Baylor Baseball Season Preview: Outfield Trio Headlines Top Returning Players
As Baylor baseball’s Opening Day matchup against Youngstown State (Feb. 14) approaches, it's time to start breaking down the roster, plus the biggest storylines and questions heading into the 2025 season. Today, we’ll assess the top returning players from last year’s roster.
Wesley Jordan: (40-37 GP/GS, .331 BAVG, .455 OB%, 1.087 OPS, 133 AB, 34 R, 44 H, 21 XBH, 32 RBI, 84 TB, 23 BB, 8 HBP, 33 SO)
Outfielder Wesley Jordan (Sr.) is Baylor’s biggest power threat at the plate and led the Bears last season in home runs (9), on-base percentage (.455) and batting average (.351) in Big 12 play.
He closed the year by reaching base in 34 consecutive games (the sixth-longest on-base streak by a Bear since 2003) and was named Second-Team All-Big 12 at the conclusion of last season while earning preseason all-conference honors this spring.
“It’s really cool, and it means a lot, but at the end of the day, it’s not going to matter much once the games start. I gotta prove it then,” Jordan said of his preseason accolades.
Jordan transferred from Navarro College before the 2024 season and got off to a slow start last spring as he adjusted to the power conference level. Once he found a rhythm, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound slugger routinely crushed baseballs out of Baylor Ballpark.
After clawing back from a 1-7 start to the year, the Bears reached a .500 (18-18) record in mid-April. Shortly after the midseason surge, Jordan was beamed by a fastball to the helmet and missed nearly a month with a concussion. Without Jordan’s towering presence in the middle of Baylor’s already depleted lineup, the Bears' offense struggled immensely and went 2-9 during that stretch.
With Jordan and the rest of Baylor’s lineup fully healed this spring, the Bears are leaning on their experience to help propel them to a successful season.
“With how college baseball is now, being older is better,” Jordan said. “With a lot of guys that have shown they can do it at this level, we can go with our heads held high and ready to go.”
Enzo Apodaca: (53-53 GP/GS, .333 BAVG, .415 OB%, .929 OPS, 210 AB, 46 R, 70 H, 23 XBH, 42 RBI, 108 TB, 21 BB, 12 HBP, 19 SO)
Outfielder Enzo Apodaca (RSr.) is Baylor’s best all-around player. The Arizona native was snubbed from all-conference honors last season despite playing in all 53 games and leading the Bears in batting average (.333), extra-base hits (23), RBIs (42) and total bases (108).
Apodaca is a complete hitter who can hit both for average and power while flashing a great glove in the right field. Last season, Apodaca spent half his time in the three-hole and seamlessly moved to the leadoff spot when injuries started to pile up, and the lineup needed a spark.
Baylor's outstanding outfield trio of Apodaca, Jordan and Ty Johnson (Sr.) will anchor the team this year and could arguably be the best outfield in the Big 12.
"Those guys are as solid as a rock," assistant coach Jim Blair said in the fall. "Those are the three guys at the top of our lineup, and having them all out there consistently working together is big for us. Those guys are staples right now, and you don't have to worry about them on a daily basis. They go about their business, and they're coaching our young guys as well."
Baylor needs an influx of player leadership this spring as the program looks to regain its winning ways, and Apodaca, Jordan and Johnson are all the top candidates to lead the charge.
“[Being leaders] is really important because we live together now, and we’re always talking baseball and trying to figure out what’s best for the team,” Jordan said of his relationship with Apodaca and Johnson.
Ty Johnson: (39-39 GP/GS, .313 BAVG, .393 OB%, .807 OPS, 198 AB, 46 R, 62 H, 13 XBH, 20 RBI, 82 TB, 20 BB, 6 HBP, 40 SO)
Johnson is the final member of Baylor’s exceptional outfield trio.
While Johnson doesn’t possess the power of Apodaca or Jordan at the plate, he’s a solid contact hitter and a great piece toward the top of Baylor’s lineup. The speedy Johnson led the Bears in triples (3), runs (42), stolen bases (10) and was third on the team in batting average (.313).
Defensively, he’s about as elite of a centerfielder as you could ask for. He will help head the Bears’ defense, which should be improved this spring, along with the rest of the team that’s desperate to put the disappointing 2024 season behind them.
"We really are just looking to put that in the past and focus on what's ahead," Johnson said in the fall. "Obviously, that's going to be in the back of our minds — it's hard to ignore — but we're just focused on the future and the right now."
Ethan Calder: (5-3 W/L, 2 SV, 21-3 APP/GS, 3.23 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .248 B/AVG, 55.2 IP, 20 ER, 12 BB, 41 SO, 50 H, 9 XBH)
On a pitching staff with immense struggles, left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder (Jr.) was one of the few bright spots last spring for the Bears. Calder was Baylor’s most reliable arm out of the bullpen and earned honorable mention all-conference honors; he led the team in WHIP (1.11), wins (5) and had the fourth-lowest ERA (3.23) in the conference.
One of the highlights of Calder’s fantastic sophomore campaign was tossing four no-hit frames against a talented Texas lineup and carrying Baylor to a 4-3 extra-innings victory over his hometown Longhorns on March 22.
In 18 appearances out of the bullpen, the southpaw had 14 scoreless outings and struck out 33 batters while walking just seven. In the season's final month, Calder started three games for the Bears; he surrendered 10 earned runs and struck out eight across 19 innings pitched.
The Austin native is Baylor’s most proven returning pitcher, which might prompt Thompson to put him into the starting rotation this spring. If not, the lefty will return to his comfortable confines in the bullpen, where he’s already proven to be a force.
The addition of Sean Snedeker should also boost Calder, who is fully committed to the message of the first-year pitching coach.
"He's awesome; his demeanor changes things," Calder said of Snedeker. "Guys are filling up the zone, and he's teaching me new things. He's using a lot of the technology to bring everything together, but also bringing that 'We gotta throw strikes' mentality. The new mentality is different and better."
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