Baylor Baseball Hosts HCU to Start Five-Game Homestand

Mon Mar 31 16:11:31 CDT 2025

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 31, 2025

Baylor Baseball Hosts HCU to Start Five-Game Homestand
Bears hold unblemished 6-0 record in midweek games so far this season
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

[BU Logo]
BAYLOR BEARS (19-8, 4-5 Big 12)
Location: Waco, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: Big 12
Head Coach: Mitch Thompson<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/mitch-thompson/2403> (Fort Hays St., 1988)

Roster<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster> | Stats<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/stats/2024> | Game Notes (PDF)<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2025/3/31/Baylor_BSB_Game_Notes_2025_28_HCU.pdf>
BAYLOR (19-8, 4-5) vs. HCU (17-8, 10-2)
April 1, 2025 • 6:30 p.m. CT
Waco, Texas • Baylor Ballpark (5,000)

LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com<https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=bay>
WATCH: ESPN+
Talent: John Morris<https://baylorbears.com/staff-directory/john-morris/52>, Pat Combs
LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM
Talent: Derek Smith, Tom Barfield

Baylor Social Media: [auto twitter icon] <https://twitter.com/BaylorBaseball>  [instagram png] <https://www.instagram.com/baylorbaseball/?hl=en>  [Facebook PNG] <https://www.facebook.com/BaylorBaseball/>
[Houston Baptist]
HCU HUSKIES (17-8, 10-2 Southland)
Location: Houston, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: Southland
Head Coach: Clayton VanderLaan (Graceland, 2014)

Roster<https://hcuhuskies.com/sports/baseball/roster> | Stats<https://hcuhuskies.com/sports/baseball/stats/2025>

STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball returns home to begin a five-game homestretch against HCU on Tuesday night ahead of a weekend series against Houston. A midweek next Tuesday against Texas State rounds out the homestand.
• BU is coming off a series victory at No. 12 Arizona, claiming the Friday opener, 8-5, and the Saturday contest, 6-3.
• The Bears collected their fifth and sixth wins against a ranked team under third-year head coach Mitch Thompson<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/mitch-thompson/2403>.
• The wins marked BU's first road series victory over a ranked opponent since taking two of three at No. 5 Texas Tech on April 23-25, 2021, in Lubbock.
• Baylor's bullpen was excellent in both victories, combining for just one earned run in 11.1 innings on Friday and Saturday.
• Sixth-year senior closer Gabe Craig<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/gabe-craig/13509> was electric, picking up two saves over the weekend with three strikeouts in two innings.
• Baylor has scored at least eight runs in eight of its last 10 wins.
• Baylor is 12-2 this season when allowing two walks or less.
• BU is 14-1 when striking out nine or more batters and 11-3 when racking up 10+ hits offensively.
• Baylor returns 22 players from its 2024 roster, including six position player starters, and welcomes 18 newcomers.
• BU has 16 seniors on its 2025 roster, including six fifth-year players and three sixth-year players.
• Baylor plays a combined 13 games against five NCAA Tournament teams in 2025 and will face 10 30-game winners, including two squads that won 40 or more games last season.
• 46% of the schedule features opponents that finished 2024 with a top-75 RPI.
STRONG FIRST HALF
• Baylor completed its first Opening Weekend sweep since 2019, outscoring Youngstown State 38-11.
• The Bears posted back-to-back shutouts against UTSA and Gonzaga, the team's first consecutive shutouts since April 1-2, 2021.
• BU's sweep over LMU signaled the fourth time since 2017 that the Bears have swept two opponents at home within the first four weekends of the year.
• Tuesday, March 11's game attendance (2,283) against Sam Houston was the largest crowd against a non-conference opponent, and the seventh-largest overall, of the Thompson era.
• Baylor erased a five-run deficit to win 9-7 on Sunday at Kansas, the largest comeback of the Thompson Era.
• Baylor's 3.38 walks per nine innings ranks 21st in the country.
• BU's bullpen has allowed 49 earned runs across 132.0 innings of relief, good for a 3.34 ERA.
• For the seventh week in a row, Baylor is currently receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25 poll. Baylor has not been ranked in a major poll since 2019.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST HCU
• Baylor is 8-2 all-time against HCU, including a 2-0 mark in the Thompson era, and has won each of the last four meetings.
TUESDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
• Baylor is 22-10 in midweek ballgames under third-year head coach Mitch Thompson<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/mitch-thompson/2403>.
• BU has won 11-straight midweek games, dating back to the 2024 season.
• The Bears are 6-0 in midweeks so far this season and 6-0 against fellow teams from the state of Texas in 2025.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Tues. April 1 • 6:30 p.m. • LHP Bryson Bales<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/bryson-bales/14021> (2-2, 7.77 ERA) vs. RHP Parker Edwards (1-1, 4.28 ERA)
SOUTHPAW STARTERS
• Baylor has started a left-handed pitcher in each of its last 16 games, dating back to March 2 (Cole Stasio<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/cole-stasio/13524> vs. Auburn).
• 2025 is the only season in the Statcrew Era (since 2003) that BU has started five different left-handed pitchers at any point in the year, and the third time in the same span with four different LHP starters.
• 2025 is the only time in the Statcrew Era that the Bears have started four different southpaws consecutively.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• Tuesday's game will be streamed on ESPN+, with the Voice of the Bears John Morris<https://baylorbears.com/staff-directory/john-morris/52> and Baylor Athletics Hall of Famer Pat Combs calling the action.
• Fans can also tune in to ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM for the Baylor radio broadcast, featuring Derek Smith and Tom Barfield on the call.

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_539000190]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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