Baylor
LMU
BSB Hosts LMU in Three-Game Series
3/6/2025 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
Bears and Lions to meet for first time since 2019 regional
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BAYLOR BEARS (9-3, 0-0 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (9-3, 0-0) vs. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (8-5, 0-0) March 7, 2025 • 6:30 p.m. CT March 8, 2025 • 2:00 p.m. CT March 9, 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, Cole Posey Baylor Social Media:    |
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LMU LIONS (8-5, 0-0 WCC) Location: Los Angeles, Calif. Conference/Affiliation: West Coast Head Coach: Dongeal Fergus (Linfield) Roster | Stats |
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball continues its five-game homestand ahead of Big 12 play this weekend, welcoming Loyola Marymount to Waco for a three-game series. The Bears round out the stretch at Baylor Ballpark against Sam Houston next Tuesday, March 11.
• BU is coming off its eighth-straight midweek victory, dating back to last season, after defeating Tarleton, 7-2, on Tuesday night.
• Last weekend, the Bears went 1-2 at the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, going toe-to-toe with No. 8 Oregon State on Friday night, defeating a scrappy Ohio State ballclub on Saturday and falling short to No. 25 Auburn in Sunday's weekend finale despite a late comeback bid.
• Baylor is off to a 9-3 start to begin the season, marking the 10th time in the last 30 seasons (since 1995) that the team has won at least nine of its first 12 games to open the year -- 2000 (9-3), 2001 (9-3), 2003 (9-3), 2006 (9-3), 2008 (11-1), 2009 (10-2), 2012 (9-3), 2017 (12-1), 2019 (9-3) and 2025 (9-3).
• 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.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST LMU
• The all-time series between Baylor and Loyola Marymount is tied, 2-2.
• In their most recent meeting, LMU won a 3-1 pitchers' duel in the opening game of the 2019 Los Angeles Regional at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium.
• In their most recent meeting in Waco, Baylor no-hit the Lions in a seven-inning, 1-0 ballgame on Feb. 15, 2004.
• At the time, the Bears were the No. 12-ranked team in the country as Cory VanAllen and Zane Carlson teamed up for the seven-inning no-no, which is also the most recent no-hitter in program history.
• The no-hitter was part of a three-game series in Waco, in which BU won two of three games, having swept the doubleheader with a pair of one-run victories (5-4, 1-0).
EARLY SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
• 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 bullpen has allowed just 15 earned runs across 55 innings of relief, good for a 2.45 ERA.
• Junior LHP Ethan Calder was named the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week after his outstanding Opening Day start in which he struck out 13 batters in just five innings against Youngstown State.
• The squad's 2.97 team ERA ranks 16th in the country and 1.05 team WHIP is the 6th-best mark nationally.
• Baylor has walked just 32 batters in 106 IP, good for a mark of 2.72 BB/9 , the 5th-best in the nation.
• For the third 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.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Fri. March 7 • 6:30 p.m. • LHP Ethan Calder (2-1, 2.60 ERA) vs. RHP Kenji Pallares (2-1, 5.63 ERA)
• Sat. March 8 • 2:00 p.m. • LHP Bryson Bales (1-0, 3.46 ERA) vs. RHP Michael Nunez (0-2, 5.25 ERA)
• Sun. March 9 • 1:00 p.m. • LHP Carson Bailey (1-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. LHP Johnny Casale (1-0, 9.53 ERA)
CONTROLLING THE RUNNING GAME
• Opponents have attempted to run just four times on Baylor pitchers and catchers, and have been caught stealing twice.
• Meanwhile, the Bears have already stolen 16 bases as a team offensively, over a third of the squad's entire 2024 output (39 SB).
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• All three games this weekend can be streamed on ESPN+, with the broadcast pulling the home radio feed, featuring Derek Smith, Tom Barfield and Cole Posey calling the action. Fans can also tune in to ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM all weekend long for the radio broadcast.
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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