Baylor head coach Glenn Moore was brutally honest when talking about the 2026 team entering the year. He wasn’t quite sure how it would shape out, but he knew there would be growing pains.
The record looked impressive heading into the second series of Big 12 play at 18-6, but the Bears struggled against good Power 5 opponents, losing by a combined score of 21-0 against Clemson and Mississippi State across three games.
The optimism heading into 2027 from an on-field perspective relies on a win late in the year over No. 4 Texas Tech, alongside a pair of regional wins over Wagner and Wisconsin.
Baylor was within striking distance of Texas heading into the fifth inning of its Regional final, but the Longhorns pulled away to take it, 7-0.
From a personnel standpoint, the Bears were extremely young in 2026, but have a chance to make the most out of the offseason with a plethora of returning options and a portal session to help shore up some holes. Here are a couple of aspects of the team that I’m keeping an eye on.
Retention, Retention, Retention
It’s quite obvious that retention is a necessity to be successful in this era of college athletics, but Baylor is in a unique situation with its potential 2027 roster.
Just four players graduate, with two being consistent starters in shortstop Amber Toven and center fielder Brooklyn Carter.
The Bears played 17 underclassmen in 2026, including a boatload of playing time for the freshmen. The freshman class combined for 126 starts and 174 games played.
The cream of the crop of freshmen was third baseman Kaygen Marshall, a native of nearby Robinson, who displayed the best power, leading the team with 10 home runs and third with 25 RBI’s.
Despite having a relatively underwhelming regional, the Big 12 all-freshman team corner infielder proved to be a cornerstone. Her focus for the offseason will be on consistency, as she hit just .230 and had eight errors.
Just as important in keeping Marshall is making sure former top recruit Peyton Tanner stays in Waco. She proved her worth as a future All-Big 12 pitcher, highlighted by her performance against Texas.
She gave up just two earned runs through four innings, while not even striking a batter out. The Longhorns eventually got to the then-sophomore, but she is more than capable of taking the next step.
Maybe the most dangerous hitter from that Austin Regional is rising senior first baseman Leah Cran (.277 average, with seven homers and 34 RBI’s), who had a Saturday to remember, going 4-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs in wins over Wagner and Wisconsin.
Junior second baseman Faith Piper could also return, alongside a plethora of young, rotation players in incoming sophomores Olivia Buettner, Gianna Gusman and Harper Haas.
The entire pitching staff has eligibility to return, and a ton of notable lineup pieces have the chance to stay in Waco. Who stays remains a question, but there’s a ton of optimism to bring back some core pieces and help raise the 2027 ceiling.
A Power Bat Through the Portal
Marshall had a stellar freshman season, but she was the only player with more than seven home runs. That has to change next season. The Bears were the worst in the Big 12 in home runs by a good margin, with just 31 long balls.
For reference, Texas Tech’s Mia Williams is at 22 on the year.
The Bears’ offensive philosophy was playing small ball and testing catchers constantly on the basepaths.
However, they couldn’t go to a different strategy when the small ball wasn’t working. Even when the Bears hit for contact, the batting average was still less than desired — worst in the Big 12 at .277.
The best example of this was in the Texas game, where the corner infielders were almost even with the pitcher, just daring Baylor to attempt to beat them. Instead, the Bears settled for mostly weak contact and had a hard time finding base hits.
The threat of more power in the lineup can make the Bears more unpredictable and balance out a lineup that can play small ball, but the threat of having a few power bats can make them more balanced.
Someone to Challenge for the No. 3 Arm in the Circle
Under the impression that both Tanner and Sadie Ross return, I believe there can be some competition for the third arm spot.
The Bears did rank fourth in the Big 12 in strikeouts at 240, but also walked a ton and finished seventh in team ERA.
With the news of Lexie Warncke leaving (28 appearances, eight starts with a 5.38 ERA in 67.2 innings), depth is getting a bit thin.
The third arm gets league starts but is also set up for the midweek games against Non-Power 5 programs. This spot was held down for most of the season by Cambree Creager.
Creager had some highlight performances and showed tons of promise, specifically throwing 15 innings in a 3-2 loss to Houston.
More competition can never hurt a room that was just solid, but the pitching staff can grow with more competition and another year under their belt.
And while she did start more games than Ross, Ross showed up big time in the Regionals and could compete for more starts in 2027.
The Bears do bring in a top 50 recruit in Robinson High School’s Raelynn Van Zee, who was named 2024-25 District 23-4A pitcher of the year, Super Centex first team pitcher, and was a TSWA First Team All-State selection.
However, Van Zee is coming off a relatively long-term injury that took out a good chunk of her senior season. What form she’ll be in heading into 2027 will be a bit of a question.
I could see Baylor going to the portal for some back-end competition, but a year of growth from the staff could be exactly what the Bears need.
Build Off the Speed That’s Already on the Roster
For a team that averaged just 1.3 steals per game heading into the Regional, it was shocking to see the Bears swipe 10 bags in the first three games.
Baylor took advantage of below-average defense from Wagner and snagged five in its 9-0 run-rule win in the first elimination game.
The Bears have used small balls all season, but were never as aggressive on the basepaths. And with Carter graduating after stealing a team-high 26 bags, some speed will be leaving.
Baylor finished the season second in the conference in steals with 84, but also got thrown out the most times with 21. If they want to keep the same philosophy of small ball, they will need to get some of that speed back.
Adding the power through the portal would help keep the Bears more unpredictable, but getting that speed back could be critical in late-game situations, when Baylor needs a run or two and can trust baserunning to do the job.
