular-season weekend series away from home, traveling to No. 17 Oklahoma for a three-game set in Norman, Okla.
• With two weekends of Big 12 play remaining, Baylor (9-15) currently sits in 11th place in the Big 12 standings, trailing Texas Tech (12-15) by 1.5 games and UCF (11-12) by 2.5 games. The top-10 teams in the conference will qualify for the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.
• Baylor's nine conference wins are its most since the 2021 season (11-13).
• Junior RHP Mason Marriott turned in a career outing on Friday night vs. TCU, tossing 8.0 innings and surrendering just two earned runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out five.
• Sophomore LHP Ethan Calder pitched a career-high 6.2 innings in relief on Saturday in the extra-innings loss.
• The Bears racked up 13 hits in Sunday's series finale and had five players record multi-hit games (Apodaca, Posey, Altman, Mazoch, Castle).
• 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 (259 of 438 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 (162.2 of 414.1).
STACKING THE MIDWEEK WINS
• After defeating Tarleton 11-4 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.
• 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.
• 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. OKLAHOMA
• Baylor trails the all-time series with Oklahoma, 56-52, but took two of three from the Sooners last season in Waco.
• BU and OU have split each of the last four series, though the Bears have not won a series in Norman since 2014.
GLOVE WORK
• Through 47 games, Baylor has turned 44 double plays (0.94 per game) to lead the Big 12 and rank 13th nationally.
• In their last seven games, the Bears have committed just three errors.
• From March 9-24, BU committed just four errors over that 10-game stretch.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Fri. May 10 • 6:30 p.m. • RHP Mason Marriott (3-5, 5.01 ERA) vs. LHP Braden Davis (6-3, 4.43 ERA)
• Sat. May 11 • 4:00 p.m. • LHP Ethan Calder (4-2, 2.91 ERA) vs. RHP Kyson Witherspoon (5-3, 4.19 ERA)
• Sun. May 12 • 2:00 p.m. • RHP Collin McKinney (3-5, 6.46 ERA) vs. TBD
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• All three games this weekend will be televised on SoonerVision 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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