Baylor Baseball

Preview: Veteran Lineup, Revamped Pitching Staff Look To Help Push Bears To Postseason

By Levi Caraway

February 12, 2025

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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 provide a comprehensive season preview.

Where This Program Is At

Following a disappointing 20-35 opening campaign for head coach Mitch Thompson in 2023, the Bears were looking to bounce back and take a significant step forward in 2024. Instead, Baylor’s optimism surrounding a new season instantly came to a screeching halt after the Bears suffered three season-ending injuries to key contributors within the first week of the spring.

Jack Mackenzie - SicEm365

The Bears will look to improve upon a disappointing 2024 season in which the team went 22-31.

With injuries piling up, Baylor limped out of the gates to a 1-7 start. Eventually, the Bears got things moving in a positive direction and reached 18-18 midway through the season. Right when Baylor was supposed to turn a corner, the Bears scuffled to the finish line, lost 13 of their last 17 games and missed the conference tournament for the second consecutive year.

Expectations last spring were to finish around the even mark with a .500 record. Had injuries not decimated the lineup, I believe the team would have reached that goal instead of going 22-31. From an optics perspective, I think the perception of the program would be different had 2024 been a clear and obvious step in the right direction.

Considering the injuries, was last year still a significant disappointment? Yes. Was it a full-blown disaster? No. I’d contend the Bears are still heading in the right direction, but it’s time to put up or shut up; Baylor needs to win this season. I believe the Bears, on paper, have everything they need to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, and I’ll explain why today in the season preview.

Offensive Expectations

To win in college baseball at a high level, it’s advantageous to have an older, veteran team. As Thompson embarks on his third season at the helm of the Baylor program, the Bears will be anchored by a senior-heavy lineup.

Outfielders Enzo Apodaca (RSr.), Ty Johnson (Sr.) and Wesley Jordan (Sr.) will lead the team both on and off the field. Apodaca was Baylor’s best player last season and was first on the Bears in virtually every offensive category. Jordan earned preseason all-conference honors and has the potential to hit double-digit home runs this spring. Johnson is an elite center fielder who gets on base at a high clip.

Jack Mackenzie - SicEm365

Baylor’s Hunter Simmons (RSr.) is returning to the lineup after missing almost all of 2024 with an injury.

Instead of opting to rebuild the rest of the batting order via the transfer portal this summer, Thompson is relying on a group of returning players to get back from injuries and produce at a high level.

Baylor will be getting four key contributors back who missed either most or all of last season with injuries: Hunter Simmons (RSr.), Gavin Brzozowski (RJr.), Jack Little (RSo.) and Will Pendergrass (RSr.).

Simmons and Brzozowski, formerly outfielders, have moved to the infield and will rotate between first base and designated hitter. Little is expected to be the team’s starting second baseman and hit toward the top of the batting order.

The lineup will be rounded out by catcher Cortlan Castle (Sr.), third baseman Hunter Teplanszky (Sr.) and shortstop Tyriq Kemp (Sr.).

Also, for the first time in Thompson’s tenure, the team has legitimate depth, where if a particular player is struggling for an extended period of time, the Bears will have replacement options.

However, it’s worth noting that the team's ceiling will most likely be determined by how far the upperclassmen take them. If this group of position players avoids the injury bug this spring, they have the talent to be one of the better lineups in the conference.

Projected Starting Lineup

RF: Enzo Apodaca (RSr.): (.333 BAVG, .415 OB%, 210 AB, 53 GP)
2B: Jack Little (RSo.): (Injured in 2024)
DH: Hunter Simmons (RSr.): (.353 BAVG, .421 OB%, 17 AB, 5 GP)
LF: Wesley Jordan (Sr.): (.331 BAVG, .455 OB%, 133 AB, 40 GP)
1B: Gavin Brzozowski (RJr.): (.500 BAVG, .667 OB%, 2 AB, 1 GP)
3B: Hunter Teplanszky (Sr.): (.333 BAVG, .415 OB%, 210 AB, 53 GP)
CF Ty Johnson (Sr.): (.313 BAVG, .393 OB%, 198 AB, 49 GP)
SS: Tyriq Kemp (Sr.): (.238 BAVG, .349 OB%, 160 AB, 53 GP)
C: Cortlan Castle (Sr.): (.273 BAVG, .331 OB%, 132 AB, 43 GP)

Projected Bench

C: Brayden Buchanan (So.): (.159 BAVG, .315 OB%, 44 AB, 23 GP)
C: JJ Kennett (So., DBU): (.056 BAVG, .056 OB%, 18 AB, 12 GP)
INF: Travis Sanders (RSo., Texas Tech): (.242 BAVG, .390 OB%, 33 AB, 13 GP)
INF: Will Pendergrass (RSr.): (.238 BAVG, .314 OB%, 63 AB, 19 GP)
INF: Pearson Riebock (Fr.): (N/A)
OF: Caleb Bergman (Jr.): (.255 BAVG, .368 OB%, 47 AB, 30 GP)

*2024 Stats: (BAVG = Batting Average, OB% = On-Base Percentage, AB = At-Bats, GP = Games Played)*

Pitching Expectations

Across the past two seasons, Baylor’s pitching staff has been at the bottom of the conference in almost every statistic. At the end of last spring, Thompson parted ways with pitching coach James Leverton and brought in Lamar’s Sean Snedeker for the same position.

Snedeker was as good of a hire as Thompson could have possibly made. He helped Lamar to the second-lowest ERA (3.79) in the country last season and the sixth-lowest ERA (3.96) in 2023. Snedeker has also guided his pitching staff into the top 10 nationally in ERA at all three collegiate stops: Lamar, Oral Roberts and Duke.

Jack Mackenzie - SicEm365

LHP Ethan Calder (Jr.) had the fourth-lowest ERA (3.23) in the Big 12 last spring among qualifed pitchers.

Baylor’s pitching staff has raved about Snedeker’s positive demeanor and strike-first mentality, and by all accounts, the pitching staff was reportedly much improved across most of the fall.

The coaching staff believes the left-handed pitching might be the roster’s strong suit. The Bears are expected to have lefties Ethan Calder (Jr.) and Bryson Bales (6Sr.) in the weekend rotation this spring.

Calder was an all-conference pitcher out of Baylor’s bullpen last season and had the fourth-lowest ERA (3.23) in the Big 12 among qualified pitchers. Bales is a crafty left-handed pitcher who had an excellent summer for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod League and is transferring from Hendrix College, a Division III program in Conway, Ark.

While the third and final weekend rotation spot is yet to be determined, the potential options are veteran righty Cole Stasio (RSr.), Blinn JC transfer Lucas Davenport (RSo.), returning left-handed pitcher Mason Green (So.) or Carson Bailey (Fr.).

Roughly half of Baylor’s pitching staff will be new faces. The Bears have four freshman arms on the roster and welcomed five junior college arms to the team this offseason.

The lone Division I transfer is right-handed pitcher Caleb Bunch (Sr.), an all-conference relief arm at Northwestern State. Bunch and returning righty Gabe Craig (RSr.) are expected to be two of Baylor’s top bullpen arms.

Projected Weekend Rotation

LHP: Ethan Calder (Jr.); (3.23 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 55.2 IP, 21 APP)
LHP: Bryson Bales (6Sr., Hendrix College); (4.21 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 68.1 IP, 13 APP)
TBD

Projected Bullpen

RHP Andrew Petrowski (RSr.): (7.15 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, 22.2 IP, 21 APP)
RHP Gabe Craig (RSr.): (3.09 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 14 APP)
RHP Patrick Hail (RSr.): (7.06 ERA, 2.01 WHIP, 29.1 IP, 17 APP)
RHP Drew Leach (RSr.): (6.66 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 21 APP)
RHP Cole Stasio (RSr.): (Injured in 2024)
RHP Caleb Bunch (Sr., Northwestern State): (2.58 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 45.1 IP, 17 APP)
LHP Stefan Stahl (Jr., MCC): (3.21 ERA, 33.2 IP, 16 APP)
RHP Grayson Murry (Jr., Tyler JC): (3.62 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 74.2 IP, 16 APP)
LHP Caleb Jameson (Jr., Paris JC): (1.59 ERA, 17 IP, 4 APP)
RHP Lucas Davenport (RSo., Blinn JC): (3.75 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 103.1 IP, 19 APP)
LHP Mason Green (So.): (7.20 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 40 IP, 15 APP)
LHP RJ Ruais (So.): (5.45 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 34.2 IP, 22 APP)
LHP Carson Bailey (Fr.): (N/A)
RHP Brayden Bergman (Fr.): (N/A)

*2024 Stats: (ERA = Earned Run Average, WHIP = Walks & Hits Per Inning Pitched, IP = Innings-Pitched, APP = Appearances)*

My Expectations

On paper, I believe this team has everything it needs — a veteran lineup, pitching depth and a talented freshmen class — to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Do I believe Baylor will win 40-plus games and finish at the top of the conference? No, but I think reaching somewhere around 35 wins and finishing toward the middle of the conference is attainable.

I’m expecting the lineup to be much improved and the return of Simmons, Brozozowski and Little from injuries should be a significant boost. As long as Apodaca, Johnson and Jordan stay healthy, I feel confident in the ability of the batting order.

Jack Mackenzie - SicEm365

Baylor will be anchored this spring by its outfield trio of Enzo Apodaca (RSr.), Ty Johnson (Sr.) and Wesley Jordan (Sr.).

I’m curious to see how the pitching staff performs in the opening weeks of the season. I’ve heard nothing but positive things about this group's improvement, and the addition of Snedeker cannot be understated, but I’m in wait-and-see mode until the season starts. Even if the pitching staff improves from the bottom of the conference to slightly above average, that would be a massive development for this team's ceiling.

Obviously, things can change throughout the season, but I also believe the schedule is more favorable than last spring, especially the non-conference. The Bears will head to Globe Life Field in Arlington in late February to face No. 7 Oregon State, Ohio State and Auburn. Aside from that, however, Baylor has three very sweepable series against Youngstown State, Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount before the start of conference play.

The rest of the Big 12 should improve this season, but I think the Bears are significantly better than where they were picked in the preseason poll — 13th out of 14. If Baylor can take care of business in non-conference and finish close to or above .500 in conference play, the Bears should be on the right side of the bubble and make it to the NCAA Tournament.

Final Prediction: 34-20 (16-14); Loss in College Station Regional

Preview: Veteran Lineup, Revamped Pitching Staff Look To Help Push Bears To Postseason

Where This Program Is At

Offensive Expectations

Pitching Expectations

My Expectations

More Baseball Reading

Preview: Veteran Lineup, Revamped Pitching Staff Look To Help Push Bears To Postseason