Baylor
Arizona State
BSB Set for Showdown with Arizona State
5/1/2025 4:30:00 PM | Baseball
Bears welcome Sun Devils to Baylor Ballpark for first time since 2006
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BAYLOR BEARS (28-16, 9-12 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (28-16, 9-12) vs. ARIZONA STATE (30-16, 14-7) May 2, 2025 • 6:30 p.m. CT May 3, 2025 • 2:00 p.m. CT May 4, 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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ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (30-16, 14-7 Big 12) Location: Tempe, Ariz. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Willie Bloomquist (Arizona State, 2001) Roster | Stats |
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball opens up a seven-game homestand this weekend against Arizona State, with future dates against UTRGV and Oklahoma State set to round out the stretch at Baylor Ballpark.
• The Bears are coming off their 10th midweek win of the season, a 15-4 drubbing at Sam Houston, improving to 26-11 in midweek ballgames under third-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
• BU has won 15 of its last 16 midweek games, dating back to last season, and is 19-4 against non-conference foes this year.
• With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, BU currently sits 9th in the Big 12 standings at 9-12.
• The top 12 teams in the conference standings this season will qualify for the Big 12 Championship Tournament in Arlington, Texas at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers.
• For the 11th 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.
• 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.
2025 NOTABLES
• 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 recorded its third shutout of the year on April 19 vs. Utah, its most in a single season since 2022 (3).
• 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 has won three games this year against ranked opponents (two at No. 12 Arizona; one at No. 23 TCU), marking the fifth, sixth and seventh ranked victories for the Bears under Thompson.
BEARS BY THE NUMBERS
• Baylor is 20-2 when striking out nine or more batters this season.
• BU is 19-3 when allowing two walks or less in 2025.
• The Bears are 17-4 this year when racking up 10+ hits offensively.
• Baylor owns a +92 overall run differential this season (319 runs scored, 227 runs allowed), which ranks 6th in the Big 12, trailing only Kansas (+176), West Virginia (+172), Arizona State (+138), UCF (+118) and TCU (+109).
• Baylor's 3.38 walks per nine innings ranks 13th in the country and its 1.33 WHIP ranks 28th nationally.
IT'S ABOUT THE RESPONSE
• Baylor is 11-5 this season in games following a loss.
• Baylor has 10 come-from-behind wins this season, including one walk-off victory (April 1 vs. HCU).
• BU's most recent comeback victory came on Sunday, April 27, at TCU (trailed 1-0, won 6-3).
• Baylor erased a five-run deficit to win 9-7 on Sunday, March 16 at Kansas, the largest comeback of the Thompson Era.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST THE SUN DEVILS
• Baylor is 5-8 all-time against Arizona State.
• This is the first meeting between the two sides since 2014 when ASU won two of three in Tempe.
• This is ASU's first trip to Waco since 2006; the Sun Devils won the three-game series, 2-1, but BU defeated ASU twice in the 2006 Houston Regional that same season.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• Fri. May 2 • 6:30 p.m. • LHP Mason Green (0-1, 9.53 ERA) vs. LHP Ben Jacobs (3-1, 4.73 ERA)
• Sat. May 3 • 2:00 p.m. • LHP Carson Bailey (3-2, 5.13 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Martinez (5-2, 4.65 ERA)
• Sun. May 4 • 1:00 p.m. • LHP Ethan Calder (3-4, 5.80 ERA) vs. TBD
SOUTHPAW STARTERS
• Baylor has started a left-handed pitcher in each of its last 33 games, dating back to March 2 (Cole Stasio vs. Auburn).
• 2025 is the only season in the Statcrew Era (since 2003) that BU has started six different left-handed pitchers at any point in the year, and the third time in the same span with four different LHP starters.
• 2025 is the only time in the Statcrew Era that the Bears have started four different southpaws consecutively.
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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