Preview: Baylor Baseball to Host Oral Roberts for Weekend Series

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (1-7) will welcome Oral Roberts (4-4) for a weekend series at Baylor Ballpark. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s contest will start at 2 p.m., and the series finale on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.

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Baylor has lost seven of its first eight games and welcomes Oral Roberts to Baylor Ballpark this weekend. The Golden Eagles made the College World Series last season.

Baylor Bears

2024 Record: 1-7

Head Coach: Mitch Thompson

• Career Record: 393-180 (11th season) 
• Record at Baylor: 21-42 (2nd season)

2024 Projections

• D1Baseball: 12th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 11th in the Big 12

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

2024 Record: 4-4

Head Coach: Ryan Folmar

• Career Record: 375-228 (12th season) 
• Record at Oral Roberts: 375-228 (12th season) 

2024 Projections

• D1Baseball: 1st in the Summit League
• Coaches Poll: 1st in the Summit League

Probable Starting Fielders:

*2023 Stats: BAVG = Batting Average, OB% = On-Base Percentage, AB = At-Bats, GS = Games Started)*

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Outfielder Ty Johnson (Jr.) is “day-to-day” and will likely miss this weekend’s series after crashing into the wall to make a catch in Sunday’s loss to No. 23 Indiana.

• C: Harrison Caley (Sr.) - (.143 BAVG, .333 OB%, HR, RBI, 3 R, 7 AB)
• 1B: Will Pendergrass (RJr.) - (.227 BAVG, .292 OB%, 2 RBI, 2 R, 22 AB)
• 2B: Mason Greer (Missouri State, Sr.) - (.172 BAVG, .292 OB%, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 29 AB)
• SS: Tyriq Kemp (Western Oklahoma CC, Jr.) - (.125 BAVG, .192 OB%, R, 24 AB)
• 3B: Hunter Teplanszky (Jr.) - (.273 BAVG, .351 OB%, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 33 AB)
• LF: Kade Fletcher (RJr.) - (.250 BAVG, .364 OB%, R, RBI, 8 AB)
• CF: Caleb Bergman (So.) - (.000 BAVG, .600 OB%, R, 2 AB)
• RF: Enzo Apodaca (Gonzaga, RJr.) - (.387 BAVG, .432 OB%, HR, 8 RBI, 5 R, 31 AB)
• DH Brayden Buchanan (Fr.) - (.154 BAVG, .353 OB%, 2 R, 13 AB)

Projected Bench

• C: Cortlan Castle (Jr.) - (.308 BAVG, .438 OB%, 3 R, RBI, 13 AB)
• 2B: Cole Posey (Sr.) - (.100 BAVG, .250 OB%, RBI, 10 AB)
• 2B/OF: Daniel Altman (Sr.) - (.667 BAVG, .667 OB%, 2 RBI, 3 AB)
• DH: Wesley Jordan (Navarro, Jr.) - (.111 BAVG, .238 OB%, 2 R, RBI, 18 AB)

Probable Starting Pitchers:

• BU SP 1 – RHP: Mason Marriott (Jr.) - (0-1, 7.88 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 2 GS)
• ORU SP 1 – RHP: Jakob Hail (Jr.) - (1-0, 8.49 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 2 GS)
• BU SP 2 – RHP: Collin McKinney (RFr.) - (0-1, 6.48 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 2 GS)
• ORU SP 2 – RHP Brooks Fowler (Jr.) - (1-1 5.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 2 GS)
• BU SP 3 – TBD
• ORU SP 3 – TBD

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Lefty Ethan Calder (So.) has a 3.18 ERA heading into the weekend series against Oral Roberts.

Top Quotes

Head coach Mitch Thompson on the rough start to the season:

“The thing I’m trying to pass onto the guys is ‘Take a breath. Breathe. Breathe.’ We’ve played good people. We’ve been in games. We’ve been competitive in games. And now it’s kind of steamrolled on itself a little bit, and it feels like we just need to take a breath. Even as poorly as I think we played and as poorly as things have gone, we’re in games.” 

Left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder (So.) on this weekend’s series against Oral Roberts:

“Our mindset is ‘the buck stops here.’ We’ve struggled in a couple of games, but we’re ready to get back here this weekend and win some games.”

Outfielder Enzo Apodaca (RJr.) on the rough start to the season:

“Definitely not the way we wanted to start off the season, but we’re all staying optimistic. We’re all moving forward and not trying to dwell in the past – that’s been a big thing in the locker room. We know that we need to work on some things and we know we’ve made some mistakes these past few weeks, but we’re looking forward and staying optimistic. It’s still early on the season, and we’re looking at it one game at a time.”

What I’m Looking For This Weekend + Other Notes

• Baylor’s stud center fielder Ty Johnson (Jr.) missed Wednesday’s game against Abilene Christian with an undisclosed injury. In Sunday’s loss to No. 23 Indiana, Johnson crashed into the right-center field wall to make a great catch but was a bit shaken up after the play. He’s “day-to-day” but will likely miss this weekend’s series according to Thompson.
  

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  Losing outfielder Hunter Simmons (Sr.) for the rest of the season with an injury is a major blow to Baylor’s lineup. 
• Other injury news, outfielders Hunter Simmons (Sr.) and Gavin Brzozowski (RSo.), as well as first baseman John Youens (Fr.), were all ruled out for the rest of the year with season-ending injuries.
• While it may not be visible the most, the young pitching has had some good moments to start the season. Mason Green (Fr.), Stephen Sepulveda (Fr.), RJ Ruais (Fr.) and Ethan Calder (So.) have all been solid. If the Bears want to walk away with a weekend series win, the pitching, and particularly the bullpen, will have to do its part.
• Baylor’s defense has been the team’s weakest link throughout the first two weeks of the season. In order to start winning games, the Bears have to be better on defense. So far, Thompson’s squad has 14 errors through eight games.
• Oral Roberts made the College World Series last year but has lost the majority of the players that were on that team.
• Prediction: When it rains, it pours – Baylor drops its weekend series to Oral Roberts and loses to No. 25 DBU next Tuesday. If that’s the case, the Bears will be looking down the barrel of a 2-10 start to the season before conference play even begins.

Listen here to a recap of Baylor baseball’s rough second week of the season.