Baylor
Air Force
BSB Welcomes Air Force for Weekend Series
3/5/2026 3:45:00 PM | Baseball
Bears hosting Falcons for first series against a service academy in program history
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BAYLOR BEARS (6-6, 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 (6-6, 0-0) vs. AIR FORCE (3-8, 0-0) March 6, 2026 • 6:30 p.m. CT March 7, 2026 • 2:00 p.m. CT March 8, 2026 • 1:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark (5,000) LIVE STATS: BaylorBears.com/Stats WATCH: ESPN+ LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM (Fri. & Sun.) LISTEN: Kicker Country 99.3 FM/1590 AM (Sat.) Talent: Tom Barfield, Cole Posey Baylor Social Media:    |
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AIR FORCE FALCONS (3-8, 0-0 MWC) Location: Colorado Springs, Colo. Conference/Affiliation: Mountain West Head Coach: Mike Kazlausky (Air Force, 1991) Roster | Stats |
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball opens up an eight-game homestand this weekend with a three-game set against Air Force. The Bears will host Sam Houston next Tuesday, March 10, before beginning Big 12 Conference play against No. 21 West Virginia next weekend, March 13-15. BU will close out the stretch with a non-conference game against Kansas State on Tuesday, March 17, in Waco.
• BU is coming off a Tuesday night loss at Tarleton State by one run, 6-5.
• In their last weekend series, the Bears went 1-2 at the 2026 BRUCE BOLT College Classic. Baylor collected its highest-ranked win of the Mitch Thompson era, a 6-5 thriller in 10 innings over No. 11 Ole Miss.
• Redshirt junior INF Travis Sanders was named to the BRUCE BOLT College Classic All-Tournament Team after leading the tournament with six hits. He batted .500 for the weekend with three walks, two runs scored and two RBIs.
• BU returns 20 players from its 2025 roster, including three position player starters (Johnson, Sanders, Riebock), and welcomes 17 newcomers. Baylor has 19 underclassmen (Fr., R-Fr., So., R-So.) on its 2026 squad.
• 30 players on the 37-man roster are in their first or second years with the program.
WELCOMING THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY
• Baylor is 2-0 all-time against Air Force, having swept a doubleheader on March 4, 1972, in Waco, the only prior meeting.
• The Bears won both ends of the twin bill, 4-1 and 2-1, respectively, under head coach Dutch Schroeder.
• This weekend's series will be Baylor's first in program history against a service academy.
• In conjunction with the series against the Falcons, BU will also hold its Salute To Service Weekend.
• Active and former service members, first responders and medical professionals are eligible for $3 GA tickets all weekend long.
• Additionally, Hometown Heroes will be recognized at each of this weekend's games.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
• Fri. March 6 • 6:30 p.m. CT • RHP Lucas Davenport (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Gaines Estridge (1-2, 4.42 ERA)
• Sat. March 7 • 2:00 p.m. CT • RHP Cade Hansen (0-2, 10.32 ERA) vs. LHP Josh Holst (0-2, 4.50 ERA)
• Sun. March 8 • 1:00 p.m. CT • LHP Ethan Calder (0-1, 2.31 ERA) vs. RHP Bowen Brantingham (0-1, 8.38 ERA)
LAST TIME OUT
• Baylor dropped a 6-5 contest at Tarleton State on Tuesday night.
• Redshirt senior 1B Tyce Armstrong hit his team-leading 5th home run of the season. He ranks second in the Big 12 and 16th nationally with 21 RBIs so far this season.
• Prior to Tuesday, Baylor went 1-2 at the BRUCE BOLT College Classic in Houston at Daikin Park.
• The Bears picked up their ninth win at the event since 2017 and seventh ranked win, which also marked the highest-ranked win of the Thompson Era (6-5 vs. No. 11 Ole Miss).
SIZZLING SANDERS
• Redshirt junior INF and Preseason All-Big 12 shortstop Travis Sanders is off to a blistering start at the plate, batting .467 (21-for-45) through the first 12 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 .724 on balls in play this season
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
• Through 12 games, 47% 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 34% of the team's total plate appearances.
• That group also accounts for 44% of the team's hits, including 32% from true or redshirt freshmen.
• 60% of Baylor's hits have come from players who have previously redshirted in their careers.
• 41% of Baylor's innings pitched this season have been thrown by players who have thrown less than five career innings at the Division I level.
• Baylor has nine true freshmen on its 2026 roster and an additional four redshirt freshmen who sat the 2025 season to retain eligibility.
• Through 12 games, 17 Bears have made their Baylor debuts (9 hitters, 8 pitchers), including nine true or redshirt freshmen.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Baylor has won the free pass battle (BB + HBP) 101 to 59 over its opponents through the first 12 games of 2026.
• The Bears have stolen 22 bases through 12 games this year, their most at this point in a season since 2011 (24).
• Baylor has turned 14 double plays in 12 games, which leads the conference and ranks eighth nationally.
FACING THE BEST OF THE BEST
• Through 12 games, Baylor own's the nations No. 9 Strength of Schedule.
• BU has faced five ranked opponents and four of the top-10 RPI teams at this point in the year (No. 1 Southern Miss, No. 4 UTSA, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 10 Texas).
• 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.
BROADCAST INFO
• All three of this weekend's games will be available to watch on ESPN+.
• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor Sports Network radio broadcast featuring Tom Barfield and former Baylor infielder Cole Posey on the call on ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM Friday and Sunday, and Kicker Country 99.3 FM/1590 AM on Saturday.
• In the event of inclement weather impacting game times, stations carrying the radio broadcast are subject to change. Fans can visit BaylorBears.com or tune in to @baylorbaseball's social media channels for updates throughout the weekend.
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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