Preview: Baylor Baseball to Open Conference Play at Houston

HOUSTON – Baylor baseball (4-8) will hit the road to open conference play with a road series against the Houston Cougars (8-4) at Schroeder Park. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s contest will also start at 6:30 p.m., and the series finale on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.

Baylor Athletics

Heading into the series against UH, Baylor is coming off a sweep of Oral Roberts and a narrow loss to No. 20 DBU

Baylor Bears

2024 Record: 4-8

Head Coach: Mitch Thompson

• Career Record: 396-181 (11th season) 
• Record at Baylor: 24-43 (2nd season) 

2024 Projections

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

Houston Athletics

After starting the season 6-0, the Cougars have lost four of their last six contests going into the weekend series against Baylor.

Houston Cougars

2024 Record: 8-4

Head Coach: Todd Whitting

• Career Record: 426-314 (14th season) 
• Record at Houston: 426-314 (14th season) 

2024 Projections

• D1Baseball: 8th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 9th in the Big 12

Probable Starting Fielders:

*BAVG = Batting Average, OB% = On-Base Percentage, AB = At-Bats*

Baylor Athletics

RF Enzo Apodaca (RJr.) has been Baylor’s best player to start the season and leads the Bears in almost every offensive category.

• C: Cortlan Castle (Jr.) - (.348 BAVG, .444 OB%, 9 R, 2 RBI, 23 AB)
• 1B: Will Pendergrass (RJr.) - (.293 BAVG, .341 OB%, 5 R, 7 RBI, 41 AB)
• 2B: Daniel Altman (Sr.) - (.471 BAVG, .571 OB%, 5 R, 3 RBI, 17 AB)
• SS: Tyriq Kemp (Jr.) - (.167 BAVG, .265 OB%, R, 30 AB)
• 3B: Hunter Teplanszky (Jr.) - (.294 BAVG, .351 OB%, 8 R, HR, 8 RBI, 51 AB)
• LF: Kade Fletcher (RJr.) - (.238 BAVG, .393 OB%, 3 R, 5 RBI, 21 AB)
• CF: Ty Johnson (Jr.) - (.303 BAVG, .343 OB%, 3 RBI, 33 AB)
• RF: Enzo Apodaca (RJr.) - (.378 BAVG, .439 OB%, 12 R, HR, 12 RBI, 45 AB)
• DH: Wesley Jordan (Jr.) - (.207 BAVG, .343 OB%, 6 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 29 AB)

Projected Bench

• C: Harrison Caley (Sr.) - (.125 BAVG, .300 OB%, 3 R, HR, RBI, 8 AB)
• C/DH: Zach Mazoch (So.) - (.250 BAVG, .500 OB%, R, 3 RBI, 8 AB)
• 1B/DH: Brayden Buchanan (Fr.) - (.143 BAVG, .368 OB%, 2 R, 14 AB)
• 2B: Chase Womack (Fr.) - (.000 BAVG, .333 OB%, RBI, 4 AB)
• 2B/3B/1B: Mason Greer (Sr.) - (.175 BAVG, .250 OB%, 3 R, HR, 5 RBI, 40 AB)

Probable Starting Pitchers:

Baylor Athletics

Against ORU, RHP Collin McKinney (RFr.) struck out four and picked up his first collegiate win.

• BU SP 1 – RHP Mason Marriott (Jr.) - (0-1, 5.27 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 3 GS)
• UH SP 1 – RHP Jaxon Jelkin (Jr.) - (3.29 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 3 GS)
• BU SP 2 – RHP Collin McKinney (RFr.) - (1-1, 6.08 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 3 GS)
• UH SP 2 – LHP Antoine Jean (Sr.) - (1-1, 1.32 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 3 GS)
• BU SP 3 – TBD
• UH SP 3 – TBD

Top Quotes

Head coach Mitch Thompson on Baylor’s 4-8 start to the season:

• “We’re obviously not where we want to be record-wise right now. But at the same time, we played the schedule we played and faced the adversity we faced. And when you look at where we were at this time last year through 12 games – same record but a totally different level of competition and performance. We’re two runs better ERA-wise than we were last year at this time. We’re hitting 40 points higher as an offensive team going through the adversity we’ve gone through. There are good things happening; it just hasn’t shown up yet in the wins and losses, and that’s where we need it to show up now.”

First baseman Will Pendergrass (RJr.) on facing adversity to start the year:

• “The way we started, a lot of teams in the country might have let it spiral, but it shows who we are as a club and how we’ll come together through it and we’re going to get through it together.”

Catcher Cortlan Castle (Jr.) on the current mindset of the team:

• “I think what [the injuries] told all of us is that we all have to get ten percent better to make up for [losing] these guys and these leaders. It’s on every single one of us, and [Coach Thompson] says all of the time, ‘We need all of us – it’s not just nine or ten guys. We need everybody on this team to help and continue to get better so that when your name is called, you can perform.’”

What I’m Looking For This Weekend + Other Notes

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After missing four games with an injury, center fielder Ty Johnson (Jr.) returned to the lineup on Tuesday against DBU.

• I’m extremely interested to see how this weekend’s series against Houston plays out. I think both of these teams are pretty evenly matched, and I’m curious to see how Baylor looks against an opponent that’s better than Oral Roberts but not as good as Indiana.
• Don’t beat yourself! The Bears have improved on defense in the last four games, but they still have some work to do. If they regress back to the team they were over the first two weekends; there’s no chance they’ll leave Houston with a road series win.
• After missing four games with an injury, center fielder Ty Johnson (Jr.) returned to the lineup on Tuesday against DBU and went 2-for-3 with a double.
• If you meander through Houston’s stats, you’ll immediately notice they have six starters hitting over .300. While the Cougars do have some talented players, the inflated numbers are heavily influenced by an extremely light schedule to begin the season – Binghampton, Prarie View A&M, St. Johns.
• Prediction: I believe these teams are pretty evenly matched, and this should be a series that Baylor can win 2-to-1. However, I’m still holding my breath about how the defense and the bottom of the order will perform, despite a really good showing from both against Oral Roberts last weekend. The Cougars have stolen almost 30 bases to start the year, and they are going to put a ton of pressure on the Bears’ defense, but I’ll say Baylor takes two of three.