Building Momentum: Baylor Baseball Dominates Opening Weekend, Looks Ahead to Bright Season
Baylor baseball is off to its best start in the Mitch Thompson era, following a three-game sweep of Youngstown State on Opening Weekend in which the Bears out-scored and out-hit the opposing Penguins, 38-to-11 and 46-to-18.
While it may appear from the outside that Baylor simply took care of business against an inferior opponent, this wouldn't have necessarily been a guaranteed series win in seasons past. The positive outcome is a much-needed step in the right direction for the program, especially after last year when the Bears started the spring with a 1-7 record.
"It's just what the doctor ordered," Thompson said of the sweep after Saturday's doubleheader. "We got really good performances from the guys on the mound. We had a bunch of guys go out there, and I think we'll keep getting better and better and better and better on the mound. Offensively, there's a whole bunch of guys who swung the bat well."
Thompson continued, "This is one weekend — don't get me wrong — we have a lot of work to do. We have to keep getting better, but it was a good weekend, and you can get excited with the possibilities here."
The key difference between now and this time last year is that the Bears are almost entirely healthy. After missing either most or all of last season with injuries, Hunter Simmons (RSr.), Gavin Brzozowski (RJr.) and Jack Little (RSo.) each made their much-anticipated return to the lineup against Youngstown State.
Simmons, who is returning from a gruesome leg injury that he suffered on Feb. 23, 2024, picked up right where he left off and started all three games over the weekend at designated hitter and batted clean-up. Simmons was 8-for-12 at the plate against the Penguins and collected five RBIs in the series while also bringing some much-needed energy and positive vibes to the dugout.
"It feels so good having Scoob [Simmons] back in the lineup; he's making a big difference," shortstop Tyriq Kemp (Sr.) said on Saturday. "Everyone is feeling good and swinging the bat. We just have to keep doing this and everything will be good."
Little, a transfer from Wichita State following the 2023 season, hit lead-off and started at second base; he went 7-for-15 with two doubles and leads the team with seven runs scored. Meanwhile, Brzozowski started two games at first base and was 2-for-5 at the plate and drew a team-high four walks.
"They weren't there last year, but we have them now — that's the biggest part," Simmons said of Little and Brzozowski. "Having them brings up everybody else. We're not relying on three people. We have a bunch of people helping out now. It takes the pressure off them and us. The team is excited to have them back. I'm pumped to see Jack back and Gavin back in the lineup."
Defensively, Brzozowski has primarily played outfield in the past but is currently in the process of learning first base. Against the Penguins, the Mansfield native had a handful of excellent plays, including a diving grab that led to a double play.
"I said to him that he looked like Spiderman over there; he did a really good job at first base," Kemp said. "He's worked really hard at first base. We put a lot of effort into our defense during practice. It's something we expected from him, and it's looking good for us."
As for the familiar faces in the lineup, outfielders Enzo Apodaca (RSr.), Ty Johnson (Sr.) and Wesley Jordan (Sr.) have all started the season on a hot note. Jordan, in particular, had a stellar Opening Weekend; he currently leads the team in batting average (.692), extra-base hits (4), total bases (16) and runs batted in (7).
Across Saturday's doubleheader, the preseason all-conference slugger hit a home run 422 feet to the left-center field scoreboard and lined a triple 119 miles per hour off the bat into the right field corner, but an infield single that he dribbled down the third base line might have been his top highlight of the day.
"I kind of like the infield single," Jordan jokingly said post-game. "It's a little bit of payback for some of those lineouts. I don't get those often, but it's fun when I do."
The 38 runs that the Bears scored over the weekend were the highest number in a three-game series in Thompson's tenure as head coach. With Apodaca and Jordan anchoring the top of the lineup, combined with the return of Simmons, Little and Brzozowski, it's hard not to be optimistic about the batting order's potential moving forward.
"When that lineup keeps turning over and it's Little and Apodaca again, and then it's Jordan and Simmons, you can see this is going to be a fun lineup, especially when you get production from the bottom," Thompson said. "When you start getting [Cortlan] Castle, [JJ] Kennett and Tyriq, who all performed pretty well over the course of the weekend. It's exciting."
On the mound, the early returns have been positive as both lefty starting pitchers, Ethan Calder (Jr.) and Bryson Bales (6Sr.), had successful first outings of the season.
Calder was Baylor's most reliable pitcher last spring and earned honorable mention all-conference. He had the fourth-lowest ERA (3.23) in the Big 12 among qualified pitchers, and 12 of his 18 relief appearances in 2024 were scoreless.
Against the Penguins, Calder was dominant and struck out a career-high 13 batters, surrendering just one run across five frames.
"That's the reason that we gave him the ball; he's consistent with everything he does, and you know what you're going to get," Thompson said of Calder. "Who on our staff [could] take the ball on Opening Day and be the guy you need him to be? It's Ethan."
Bales tried to outdo Calder on Saturday and struck out seven consecutive batters to start his Baylor debut. The Hendrix College transfer fanned eight and allowed two runs in four innings of work.
Coming off a season in which the Bears were at the bottom of the conference in almost every pitching category, Baylor's Opening Weekend under first-year pitching coach Sean Snedeker appeared to be a major success. Thirteen different pitchers faced at least one batter; the pitching staff combined to allow nine earned runs and struck out 34 batters while handing out just 10 walks.
"We got really good performances from the guys on the mound," Thompson said. "We had a bunch of guys get out there, and I think we'll keep getting better and better and better on the mound."
As the Bears look to continue the hot start to the season, the team doesn't want to sit back and admire the 3-0 record quite yet. Instead, they want to carry the momentum forward and continue to show that this year's team is much improved.
"It's less about record and more about how we feel in the clubhouse and showing ourselves that it's different this year and getting that confidence rolling," Jordan said.
Baylor will welcome UTSA (1-2) to Baylor Ballpark at 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon for a midweek matchup. Next weekend, the Bears will host Gonzaga (1-2) for a three-game series. All of the games will be streamed on ESPN+.
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