Game Thread: Baylor Opens Big 12 Tournament against Oklahoma State

No. 10-seed Baylor baseball (33-21, 13-17) is set to face No. 7-seed Oklahoma State (27-22, 15-12) in the opener of the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

By Levi Caraway

May 20, 2025

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ARLINGTON, Texas – No. 10-seed Baylor baseball (33-21, 13-17) is set to face No. 7-seed Oklahoma State (27-22, 15-12) in the opener of the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The winner will move on to play No. 2-seed Kansas (42-14, 20-10) in the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 22, also scheduled for 4 p.m. Both games will be televised on ESPNU and streamed on ESPN+.

Baylor Bears (33-21, 13-17)

Head Coach: Mitch Thompson

Career Record: 445-221 (12th season)
Record at Baylor: 70-83 (3rd season)

Notable Opponents:

Wins: No. 23 Arizona (2), Arizona State, TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Ohio State
Losses: No. 8 Oregon State, No. 25 Auburn, Kansas (2), Kansas State (2), Texas Tech (2), TCU (2), Arizona State (2), Oklahoma State (2)

2025 Projections:

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

Team Stats:

Earned Run Average: 4.56 (5th in Big 12)
Batting Average: .288 (7th in Big 12)
Fielding Percentage: .969 (12th in Big 12)
Strength of Schedule: No. 86 (D1Baseball), No. 69 (Warren Nolan)
RPI: No. 69 (D1Baseball), No. 68 (Warren Nolan)

Oklahoma State Cowboys (27-22, 15-12)

Head Coach: Josh Holliday

Career Record: 467-249 (13th season)
Record at Oklahoma State: 467-249 (13th season)

Notable Opponents:

Wins: Arizona State (3), Baylor (2), UCF (3), Kansas State (3), Texas A&M
Losses: Cincinnati (2), Arizona (2), Kansas (3), Utah (2), Texas, Clemson, Tennessee

2025 Projections:

D1Baseball: 1st in the Big 12
Coaches Poll: 1st in the Big 12

Team Stats:

Earned Run Average: 4.34 (3rd in Big 12)
Batting Average: .256 (14th in Big 12)
Fielding Percentage: .973 (9th in Big 12)
Strength of Schedule: No. 11 (D1Baseball), No. 12 (Warren Nolan)
RPI: No. 47 (D1Baseball), No. 45 (Warren Nolan)

Baylor Projected Starting Lineup

RF: Enzo Apodaca (RSr.): (.291 BAVG, .395 OB%, 220 AB, 54 R, 22 XBH, 34 RBI)
2B: Travis Sanders (RSo.): (.338 BAVG, .429 OB%, 160 AB, 44 R, 18 XBH, 25 RBI)
SS: Tyriq Kemp (Sr.): (.364 BAVG, .453 OB%, 198 AB, 48 R, 22 XBH, 39 RBI)
LF: Wesley Jordan (Sr.): (.309 BAVG, .398 OB%, 191 AB, 36 R, 29 XBH, 41 RBI)
3B: Pearson Riebock (Fr.): (.313 BAVG, .413 OB%, 179 AB, 30 R, 18 XBH, 32 RBI)
DH: Hunter Simmons (RSr.): (.303 BAVG, .393 OB%, 201 AB, 29 R, 18 XBH, 36 RBI)
1B: Jack Little (RSo.): (.221 BAVG, .339 OB%, 154 AB, 34 R, 14 XBH, 30 RBI)
CF Ty Johnson (Sr.): (.262 BAVG, .401 OB%, 172 AB, 30 R, 9 XBH, 31 RBI)
C: Cortlan Castle (Sr.): (.277 BAVG, .388 OB%, 101 AB, 12 R, 8 XBH, 17 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 LHP: Ethan Calder (Jr.); (3-6, 5.43 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 68 IP, 14 GS)
OSU RHP: Sean Youngerman (Jr.); (3-1, 2.08 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 47.2 IP, 5 GS)

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

Oklahoma State Projected Starting Lineup

LF: Alex Conover (So.): (.258 BAVG, .368 OB%, 97 AB, 24 R, 11 XBH, 18 RBI)
2B: Brayden Smith (Jr.): (.313 BAVG, .394 OB%, 192 AB, 40 R, 26 XBH, 36 RBI)
RF: Nolan Schubart (Jr.): (.288 BAVG, .428 OB%, 177 AB, 49 R, 24 XBH, 53 RBI)
CF: Kollin Ritchie (So.): (.270 BAVG, .367 OB%, 122 AB, 22 R, 15 XBH, 28 RBI)
1B: Colin Brueggemann (Sr.): (.312 BAVG, .388 OB%, 189 AB, 37 R, 26 XBH, 51 RBI)
DH: Jayson Jones (Jr.): (.227 BAVG, .317 OB%, 181 AB, 36 R, 15 XBH, 29 RBI)
C: Ian Daugherty (Sr.): (.264 BAVG, .368 OB%, 129 AB, 26 R, 16 XBH, 21 RBI)
3B: Brock Thompson (Fr.): (.227 BAVG, .371 OB%, 128 AB, 32 R, 14 XBH, 24 RBI)
SS: Drew Culbertson (So.): (.158 BAVG, .295 OB%, 101 AB, 16 R, XBH, 13 RBI)

Top Quotes

Head coach Mitch Thompson on Baylor playing in the Big 12 Tournament:

“The good news for our club is that everybody we’ve played this year [in conference play], we’ve beaten. We’re going to go take on Oklahoma State in game one, and hopefully, we can win that game, go to the next one, and keep going. It’s one game four [different] times, which is what we’re fighting to do. It’ll take everybody on the staff and everybody on the team to get through it, but hopefully, we can go out there and play really well and advance one game at a time.”

Head coach Mitch Thompson on facing Oklahoma State again after playing the Cowboys earlier this month:

“It’s probably good for both teams. We know them. They know us. We’re pretty familiar with them. There hasn’t been a whole lot of water under the bridge since we’ve played them. I think we feel confident against them. I’m sure they feel pretty confident against us. It’s going to be how it’s been all year; if you go and play well, you have a chance. If you don’t play well, if you don’t pitch well, then the other team is good enough, and they are going to beat you. Our focus is to go and play well.”

Shorstop Tyriq Kemp (Sr.) on playing in the Big 12 Tournament:

“I’m really excited. It’s going to be my first time playing in this tournament. It’s going to be the first time for other guys here. I’m going to attack it and have fun.”

Right-handed pitcher Gabe Craig (RSr.) on the mindset going into the Big 12 Tournament:

“It’s like we’ve said all season, you have to play one game at a time, and that’s the structure of the tournament. We’ve played really well the last couple of weeks and have gelled together well. We’ve pitched the ball well. We’ve hit the ball well. Keep that momentum and focus on Wednesday, and that’s it, because you can’t get to any other days without winning on Wednesday. You get one game at a time, and you go out there and do everything you can to win that game and go from there.”