Baylor
Kansas State
BSB Welcomes K-State for Big 12 Home Opener
3/20/2025 5:05:00 PM | Baseball
Bears set to Go Gold Friday night, honor 2005 CWS team on Saturday
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BAYLOR BEARS (15-5, 1-2 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (15-5, 1-2) vs. KANSAS STATE (13-7, 3-0) March 21, 2025 • 6:30 p.m. CT March 22, 2025 • 2:00 p.m. CT March 23, 2025 • 1:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Baylor Ballpark (5,000) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: ESPN+ LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Tom Barfield Baylor Social Media:    |
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KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (13-7, 3-0 Big 12) Location: Manhattan, Kan. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Pete Hughes (Davidson, 1990) Roster | Stats |
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball opens its home Big 12 slate by welcoming Kansas State to Waco for a three-game series this weekend.
• The Bears are coming off a dominant 19-3 run-rule win over Texas State on Tuesday, the largest margin of victory of the Thompson era.
• Baylor has won 10-straight midweek games, dating back to the 2024 season.
• 19 runs were the most scored by the Bears during the Thompson era and BU's 10-run sixth-inning was the most runs in a single-inning since Baylor set a program record on May 9, 2021, with a 17-run inning against K-State.
• BU salvaged its series finale last weekend at Kansas, marking just the second time under third-year head coach Mitch Thompson that the Bears have won after trailing 0-2 on the weekend.
• Baylor erased an early five-run deficit to come from behind and win 9-7 on Sunday, the largest comeback of the Thompson Era.
• All nine starters tallied at least one hit on Sunday, the first time the Bears have done so this season.
• Baylor returns 22 players from its 2024 roster, including six position player starters, and welcomes 18 newcomers.
• BU has 16 seniors on its 2025 roster, including six fifth-year players and three sixth-year players.
• Baylor plays a combined 13 games against five NCAA Tournament teams in 2025 and will face 10 30-game winners, including two squads that won 40 or more games last season.
• 46% of the schedule features opponents that finished 2024 with a top-75 RPI.
STRONG FIRST MONTH
• Baylor completed its first Opening Weekend sweep since 2019, outscoring Youngstown State 38-11.
• The Bears posted back-to-back shutouts against UTSA and Gonzaga, the team's first consecutive shutouts since April 1-2, 2021.
• BU's sweep over LMU signaled the fourth time since 2017 that the Bears have swept two opponents at home within the first four weekends of the year.
• Tuesday, March 11's game attendance (2,283) against Sam Houston was the largest crowd against a non-conference opponent, and the seventh-largest overall, of the Thompson era.
• Baylor's 3.21 walks per nine innings ranks 12th in the country and its 1.20 WHIP places 17th nationally.
• BU's bullpen has allowed just 29 earned runs across 95.1 innings of relief, good for a 2.74 ERA.
• For the fifth week in a row, Baylor is currently receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25 poll. Baylor has not been ranked in a major poll since 2019.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
• On Friday night, Baylor will wear its gold uniforms as part of the "Go Gold" promotion, encouraging fans to Gold Out Baylor Ballpark.
• On Saturday, BU will recognize the 20th Anniversary of its 2005 College World Series team with a special pregame recognition.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST KANSAS STATE
• Baylor leads the all-time series against Kansas State, 55-33.
• The Bears are 2-1 against the Wildcats under third-year head coach Mitch Thompson, having taken the Saturday and Sunday meetings in Waco in 2023 (BU and KSU did not play in 2024).
• Baylor has won four of its last five series against K-State.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Fri. March 21 • 6:30 p.m. • LHP Ethan Calder (3-2, 4.44 ERA) vs. LHP Jacob Frost (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
• Sat. March 22 • 2:00 p.m. • LHP Bryson Bales (1-1, 6.98 ERA) vs. LHP Michael Quevedo (3-0, 3.91 ERA)
• Sun. March 23 • 1:00 p.m. • LHP Carson Bailey (2-0, 3.92 ERA) vs. LHP Lincoln Sheffield (4-1, 3.64 ERA)
SOUTHPAW STARTERS
• 2025 is just the third season in the Statcrew Era (since 2003) that Baylor has started four different left-handed pitchers at any point in the year.
• 2025 is the only time in the Statcrew Era that the Bears have started four different southpaws consecutively.
• A left-handed pitcher has started each of BU's last nine games entering the weekend series against K-State.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• All three games this weekend will be available on ESPN+, with Pat Combs providing color commentary alongside a rotating panel of play-by-play announcers: Pete Sousa (Fri.), Kyle Youmans (Sat.) and Kurtis Quillin (Sun.)
• Fans can also tune in to ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM for the Baylor radio broadcast, featuring Derek Smith and Tom Barfield on the call. The home radio broadcast will shift to 1590 AM/99.3 FM in the event of a conflict with a Baylor men's basketball game.
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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