Baylor Stays Alive in Big 12 Tournament Behind Janusek’s Heroics in 13-9 Win Over BYU

SURPRISE, Ariz. – No. 8 seed Baylor baseball (29-26) kept its season alive with a thrilling 13-9 win over No. 9 seed BYU (28-28) in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night at Surprise Stadium; it was the Bears’ first victory in the Big 12 Tournament since 2019.

The top of Baylor’s order was phenomenal in the win, as shortstop Travis Sanders (RJr.), first baseman Tyce Armstrong (RSr.) and right fielder Brady Janusek (Fr.) each recorded multiple base knocks and combined to go 7-for-12 at the plate with eight RBIs; Janusek finished the contest a triple shy of the cycle and hit the go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning.

The Bears narrowly out-hit the Cougars, 11-to-10, and were incredibly efficient at the plate, going 10-for-16 (.625) with runners on and 5-for-10 (.500) with runners in scoring position; Baylor also benefited from four BYU errors. It was a back-and-forth contest, as the Bears jumped out to a 5-0 lead and later trailed 8-6 before scoring seven straight runs to rally back.

“It’s a fight all the way,” head coach Mitch Thompson told the Baylor Sports and Media Network post-game. “We knew it was going to be a fight. Those guys really compete hard against us, and they did. I love the way we came out early. We punched them in the mouth, and they punched right back and knocked us on our tush for a second. We had to get up and get after it, but that’s what you expected. I loved the way our guys fought.”

Left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder (Sr.) entered out of the bullpen and was fantastic for the Bears, as he earned the win and punched out eight batters, while surrendering just three hits and two runs across 4.2 frames.

“He took the ball and said, ‘Hey. I’m not letting this end today.’ That’s the way that worked,” Thompson said. “He threw great today, other than that one little hiccup. He was fantastic. He was out there competing his tail off.”

Baylor’s offense carried its momentum from the Utah series into the Big 12 Tournament, as the Bears got three big hits in the first inning, including a Janusek double, a two-run single from second baseman Pearson Riebock (So.) and an RBI double from designated hitter Brytton Clements (RFr.).

In the following frame, BYU’s starting pitcher, Wayland Crane (Sr.), walked the bases loaded, and Janusek came through once again with a two-run single into left field; he totaled a career-high five RBIs on Wednesday.

Although Davenport earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, he finished the regular season with back-to-back forgettable starts against UCF and Utah, where he surrendered 18 hits and 15 earned runs across 8.2 frames.

After facing the minimum through the first two innings, the wheels came off for Davenport in the third inning, as eight straight BYU batters reached base, and Baylor saw its 5-0 lead completely evaporate and eventually turn into a 6-5 deficit.

Center fielder Ty Johnson (5Sr.) reached on a fielding error to lead off the bottom of the fourth, and later was plated by a sharp RBI single into right field from Sanders; Sanders leads Baylor with 81 hits on the season and boasts a .378 batting average.

Outside of that, however, the Bears had little to no success against BYU’s stud southpaw, Ashton Johnson (Sr.), until a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth when a fielding error extended the inning. With Sanders aboard, Armstrong blooped a single into right field and Janusek crushed a go-ahead three-run homer onto the berm in left-center field.

Baylor padded its lead further with a four-spot in the seventh, highlighted by a two-out, two-run double down the line from Sanders; he later came around to score on a fielding error.

Closer Caleb Bunch (5Sr.) recorded the final six outs of the contest and struck out three Cougars on 27 total pitches; the Second-Team All-Big 12 reliever’s ERA sits at 3.32 on the season.

Final: Baylor 13, BYU 9

W: Ethan Calder (5-5) L: Ashton Johnson (2-5)

POTG: Brady Janusek (3-for-5, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR, 2 K)

What’s Next

The Bears (29-26) will now face the Kansas Jayhawks (39-16), the No. 1 seed and Big 12 regular-season champions, at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, at Surprise Stadium, with the game nationally televised on ESPNU.