Baylor Baseball Sweeps Bakersfield to Close Out 2023

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – May 20, 2023

Baylor Baseball Sweeps Bakersfield to Close Out 2023
Bears finish the year on season-best four-game winning streak
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (20-35) closed out its 2023 campaign with two more wins over CSU Bakersfield (18-31) on Saturday, completing a previously suspended game with an 11-2 victory and winning the series finale 5-2, at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

The Bears reached the 20-win plateau for the 51st season in a row after riding a season-best four-game win streak to close out the year. BU won 10 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but hadn’t won fewer than 20 since 1971.

Fifth-year senior RHP Blake Helton turned in one of his best outings of the year, picking up the resumed game to go five innings and allowed just one run in earning the win, his first of the 2023 season.

In the finale, the Bears scored all five of their runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back, as fourth-year junior RHP Will Rigney, freshman LHP Ethan Calder, fifth-year junior RHP Anderson Needham and fourth-year junior RHP Hambleton Oliver combined to hold off the Roadrunners the rest of the way.

THE RUNDOWN
When play resumed with Baylor leading 5-1 over CSUB, Helton took the mound and dominated, fanning four in five frames of work. Redshirt freshman OF Gavin Brzozowski continued his hot ways with his third RBI of the game to increase the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the sixth, after junior INF/OF Cole Posey stole home two batters earlier.

The Roadrunners would scratch one across in the top of the eighth, but BU answered right back with four runs in the bottom half thanks in part to a two-run shot by sophomore INF Hunter Teplanszky. Sophomore C Cortlan Castle added an RBI fielder’s choice and junior INF Casey Sunseri’s sacrifice fly put the nail in the coffin.

In game two of the day, and the series finale, CSUB scored the contest’s first run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first. But, Baylor responded with a five-spot, as junior OF Hunter Simmons was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home the tying run. Then, a three-run error cleared the bases before Brzozowski scored on Sunseri’s RBI groundout, to make it 5-1.

From there, it was all about the Bears’ pitching as Rigney cruised through another three scoreless frames, picking up six strikeouts for his day. CSUB plated one in the top of the sixth with an RBI single, but Oliver came on to pick up his fifth save of the season with 2.2 scoreless frames and allowing just two hits to the ‘Runners on the way to the victory.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor finished the year on a season-best four-game win streak and reached the 20-win mark for the 51st consecutive season, dating back to 1971.
• BU improved to 17-7 when scoring six or more runs, and 8-0 when scoring 10 or more.
• The Bears recorded their largest margin of victory with the nine-run win in the middle game of the series.
• Baylor collected its sixth win this season when being out-hit by its opponent.
• Junior INF/OF Cole Posey tallied his 16th multi-hit game of the year.
• Sophomore INF Hunter Teplanszky recorded his 14th multi-hit game and 10th multi-RBI game of the year, including his sixth home run of the season which tied for a team high.
• Freshman INF Kolby Branch finished the year on an eight-game on-base streak.
• Branch also collected his team-leading 19th multi-hit game and 10th multi-RBI game, including his sixth home run of the season which tied for a team high.
• Redshirt freshman OF Gavin Brzozowski notched his 10th multi-hit and fourth multi-RBI efforts of the year, including a season-high three RBIs and his fifth home run of the season.
• Sophomore 1B John Ceccoli picked up two hits for his sixth multi-hit performance.
• Junior INF Casey Sunseri collected a season-high two hits in the finale.
• Fifth-year senior RHP Blake Helton earned his first win of the season.
• Fourth-year junior RHP Hambleton Oliver collected his fifth save of the year.
• Oliver also worked his 11th scoreless appearance of the year.
• Fifth-year junior RHP Anderson Needham worked his 14th scoreless appearance of the season.

STAT OF THE DAY
20 – Baylor reached the 20-win mark for the 51st consecutive full season, dating back to 1971.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On ending the season on a four-game winning streak…
“I think it says a lot about the guys. When you struggle for as long as we have all year, for them to stay together, the dugout and locker room to be good, for the guys to be pulling for each other says a lot and means a lot to me. These were program games. It says a lot about who you are and how you are going to keep going at it, whether you are going to keep working or what you are going to do. They responded great and I am proud of them.”

On building a culture at Baylor…
“We’re all in this together. I know we have the support of the former players and the alumni, that means a lot to me. It means a lot to me to even see the crowd that was here today and see our fans. I think we had a good crowd here with no other reason than to support our kids and this program. The fans are hungry for winners too, and we are going to be doing everything we can to give them that as fast as we can.”

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_39911580]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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