Baylor Baseball Blanks Gonzaga, 4-0, Behind Another Calder Gem

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Feb. 21, 2025

Baylor Baseball Blanks Gonzaga, 4-0, Behind Another Calder Gem
Bears post second-consecutive shutout for first time since 2021
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball shut out Gonzaga, 4-0, Friday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark behind another gem from junior left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder.

Calder threw seven scoreless innings and allowed just four hits without walking a batter and added two strikeouts in the win. Junior southpaw Stefan Stahl came on in relief to retire all six of the batters he faced in picking up the two-inning save.

BU (5-0) received contributions throughout the lineup as seven different Bears recorded a hit. Senior infielder Tyriq Kemp’s RBI double in the seventh was the breakthrough before redshirt senior outfielder Enzo Apodaca drove in another with a sacrifice fly as Baylor pulled away.

THE RUNDOWN
Freshman infielder Pearson Riebock got the Bears going in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI single on an 0-2 count, scoring redshirt sophomore first baseman Gavin Brzozowski to make it 1-0.

As Calder cruised through the Bulldogs lineup, retiring 16 of the first 18 batters he faced, BU rewarded its ace with two more runs in the seventh on Kemp’s RBI double and Apodaca’s sac fly.

With a 3-0 lead in the top of the eighth, Baylor turned to Stahl out of the bullpen who made quick work of the Zags, retiring the side in order on three groundouts. Brzozowski came across in the bottom half after three-straight singles to pad the lead at 4-0.

Stahl stayed on to close things out in the ninth, sitting down the heart of the Gonzaga order to earn the first save of his career.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor’s five-game win streak is its longest to start a season since 2019.
• The five-game win streak ties two other separate five-game win streaks for the longest under third-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
• BU posted its second-consecutive shutout for the first time since April 1-2, 2021, vs. North Carolina A&T.
• The Bears did not walk a batter for the first time since April 16, 2024, at UT Arlington. This marked the fourth time BU did not surrender a walk under Thompson.
• This is the third time this season that the Bears have allowed just one walk or fewer.
• Baylor pitchers are currently riding a 20-inning scoreless streak.
• Redshirt senior OF Enzo Apodaca tallied his 200th-career hit.
• Senior INF Tyriq Kemp doubled in a run, marking his fourth-straight game with a hit and third game this season with an RBI.
• Junior LHP Ethan Calder (2-0) matched his career high with seven innings pitched and held the Bulldogs scoreless.
• Junior LHP Stefan Stahl earned his first-career save.

STAT OF THE DAY
7 – Junior LHP Ethan Calder matched his career best with seven innings pitched and the Bears totaled seven hits as a team in the victory.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On the positives he saw on the mound…
“I was proud of the way we pitched; Ethan [Calder] was great and we made plays behind him. And, Stef [Stahl] was great too. When you don’t give up any free bases, you don’t walk anybody, you don’t hit anybody, you’re not giving up any stolen bags, it’s tough to put together offense against you. Our guys did a great job.”

Junior LHP Ethan Calder
On getting first-pitch outs and going seven innings…
“It’s huge for the guys to get them back in the dugout and keep them warm on a cold day like this. We knew they [Gonzaga] swung early in counts, so I was just trying to fill it up and get us back to the dugout. Every time I go out there, I’m trying to go as long as possible until they take the ball out of my hands.”

Redshirt Sophomore 1B Gavin Brzozowski
On Calder’s start…
“The dude is a stud on the mound. It’s amazing the confidence he has up there, and it’s so much fun playing defense behind him. You want to go out there and hit for him. The dude is a monster up there.”

WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor (5-0) and Gonzaga (1-3) return for game two of the three-game series with a 2 p.m. first pitch at Baylor Ballpark on Saturday.

To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.



-BaylorBears.com-


__________________________________

Max Calderone | Director of Athletics Communications (Baseball, Football)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-265-1639

[signature_2062780422]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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