FEED THE BOBCAT?
4/19/2025 9:47:00 AM | Baseball
With new mascot in the dugout, Kemp, Craig deliver in Bears' 4-3 win
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – In 2012, a bizarre "Feed the Beaver" rally cry led Baylor baseball to a Big 12 championship and a win shy of making its fourth-ever College World Series.
Not quite as sure about the stuffed bobcat that showed up in the Bears' dugout at Baylor Ballpark Friday night, but the end result was a 4-3 win over Utah that evened the series with the Utes going into Saturday's 1 p.m. series finale.
"I don't know that story, but it pretty much sums up John Youens and Brayden Buchanan," sixth-year senior closer Gabe Craig said of the two Baylor reserve players. "So, that's all I'll say."
While shortstop Tyriq Kemp carried the big bat, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a triple and four RBIs, Craig (2-0) did most of his talking from the mound. Striking out three of the four batters he faced, he came out of the bullpen in the eighth to fan dangerous hitter Drake Digiorno with the potential go-ahead run standing 90 feet from home plate.
"I'm thankful that I get to be in the game in those situations," said Craig, who is second in the Big 12 with six saves. "There's a lot of energy, it fires me up. I know my team's behind me. I couldn't say enough about Tyriq coming up huge there, giving me the opportunity to go back out there and for the team to get the win. It's really cool."
After Craig fanned Digiorno to end the top of the eighth, Kemp led off the bottom of the frame with a high fly ball to right-center field off reliever Lucas Boesen (3-2) that carried just over the wall for his second homer of the night and his fourth of the season.
"Definitely one of the coolest things I've ever had in my life, to be honest," said Kemp, who raised his batting average to a team-best .362. "I thought it was maybe going to get caught because it was up there. The wind helped it also a litt bit, but I'm happy it went out."
Craig was nails in the ninth, retiring Cameron Gurney on a first-pitch groundout to second before striking out pinch-hitter Jake Long and Matt Flaharty to end the game.
"Gabe's had the arm," said Baylor coach Mitch Thompson, whose team improved to 24-14 overall and 7-10 in the Big 12, "but Gabe's improved, and Sned and Fur (pitching coach Sean Snedeker and director of player development Brian Furlong) have done a great job with him in getting his head straight. And he knows he has really, really filthy stuff."
Craig's second win of the year came on the same day he was named to the watch list for the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year.
"I'm super blessed," he said. "God's been a huge blessing in my life. My family, my coaches, this team, they've all had my back in so many ways and helped build my confidence. That's huge. It's really cool. And it's kind of one of those things where you have to keep moving forward, keep playing games and stay locked in on what we're trying to do. And that's keep winning ballgames."
Coming off a tough 13-1 loss the night before, Kemp gave the Bears a lift early with his two-run homer to right in the bottom of the first inning off Utah starter Merit Jones. But that was only after he touched the stuffed bobcat for good luck.
"It gave us a lot of energy in the dugout, actually," said Kemp, who was named to the watch list for the Bobby Wallace Award that honors the nation's best collegiate shortstop. "And every time I went up to the plate, I had to touch it. So, I guess I have to keep doing that the whole season."
Keeping the hot bat going, Kemp drilled a two-out triple to right-center field in the second that plated Will Pendergrass after a leadoff double.
Baylor starter Carson Bailey retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced before Utah (16-18, 5-12) tied it up in the fourth on back-to-back singles and a three-run homer by Digiorno. Bailey bounced back with a pair of shutout innings, and then Caleb Bunch and Craig kept the Utes hitless over the last three innings to close out Game 2 of the three-game series.
"You can use the momentum," Craig said, "but you have to show up tomorrow, and you have to earn it still. Just kind of walking in and playing every game with that mentality that nothing's going to be given to you. And as you do that, you can build momentum and energy, and it's a lot of fun to play."
Saturday's 1 p.m. series finale will be streamed by ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and Baylor Hall of Fame pitcher Pat Combs calling the action.
"Sometimes, we get punched in the mouth, and it was hard for us to respond," said Kemp, who finished a double shy of becoming Baylor's first player to hit for the cycle since Josh Ford against Texas Tech on May 23, 2004. "But today, we finally responded, and it definitely felt really good doing that with the team."
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – In 2012, a bizarre "Feed the Beaver" rally cry led Baylor baseball to a Big 12 championship and a win shy of making its fourth-ever College World Series.
Not quite as sure about the stuffed bobcat that showed up in the Bears' dugout at Baylor Ballpark Friday night, but the end result was a 4-3 win over Utah that evened the series with the Utes going into Saturday's 1 p.m. series finale.
"I don't know that story, but it pretty much sums up John Youens and Brayden Buchanan," sixth-year senior closer Gabe Craig said of the two Baylor reserve players. "So, that's all I'll say."
While shortstop Tyriq Kemp carried the big bat, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a triple and four RBIs, Craig (2-0) did most of his talking from the mound. Striking out three of the four batters he faced, he came out of the bullpen in the eighth to fan dangerous hitter Drake Digiorno with the potential go-ahead run standing 90 feet from home plate.
"I'm thankful that I get to be in the game in those situations," said Craig, who is second in the Big 12 with six saves. "There's a lot of energy, it fires me up. I know my team's behind me. I couldn't say enough about Tyriq coming up huge there, giving me the opportunity to go back out there and for the team to get the win. It's really cool."
After Craig fanned Digiorno to end the top of the eighth, Kemp led off the bottom of the frame with a high fly ball to right-center field off reliever Lucas Boesen (3-2) that carried just over the wall for his second homer of the night and his fourth of the season.
"Definitely one of the coolest things I've ever had in my life, to be honest," said Kemp, who raised his batting average to a team-best .362. "I thought it was maybe going to get caught because it was up there. The wind helped it also a litt bit, but I'm happy it went out."
Craig was nails in the ninth, retiring Cameron Gurney on a first-pitch groundout to second before striking out pinch-hitter Jake Long and Matt Flaharty to end the game.
"Gabe's had the arm," said Baylor coach Mitch Thompson, whose team improved to 24-14 overall and 7-10 in the Big 12, "but Gabe's improved, and Sned and Fur (pitching coach Sean Snedeker and director of player development Brian Furlong) have done a great job with him in getting his head straight. And he knows he has really, really filthy stuff."
Craig's second win of the year came on the same day he was named to the watch list for the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year.
"I'm super blessed," he said. "God's been a huge blessing in my life. My family, my coaches, this team, they've all had my back in so many ways and helped build my confidence. That's huge. It's really cool. And it's kind of one of those things where you have to keep moving forward, keep playing games and stay locked in on what we're trying to do. And that's keep winning ballgames."
Coming off a tough 13-1 loss the night before, Kemp gave the Bears a lift early with his two-run homer to right in the bottom of the first inning off Utah starter Merit Jones. But that was only after he touched the stuffed bobcat for good luck.
"It gave us a lot of energy in the dugout, actually," said Kemp, who was named to the watch list for the Bobby Wallace Award that honors the nation's best collegiate shortstop. "And every time I went up to the plate, I had to touch it. So, I guess I have to keep doing that the whole season."
Keeping the hot bat going, Kemp drilled a two-out triple to right-center field in the second that plated Will Pendergrass after a leadoff double.
Baylor starter Carson Bailey retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced before Utah (16-18, 5-12) tied it up in the fourth on back-to-back singles and a three-run homer by Digiorno. Bailey bounced back with a pair of shutout innings, and then Caleb Bunch and Craig kept the Utes hitless over the last three innings to close out Game 2 of the three-game series.
"You can use the momentum," Craig said, "but you have to show up tomorrow, and you have to earn it still. Just kind of walking in and playing every game with that mentality that nothing's going to be given to you. And as you do that, you can build momentum and energy, and it's a lot of fun to play."
Saturday's 1 p.m. series finale will be streamed by ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and Baylor Hall of Fame pitcher Pat Combs calling the action.
"Sometimes, we get punched in the mouth, and it was hard for us to respond," said Kemp, who finished a double shy of becoming Baylor's first player to hit for the cycle since Josh Ford against Texas Tech on May 23, 2004. "But today, we finally responded, and it definitely felt really good doing that with the team."
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