Gameday Thread: Baylor Baseball (16-12, 2-4) at West Virginia (17-10, 2-1)

BAYLOR (16-12, 2-4) vs WEST VIRGINIA (17-10, 2-1)
April 8, 2022 • 5:30 p.m. CT
April 9, 2022 • 3:00 p.m. CT
April 10, 2022 • 12:00 p.m. CT
Morgantown, W.Va. • Monongalia County Ballpark (3,500)

LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com
WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
LISTEN: Learfield / ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM & 92.3 FM
Talent:  Derek Smith (PxP), Max Calderone (Analyst)

LEADING OFF

• Baylor continues its longest road stretch of the season, a five-game stretch away from home, at West Virginia for a three-game set in Morgantown.
• BU has won five of its last six games, including a series sweep over East Tennessee State.
• BU has scored 85 runs over its last 10 games and eclipsed double-digits in hits six times during that stretch.
• The Bears have tallied at least two extra-base hits in each of their last seven games, including six games with at least four XBH.
• Baylor continues to turn double plays at a high rate, leading the Big 12 and tying for second nationally with 30 total twin killings, 1.07 per game.
• Current members of the BU weekend rotation boast a combined 2.67 ERA.
• The Bears are 5-5 against ranked opponents in 2022, with wins over No. 23 Duke, No. 23 UCLA, No. 7 LSU and No. 21 TCU.
• Baylor stays close to home in 2022, as 43 of its 52 regular-season contests will be played in the state of Texas.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Baylor leads the all-time series 14-11 over West Virginia.
• Under seventh-year head coach Steve Rodriguez, the Bears are 9-7 against the Mountaineers.
• Last season, BU took two of three from WVU to win the weekend series in Waco.
• Baylor has won each of the last three series against West Virginia.
• BU is 3-5 all-time in Morgantown, 3-3 during the Rodriguez era, and hasn't played in W.Va. since 2018.

PROBABLE STARTERS

• Friday, April 8 • 5:00 p.m. EST • LHP Tyler Thomas (4-3, 1.59 ERA) vs. RHP Jacob Watters (2-1, 2.08 ERA)
• Saturday, April 9 • 4:00 p.m. EST • LHP Kobe Andrade (2-0, 2.52 ERA) vs. LHP Ben Hampton (4-2, 3.14 ERA)
• Sunday, April 10 • 1:00 p.m. EST • RHP Will Rigney (2-0, 4.40 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Bravo (3-0, 4.12 ERA)

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• This weekend's series will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Lanny Frattare (PxP), Kyle Davis (Analyst), Jake Weghorst (Analyst), Amanda Mazey (Field Reporter) and Anjelica Trinone (Field Reporter) contributing to the broadcast.
• Fans can also tune in to ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM and 92.3 FM for the Baylor radio broadcast, featuring Derek Smith (Play-by-Play) and Max Calderone (Analyst) on the call.

TURNING TWO

• Baylor leads the Big 12 and is tied for second nationally with 30 double plays turned in 2022 (1.07 per game).
• Sophomore 2B Tre Richardson has an assist in 26 of those 30 twin killings so far this season.
• The Bears rolled just 33 double plays in all of 2021 (0.65 per game).

BEARS BATS STAYING HOT

• In their last 10 games, the Bears have erupted for 108 hits as a team, posting a .303 batting average.
• Baylor has scored 85 runs over that span, including a three-game stretch with 46, it's most since April 24-28, 2018, when BU scored 51 in a three-game span.
• The Bears have tallied 38 extra-base hits over that stretch, including seven games with at least four such knocks.
• BU has eclipsed double-digit hits six times in that span.

WE WENT TO JARED

• Baylor slugger Jared McKenzie is on a tear, going 17-for-41 (.415) over his last 10 games.
• The third-year sophomore preseason All-American has raised his batting average to .296 for the year with six multi-hit performances over that span.
• Nine of those 17 hits have gone for extra-bases, as McKenzie has tallied seven doubles, one triple, and one HR.
• The Round Rock, Texas, native hit his third HR and second inside-the-parker in last Friday's series opener against ETSU. It is unclear when the last time was when a Baylor player, or Big 12 player, hit two inside-the-park home runs in the same season.
• He previously circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run in Game 2 of Saturday, March 12's doubleheader against Columbia.
• His first inside-the-parker was Baylor's first since March 19, 2011, when Chris Slater did so against Texas Tech.
• Since March 12, McKenzie has gone 24-for-59 (.407) as part of a career-best 15-game on-base streak.

ROTATION LEADING THE CHARGE

• Current members of Baylor's weekend rotation boast a combined 2.67 ERA.
• Senior LHP Tyler Thomas leads the pack with a 1.59 ERA, allowing just eight earned runs in his Big 12-leading 45.1 innings pitched as the Friday night ace.
• Newly-added weekend starter Kobe Andrade, a sophomore lefty, is not far behind with a 2.52 ERA across 25 innings of work.
• Sophomore RHP and Sunday starter Will Rigney has also produced well, standing at a 4.40 ERA through his first six starts of the season.