Baylor
West Virginia
BSB Welcomes No. 22 West Virginia to Open Conference Play
3/12/2026 3:45:00 PM | Baseball
Bears begin Big 12 slate with defending league-champion Mountaineers
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BAYLOR BEARS (10-6, 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 (10-6, 0-0) vs. #22 WEST VIRGINIA (11-3, 0-0) March 13, 2026 • 6:30 p.m. CT March 14, 2026 • 2:00 p.m. CT March 15, 2026 • 11:00 a.m. CT Waco, Texas • Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark (5,000) LIVE STATS: BaylorBears.com/Stats WATCH: ESPN+ Talent: Pete Sousa, Pat Combs LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Tom Barfield Baylor Social Media:    |
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WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (11-3, 0-0 Big 12) Location: Morgantown, W.Va. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Steve Sabins (Embry-Riddle, 2011) Roster | Stats |
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball opens up Big 12 play this weekend, hosting No. 22 West Virginia as part of its eight-game homestand.
• The Bears welcome fellow Big 12 foe Kansas State next Tuesday, March 17, for a non-conference midweek matchup to round out the home stretch.
• BU is coming off its fourth win in a row after defeating Sam Houston, 13-5, on Tuesday night in Waco.
• The Bears have won each of their first nine games at home to start the season, and 10 games in a row at Baylor Ballpark dating back to the 2025 regular-season home finale (May 11 vs. Oklahoma State, 5-4 in 10 innings).
• Entering the weekend, Baylor sits at No. 31 in the RPI and has played the nation's 24th-toughest strength of schedule, featuring five games against ranked opponents.
• The Bears have stolen 26 bases through 16 games this year, their most at this point in a season since 2011 (29).
• Baylor has turned 16 double plays in 16 games, which leads the conference and ranks 17th nationally.
• BU pitchers have allowed just 3.08 walks per nine innings, the nation's 16th-best mark.
BY THE NUMBERS AGAINST THE MOUNTAINEERS
• Baylor is 14-20 all-time against West Virginia, but is currently riding a 10-game losing streak against WVU.
• The Bears are 0-6 against the Mountaineers under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
• BU has won just three of its last 10 conference-opening series;
• The Bears have won four of their last 10 home conference-opening series.
• Baylor is 7-33 under Thompson against ranked opponents, including 1-5 this season.
• BU last won a series over a ranked Big 12 opponent at No. 12 Arizona in 2025 and has two such series wins during the Thompson Era, joining 2024's wins over No. 23 Texas Tech.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
• Fri. March 13 • 6:30 p.m. CT • RHP Lucas Davenport (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Dawson Montesa (2-2, 4.71 ERA)
• Sat. March 14 • 2:00 p.m. CT • TBD vs. RHP Chansen Cole (2-0, 2.00 ERA)
• Sun. March 15 • 11:00 a.m. CT • LHP Ethan Calder (1-1, 2.16 ERA) vs. LHP Maxx Yehl (2-0, 1.06 ERA)
LAST TIME OUT
• Baylor won its fourth game in a row by defeating Sam Houston, 13-5, on Tuesday night.
• The Bears hit three home runs, including two that cleared the batter's eye (Janusek, Armstrong) and a pinch-hit shot (Snow).
• BU racked up its seventh 10+ hitting performance (15 hits) and sixth double-digit strikeout effort (12) of the year.
• Baylor pitchers allowed just one walk, marking the fifth time this season that BU has allowed one walk or less.
MAGNOLIA CONFINES
• BU is off to a 9-0 start at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark this season.
• If you count the final home game of the 2025 regular season, the home winning streak extends to 10 games.
• Both the single-season and overall home winning streaks are the longest since the 2021 Bears won their first 10 games of the year at home from March 2-March 17.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
• Through 16 games, 48% of Baylor's total plate appearances have been taken by players with less than 55 career PA's entering the 2026 season. True or redshirt freshmen account for 35% of the team's total plate appearances.
• That group also accounts for 48% of the team's hits, including 35% from true or redshirt freshmen.
• 55% of Baylor's hits have come from players who have previously redshirted in their careers.
• 45% of Baylor's IP this season have been thrown by players who have thrown less than five career innings at the Div. I level.
• Baylor has nine true freshmen on its 2026 roster and an additional four redshirt freshmen.
• Through 16 games, 18 Bears have made their Baylor debuts (9 hitters, 9 pitchers), including 10 true or redshirt freshmen.
BROADCAST INFO
• All three games this weekend will be available to watch on ESPN+.
• Pete Sousa (play-by-play) and Baylor Athletics Hall of Famer Pat Combs (color analyst) will be on the call.
• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor Sports Network radio broadcast featuring Derek Smith and Tom Barfield on the call.
• The radio broadcast will be available via ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM.
SIZZLING SANDERS
• Redshirt junior INF and Preseason All-Big 12 shortstop Travis Sanders is off to a blistering start at the plate, batting .413 (26-for-63) through the first 16 games.
• Sanders became the fastest Bear to collect 20 hits in a season since Davis Wendzel in 2019, as the duo both recorded their 20th knocks in their 43rd at-bats of the year.
• Prior to Wendzel, only Nathan Orf (39 at-bats) was quicker to 20 hits in a season in 2013.
• Sanders is batting a ridiculous .650 on balls in play this season.
• He currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 26 hits, just one shy of the league lead, and 5th in the conference in AVG.
FACING THE BEST OF THE BEST
• Through 16 games, Baylor own's the nations No. 26 Strength of Schedule.
• BU has faced five ranked opponents and five of the top-20 RPI teams at this point in the year (No. 1 Southern Miss, No. 4 Texas, No. 12 Ole Miss, No. 13 UTSA and No. 18 Oregon State).
• West Virginia currently ranks as the No. 21 team in the RPI, entering the weekend series.
• Baylor will play a combined 22 games against 11 NCAA Tournament teams in 2026, including three conference champions from a year ago.
• 14 30-game winners headline the 2026 campaign, including six teams that won 40 or more games last season.
• 52% of this year's schedule features opponents that finished 2025 with a top-75 RPI.
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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