Series Preview: Bears Head to Dell Diamond for Big Test at Round Rock Classic this Weekend

ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Bears (4-0) will travel down I-35 to compete in the 2026 Round Rock Classic, starting with a matchup against the No. 11 Oregon State Beavers (3-1) at 6 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 20, at Dell Diamond.

Baylor will then go on to face Purdue (2-2) at 1 p.m. on Saturday and No. 20 Southern Miss (3-1) at 3 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be exclusively streamed on D1Baseball.com.

Baylor Bears

2026 Record: 4-0

Head Coach: Mitch Thompson

• Career Record: 451-226 (13th season) 
• Record at Baylor: 79-88 (4th season) 

2026 Projections

• D1Baseball: 10th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 11th in the Big 12

No. 11 Oregon State Beavers

2026 Record: 3-1

Head Coach: Mitch Canham

• Career Record: 227-104 (7th season) 
• Record at Oregon State: 227-104 (7th season) 

2026 Projections

• D1Baseball: N/A (Independent)
• Coaches Poll: N/A (Independent)

Purdue Boilermakers

2026 Record: 2-2

Head Coach: Greg Goff

• Career Record: 604-471 (21st season) 
• Record at Purdue: 142-132 (7th season) 

2026 Projections

• D1Baseball: 16th in Big Ten
• Coaches Poll: N/A

No. 20 Southern Miss Golden Eagles

2026 Record: 3-1

Head Coach: Christian Ostrander

• Career Record: 343-147 (10th season) 
• Record at Southern Miss: 93-37 (3rd season) 

2026 Projections

• D1Baseball: 2nd in Sun Belt
• Coaches Poll: 2nd in Sun Belt

Projected Starting Lineup

• SS: Travis Sanders (RJr.): (.571 BAVG, 1.470 OPS, 14 AB, 7 R, 2 XBH, RBI)
• 2B: Pearson Riebock (So.): (.308 BAVG, .988 OPS, 13 AB, 7 R, XBH, RBI)
• 1B: Tyce Armstrong (RSr.): (.375 BAVG, 1.388 OPS, 16 AB, 4 R, 3 XBH, 15 RBI)
• RF: Brady Janusek (Fr.): (.308 BAVG, 1.218 OPS, 13 AB, 3 R, 2 XBH, 3 RBI)
• DH: John Youens (RSo.): (.273 BAVG, 1.103 OPS, 11 AB, 4 R, 2 XBH, 5 RBI)
• 3B: Cade Dodson (So.): (.167 BAVG, .542 OPS, 12 AB, 4 R, 4 RBI)
• LF: Hunter Snow (RFr.): (.222 BAVG, .944 OPS, 9 AB, 2 R, 2 XBH, 2 RBI)
• C: JJ Kennett (Jr.): (.500 BAVG, 1.292 OPS, 6 AB, 4 R, XBH, RBI)
• CF: Ty Johnson (5Sr.): (.250 BAVG, 1.000 OPS, 8 AB, 2 R, XBH)

Projected Bench

• C: Cash McDade (Fr.): (2 AB)
• C: Brayden Buchanan (RSo.): (.167 BAVG, .542 OPS, 6 AB, 2 R)
• INF: Brytton Clements (RFr.): (2 AB)
• OF: Caleb Bergman (Sr.): (AB)
• OF: Bo Caraway (Fr.): (.600 BAVG, 1.200 OPS, 5 AB, R, 2 RBI)
• OF: Dylan Perez (Fr.): (3 AB)

*2026 Stats: (BAVG = Batting Average, OB% = On-Base Percentage, AB = At-Bats, GP = Games Played)*

Probable Starting Pitchers

• BU SP 1 – LHP: Stefan Stahl (Sr.); (0.00 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 2.1 IP, APP)
• OSU SP 1 – RHP: Dax Whitney (So.); (1.80 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 5 IP, APP)
• BU SP 2 – LHP: Ethan Calder (Sr.); (0.00 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 3.2 IP, APP)
• PU SP 2 – TBD
• BU SP 3 – RHP: Cade Hansen (Sr.); (6.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 4 IP, APP)
• USM SP 3 – TBD

*2026 Stats: (ERA = Earned Run Average, WHIP = Walks & Hits Per Inning Pitched, IP = Innings-Pitched, APP = Appearances)*

Top Quotes

Head coach Mitch Thompson on Opening Week takeaways:

• “I thought we pitched the ball really well. We threw strikes and attacked the zone. I loved the way we played defense. I liked our competitiveness. I liked getting all the guys in the lineup that we did. We saw some good thiings form our team, both being able to play the short game, the fast game and the long-ball game.”

Head coach Mitch Thompson on the success of the pitching staff:

• “When somebody hits three grand slams and makes the national news for the country, it kind of dominates the whole cycle and the weekend. Seven walks in four games? We’re not giving up free bases. We need to keep that up. If we do that, we limit opportunities and make them earn everything they get. And if they get and earn it, then good for them. On the other hand, we got 45 free base runners in the four games. We’re getting 11. They’re giving us two. That’s a pretty good head start.”

Head coach Mitch Thompson on the weekend rotation:

• “Davenport’s gonna miss this weekend’s start. He’s dealing with some soreness, and we’ll deal with that as we go. Stefan Stahl will start on Friday.”

Senior left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder on Baylor’s Opening Week:

• “It was special, especially with what Tyce did on Friday. That was special to see, especially on Tuesday. I thought Tuesday was huge for us. They punched us in the mouth. We were down 4-3, and they hit a couple of homers, but we punched right back. That’s something this team is going to do a lot of this year. I think we’re going to be really scrappy and run the bases really well. You can’t ask for a better first week, and I’m looking forward to this weekend.”

Senior left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder on playing in the Round Rock Classic:

• “It’ll be super fun to see. I think our team is ready for it. Whoever you put in front of us, our team is not gonna flinch. I think that’s our identity as a team. It’ll be fun to go to Round Rock and play these teams that have a good history.”