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<a name="_Hlk490052374"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS –
</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">March 18, 2023<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;color:black">Hot Bats Help Baylor Baseball Past Kansas State, 8-4<br>
</span></b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Bears tie season high with 14 hits to even series with Wildcats
<br>
</span></i><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">For more information contact:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"> Max Calderone, 254-265-1639,
</span><a href="mailto:Max_Calderone@Baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Max_Calderone@Baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">
</span><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;color:black"> </span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"><br>
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</span><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">WACO, Texas –</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"> Led by a season high-tying 14 hits, Baylor baseball (7-12, 1-1) evened its series
with Kansas State (13-6, 1-1) thanks to an 8-4 win on Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Junior OF Hunter Simmons notched a personal-best four hits and drove in three runs, while sophomore C Cortlan Castle contributed a career-high three knocks of his own. Fourth-year
junior INF/OF Cole Posey recorded his third-straight two-hit performance, which included a two-run double in the eighth inning that provided some insurance runs for the Bears.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Sophomore RHP Mason Marriott matched his longest outing of his career, going six innings while allowing just one run on three hits. He fanned six for the third time in his
five starts this season, earning the first win by a BU weekend starter in 2023. Junior RHP Cole Stasio collected the first save of his career by recording the final five outs and allowing just one baserunner.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">THE RUNDOWN<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">K-State hopped out to an early advantage with a run in the first off one walk and one hit, but Baylor would score the game’s next three runs in three-straight innings and never
relinquished the lead. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Castle singled in a run to tie it in the second, then sophomore 1B John Ceccoli walked with the bases loaded in the third inning to put BU ahead. In the fourth, Simmons delivered
an RBI knock to make it 3-1, Baylor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Marriott escaped a couple of KSU threats in the middle innings, but consistently found ways to get out of trouble. He left runners on the corners with a strikeout in the fourth,
induced a foul pop out with two aboard in the fifth, then made use of a strike ‘em out-throw ‘em out double play in the sixth to end his afternoon with a quality start.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">In the bottom of the sixth, Simmons stayed hot with a two-run single, extending the Bears’ lead to 5-1 before Posey’s ground-rule double brought home another run in for a 6-1
tally.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">The Wildcats plated an unearned run in the top of the seventh and a pair of runs in the eighth to pull within two. With two on and two out, an RBI single looked to extend the
inning for K-State, but a great throw from freshman OF Caleb Bergman nabbed a baserunner at third to bring the top of the frame to a close.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">In the bottom half, Posey delivered a clutch two-run double with two away to give the Bears some breathing room with an 8-4 lead entering the ninth. That allowed Stasio to
shut it down, retiring the side in order for BU’s first conference win of the season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">HIGHLIGHTS</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Baylor improved to 54-33 all-time against Kansas State.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• BU improved to 7-0 this season when scoring six or more runs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• BU improved to 6-0 when out-hitting its opponent and when leading after six innings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• 14 hits tied for a Baylor season-high and was the sixth time this season that the Bears have eclipsed double digits in the hits column.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Junior OF Hunter Simmons collected a career-high four hits for his fifth multi-hit performance of the season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Simmons also matched his personal best with three RBIs, his third multi-RBI effort of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Sophomore C Cortlan Castle recorded a career-high three hits, for his second multi-hit outing in as many games.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Sophomore INF Hunter Teplanszky tallied his fifth multi-hit game of the year with two.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Junior INF/OF Cole Posey doubled twice for his third-straight multi-hit performance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Posey also drove in three runs, a season-high, for his second multi-RBI game of 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Freshman INF Kolby Branch extended his on-base streak to 19 games with a single in the first inning.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Sophomore RHP Mason Marriott tied his career-long with 6.0 innings of work, striking out six while allowing just one run on three hits.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Junior RHP Cole Stasio picked up the first save of his career with 1.2 scoreless innings on the mound.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• The outing marked Stasio’s fifth scoreless appearance of the season, and third in a row.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">STAT OF THE GAME<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">14 – Baylor matched its season-best with 14 hits, which included multi-hit games from four starters.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">QUOTABLE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Head Coach Mitch Thompson<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">On today’s win…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">"Wins are better than losses, I’ll promise you that. I liked the way the guys came out and competed today, [they] responded. That’s a big point of emphasis for us. When you lose
a ballgame, you’ve got to come back out and get the next one. We’re trying to play them one pitch at a time, one game at a time, and that was a nice job today. We had production up and down the lineup, got a really nice start from Mason Marriott too, so I
was proud of that.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">Sophomore RHP Mason Marriott<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">On his outing…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">“It felt good. It was good to have the team work all together today. The hitters did an unbelievable job and [Cortlan] Castle had a really good game behind the plate. That’s one
of the best games I’ve had someone catch for me. We were freshmen last year together and he caught me a lot, so it felt good to get this win with him. We’re getting closer and the team is coming together. We’re all working to accomplish the same goal and hopefully
it keeps rolling.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">Sophomore C Cortlan Castle<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">On the team bouncing back to even the series…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">“Today felt really good. Last night didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, but I felt we bounced back and brought the energy today. It’s really easy to play with energy when you
have Mason Marriott out there throwing a good game and encouraging his teammates. We were just trying to pass the bat to the next guy and keep it moving. We were able to do that today so it felt good.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">Junior INF/OF Cole Posey<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">On how he’s developed so far this season…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">“A big part of it has been adjustments. I’ve been working with the coaches and we’ve been thinking about trying things out that can help a little bit. And for whatever reason,
I feel like I tend to be a slow starter. I don’t know why, that’s kind of been my college career. It takes me a while to get going, but then I find a groove. Adjustments are a big part of that.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">WHAT’S NEXT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Baylor (7-12, 1-1) and K-State (13-6, 1-1) are back for a rubber match on Sunday, March 19, at Baylor Ballpark in Waco. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:center;background:white">
<i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><br>
-BaylorBears.com-</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black">__________________________________</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;color:black"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#154734">Max Calderone</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"> | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (BSB, FB, EQ)</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">C: 254-265-1639</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D959CE.C55AAF50" alt="signature_1898492905"></span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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