Preview: Baylor Baseball Set to Face Off against Oklahoma

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (10-19, 2-7) is set to face off against the Oklahoma Sooners (16-14, 2-4) for a weekend series at Baylor Ballpark. Due to the Easter holiday, the series will start Thursday evening, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday’s game will kick off at 6:30 p.m., and Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.

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Baylor has been swept in consecutive Big 12 series.

Baylor Bears

2023 Record (RPI): 10-19 (No. 230)

Head Coach: Mitch Thompson

• Career Record: 10-19 (1st season) 
• Record at Baylor: 10-19 (1st season)

2023 Projections

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

Oklahoma Sooners

2023 Record (RPI): 16-14 (No. 62)

Head Coach: Skip Johnson

• Career Record: 173-118 (6th season) 
• Record at Oklahoma: 173-118 (6th season) 

2023 Projections

• D1Baseball: 4th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 5th in the Big 12

Baylor Athletics

Sophomore 1B John Ceccoli hit his team-leading fifth home run in Tuesday’s win over SFA.

2023 STAT LEADERS

• AVG: Kolby Branch (.339)
• H: Kolby Branch (40)
• 2B: Kolby Branch (10)
• HR: John Ceccoli (5)
• RBI: Kolby Branch (23)
• R: Kolby Branch (30)
• OB%: Cole Posey (.457)
• BB: Kolby Branch (20)

Probable Starting Fielders: Baylor

• C: So. Cort Castle (.235, .304 OB%)
• 1B: So. John Ceccoli (.286, .393 OB%) 
• 2B: Jr. Cole Posey (.338, .457 OB%)
• 3B: So. Hunter Teplanszky (.330, .411 OB%)
• SS: Fr. Kolby Branch (.339, .436 OB%)
• LF: Jr. Hunter Simmons (.327, .397 OB%)
• CF: Jr. Kobe Andrade (.215, .293 OB%)
• RF: RS-Fr. Gavin Brzozowski (.198, .355 OB%)
• DH: Fr. Walker Polk (.286, .412 OB%)

Baylor Athletics

Fifth-year senior Blake Helton will return to the weekend rotation, despite owning a 7.96 ERA.

Probable Starting Pitchers

• BU SP1: RHP Blake Helton (0-3, 7.96 ERA)
• OU SP1: RHP Braxton Douthit (4-1, 3.26 ERA)
• BU SP2: RHP Mason Marriott (1-4, 8.90 ERA)
• OU SP2: LHP James Hitt (1-0, 4.88 ERA)
• BU SP3: RHP Will Rigney (2-1, 3.97 ERA)
• OU SP3: RHP Will Carsten (1-1, 5.21 ERA)

Top Quotes

Coach Mitch Thompson on what he sees from Oklahoma

“We are playing a good OU team, a team that played in the National Championship series last year. I’ve got great respect for their program and what they do. They will be a big fight. They’ll be a big challenge.”

Coach Mitch Thompson on the morale of the clubhouse despite starting Big 12 play 2-7

“I think that the attitude is good. I think that the locker room is good. I think the players love each other. They are disappointed in where we’re at right now, but it is what it is. We have to move forward and keep working … Are you going to let this beat you down and lay there on the ground, or are you going to get up and dust yourself and go attack again? I’ve been proud of them for that. I feel like they are handling that well, and we are moving forward.”

What I Am Looking For This Weekend

• If the Bears want to make the Big 12 Tournament, they must start winning games. Oklahoma is better than its record, but they aren’t the juggernaut they were last year. The Sooners lost a lot of talent to the MLB Draft.
• Baylor’s offense hasn’t been great, but they’ve been solid. The pitching staff is one of the main reasons the team has lost six straight Big 12 games.