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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Jan. 11, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Baylor MT Opens Spring Season with Double-Header at Home<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Bears face off against Lamar at noon and ACU at 6 pm at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720,
</span><a href="mailto:josie_hutton@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">josie_hutton@baylor.edu</span></a><u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:blue"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">WACO, Texas –</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"> The Baylor men’s tennis team will open its 2025 season on Sunday at the Hawkins Indoor
Tennis Center, hosting Lamar at noon and Abilene Christian at 6 p.m. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">The 2025 season is the fifth under the healm of head coach Michael Woodson, who is just two wins shy from hitting the career 100-wins mark with a dual-match record of 98-37
and five NCAA and ITA Indoor tournament berths. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">“It has really just hit me that the season is starting tomorrow, and I couldn’t be more excited,” said Woodson. “With everything we have been hosting as well as all that we
are planning to host this spring; it doesn’t really feel like we have stopped to catch our breath. Couple that with an amazing group of young men that are pushing to get better every day and you’re truly able to live in the present.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Woodson has made Waco, Texas the home of collegiate tennis this spring as the Bears will host a total of 19 matches, along with postseason matches for the Big 12 Championships
and the NCAA Team Championships during the 2025 season. Additionally in February, Baylor will play co-host with SMU for the ITA National Indoor Championship, hosting the first through quarterfinal rounds.
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">“This team is going to go up against the toughest schedule in the nation and I hope our fans are as fired up for what’s ahead as we are,” continued Woodson. “This is a team
I am ready to run through a brick wall for. See you all soon at Hawkins Indoor!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">BU is 18-1 in season openers since the 2004 national championship team and is looking to continue the winning streak.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Hosting Lamar in the opening doubleheader for the third-straight year, the Bears look for their 13th-straight win over the Cardinals. With a 12-4 record against UL, Lamar hasn't
taken a match from Baylor since 1984.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Bears face the Abilene Christian Wildcats for the seventh time since the beginning of the 2021 season for the second match of the day on Sunday. BU has only allowed two points
from ACU since 2017. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">BU leads the all-time series against ACU at 19-3, with the Wildcat wins coming in 1981 and 1992.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Saturday's doubleheader is a mirrored replica of the 2021 season opener, the first year under Woodson, where the Bears played Lamar and ACU, winning 7-0 and 6-1, respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Baylor returned eight from the 2023-24 roster, including Marko Miladinovic who led the team with a 22-9 record last season, 12-5 in dual matches. Devin Badenhorst also returns
after a successful freshman campaign, going 14-6 in dual matches, 10-6 on Court 3 and 3-3 against nationally ranked opponents.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">In the ITA individual singles rankings following the fall season, Badenhorst landed at No. 25, while Zsombor Velcz was named No. 54 and Oskar Brostrom Poulsen at No. 58. The
doubles pairings of Miladinovic and Brostom Poulsen rose to an impressive No. 3 ranking. The duo of Badenhorst and Velcz ranked among the top-25, appearing at No. 17.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Woodson bolstered the roster with the addition of Alexandru Chrita, a 2025 spring roster add-on. Chirita is a 21-year-old graduate transfer coming to Baylor after having completed
his undergraduate education at home in Romania while also playing professional tournaments. Chirita reached a career-high ATP singles world ranking of 723, and a career-high ATP doubles ranking of 777 – boasting a pair of ITF singles finals, one ITF doubles
title, and three ITF doubles finals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Fans attending Sunday’s matches will receive the 2025 team poster and free burgers in the ACU match and free coffee at the Lamar match.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">For the latest news on the Baylor men's tennis team all year long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMTennis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="http://www.baylorbears/"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">- BaylorBears</span></i></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">.com</span></i></span><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">
-<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="layout-grid-mode:both"><b><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:#0F5C1A">Josie Hutton</span></b><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (FB, T&F/XC, MTEN) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="layout-grid-mode:both"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="layout-grid-mode:both"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">C: (254) 709-7720<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="layout-grid-mode:both"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="layout-grid-mode:both"><a href="http://www.baylorbears.com/" title=""Original URL:
http://www.baylorbears.com/
Click to follow link.""><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:blue;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="159" height="43" style="width:1.6562in;height:.4479in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DB6423.3FEFBA70" alt="signature_2230589939"></span></a><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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