Walk Off Weekly: Baylor's opening week by the numbers
It was a week to forget for the Bears. The Maryland Terrapins came to Waco and completed the sweep, none of the games were particularly close. But there were some positive aspects to take away moving forward.
Friday night was a pitching duel. Maryland ace, Nick Dean, got the best of Tyler Thomas. Baylor only had four hits, Jared McKenzie accounted for two of those.
Maryland got out to a 5-0 lead on Blake Helton Saturday. The Bears kept fighting back and closed in on the lead but ultimately could not get it done. It was great to see the offense show signs of life. Kyle Nevin, Cortlan Castle, Nicolas Balsano, and Chase Wehsener all had multiple hits.
On Sunday, the pitching struggled again, not giving the offense much of a chance to catch up. Tre Richardson played his best game of the young season, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. That was not enough to overcome the eight runs Maryland scored. Maryland’s Matt Shaw and Maxwell Costas both hit two home runs.
It wasn’t all bad as Baylor got its first win of the season on Tuesday night. There were a lot of positives to look at moving forward. Tre Richardson and Jack Pineda are becoming a great 1-2 combo at the top of the order, Kyle Nevin continues to rack up the RBIs, and the middle relief pitching was solid once again.
Slugger of the Week
Cortlan Castle (.429) 3-7; 2RBI
Castle was impressive in his college debut Saturday afternoon. After what seemed like a weekend full of runners stranded, he did his part delivering a huge two-run single to give the Bears their first runs of the season.
Heating Up
Tre Richardson (.313) 5-for-16; HR, 2B, 4RBI
Richardson struggled Friday and Saturday at the plate. Sunday, he showed great flashes and looked to put his early-season jitters behind him. He plays a major role in the Bear’s offense and hopefully his Sunday momentum will carry over into next week.
To be fair, I wrote this article on Monday before the Houston Baptist game. So I would like to take responsibility for Richardson’s outstanding game Tuesday night. I am just kidding, great job Tre. He continues to show why he may be the most valuable player on this team.
Nicolas Balsano (.429) 3-for-7
Balsano had a fantastic weekend at the plate: great at-bats, solid contact, and high IQ baserunning. Expect big things as the season goes on from Balsano.
Cooling Off
Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo (.111) 1-for-9
Cardoza-Oquendo looks to put the Maryland series behind him after a rough weekend at the dish and in the field.
Ace of the Week
Tyler Thomas (0-1; 3.00 ERA) 6.0IP; 2ER; 4H: BB: 9SO
Thomas gave up two hits and two runs to the first two Maryland batters of the game. After that, he went on to strike out nine in 6 innings pitched. He proved why he is the ace for this Baylor team.
Heating Up
Matt Voelker (0-0; 0.00 ERA) 3IP; 3H; 0ER; 2SO
Voelkler entered Saturday afternoon in the 3rd inning, inheriting multiple base runners while being down 5-0 to Maryland. He was extremely impressive and ultimately kept Maryland at bay in the middle innings while the offense tried to spark a comeback. Voelker’s command was excellent and he was by far the most impressive relief pitcher this weekend.
Cooling Off
Blake Helton (0-1; 9.00 ERA) 1 Loss; 2IP; 6H; 5R; 2ER; 3BB; 3SO
Helton struggled to find the strike zone, ultimately ending his season debut after just two innings. He will look to bounce back this weekend.
Postseason Hopes
This weekend hurts, but it will not make a significant impact in the grand scheme of things. Maryland is a solid ball club and is now ranked #22. Baylor will have plenty of opportunities in Big 12 play to get some quality wins and build a strong resume.
Coming Up
Baylor plays #23 Duke this weekend at Baylor Ballpark and has a great opportunity to change the momentum of the season.
Prediction
Baylor will win the series, winning two out of three. That would be a tremendous confidence boost for the overall morale of the team.