Preview: Baylor Baseball Welcomes No. 18 West Virginia for Weekend Series

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (15-26, 6-12) will welcome the surging No. 18 West Virginia Mountaineers (30-11, 8-4) for a weekend series at Baylor Ballpark.

The first pitch Friday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s game will kick off at 2 p.m., and Sunday’s finale is set for 11 a.m. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.

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The Bears are coming off a week where they lost a series in Lubbock to No. 16 Texas Tech and dropped a midweek contest to Tarleton in uninspiring fashion.

Baylor Bears

2023 Record (RPI): 15-26 (No. 170)

Head Coach: Mitch Thompson

• Career Record: 15-26 (1st season) 
• Record at Baylor: 15-26 (1st season)

2023 Projections

• D1Baseball: 9th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 9th in the Big 12

No. 18 West Virginia Mountaineers 

2023 Record (RPI): 30-11 (No. 21)

Head Coach: Randy Mazey

• Career Record: 512-401 (17th season) 
• Record at West Virginia: 326-241 (11th season) 

2023 Projections

• D1Baseball: 6th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 6th in the Big 12

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Freshman SS Kolby Branch leads Baylor’s offense in virtually every category.

2023 STAT LEADERS

• AVG: Kolby Branch (.362)
• H: Kolby Branch (59)
• 2B: Kolby Branch (16)
• HR: John Ceccoli (5)
• RBI: Kolby Branch (35)
• R: Kolby Branch (40)
• OB%: Kolby Branch (.459)

Baylor Athletics

Junior RF Cole Tremain went 5-9 with 5 RBIs in Saturday’s doubleheader against the Red Raiders.

Probable Starting Fielders: Baylor

• C: Jr. Harrison Caley (.191, .321 OB%)
• 1B: So. John Ceccoli (.240, .351 OB%) 
• 2B: Jr. Cole Posey (.297, .408 OB%)
• *3B: So. Hunter Teplanszky (.341, .433 OB%)
• SS: Fr. Kolby Branch (.362, .459 OB%)
• *LF: Jr. Hunter Simmons (.309, .370 OB%)
• CF: Fr. Caleb Bergman (.254, .329 OB%)
• RF: Jr. Cole Tremain (.271, .333 OB%)
• DH: Fr. Walker Polk (.225, .380 OB%)

Probable Starting Pitchers

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Junior RHP Will Rigney will return to the mound after not pitching against Texas Tech last weekend.

• BU SP1: RHP Mason Marriott (1-5, 8.86 ERA)
• WVU SP1: LHP Ben Hampton (4-1, 3.99 ERA)
• BU SP2: RHP Will Rigney (3-1, 3.80 ERA)
• WVU SP2: RHP Blaine Traxel (5-3, 3.44 ERA)
• BU SP3: TBD
• WVU SP3: RHP Robby Porco (4-1, 7.92 ERA)

Top Quotes

Head coach Mitch Thompson on what he sees from No. 18 West Virginia:

• “West Virginia is a really athletic ballclub. Up and down their lineup, they can run. This is a team that is built to beat you in several different ways. They probably have 50, 55 home runs and almost 100 stolen bases … They are pressure, pressure, pressure. Bunt game. Run game. And they have one of the best hitters in college baseball in JJ Wetherholt … And on the mound, a team that throws strikes and attacks the zone.”

Head coach Mitch Thompson on the injury status of sophomore 3B Hunter Teplanszky and junior LF Hunter Simmons:

• “We’re hopeful, but we’re not for sure yet. It will be game-time decisions … I think they are close. They are within sight. It gives me hope, but we’ll have to wait and see how everything goes through today and tomorrow.”

Cole Tremain on the team chemistry as the season has gone on:

• “I think we have gotten closer as a group. I think we have higher expectations for one another. I think as a collective group, I think we’ve grown in a lot of areas. Obviously, there are still some struggles, but just like anything, we can improve on it.”

Cole Tremain on the uninspiring loss to Tarleton Tuesday:

• “Tuesday night was a frustrating loss on all facets of the game. It was a tough loss and left a sour taste in a lot of our mouths. I think we’re excited to get back and get a fresh start on Friday.”

What I Am Looking For

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Baylor (6-12) is tied for last place with Kansas (5-10) in the Big 12 standings.

• West Virginia is currently in first place in the Big 12 standings and is coming off a weekend sweep of TCU. The Mountaineers are on a five-game winning streak and are surging heading into May.
• In 36 starts, JJ Wetherholt, a Big 12 Player of the Year candidate, is batting .459 on the season and has an on-base percentage of .520. However, the West Virginia star has been limited to DH duties after a recent minor injury, but he’s expected to play this weekend.
• On the season, West Virginia has stolen 91 bases and has five guys that have stolen at least 10 bags. This is a nightmare scenario for a Bears defense that has struggled throughout the entire season.
• For Baylor, Tuesday’s loss may have been the flattest they have looked all season, which is saying something considering the Bears have a 15-26 record. BU’s offense mustered only six hits and struck out 16 times. For the fourth consecutive game, the Bears racked up double-digit strikeouts. I’ll be curious to see how they bounce back against West Virginia.
• Sophomore 3B Hunter Teplanszky and junior LF Hunter Simmons will be game-time decisions this weekend, per Thompson.
• Fifth-year senior Blake Helton has been removed from the weekend rotation. Helton’s ERA currently sits at 8.72 and has a WHIP of 2.05.
• As for conference standings, Baylor (6-12) is tied for last place with Kansas (5-10). However, the Jayhawks have the tiebreaker and will be the eighth and final seed in the Big 12 Tournament if both teams finish with the same record.