The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from Baylor's Week of Sports

The Bear Signal shines again, softball does too, with another series win, and Scott Drew further cements his place in Texas sports lore.

Here’s a look at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from the past week in Baylor Athletics.

THE GOOD

Softball Keeps Rolling — The No. 18 Bears dropped a tight opener but won the next two to leave Lubbock with a series victory over Texas Tech, their second conference series win. Contributions were found up and down the roster. The Bears went 4-1 on the week after previous wins over Louisiana and ACU. In what should be a great attraction, No. 1 Oklahoma is rolling into Waco for a weekend series. And given the Sooners are 39-1, and that one loss came courtesy of the Bears, I’d imagine they will arrive with a chip on their shoulder — a huge opportunity and challenge for Glenn Moore’s squad.

Scott Drew HOF — Congrats to Scott Drew on a well-earned induction into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Incredibly unique, given Drew’s resume was primarily built literally down the street on University Parks Drive. Given the circumstances, who could have imagined how history would unfold at the time of Drew’s hire, but his evergrowing list of accomplishments and significant contributions to basketball in the state of Texas was further recognized and immortalized this weekend. Very cool to see. 

Is That A Bear Signal?!? — Football snagged their 4th verbal for the Class of 2024 with the commitment of DeSoto linebacker Brandon Booker. He comes from a well-documented powerhouse, oozing with talent every year. And he also comes equipped with a mightily impressive offer list from all over the Power 5: A&M, FSU, LSU, Michigan State, and Colorado, to name a few. Even knowing this is expected to be a smaller ’24 class, seeing the first commit since Brock Jackson in February was a nice and somewhat needed jolt to the recruiting side.

Men’s Tennis — The Bears earned their second Big 12 win, defeating Oklahoma State 4-1 to close the regular season out in Stillwater. The Big 12 Championships are up next.

Track & Field — Running at the Bryan Clay Invitational in California, Annamaria Kostarellis and Ryan Day set new program records in the women’s and men’s 5000m, respectively. On the other side of the country, in Gainesville, Florida, Ukuru Koko took silver in the high jump, and Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi nabbed silver in the javelin at the Tom Jones Memorial. On the final day, Aïcha Moumin placed third in the high jump. Now, the Bears get set to host the Michael Johnson Invitational starting on Friday.

WBB Pickup — Nicki Collen and the Bears officially announced the signing of transfer Madison Bartley, a forward from Belmont. The roster for next season has incredible potential, but the work is just beginning. 

A Chance — Caitlin Bickle signed a training camp contract with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. Former Lady Bears DiJonai Carrington and Lauren Cox are also with the franchise. Nothing is guaranteed, but it’s an opportunity. 

KD Cannon — The former Baylor wideout had a huge 69-yard catch for the Orlando Guardians in a 25-23 loss.

THE BAD

Baseball Falls — Texas took the series with a 7-6 win on Sunday in Waco. However, the Bears made things interesting and, at times, downright exciting, especially in Saturday’s dramatic and wild win, a five-run ninth inning punctuated by Hunter Teplanszky’s two-run walk-off single. Too many miscues doomed the Bears from a series win, but they were fortunate to avoid the sweep. Now, it’s onto Sam Houston in Huntsville on Tuesday, and then a weekend series at Top 25 Texas Tech.

EQ Season Bites the Dust — Equestrian went out valiantly but bowed out in the NCEA quarterfinals, falling to No. 1 SMU, 10-8.

Women’s Tennis — The Bears’ four-match win streak was snapped with a 6-1 road loss at No. 10 Texas to close the regular season. Now, the Big 12 Championships in Lawrence, KS, await.

Men’s Golf — The Bears closed the regular season with a ninth-place finish at ASU’s Thunderbird Collegiate event in Tempe. They get a breather this week before kicking off the Big 12 Championships in Hutchinson, Kansas.

THE UGLY

Maybe I’m missing something, but I’m unsure if anything fits this week. If I’m wrong, feel free to chime in below.