No. 10 Seed Baylor Baseball Set for Big 12 Championship

Tue May 20 16:59:00 CDT 2025

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – May 20, 2025

No. 10 Seed Baylor Baseball Set for Big 12 Championship
Bears back in conference tournament for first time since 2022
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

[BU Logo]
BAYLOR BEARS (33-21, 13-17 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/2025/5/20/Baylor_BSB_Game_Notes_2025_55_Big12R1.pdf>
Game 3: #10 BAYLOR (33-21, 13-17) vs. #7 OKLAHOMA STATE (27-22, 15-12)
May 21, 2025 • 4:00 p.m. CT
Game 7: (with win on Wed.) vs. #2 KANSAS (42-14, 20-10)
May 22, 2025 • 4:00 p.m. CT
Arlington, Texas • Globe Life Field (40,300)

LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com<https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=bay>
WATCH: ESPNU/ESPN+
Talent: Clay Matvick, Mike Rooney
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/>
[2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship]
2025 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Arlington, Texas
Stadium: Globe Life Field

STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball enters the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship as the No. 10 seed and is making its first appearance at the conference tournament since 2022.
• The Bears are coming off a series win at UCF, having won a pair of come-from-behind 5-4 ballgames.
• Baylor finished its non-conference slate with a 20-4 record this season, including an 11-1 mark in midweek games.
• Baylor had received votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25 poll in 12 different weeks this season. Baylor has not been ranked in a major poll since 2019.
• 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.
2025 NOTABLES
• 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 recorded its third shutout of the year on April 19 vs. Utah, its most in a single season since 2022 (3).
• 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 has won three games this year against ranked opponents (two at No. 12 Arizona; one at No. 23 TCU), marking the fifth, sixth and seventh ranked victories for the Bears under Thompson.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
• BU landed two members on the All-Big 12 First Team for the first time since 2021 in sixth-year senior relief pitcher Gabe Craig<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/gabe-craig/13509> and senior infielder Tyriq Kemp<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyriq-kemp/13517>.
• Freshman INF Pearson Riebock<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/pearson-riebock/14034> and redshirt sophomore INF Travis Sanders<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/travis-sanders/14035> each earned honorable mention status.
• Additionally, Riebock landed a spot on the 12-member All-Freshman Team, becoming BU's 14th such selection in program history.
• Baylor has had at least one All-Big 12 selection in each year since the league's inception (1997 season).
BEARS BY THE NUMBERS
• Baylor is 21-3 when striking out nine or more batters this season.
• BU is 22-5 when allowing two walks or less in 2025.
• The Bears are 19-6 this year when racking up 10+ hits offensively.
• Baylor's 3.25 walks per nine innings ranks 8th in the country and leads the Big 12. BU's 1.33 WHIP ranks 26th nationally.
• BU lowered its season ERA by nearly two full runs from a year ago -- 6.51 in 2024 to 4.56 in 2025.
IT'S ABOUT THE RESPONSE
• Baylor is 13-7 this season in games following a loss.
• BU has 15 comeback victories this season, including two walk-off wins (April 1 vs. HCU, May 11 vs. OSU).
• The Bears trailed in both of their wins at UCF last weekend -- BU scored three times in the top of the 9th in Thursday's series opener to win 5-4, then erased a 3-0 deficit in Friday's contest to win 5-4 again.
• Baylor erased a five-run deficit to win 9-7 on Sunday, March 16 at Kansas, the largest comeback of the Thompson Era.
BAYLOR AT THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
• BU is making its first trip to the Big 12 Championship since 2022 and is looking for its first win since 2019.
• The Bears are 37-43 all-time at the Big 12 Championship, including a 2-6 record against Oklahoma State.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
• Wed. May 21 • 4:00 p.m. CT • LHP Ethan Calder<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/ethan-calder/13507> (3-6, 5.43 ERA) vs. RHP Sean Youngerman (3-1, 2.08 ERA)
SOUTHPAW STARTERS
• Baylor has started a left-handed pitcher in each of its last 43 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 six 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.
CLOSING TIME
• On the mound, sixth-year senior closer Gabe Craig<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/gabe-craig/13509> earned a spot on two midseason watch lists: College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year and the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.
• In 23 appearances so far this season, Craig has been outstanding with a 3-0 record, 0.59 ERA and 10 saves.
• 21 of his outings have been scoreless, 13 have been hitless, and he has recorded multiple strikeouts in 15 outings.
• Craig boasts a 47:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio and an impressive 0.54 WHIP, having allowed just 13 hits, and has held opponents to a .131 batting average.
• Among relievers with at least 30 IP, Craig leads the country in WHIP (0.54), ERA (0.59) and K:BB (15.67); ranks 2nd in H/9 (3.86) and BB/9 (0.89) and places 8th nationally with 13.95 K/9.
• In Big 12 play, Craig has allowed just one run on seven hits in 18.1 innings with a 31:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• Craig has not allowed a run over his last 11 outings -- a scoreless streak of 18.2 innings.
• Craig's 10 saves rank as the 2nd-most in the Big 12 and 16th in the country; his 19 games finished are the most in the Big 12.
• Craig's 10 saves are also the most by a Bear since all-time saves leader Troy Montemayor had 11 in 2018.
TYRIQ KEMP! FROM THE NETHERLANDS!
• Senior shortstop Tyriq Kemp<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyriq-kemp/13517> was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List in mid-April, an award that honors the nation's top shortstop.
• The 5-foot-7 sparkplug from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, has been one of Baylor's best players in 2025, hitting .364 through 54 games with 14 doubles, seven home runs and 39 RBIs, all the while playing gold-glove caliber defense.
• He has more than doubled his HR (2) and RBI (18) total from a year ago, while raising his batting average over 126 points from .238 in the 2024 season.
• In April, Kemp hit .381 (24-for-63) with four doubles, one triple, three home runs and drove in 14 runs.
• Kemp has reached base safely in 30 consecutive games entering the Big 12 Championship tournament.

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_4104173940]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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