McKenzie Leads Baylor Baseball’s All-Big 12 Honors

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – May 24, 2022

McKenzie Leads Baylor Baseball’s All-Big 12 Honors
Third-year sophomore OF selected to second team, while five Bears garner honorable mention recognition
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

IRVING, Texas – Baylor baseball’s Jared McKenzie was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team on Tuesday, while five other Bears earned honorable mention status in Cam Caley, Kyle Nevin, Jack Pineda, Tre Richardson and Tyler Thomas, as announced by the conference office.

McKenzie picked up his second-career all-conference award after previously being named to the first-team in 2021. Pineda and Richardson each garnered honorable mentions for the second time in their careers, while Caley and Nevin collected their first-career distinctions. A second-team pick in 2021, Thomas is an honorable mention selection for the first time in his five-year career.

BU has now had at least one first- or second-team selection in each season since 2015. No conference awards were handed out in 2020 following the COVID-19 shortened season.

In 2022, McKenzie hit .298 and became the eighth Bear since 2012 to reach double figures in home runs with a career-high 11. He drove in 42 runs and slugged .535 after starting in center field for each of Baylor’s 52 regular-season games. The third-year sophomore from Round Rock, Texas, tallied a pair of two-home run games this year and recorded two inside-the-park home runs, including BU’s first since 2011.

A utility player from The Woodlands, Texas, Caley appeared in 20 games on the mound and made three starts for the Bears in 2022, posting a 4-0 record. In a May 3 start against Tarleton, he took a no-hitter into the sixth and tied his career high with five strikeouts. Caley also started 12 games in left field and hit .316 on the season with a trio of multi-hit games.

Nevin broke out in 2022 to the tune of a .306 batting average and a career-high eight home runs. He led the team with 48 RBIs, tied for the team high with 15 doubles and ranked second on the squad with 64 hits. The third-year sophomore outfielder from Poway, Calif., was named to the Shriners Children’s College Classic All-Tournament Team and earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors earlier this season.

A sparkplug at the top of the order, Pineda led BU with a .309 clip and 27 extra-base hits, including a personal-best seven home runs. His five triples are the most by a Bear since 2016 and ranked inside the top-20 nationally. The Albuquerque, N.M., native earned his first-career Big 12 weekly honors by being named Co-Player of the Week on Monday. He also earned a spot on the Shriners Children’s College Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this year.

Richardson hit .296 and led all Baylor hitters with 59 runs scored in 2022. He logged a career-best 26-game on-base streak from March 5 to April 16 and topped his career high in home runs with four in his third-year sophomore campaign. The Kingwood, Texas, product was 9-of-11 in stolen base attempts this season and committed just three errors defensively, helping the Bears lead the nation with 61 double plays turned on the year.

A fifth-year senior left-handed pitcher, Thomas posted a 4-4 record with a 2.45 ERA before suffering a season-ending injury. He struck out 51 batters and walked just nine while holding opponents to a .215 batting average. He didn’t allow more than three earned runs in any of his nine starts in 2022. After a career outing against No. 23 UCLA at the Shriners Children’s College Classic, Thomas collected Most Outstanding Player honors and was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on March 7 for his efforts.

Baylor (26-26, 7-17) earned the No. 8 seed to the 2022 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and will open its tournament on Wednesday, May 25, against No. 1 TCU at 12:30 p.m. CT from Globe Life Field in Arlington.

For the latest news on the Baylor baseball team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.

2022 ALL-BIG 12 AWARDS
Second Team:
Jared McKenzie, OF

Honorable Mention:
Cam Caley, LHP/OF
Kyle Nevin, OF
Jack Pineda, INF
Tre Richardson, INF
Tyler Thomas, LHP

-BaylorBears.com-


__________________________________

Max Calderone | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (BSB, FB, EQ)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-265-1639

[signature_679553477]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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