Series Preview: Baylor Returns Home to Face Kansas State for Three-Game Set

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (15-5, 1-2) will return home from a four-game road stretch and face Kansas State (13-7, 3-0) this weekend at Baylor Ballpark. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s contest will start at 2 p.m., and the series finale on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.

Baylor Bears (15-5, 1-2)

Head Coach: Mitch Thompson

• Career Record: 427-205 (12th season) 
• Record at Baylor: 55-67 (3rd season) 

Notable Opponents:

• Wins: Kansas, Ohio State
• Losses: No. 8 Oregon State, No. 25 Auburn, Kansas (2)

2025 Projections:

• D1Baseball: 12th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 13th in the Big 12

Team Stats:

• Earned Run Average: 3.98 (6th in Big 12)
• Batting Average: .303 (5th in Big 12)
• Fielding Percentage: .968 (10th in Big 12)
• Strength of Schedule: No. 136
• RPI: No. 50

Kansas State Wildcats (13-7, 3-0)

Head Coach: Pete Hughes

• Career Record: 833-641 (28th season) 
• Record at Kansas State: 181-149 (7th season) 

Notable Opponents:

• Wins: No. 5 Arkansas, No. 22 TCU, Sam Houston, Utah (3)
• Losses: No. 6 North Carolina, No. 2 LSU, Coastal Carolina (2)

2025 Projections:

• D1Baseball: 10th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 8th in the Big 12

Team Stats:

• Earned Run Average: 4.98 (10th in Big 12)
• Batting Average: .299 (6th in Big 12)
• Fielding Percentage: .964 (13th in Big 12)
• Strength of Schedule: No. 69
• RPI: No. 36

Baylor Projected Starting Lineup

• 1B: Jack Little (RSo.): (.278 BAVG, .420 OB%, 79 AB, 24 R, 8 XBH, 18 RBI)
• RF: Enzo Apodaca (RSr.): (.316 BAVG, .443 OB%, 76 AB, 26 R, 11 XBH, 21 RBI)
• LF: Wesley Jordan (Sr.): (.333 BAVG, .415 OB%, 81 AB, 15 R, 12 XBH, 19 RBI)
• DH: Hunter Simmons (RSr.): (.405 BAVG, .494 OB%, 74 AB, 14 R, 10 XBH, 18 RBI)
• 3B: Pearson Riebock (Fr.): (.383 BAVG, .517 OB%, 47 AB, 10 R, 8 XBH, 13 RBI)
• 2B: Travis Sanders (RSo.): (.323 BAVG, .421 OB%, 31 AB, 10 R, 2 XBH, 6 RBI)
• CF Ty Johnson (Sr.): (.292 BAVG, .414 OB%, 72 AB, 12 R, 4 XBH, 16 RBI)
• C: JJ Kennett (So.): (.265 BAVG, .419 OB%, 34 AB, 8 R, XBH, 8 RBI)
• SS: Tyriq Kemp (Sr.): (.338 BAVG, .439 OB%, 68 AB, 21 R, 9 XBH, 14 RBI)

Baylor Projected Bench

• C: Cortlan Castle (Sr.): (.219 BAVG, .357 OB%, 32 AB, 4 R, XBH, 3 RBI)
• 1B: Gavin Brzozowski (RSo.): (.192 BAVG, .382 OB%, 26 AB, 9 R, XBH, 3 RBI)
• 3B: Hunter Teplanszky (Sr.): (.188 BAVG, .325 OB%, 32 AB, 4 R, XBH, 7 RBI)

*2025 Stats: (BAVG = Batting Average, OB% = On-Base Percentage, AB = At-Bats, R = Runs, XBH = Extra Base Hits, RBI = Runs Batted In)*

Probable Starting Pitchers

• BU SP 1 – LHP: Ethan Calder (Jr.); (3-2, 4.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 5 GS)
• KSU SP 1 – LHP Jacob Frost (Sr.); (0-0, 4.50 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 22 IP, 4 GS)
• BU SP 2 – LHP: Bryson Bales (6Sr.); (1-1, 6.98 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 19.1 IP, 5 GS)
• KSU SP 2 – LHP: Michael Quevedo (Sr.); (3-0, 3.91 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 23 IP, 5 GS)
• BU SP 3 – LHP: Carson Bailey (Fr.); (2-0, 3.92 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 20.2 IP, 5 GS)
• KSU SP 3 – LHP: Lincoln Sheffield (Jr.); (4-1, 3.64 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 29.2 IP, 5 GS)

*2025 Stats: (ERA = Earned Run Average, WHIP = Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched, GS = Games Started)*

Kansas State Projected Starting Lineup

• 1B: Seth Dardar (Sr.): (.345 BAVG, .479 OB%, 58 AB, 14 R, 12 XBH, 10 RBI)
• CF: Kyan Lodice (RJr.): (.380 BAVG, .516 OB%, 50 AB, 18 R, 6 XBH, 6 RBI)
• 3B: Doe Kennedy (So.): (.321 BAVG, .411 OB%, 78 AB, 15 R, 8 XBH, 15 RBI)
• RF: AJ Evasco (Fr.): (.415 BAVG, .475 OB%, 53 AB, 15 R, 11 XBH, 23 RBI)
• SS: Maximus Martin (Jr.): (.429 BAVG, .514 OB%, 63 AB, 22 R, 15 XBH, 31 RBI)
• LF: Keegan O’Connor (Sr.): (.321 BAVG, .400 OB%, 53 AB, 14 R, 10 XBH, 17 RBI)
• 2B: Shintaro Inoue (Jr.): (.271 BAVG, .381 OB%, 70 AB, 12 R, 5 XBH, 13 RBI)
• C: Bear Madliak (RJr.): (.279 BAVG, .384 OB%, 61 AB, 13 R, 7 XBH, 8 RBI)
• DH: Nick English (So.): (.172 BAVG, .351 OB%, 58 AB, 15 R, 2 XBH, 7 RBI)

Top Quotes

Head coach Mitch Thompson shares his thoughts on Kansas State:

• “K-State is a talented team. They’ve played a really good schedule, maybe the best non-conference schedule of anybody in our conference. They have a really good record right now. Their three starting pitchers are all left-handers, so it’s going to be three lefties versus three lefties, which is really unusual; I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before. … This is a team that was in the Super Regionals last year, so you’re talking about a team that was right on the doorstep of making it to Omaha. It’ll be a big challenge for us.”

Left fielder Wesley Jordan (Sr.) on Sunday’s comeback win over Kansas:

• “It speaks to what we already knew about our team. We’re resilient. We’re going to use all 27 outs. It was good to get that one on Sunday because we didn’t play that weekend how we wanted to. Getting that one on a getaway day is always good.”

Right-handed pitcher Gabe Craig (RSr.) on settling into the closer role:

• “It means a lot to me. Knowing they have my back and that they believe in me is huge. It helps me go out there and pitch with freedom and confidence, knowing all of those guys want me out there, and they are going to play really good defense behind me. [Coach Snedeker] knows me well as a pitcher, and he’s going to have a good plan as a pitcher to attack the hitter, and that gives me confidence.”