Baylor Baseball Begins 14-Game Homestand Against UTSA

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Feb. 27, 2023

Baylor Baseball Begins 14-Game Homestand Against UTSA
Freshman RHP Blake Rogers to make first-career start against Roadrunners
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>


[BU Logo]
BAYLOR BEARS (2-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Location: Waco, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: Big 12
Head Coach: Mitch Thompson<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/mitch-thompson/1881> (Fort Hays St., 1988)

Roster<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster> | Stats<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/stats/2023> | Game Notes (PDF)<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2023/2/27/BU_BSB_Game_Notes_2023_8_UTSA.pdf>
BAYLOR (2-5, 0-0) vs UTSA (6-2, 0-0)
Feb. 28, 2023 • 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: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Talent:  Lincoln Rose (Play-by-Play), Pat Combs (Analyst)
LISTEN: Learfield / ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM & 92.3 FM
Talent:  Derek Smith, Ryan Boyd

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/>
[UTSA]
UTSA ROADRUNNERS (6-2, 0-0 C-USA)
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: Conference USA
Head Coach: Patrick Hallmark (Rice, 2002)

Roster<https://goutsa.com/sports/baseball/roster?path=baseball> | Stats<https://goutsa.com/sports/baseball/stats/2023> | Game Notes (PDF)



STORYLINES

LEADING OFF

• Baylor Baseball begins a 14-game homestand this Tuesday against UTSA. The home stretch lasts until March 24, when the Bears travel to take on Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., in the second week of Big 12 play.

• The Bears have eclipsed double-digit strikeouts on the mound in six of their seven games so far this season. In all seven games, BU has punched out at least eight opposing batters.

• Baylor leads the Big 12 with 80 strikeouts the first 10 days of the season.

• The Bears are celebrating the 25th season at Baylor Ballpark with a special logo and planned promotions throughout the 2023 campaign.

• Eighteen of the Bears' first 21 games this season are home games. The Bears leave the state of Texas just three times this year, all before April 3 (at Duke, at Oklahoma State, at Kansas).

• Baylor returns just 15 players from its 2022 roster and welcomes 23 newcomers, including 10 true freshmen and 13 transfers.

• Nine of the 13 transfers have previous Division I experience in Austin Stracener<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/austin-stracener/12074>, Hunter Teplanszky<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/hunter-teplanszky/12075>, Daniel Altman<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/daniel-altman/12078>, Cole Posey<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/cole-posey/12079>, Will Pendergrass<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/will-pendergrass/12081>, Casey Sunseri<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/casey-sunseri/12082>, Cole Tremain<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/cole-tremain/12084>, John Ceccoli<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/john-ceccoli/12089> and Gabe Craig<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/gabe-craig/12090>.

BRIGHT SPOTS

• Sophomore RHP Mason Marriott<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/mason-marriott/11495> is coming off his career-best outing, having racked up a personal-best seven strikeouts across a career-most 4.2 innings of work at Duke on Sunday, Feb. 26.

• Marriott leads the Big 12 with a 13.50 K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings).

• Junior RHP Will Rigney<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/will-rigney/11505> returned to action for the first time in over 10 months after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last year. He pitched a scoreless inning and struck out two Blue Devils on Friday, Feb. 24.

• Freshman INF Kolby Branch<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/kolby-branch/12083> is off to a hot start, leading the team with 10 hits, nine RBIs and a .588 slugging percentage.

• Of junior LHP/OF Kobe Andrade's<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/kobe-andrade/11476> six hits this season, five have gone for extra bases (three doubles, two triples). His lone single came on a drag bunt against Duke.

• Last Tuesday against HCU, Branch and redshirt freshman OF Gavin Brzozowski<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/gavin-brzozowski/12076> combined to drive in 10 of BU's 11 runs. The pair had six hits between them, including two home runs, one of which was a grand slam off the bat of Branch.

• The Bears set a modern-era (since 2000) program record with 38 strikeouts in their three-game series against CMU to open the year.

• A total of 20 Bears have made their Baylor debuts so far in 2023, including eight freshmen.

SERIES HISTORY VS UTSA

• Baylor leads the all-time series over UTSA, 36-8, and has won each of the last three meetings against the Roadrunners.

• Last year, the Bears won a 3-2 contest in walk-off fashion at Baylor Ballpark with a bases-loaded walk.

• Prior to last year's win, BU had won each of the two prior matchups by a difference of 10 runs.

PROBABLE STARTERS

• Tuesday, Feb. 28 • 6:30 p.m. • RHP Blake Rogers<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/blake-rogers/12087> (0-0, 4.91 ERA) vs. RHP Drake Smith (0-0, 6.75 ERA)

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Tuesday's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Lincoln Rose (play-by-play) and Pat Combs (analyst) on the call.

• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor radio broadcast, featuring Derek Smith and Ryan Boyd on the call. The game will be available on ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM or 92.3 FM.

2023 AT A GLANCE

• 36 of Baylor's 55 regular-season games in 2023 will be played at home at Baylor Ballpark, including conference series against Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

• BU will play a combined 21 games against eight NCAA Tournament teams and face off against four conference champions from a year ago.

• 14 30-game winners headline the 2023 slate, including six squads that won 40 or more games last season.

• Notably, 51% of the Bears' 2023 schedule will feature opponents who finished 2022 with a top-75 RPI, including five non-conference foes in Central Michigan, UTSA, Dallas Baptist, Mercer and Grand Canyon.

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

[signature_1401298289]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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