Series Preview: Baylor Hits the Road to Open Conference Play against Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Baylor baseball (13-3) will hit the road for its first true away series of the season and open conference play against the Kansas Jayhawks (15-2) at Hoglund Ballpark. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday’s contest will start at 2 p.m., and the series finale on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.

Baylor Bears (13-3)

Head Coach: Mitch Thompson

• Career Record: 426-205 (12th season) 
• Record at Baylor: 54-67 (3rd season) 

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Baylor (13-3) is off to its best start of the Mitch Thompson era.

Notable Opponents:

• Wins: Ohio State
• Losses: No. 8 Oregon State, No. 25 Auburn

2025 Projections:

• D1Baseball: 12th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 13th in the Big 12

Team Stats:

• Earned Run Average: 2.79 (2nd in Big 12)
• Batting Average: .308 (4th in Big 12)
• Fielding Percentage: .966 (11th in Big 12)
• Strength of Schedule: 218th

Kansas Jayhawks (15-2)

Head Coach: Dan Fitzgerald

• Career Record: 320-130 (8th season) 
  

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  Baylor’s pitching staff is in the top-15 nationally in ERA, WHIP and K/BB ratio.
• Record at Kansas: 71-57 (3rd season) 

Notable Opponents:

• Wins: Minnesota
• Losses: N/A

2025 Projections:

• D1Baseball: 5th in the Big 12
• Coaches Poll: 9th in the Big 12

Team Stats:

• Earned Run Average: 3.66 (4th in Big 12)
• Batting Average: .324 (3rd in Big 12)
• Fielding Percentage: .969 (9th in Big 12)
• Strength of Schedule: 213th

Baylor Projected Starting Lineup

• 1B: Jack Little (RSo.): (.303 BAVG, .413 OB%, 66 AB, 20 R, 8 XBH, 17 RBI)
• RF: Enzo Apodaca (RSr.): (.306 BAVG, .423 OB%, 62 AB, 19 R, 7 XBH, 17 RBI)
• LF: Wesley Jordan (Sr.): (.349 BAVG, .432 OB%, 63 AB, 11 R, 9 XBH, 18 RBI)
• DH: Hunter Simmons (RSr.): (.424 BAVG, .528 OB%, 59 AB, 12 R, 8 XBH, 13 RBI)
• 3B: Pearson Riebock (Fr.): (.394 BAVG, .512 OB%, 33 AB, 7 R, 7 XBH, 9 RBI)
• CF Ty Johnson (Sr.): (.298 BAVG, .429 OB%, 57 AB, 9 R, 3 XBH, 12 RBI)
• 2B: Travis Sanders (RSo.): (.350 BAVG, .391 OB%, 20 AB, 6 R, 2 RBI)
• C: JJ Kennett (So.): (.276 BAVG, .417 OB%, 29 AB, 7 R, XBH, 7 RBI)
• SS: Tyriq Kemp (Sr.): (.327 BAVG, .446 OB%, 52 AB, 17 R, 7 XBH, 7 RBI)

Baylor Projected Bench

• C: Cortlan Castle (Sr.): (.174 BAVG, .367 OB%, 23 AB, 3 R, XBH, 2 RBI)
• 1B: Gavin Brzozowski (RSo.): (.190 BAVG, .393 OB%, 21 AB, 7 R, RBI)
• 3B: Hunter Teplanszky (Sr.): (.207 BAVG, .351 OB%, 29 AB, 4 R, XBH, 7 RBI)

*2025 Stats: (BAVG = Batting Average, OB% = On-Base Percentage, AB = At-Bats, R = Runs, XBH = Extra Base Hits, RBI = Runs Batted In)*

Probable Starting Pitchers

• BU SP 1 – LHP: Ethan Calder (Jr.); (3-1, 3.22 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 22.1 IP, 4 GS)
• KU SP 1 – RHP Dominic Voegele (So.); (2-1, 6.86 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 19.2 IP, 4 GS)
• BU SP 2 – LHP: Bryson Bales (6Sr.); (1-0, 3.78 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 16.2 IP, 4 GS)
• KU SP 2 – RHP: Manning West (RSo.); (2-0, 3.57 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 4 GS)
• BU SP 3 – LHP: Carson Bailey (Fr.); (2-0, 1.65 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 16.2 IP, 4 GS)
• KU SP 3 – TBD

*2025 Stats: (ERA = Earned Run Average, WHIP = Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched, GS = Games Started)*

Kansas Projected Starting Lineup

• CF: Derek Cerda (Jr.): (.348 BAVG, .545 OB%, 23 AB, 8 R, 6 XBH, 6 RBI)
• LF: Brady Counsell (Sr.): (.345 BAVG, .481 OB%, 58 AB, 20 R, 5 XBH, 19 RBI)
• 1B: Brady Ballinger (So.): (.475 BAVG, .632 OB%, 61 AB, 27 R, 11 XBH, 22 RBI)
• DH: Jackson Hauge (Sr.): (.324 BAVG, .440 OB%, 68 AB, 15 R, 13 XBH, 28 RBI)
• RF: Tommy Barth (Sr.): (.300 BAVG, .405 OB%, 70 AB, 15 R, 8 XBH, 16 RBI)
• 3B: Michael Brooks (RSr.): (.238 BAVG, .346 OB%, 63 AB, 16 R, 5 XBH, 8 RBI)
• SS: Sawyer Smith (Sr.): (.313 BAVG, .395 OB%, 64 AB, 16 R, 7 XBH, 13 RBI)
• 2B: Chase Diggins (Sr.): (.300 BAVG, .434 OB%, 60 AB, 18 R, 4 XBH, 17 RBI)
• C: Max Soliz (Jr.): (.250 BAVG, .387 OB%, 24 AB, 5 R, 2 XBH, 2 RBI)

Top Quotes

Head coach Mitch Thompson on playing the first true road series of the season:

• “Having a team that has experience going on the road and playing in conference before, they know what to expect and can help the young and new guys figure it out. It’s definitely time to go do this.”

Head coach Mitch Thompson on what to expect from Kansas:

• ”They are a talented team. They’ve got good right-handed pitching and some power, obviously. Yesterday, they hit five home runs in a row; that’s pretty incredible. They are a big challenge. They are a really well-coached team. They have some energy. Their fans will be into it. It’ll be a fun weekend.”

Head coach Mitch Thompson on where the team is at going into conference play, as opposed to the last two years

• “Hugely different. For the past two years, everybody wanted to be good, and everybody wanted to compete. We wanted to have confidence and believe, but there were things that were making it hard. It’s much easier now and much easier to expect good performances and good play. We’ve taken a big step. Now, it’s to do this at the conference level.”

Center fielder Ty Johnson (Sr.) on starting Big 12 play:

• “We’re excited to start conference [play]. We did what we wanted to do in the preseason. At the end of the day, it’s not about what logo is on the other team’s hat. It’s about us; that’s what Thompson preaches all the time. It’s about us and how we play, and we’re going to take that same mentality into conference [play].”

Left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder (Jr.) on the depth of the pitching staff:

• “It’s huge. It changes your mindset. You’re trying to go deep into the game, but if you give up a couple of runs here and there, you know the offense is going to score and that the ‘pen is going to shut it down. For me, it’s a mindset change, and it’s not just zeroes, zeroes, zeroes. That’s what you want, but if you give up a run, it’s a zero the next inning because you know your ‘pen is going to back you up.”

Other Baseball Reading

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• Faith, Injury and Hope: The Resilient Return of Hunter Simmons