Friday, February 20
Round Rock, Texas
6 PM
Baylor
4-1
1
vs
3
Oregon State
4-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Oregon State
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
2
3
9
2
Baylor
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
3
0
BSB Drops Close Battle With No. 7 Oregon State, 3-1
2/20/2026 11:22:00 PM | Baseball
Bears overcome school record in strikeouts to tie things late, but ultimately fall in Round Rock Classic opener
ROUND ROCK, Texas – Baylor baseball dropped a tight pitcher's duel Friday night to No. 7 Oregon State, 3-1, in the Bears' opener at the 2026 Round Rock Classic at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Despite striking out a school-record 21 times, the Bears (4-1) hung around and managed to tie the ballgame in the bottom of the eighth at 1-1. However, OSU (4-1) retook the lead after a two-out, two-run single into shallow left field in the top of the ninth that proved to be the game-winner.
BU was held in check by Oregon State's Preseason All-American right-handed pitcher Dax Whitney, who struck out 17 in seven scoreless innings and allowed just two hits, one walk, and hit one batter. However, the Bears' pitching staff battled and kept the green and gold in the ballgame, eventually allowing BU to tie things up on an RBI double by redshirt junior infielder Travis Sanders in the eighth inning.
In the ninth, back-to-back two-out walks preceded a flared single into shallow left field that scored two runs for the Beavers and amounted to be the game winner.
THE RUNDOWN
Baylor struggled early against Oregon State's Preseason All-American right-hander Dax Whitney, who punched out seven in the first three innings. But, BU's senior southpaw Stefan Stahl matched him with three zeros in the early goings as well. Despite allowing a leadoff double in the top of the third, Stahl wiggled out of danger and fielded his position on an attempted drag bunt by the Beavers to end a threat with two outs in the inning.
Sophomore infielder Pearson Riebock had no trouble against Whitney, singling in his first two AB's of the night, but the Bears couldn't muster much else through the opening third of the ballgame. Stahl added his third strikeout of the evening in the fourth and put up another goose egg before handing the ball off to redshirt freshman right-hander Brayden Bergman in the top of the fifth.
After a couple of hits chased Bergman from the ballgame, sophomore righty Zack Wallace came on to record a huge punchout and end an OSU threat in the fifth. Meanwhile, Whitney kept racking up strikeouts, as he fanned the Baylor side in both the fourth and fifth frames to move his total to a Round Rock Classic record and career-high 13 K's.
In the sixth, OSU broke through with a sacrifice fly to open the scoring. Wallace battled OSU's leading hitter Jacob Galloway in a nine-pitch at-bat that ultimately resulted in a flyout to fifth-year senior center fielder Ty Johnson, but pushed across the game's first run. Then in the home half, Baylor's 2-3-4 hitters couldn't slow down Whitney, as he fanned the side yet again to move his total to 16 punchouts.
Redshirt freshman outfielder Hunter Snow snapped a stretch of nine-straight Bears to be retired via a strikeout with one down in the bottom of the seventh, crushing a ball to the right-field warning track. But, the would-be game-tying solo home run was brought back by the Beavers' Easton Talt, who also robbed Riebock the last time Baylor and Oregon State faced off in 2025 at Globe Life Field.
Fifth-year senior right-hander Caleb Bunch came on to work a scoreless top of the eighth, then BU was able to knot things up in the bottom of the frame. Junior catcher JJ Kennett was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and was promptly lifted for a pinch runner in freshman Bo Caraway. After a strikeout, Sanders stepped up and smashed a double into the right-center gap, sending Caraway flying around from first to tie the ballgame at 1-1.
In the ninth, a pair of two-out walks loaded the bases for OSU and Talt was able to flare a single into shallow left field that scored two runs, giving the Beavers enough cushion to pull away and hand the Bears their first loss of 2026.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor falls to 1-2 all-time against Oregon State and 1-3 all-time at the Round Rock Classic.
• BU pitchers struck out 10 batters, marking the 19th time the Bears have fanned double digits in two years under pitching coach Sean Snedeker.
• The 31 combined strikeouts between Baylor and Oregon State set a Round Rock Classic record.
• Redshirt junior INF Travis Sanders extended his on-base streak to 10 games and hitting streak to seven games, both dating back to the 2025 season.
• Sophomore INF Pearson Riebock extended his on-base streak to five games with his second multi-hit game of 2026.
• Redshirt senior 1B Tyce Armstrong extended his on-base streak to 18 games.
• Freshman OF Brady Janusek extended his on-base streak to five games.
• Junior C JJ Kennett extended his on-base streak to seven games.
• Senior LHP Stefan Stahl threw four scoreless innings in his first start of 2026. It marked the second scoreless start of his career, joining a scoreless inning against UT Arlington on March 25, 2025.
• Stahl's four innings pitched were also a career high.
• Redshirt freshman RHP Brayden Bergman made his first appearance of 2026, and just the second of his collegiate career.
• Sophomore RHP Zack Wallace worked a career-high 2.1 innings and struck out five, also a personal best.
STAT OF THE DAY
31 – The 31 combined strikeouts between the Bears and Beavers set a Round Rock Classic record.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On tonight's game…
"I'm proud of the way our guys fought. I'm proud of the way we pitched. I'm disappointed we couldn't get some more balls in play, but, I've been doing this a long time and that's maybe the best arm I've ever seen as a starting pitcher. Pure dominance. We're trying to make adjustments, I don't think we're a bad hitting team at all. He [OSU's Dax Whitney] was very difficult to deal with and that was about as good an outing as you could have. I thought our guys competed hard. It was a good college baseball game and somebody was going to be disappointed."
Redshirt Junior INF Travis Sanders
On facing Dax Whitney and his game-tying double in the 8th inning…
"Yeah, he was electric as I think everybody in the park could see. We knew we were going to get a dog out there on the mound. Every expectation that was set, he met. It was special. We knew we were going to be in the fight all the way throughout the game. I just got up to the plate under control, and as a hitter you like to be in those big-time moments. Got a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it. It was fun knowing Bo [Caraway] was a first and a ball in the gap is going to score him, so it was nice to do that and execute to get that run in and have a chance to win the game."
Senior Left-Handed Pitcher Stefan Stahl
On what was working for him on the mound and the pitchers who threw after him…
"Honestly, I felt really good about everything, which is what you want. That's pretty ideal. I think especially when the breaker's really on, that's huge deal for me. Going into it, we knew that if I could get the offspeed in there early on, it'd be a big deal. I love these guys so much and it was so cool to watch them go out there. All the work we put in through the fall, it was really cool to see that come out on a bigger stage."
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (4-1) returns for game two of the 2026 Round Rock Classic on Saturday, Feb. 21, against Purdue (2-3). First pitch is set for 1 p.m. from Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
-BaylorBears.com-
Despite striking out a school-record 21 times, the Bears (4-1) hung around and managed to tie the ballgame in the bottom of the eighth at 1-1. However, OSU (4-1) retook the lead after a two-out, two-run single into shallow left field in the top of the ninth that proved to be the game-winner.
BU was held in check by Oregon State's Preseason All-American right-handed pitcher Dax Whitney, who struck out 17 in seven scoreless innings and allowed just two hits, one walk, and hit one batter. However, the Bears' pitching staff battled and kept the green and gold in the ballgame, eventually allowing BU to tie things up on an RBI double by redshirt junior infielder Travis Sanders in the eighth inning.
In the ninth, back-to-back two-out walks preceded a flared single into shallow left field that scored two runs for the Beavers and amounted to be the game winner.
THE RUNDOWN
Baylor struggled early against Oregon State's Preseason All-American right-hander Dax Whitney, who punched out seven in the first three innings. But, BU's senior southpaw Stefan Stahl matched him with three zeros in the early goings as well. Despite allowing a leadoff double in the top of the third, Stahl wiggled out of danger and fielded his position on an attempted drag bunt by the Beavers to end a threat with two outs in the inning.
Sophomore infielder Pearson Riebock had no trouble against Whitney, singling in his first two AB's of the night, but the Bears couldn't muster much else through the opening third of the ballgame. Stahl added his third strikeout of the evening in the fourth and put up another goose egg before handing the ball off to redshirt freshman right-hander Brayden Bergman in the top of the fifth.
After a couple of hits chased Bergman from the ballgame, sophomore righty Zack Wallace came on to record a huge punchout and end an OSU threat in the fifth. Meanwhile, Whitney kept racking up strikeouts, as he fanned the Baylor side in both the fourth and fifth frames to move his total to a Round Rock Classic record and career-high 13 K's.
In the sixth, OSU broke through with a sacrifice fly to open the scoring. Wallace battled OSU's leading hitter Jacob Galloway in a nine-pitch at-bat that ultimately resulted in a flyout to fifth-year senior center fielder Ty Johnson, but pushed across the game's first run. Then in the home half, Baylor's 2-3-4 hitters couldn't slow down Whitney, as he fanned the side yet again to move his total to 16 punchouts.
Redshirt freshman outfielder Hunter Snow snapped a stretch of nine-straight Bears to be retired via a strikeout with one down in the bottom of the seventh, crushing a ball to the right-field warning track. But, the would-be game-tying solo home run was brought back by the Beavers' Easton Talt, who also robbed Riebock the last time Baylor and Oregon State faced off in 2025 at Globe Life Field.
Fifth-year senior right-hander Caleb Bunch came on to work a scoreless top of the eighth, then BU was able to knot things up in the bottom of the frame. Junior catcher JJ Kennett was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and was promptly lifted for a pinch runner in freshman Bo Caraway. After a strikeout, Sanders stepped up and smashed a double into the right-center gap, sending Caraway flying around from first to tie the ballgame at 1-1.
In the ninth, a pair of two-out walks loaded the bases for OSU and Talt was able to flare a single into shallow left field that scored two runs, giving the Beavers enough cushion to pull away and hand the Bears their first loss of 2026.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor falls to 1-2 all-time against Oregon State and 1-3 all-time at the Round Rock Classic.
• BU pitchers struck out 10 batters, marking the 19th time the Bears have fanned double digits in two years under pitching coach Sean Snedeker.
• The 31 combined strikeouts between Baylor and Oregon State set a Round Rock Classic record.
• Redshirt junior INF Travis Sanders extended his on-base streak to 10 games and hitting streak to seven games, both dating back to the 2025 season.
• Sophomore INF Pearson Riebock extended his on-base streak to five games with his second multi-hit game of 2026.
• Redshirt senior 1B Tyce Armstrong extended his on-base streak to 18 games.
• Freshman OF Brady Janusek extended his on-base streak to five games.
• Junior C JJ Kennett extended his on-base streak to seven games.
• Senior LHP Stefan Stahl threw four scoreless innings in his first start of 2026. It marked the second scoreless start of his career, joining a scoreless inning against UT Arlington on March 25, 2025.
• Stahl's four innings pitched were also a career high.
• Redshirt freshman RHP Brayden Bergman made his first appearance of 2026, and just the second of his collegiate career.
• Sophomore RHP Zack Wallace worked a career-high 2.1 innings and struck out five, also a personal best.
STAT OF THE DAY
31 – The 31 combined strikeouts between the Bears and Beavers set a Round Rock Classic record.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On tonight's game…
"I'm proud of the way our guys fought. I'm proud of the way we pitched. I'm disappointed we couldn't get some more balls in play, but, I've been doing this a long time and that's maybe the best arm I've ever seen as a starting pitcher. Pure dominance. We're trying to make adjustments, I don't think we're a bad hitting team at all. He [OSU's Dax Whitney] was very difficult to deal with and that was about as good an outing as you could have. I thought our guys competed hard. It was a good college baseball game and somebody was going to be disappointed."
Redshirt Junior INF Travis Sanders
On facing Dax Whitney and his game-tying double in the 8th inning…
"Yeah, he was electric as I think everybody in the park could see. We knew we were going to get a dog out there on the mound. Every expectation that was set, he met. It was special. We knew we were going to be in the fight all the way throughout the game. I just got up to the plate under control, and as a hitter you like to be in those big-time moments. Got a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it. It was fun knowing Bo [Caraway] was a first and a ball in the gap is going to score him, so it was nice to do that and execute to get that run in and have a chance to win the game."
Senior Left-Handed Pitcher Stefan Stahl
On what was working for him on the mound and the pitchers who threw after him…
"Honestly, I felt really good about everything, which is what you want. That's pretty ideal. I think especially when the breaker's really on, that's huge deal for me. Going into it, we knew that if I could get the offspeed in there early on, it'd be a big deal. I love these guys so much and it was so cool to watch them go out there. All the work we put in through the fall, it was really cool to see that come out on a bigger stage."
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (4-1) returns for game two of the 2026 Round Rock Classic on Saturday, Feb. 21, against Purdue (2-3). First pitch is set for 1 p.m. from Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
-BaylorBears.com-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Isaac Yeager (2-1)
L: Bunch, Caleb (1-1)
S: Albert Roblez (2)
Batting:
2B: Jacob Krieg 1
RBI: Easton Talt 2 ; Jacob Galloway 1
SF: Jacob Galloway 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nyan Hayes 1 ; Jacob Galloway 1 ; Tyler Inge 1
HBP: Jacob Galloway 1
Batting:
2B: Sanders, Travis 1
RBI: Sanders, Travis 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Caraway, Bo 1
SB: Riebock, Pearson 1 ; Janusek, Brady 1
HBP: Youens, John 1 ; Kennett, JJ 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
1B
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballINF/OF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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