Baylor Baseball Breaks Loss Record, Drops Series Opener to TCU, 5-1

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Baylor has now broken a program record for most losses in a season with 33.

FORTH WORTH, Texas – Baylor baseball (16-33, 6-16) fell to rival TCU (28-21, 9-10), 5-1, Friday afternoon at Lupton Stadium.

BU has now broken a program record for most losses in a season with 33. Meanwhile, the Bears' conference tournament hopes have dwindled to virtually zero. 

For Baylor to not miss the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in program history, it would need to win the next two games against the Horned Frogs and hope that Texas Tech sweeps Kansas in Lawrence next weekend.

Unfortunately, in a must-win game, the Bears played with little intensity throughout the contest. The offense finished with just four hits, totaled nine baserunners and went 1-for-11 with runners on.

“We’ve got to have better at-bats,” coach Mitch Thompson said after the loss. “It’s hard to go back and say, ‘When did we hit the ball hard?’ We’re not going to win nickel and diming them. We’re going to have to hit some balls hard and hit them through people.”

Junior Will Rigney started on the mound for Baylor but didn’t appear to be fully healthy. Just yesterday, when asked how he was feeling, the Waco native said he felt “good enough,” implying that he wasn’t at 100%.

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Junior RHP Will Rigney allowed four earned runs and five hits in only three innings of work.

Rigney made it through three frames but allowed four earned runs, five hits and issued five free passes on 80 pitches.

TCU’s Brayden Taylor, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, lined his 16th homer of the season off veteran reliever Anderson Needham in the fifth.

The Horned Frog’s starter, Louis Rodriguez, entered Friday with a 4.46 ERA but tossed 6.0 shutout frames before surrendering a run in the seventh.

Redshirt freshman 1B Jack Johnson plated Baylor’s first and only run of the day with an RBI sacrifice fly to score sophomore C Cort Castle.

The Bears had opportunities to cut the lead in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings but couldn’t get the ”big hit” and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

Relievers Brett Garcia and Ethan Calder combined to throw four scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

“Anytime we come out here and [the pitching staff] gives up five, I feel like we’ve got a shot, but we’re going to have to hit to win,” Thompson said.

Despite the success from the bullpen, TCU caused havoc on the basepaths all afternoon and took advantage of Baylor’s pitching staff handing out eight walks by stealing seven bases.

Final: TCU 5 - Baylor 1

W: Louis Rodriguez (2-1) L: Will Rigney (3-3)

WHAT’S NEXT

Baylor baseball (16-33, 6-16) will continue its series against TCU (28-21, 9-10) Saturday at 7 p.m. Due to inclement weather, Saturday’s game has been moved to Globe Life Field in Arlington. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.