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Baylor Baseball

Baseball: 2018 Season Primer

February 16, 2018
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Flashback

The Baylor Bears started off red hot last year winning the first 10 games of the season and starting 15-2 overall before the start of conference play. Wins over Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Houston twice were the headliners of the terrific early season run.

Then Big 12 play hit and it hit hard.

Baylor went 12-12 in conference play which was good enough for 5th but it was the mid-week games that were killers. Losses to UTSA, Lamar and Sam Houston St. along with a series loss to Washington really hurt the Bears final record.

The Bears went into the Big 12 tournament with high hopes but lost to West Virginia and Texas Tech in back-to-back games to be eliminated.

The Bears earned a 2-seed in the Houston Regional but losses to Texas A&M and Houston to be eliminated. Despite the close, the season was considered a success in Steve Rodriguez's second year as head man.

2018 Team

With a ton of returning playmakers returning the Bears should be able to repeat last years performance if not improve once. Rodriguez is entering his third year as coach and he seems to have the program trending in the right direction. This could be a statement year where the Bears let the conference know that Baylor baseball is back for good. 

Players to Watch

Davis Wendzel

Batting Average: .301/RBIs: 30/HR: 8

Wendzel had a great freshman year and grew tremendously as the season went on. If he shows even more consistency he could be a real big problem for opponents pitchers this season.

Shea Langeliers

Batting Average: .313/RBIs: 38/HR: 10

As a freshman Shea was absolute dynamite. He leads all returning starters in batting average, RBIs and home runs. He is going to have to have another special year for the Bears if they want to make it even farther in the postseason.  

Cody Bradford

W-L: 5-5/Innings Pitched: 73.1/ERA: 5.52/SO: 43

Cody had his ups and downs as a freshman but there is no doubt he has talent. He is going to be the “Friday Night Guy” for the Bears this year and might be the most important player on the team. His improvement over the offseason will be something to keep an eye on.

Troy Montemayor 

W-L: 3-1/Saves: 12/ERA: 2.10/SO: 29

Consistency is what Troy brings every single game. He goes out and gets his job done. The senior is going to have be at his best this year leading the bullpen and shutting games down in the 9th. He is also just 12 saves away from being a Baylor record holder.

Schedule Analysis

Home Tests: 18 Dallas Baptist, Sam Houston State, Texas Tech (x3), TCU (x3)

Road Tests: 11 UCLA (x3), California, Texas A&M, 18 Dallas Baptist, 21 Texas (x3), 22 West Virginia (x3)

The schedule is definitely tough but there are lots of opportunities to build a tournament resume. Beating some of the really good teams is a must and it’s exactly what last years team did in order to get a 2-seed.

Prediction

Baylor will go 34-17 in the regular season and end the season as a 2-seed in the College Station Regional. The Bears proceed to beat the Aggies and advance to a Super Regional but the magic ends there.

Baylor Bears baseball kicks off at 6:35 P.M. on Friday against Houston Baptist at Baylor Ballpark.

Tags: Baseball, Baylor, 2018
 
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