Baylor Baseball Travels to Norman for Final Road Series against No. 18 Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. – Baylor baseball (21-26, 9-15) will travel to take on the No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners (29-17, 18-6) for the final road series of the season at L. Dale Mitchell Park. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s contest will start at 4 p.m., and the series finale on Sunday is slated for 2 p.m. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.

Baylor Bears

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Baylor baseball (21-26, 9-15) has seven games left on the 2024 schedule.

• 2024 Record: 21-26
• Big 12 Record: 9-15
• RPI: 128
• SOS: 50
• Notable Wins: BYU (3), No. 24 Texas Tech (2), Cincinnati (2), Texas
• Notable Losses: TCU (3), No. 21 West Virginia (3), Kansas (2), No. 23 Indiana (3), No. 20 Dallas Baptist, Nebraska, Oregon, No. 5 Tennessee

Head Coach: Mitch Thompson

• Career Record: 412-197 (11th season) 
• Record at Baylor: 40-59 (2nd season) 

2024 Projections

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

Team Stats

• ERA: 6.21 (13th in the Big 12)
• Batting Average: .275 (10th in the Big 12)
• Fielding Percentage: .969 (T10th in the Big 12)

No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners

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Baylor has been in a tailspin in recent weeks, losing eight straight conference games and putting themselves in serious jeopardy of missing the Big 12 Tournament for the second consecutive year.

• 2024 Record: 29-17
• Big 12: 18-6
• RPI: 17
• SOS: 7
• Notable Wins: Texas Tech (3), Kansas State (3), BYU (3), No. 12 TCU (3), UCF (3), Nebraska, No. 9 Tennessee
• Notable Losses: Texas (2), Oklahoma State (2), Lamar (3), West Virginia (2), No. 15 Dallas Baptist (2), Oregon

Head Coach: Skip Johnson

• Career Record: 218-149 (7th season) 
• Record at Oklahoma: 218-149 (7th season) 

2024 Projections

• D1Baseball: 6th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: T6th in the Big 12

Team Stats

• ERA: 5.27 (8th in the Big 12)
• Batting Average: .305 (2nd in the Big 12)
• Fielding Percentage: .969 (T10th in the Big 12)

Baylor Probable Starting Fielders:

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

Baylor Athletics

LF Wesley Jordan (Jr.) has missed seven consecutive games with a concussion – Baylor is 2-5 during that stretch.

• C: Cortlan Castle (Jr.) - (.287 BAVG, .344 OB%, 19 R, 6 XBH, 19 RBI, 115 AB)
• 1B: Cole Posey (Sr.) - (.310 BAVG, .400 OB%, 20 R, 9 XBH, 19 RBI, 87 AB)
• 2B: Daniel Altman (Sr.) - (.264 BAVG, .356 OB%, 28 R, 9 XBH, 30 RBI, 148 AB)
• SS: Tyriq Kemp (Jr.) - (.216 BAVG, .345 OB%, 22 R, 8 XBH, 14 RBI, 139 AB)
• 3B: Hunter Teplanszky (Jr.) - (.289 BAVG, .396 OB%, 24 R, 12 XBH, 31 RBI, 173 AB)
• LF: Wesley Jordan (Jr.) - (.336 BAVG, .461 OB%, 32 R, 19 XBH, 29 RBI, 122 AB)
• CF: Ty Johnson (Jr.) - (.312 BAVG, .396 OB%, 10 XBH, 17 RBI, 173 AB)
• RF: Enzo Apodaca (RJr.) - (.342 BAVG, .421 OB%, 42 R, 20 XBH, 37 RBI, 187 AB)
• DH: Zach Mazoch (So.) - (.299 BAVG, .400 OB%, 9 R, 3 XBH, 17 RBI, 67 AB)

Projected Bench

• 1B/C: Brayden Buchanan (Fr.) - (.167 BAVG, .314 OB%, 5 R, 2 XBH, 42 AB)
• OF Kade Fletcher (RJr.) - (.229 BAVG, .329 OB%, 9 R, 5 XBH, 7 RBI, 58 AB)
• OF Caleb Bergman (So.) - (.216 BAVG, .348 OB%, 9 R, XBH, 2 RBI, 37 AB)

Probable Starting Pitchers:

*ERA = Earned Run Average, WHIP = Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched, GS = Games Started*

• BU SP 1 – RHP Mason Marriott (Jr.) - (3-5, 5.01 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 59.1 IP, 12 GS)
• OU SP 1 – LHP Braden Davis (Jr.) - (6-3, 4.43 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 65.0 IP, 12 GS)
• BU SP 2 – LHP Ethan Calder (So.) - (4-2, 2.91 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 43.1 IP, GS)
• OU SP 2 – RHP Kyson Witherspoon (So.) - (5-3, 4.19 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 58.0 IP, 7 GS)
• BU SP 3 – RHP Collin McKinney (RFr.) - (3-5, 6.46 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 47.1 IP, 12 GS)
• OU SP 3 – TBD

Oklahoma Probable Starting Fielders:

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

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In Friday’s loss to TCU, RHP Mason Marriott (Jr.) tossed a career-high eight innings and allowed just four hits and two earned runs.

• C: Scott Mudler (Jr.) - (.271 BAVG, .358 OB%, 17 R, 9 XBH, 24 RBI, 107 AB)
• 1B: Michael Snyder (RSr.) - (.335 BAVG, .448 OB%, 42 R, 30 XBH, 48 RBI, 170 AB)
• 2B: Jackson Nicklaus (Jr.) - (.343 BAVG, .465 OB%, 37 R, 16 XBH, 24 RBI, 140 AB)
• SS: Jaxon Willits (Fr.) - (.241 BAVG, .354 OB%, 24 R, 14 XBH, 27 RBI, 137 AB)
• 3B: Anthony Mackenzie (Sr.) - (.310 BAVG, .427 OB%, 40 R, 17 XBH, 38 RBI, 158 AB)
• LF: Kendall Pettis (RSr.) - (.253 BAVG, .366 OB%, 34 R, 10 XBH, 28 RBI, 143 AB)
• CF: John Spikerman (Jr.) - (.375 BAVG, .438 OB%, 26 R, 10 XBH, 17 RBI, 104 AB)
• RF: Bryce Madron (Sr.) - (.315 BAVG, .441 OB%, 58 R, 28 XBH, 40 RBI, 178 AB)
• DH: Easton Carmichael (So.) - (.353 BAVG, .410 OB%, 44 R, 20 XBH, 44 RBI, 187 AB)

Top Quotes

Head coach Mitch Thompson on what he sees from No. 18 Oklahoma:

• “They’ve put it together. They’re leading the league by three games. I think they’re leading the league in pitching and hitting. This is a good club. They’ve got talent and experience. Their Friday night guy is the two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. They’re a well-coached team, so it’s a big challenge this weekend.”

Head coach Mitch Thompson on the importance of this weekend’s series for the conference tournament:

• “We have to go win some games here in these next two weeks. If we win our own games and take care of our own business, we don’t need help from anyone else. If we don’t, we’re going to need help and a lot of it, so we better just go out and take care of our own business.”

Catcher Cortlan Castle (Jr.) on the mindset going into the weekend:

• “The focus this weekend is to take it one game at a time, but we have to play this weekend like a super regional. This weekend means a lot for us. If we’re able to go up there and grab a series – it’s going to be unbelievable. This is a big weekend for sure and one of the biggest this season. Every single game is going to be one of the most important we’ve ever played.”

What I’m Looking For This Weekend + Other Notes

• Left fielder Wesley Jordan (Jr.) extended his on-base streak to 30 games after going 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs against Sam Houston on Tuesday, April 23. Jordan became the first player since Davis Wendzel (37) in 2018 to reach safely in 30 consecutive games. On April 26 against West Virginia, however, Jordan was hit by a pitch and removed from the game for a concussion; he did not return at any point during the series or play against TCU the following weekend. The star slugger is day-to-day against the Sooners and his absence would be a massive blow to Baylor’s already depleted lineup.

• Thompson has slightly changed the pitching rotation, moving right-handed pitcher Collin McKinney (RFr.) to Sunday. Southaw Ethan Calder (So.), who has been Baylor’s best arm out of the bullpen this season, will make his second career start on Saturday.

  

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  The likeliest scenario for Baylor to make the Big 12 Tournament is that Texas Tech is swept by No. 19 Oklahoma State this weekend and the Bears go 3-3 against Oklahoma and UCF.

• Houston (6-17) and BYU (6-18) continue to separate themselves toward the bottom of the conference, and neither will likely earn a bid to Arlington. The final couple of spots, however, appear to be a three-team race between Baylor (9-15), Texas Tech (12-15) and UCF (11-12). For the full breakdown of potential scenarios for Baylor to make the Big 12 Tournament, click here. Regardless of what happens elsewhere across the conference, the Bears desperately need to find a way to break their conference losing streak and pick up a win in Norman against the league-leading No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners (18-6) this weekend.

• Prediction: It’s hard to imagine Baylor going to Norman and getting a series win. The key is getting one victory against the Sooners and returning home with the ability to control their own destiny going into the finals series of the season against UCF.

Other Reading

• What Baylor Baseball Must Do to Finish the Season Strong

• With Baylor Baseball Trending Downward, Can it Still Make the Big 12 Tournament?