Baylor Baseball Drops Big 12 Opener at Kansas, 9-1

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 14, 2025

Baylor Baseball Drops Big 12 Opener at Kansas, 9-1
Bears held quiet by Preseason Big 12 Pitcher of the Year
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Baylor baseball dropped its Big 12 opener at Kansas Friday night, 9-1, at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kan.

With winds howling over 30 miles per hour for much of the early innings, and a cloud of red dust blowing in from nearby wildfires, KU benefitted from a two-run homer in the second inning and never looked back, as Preseason Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Dominic Voegele held the Bears bats quiet for seven innings, allowing just one run while retiring the side in order five times.

Eight of the Jayhawks’ nine hits went for extra bases, while BU was kept to just three singles and two doubles on the night.

THE RUNDOWN
Kansas started the scoring with an RBI groundout and a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to take an early 3-0 lead. Meanwhile, Preseason Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Dominic Voegele retired each of the first 10 Bears he faced in order before redshirt senior outfielder Enzo Apodaca doubled in the top of the fourth.

In the bottom of the fourth, KU added another with an RBI groundout, extending its lead to 4-0. Then in the fifth, the Jayhawks scored three more after chasing junior left-handed starter Ethan Calder from the mound and opened up a 7-0 advantage.

Baylor got on the board in the top of the sixth on two singles, a walk and a KU error, but was unable to make a dent in the KU lead at 7-1. The Jayhawks added two more in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out, two-run single, pushing the scoreline to 9-1.

The Bears showed some life in the top of the ninth, loading the bases after a one-out double by senior outfielder Wesley Jordan, a single by redshirt senior designated hitter Hunter Simmons and a walk to freshman infielder Pearson Riebock. But, a 4-6-3 double play ended the night and gave the Jayhawks the conference-opening victory.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor still leads the all-time series against Kansas, 61-30.
• Redshirt sophomore INF Jack Little extended his on-base streak to 12 games with a walk in the sixth inning.
• Redshirt senior OF Enzo Apodaca doubled for the third time this season.
• Senior OF Wesley Jordan has hit safely in 13 of 17 ballgames this year.
• Jordan also tallied his seventh multi-hit effort of 2025.
• Redshirt senior DH Hunter Simmons extended his on-base streak to 24 games, dating back to the 2023 season, and owns a team-leading 10-game hitting streak.
• Freshman INF Pearson Riebock extended his on-base streak to seven games.
• Senior INF Tyriq Kemp logged a hit and scored a run in the same game for the ninth time this season.
• Redshirt senior RHP Drew Leach made his third scoreless appearance of the year on the mound.

STAT OF THE DAY
24 – Redshirt senior outfielder Hunter Simmons extended his on-base streak to 24 games, dating back to the 2023 season.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On tonight’s ballgame…
“They got after us tonight, there’s no question about that. They swung the bats better, had more hard-hit balls than we did. We walked them too many times, too. That just goes to show that the free base thing does come true a lot. We’ll try and bounce back again tomorrow. This was a weird environment here tonight. I don’t know if I’ve been in one like that in 35 years. I felt like we were on the planet Mars there for a while with the red [dust]; they handled it better than we did and we’re going to show back up tomorrow and try to get a W.”

On Kansas starter Dominic Voegele…
“He’s the Preseason Pitcher of the Year in our conference for a reason. He’s got really good stuff and he didn’t make many mistakes on the third-base side of the plate. He forced us to hit the ball to right field, and there’s a lot of balls that aren’t going anywhere to right field tonight. He dominated us pretty good for seven innings.”

WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor (13-4) looks to even the series with Kansas (16-2) in game two of the weekend series on Saturday, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. from Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kan.

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_2172701375]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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