Baylor Baseball's Recent Hot Streak, What's Clicking?
Before teams learn to win, they first have to learn how to not lose. And while that’s been a strenuous path at times for the Bears, they finally appear to be playing their best baseball since Mitch Thompson took over the program before the 2023 season.
Baylor (16-18, 8-7) has won eight of its last nine games and is coming off three consecutive series wins, including a road sweep of the BYU Cougars in Provo – marking the first time the Bears have swept a conference opponent since 2019. BU’s RPI is up to No. 116 – the highest mark of the Thompson Era.
For arguably the first time in two years, Thompson’s squad is not only taking care of business in the games they are supposed to win but are also finding different ways to come away with a victory.
On Friday, the Bears trailed 4-2 entering the ninth inning before scraping across two runs against BYU’s star closer, Stone Cushing (Jr.), to tie the game at four apiece and send the game to extras.
With runners on second and third base in the tenth, shortstop Tyriq Kemp (Jr.) delivered a clutch two-run double down the right-field line to cap off the comeback. Friday’s win was the first time this season that Baylor won a game despite trailing after the seventh.
“[This win] showed what this team is about,” center fielder Ty Johnson (Jr.) said after the come-from-behind victory. “We’re just a bunch of grinders. We’re not the most talented team in the country, but we’re a bunch of grinders. Obviously, we’re down by two going into the ninth, and we scrap something together – we’re figuring out ways to win.”
The recent success can be attributed to different things, but it starts with the offensive surge that has taken place, in particular. The Bears have scored eight or more runs in eight of their last nine games and have outscored opponents 94-to-61 during that span.
Since right fielder Enzo Apodaca (RJr.) was moved into the lead-off spot against Cincinnati on March 29, the Gonzaga transfer has been a spark plug atop the batting order.
He’s 17-for-38 at the dish and is boasting a .563 on-base percentage during that stretch. He currently holds a team-high 13-game hitting streak and picked up a career-high five hits in Saturday’s high-scoring 18-17 win over BYU.
Thompson’s also gotten significant contributions from the bottom of the lineup in recent weeks for arguably the first time this spring – most notably from Cole Posey (Sr.) and Kemp.
Posey was a major contributor on last year’s team but has played sparingly this spring while battling injuries. With Will Pendergrass (RJr.) being lost for the season with an injury and Mason Greer (Sr.) struggling, Thompson held an impromptu tryout to play first base before the Incarnate Word series. Posey won the job despite never playing first base in his collegiate career.
In his 18th at-bat of the season, Posey launched a grand slam over the left field wall to help propel the Bears to a 13-7 victory over the Cardinals on April 5 – it was just his second hit this spring.
“I'm very happy for [Posey],” Thompson said after the game. “He's handled things really well this year – it hasn't been easy. He’s fought through an injury to start with, and for a guy that played all last year to to be sitting, it’s not easy. I'm happy that when he got an opportunity to get a start; he was ready to take advantage of it.”
“It's been tough,” Posey said of not seeing the field much this season. “But I'm a fifth-year guy; I've been a part of a lot of college baseball games; I feel like I've really almost seen everything. When you're in the waiting, you can go one of two ways – you can get down about it or you can just try and find the good and stay prepared. And it's so hard to do, right? We don't like waiting for things, and we want it to happen now. But Coach Thompson has done a good job of keeping me in there and keeping my head up, and so have my teammates, so I'm just thankful for the opportunity.”
Since April 5, Posey has been on a tear. In his last four contests, the fifth-year senior is 10-for-18 at the dish with three extra-base hits. He’s given the Bears a much-needed jolt in the bottom of the order and has scored eight runs.
In the eight-hole, Kemp is also starting to turn a corner offensively. In the BYU series, Kemp recorded six base knocks and reached base in 10 of his 14 plate appearances. He went 3-for-6 at the plate in Saturday’s win with two extra-base hits and four RBIs – all of which are career highs for The Netherlands native.
He’s now hitting .213 on the season and reached above the Mendzone line for the first time in over a month. Kemp is also sixth on the Bears in on-base percentage (.356) and has drawn the most walks (20) of anyone on the team.
“[Kemp] is swinging the bat well, and he’s had a bunch of hits recently,” Thompson said. He keeps making plays on defense, so I'm happy with how he's coming along. Most of the guys are on the uptick.”
On the mound, Baylor has also seen rapid improvement from starting pitchers Collin McKinney (RFr.) and Mason Marriott (Jr.).
In wins against Cincinnati and Incarnate Word, McKinney combined to strike out 20 batters in 11.1 innings of work while allowing just one earned run. He became the first BU pitcher to eclipse double-digit strikeouts in consecutive starts since Kendal Volz (13 versus Oklahoma on May 26, 2007, and 10 versus Purdue on February 22, 2008).
Marriott, on the other hand, has allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five outings. Pitch command was always a major issue for the Tomball native, but he’s been much better this spring. He’s fanned 24 batters and handed out 12 walks across his last five starts.
“I think it’s maturity and confidence,” Thompson said of Marriott’s improvement. “It’s knowing that you have the stuff to do it, but it takes time. The game slows down the more you’re out there. When you get out there as a freshman, you get thrown into situations that you might not be ready to handle. If it doesn’t go well and you want to do well, then you add more pressure on yourself. I think you saw some of that last year as a starter as well, but our ballclub is a little better now. All of those things fit together well, but Mason’s maturity level on and off the field has been way different.”
Lefties Ethan Calder (So.) and Kobe Andrade (Sr.) have been Thompson’s two most reliable arms out of the bullpen over the last month.
Calder has been absolutely nails this season and leads the team in ERA (1.86), WHIP (0.90) and innings pitched (29.0) out of the bullpen. Eleven of his last 12 outings have been scoreless.
After becoming a full-time pitcher this spring, Andrade is second on the Bears in ERA (3.92) and WHIP (1.11). The Corpus Christi native recorded the final three outs in Baylor’s nerve-wracking 18-17 Saturday win over BYU and has tossed a scoreless outing in six of his last seven appearances.
With the many different season-ending injuries and the various blows this team has suffered, it’s rather remarkable that Thompson’s squad is still staying afloat and playing its best baseball to date. Baylor (16-18, 8-7) currently sits at fifth in the conference and will look to continue its hot streak and secure a bid in the Big 12 Tournament in the coming weeks.
The Bears will round out a four-game road trip with a contest against UT Arlington (15-21) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night at Clay Gould Park. Baylor will then return home for a crucial conference series this weekend against the Kansas Jayhawks (19-14, 7-8).