Baylor Baseball: 2024 Season Preview for Mitch Thompson's Bears
With Baylor baseball’s Opening Day matchup against Nebraska at Globe Life Field slated for this Friday (Feb. 16) at 11 a.m., it’s time for a comprehensive season preview of the 2024 Bears.
Coming off a season in which Baylor missed the Big 12 Tournament for the first time and broke a program record in losses (35), head coach Mitch Thompson’s second-year squad, which includes over 20 new faces, is poised to make markable and tangible improvements this go-around.
Projected Lineup
*2023 Stats: BAVG = Batting Average, OB% = On-Base Percentage, AB = At-Bats, GS = Games Started)*
- C: Cortlan Castle (Jr.) - (.299 BAVG, .364 OB%, 117 AB, 30 GS)
- 1B: Mason Greer (Missouri State, Sr.) - (.235 BAVG, .319 OB%, 102 AB, 28 GS)
- 2B: Jack Little (Wichita State, So.) - (.250 BAVG, .326 OB%, 152 AB, 45 GS)
- SS: Tyriq Kemp (Western Oklahoma CC, Jr.) - (.375 BAVG, .486 OB%, 208 AB, 62 GS)
- 3B: Hunter Teplanszky (Jr.) - (.308 BAVG, .406 OB%, 172 AB, 46 GS)
- LF: Hunter Simmons (Sr.) - (.297 BAVG, .374 OB%, 158 AB, 42 GS)
- CF: Ty Johnson (McLennan CC, Jr.) - (.364 BAVG, .488 OB%, 165 AB, 49 GS)
- RF: Enzo Apodaca (Gonzaga, RJr.) - (.281 BAVG, .382 OB%, 199 AB, 52 GS)
- DH: Wesley Jordan (Navarro, Jr.) - (.337 BAVG, .419 OB%, 184 AB, 53 GS)
Projected Bench
- C: Harrison Caley (Sr.) - (.164 BAVG, .292 OB%, 55 AB, 18 GS)
- C: Brayden Buchanan (Fr.) - (N/A)
- 1B/3B: Will Pendergrass (Sr.) - (.250 BAVG, .327 OB%, 44 AB, 10 GS)
- 2B: Cole Posey (Sr.) - (.279 BAVG, .397 OB%, 179 AB, 47 GS)
- OF: Gavin Brzozowski (RSo.) - (.247 BAVG, .367 OB%, 146 AB, 39 GS)
With more than five newcomers expected in the starting batting order, Thompson’s lineup should feature more depth, speed and power this season.
Enzo Apodaca and Ty Johnson are both toolsy, contact-first outfielders who will hit at the top of the order and can put a lot of pressure on a defense with their speed. Tyriq Kemp will hit toward the bottom of the lineup and will routinely make dazzling plays at shortstop. Wesley Jordan has “light-tower power,” according to Thompson, and will be Baylor’s biggest home run threat. Mason Greer will provide experience and power at the plate while being able to play multiple positions in the infield.
As for returners, starting third baseman Hunter Teplanszky is arguably Baylor’s best player and is expected to take a step forward this season on both offense and defense. Another name worth mentioning is left fielder Hunter Simmons, who has been on fire so far this spring and will anchor the middle of the Bears' batting order.
Projected Weekend Rotation
*2023 Stats: ERA = Earned Run Average, WHIP = Walks & Hits Per Inning Pitched, IP = Innings-Pitched, APP = Appearances)*
- RHP: Mason Marriott (Jr.) - (7.52 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 58.2 IP, 14 APP)
- RHP: Collin McKinney (RFr.) - (N/A)
- RHP: Tanner Duke (RFr.) - (N/A)
Projected Bullpen
- RHP: Grant Golomb (Sr.) - (4.34 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 37.1 IP, 19 APP)
- RHP: Jared Matheson (Sr.) - (3.89 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 39.1 IP, 15 APP)
- RHP: Cole Stasio (Sr.) - (5.33 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 17 APP)
- LHP: Kobe Andrade (Sr.) - (12.46 ERA, 2.77 ERA, 4.1 IP, 3 APP)
- RHP: Gabe Craig (RJr.) - (6.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 18 APP)
- LHP: Sam Crain (Blinn JC, RJr.) - (3.54 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 61.0 IP, 14 APP)
- RHP: Patrick Hail (Lamar, RJr.) - (3.37 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 42.2 IP, 21 APP)
- RHP: Andrew Petrowski (RJr.) - (2.16 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 3 APP)
- RHP: Will Glatch (McLennan CC, Jr.) - (2.42 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 26.0 IP, 19 APP)
- LHP: Ethan Calder (So.) - (6.89 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 32.2 IP, 22 APP)
- LHP: Jackson Elizondo (Fr.) - (N/A)
- LHP: RJ Ruais (Fr.) - (N/A)
- RHP: Stephen Sepulveda (Fr.) - (N/A)
- LHP: Jackson Wilkerson (Fr.) - (N/A)
The pitching staff is Baylor’s biggest question mark going into the spring. It’s not that the roster doesn’t possess adequate talent; it’s more so that so few players are proven commodities. Thompson and his staff will have to rely on the younger arms this spring, and it’s tough to predict if those guys will be up to the task.
Mason Marriott is the most experienced returning pitcher and will be the Friday starter. The junior righty was a highly-touted recruit at one point and has had moments of brilliance but has also had far more moments of inconsistencies over the course of his two years at Baylor. The coaching staff believes he can take a step forward, but it’ll be interesting to see if Marriott is ready.
Redshirt freshmen righties Collin McKinney and Tanner Duke are two arms coming off Tommy John surgery who will be heavily relied upon this season. McKinney and Duke both sit in the mid-90s with their fastballs and possess some of the higher ceilings on the team. I expect McKinney to start the season in the weekend rotation, and Duke will likely get a chance at some point as well.
Veteran arms Grant Golomb and Cole Stasio, as well as Lamar transfer Patrick Hail, will be reliable guys out of the pen. Andrew Petrowski and Gabe Craig are both hard-throwing right-handers Thompson can use in high-leverage situations. Ethan Calder and Jared Matheson were solid last season and should be relied upon in the middle innings.
Other freshmen to keep an eye on are Jackson Elizondo (LHP), RJ Ruais (LHP), Stephen Sepulveda (RHP) and Jackson Wilkerson (LHP). Pitching coach James Leverton has mentioned that all four of those guys have had good moments across the fall and so far this spring.
Projected Standings
With four new conference members, Baylor will play 10 total weekend Big 12 series instead of the usual eight this spring. The Bears will take on Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Kansas, TCU and UCF at home and will go on the road to face Houston, Texas, BYU, West Virginia and Oklahoma while avoiding playing Oklahoma State and Kansas State altogether.
After missing the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in program history last season, it’s imperative that Thompson gets his Baylor squad back to Globe Life Field in late May. While the format hasn’t been announced yet, 10 of the 13 conference members will make the tournament.
Baylor has an extremely difficult non-conference schedule over the course of the first month of the season (Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Indiana, Oral Roberts), but the Bears do have a favorable Big 12 slate. On paper, I see five very winnable series, and the road series aren’t terribly daunting, aside from trips to Austin and Morgantown.
Currently, I could see BU finishing somewhere in the 7-12 range and competing with Oklahoma, Kansas, Houston, UCF and Cincinnati for those spots. If Baylor could finish somewhere around or a little below .500 in the Big 12, it would more than likely be enough to make the conference tournament.
Final Predictions
Overall, the 2024 Bears should be a much more enjoyable team to watch – the lineup has an adequate mix of speed, contact and power, while the pitching staff should be deeper, younger and more talented. The main question heading into the spring is whether the youth and the young arms, in particular, are ready to compete at the Power Five level.
Personally, I believe Thompson’s program is probably one more year away from competing for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. For this season, I expect the team to make the Big 12 Tournament and show tangible signs of improvement that the program is heading in the right direction. The defense and the lineup will be upgraded, but I believe the pitching staff will determine this team’s ceiling.
While Baylor should be much better this spring in comparison to last year, it’s tough to say how many wins the team will add with a more challenging schedule. Right now, I’d predict the Bears to finish around or a little below .500 (28-28), but I believe they have the potential to surprise people and reach somewhere north of 30 wins if the young arms can exceed expectations.
For more in-depth looks at the team’s top returners, newcomers and top wildcards, click here.