Baylor Baseball Continues Homestand Against HCU

Mon Apr 1 17:31:05 CDT 2024

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – April 1, 2024

Baylor Baseball Continues Homestand Against HCU
Bears in search of fourth-consecutive win over Huskies
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

[BU Logo]
BAYLOR BEARS (10-17, 5-7 Big 12)
Location: Waco, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: Big 12
Head Coach: Mitch Thompson<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/mitch-thompson/2258>
                            (Fort Hays St., 1988)

Roster<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster> | Stats<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/stats/2024> | Game Notes (PDF)<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2024/4/1/BU_BSB_Game_Notes_2024_28_HCU.pdf>
BAYLOR (10-17, 5-7) vs HCU (9-18, 2-4)
April 2, 2024 • 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: John Morris, Pat Combs
LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM
Talent: Derek Smith, Tom Barfield

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/>
[Houston Baptist]
HCU HUSKIES (9-18, 2-4 Southland)
Location: Houston, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: Southland
Head Coach: Lance Berkman (Rice, 1998)

Roster<https://hcuhuskies.com/sports/baseball/roster> | Stats<https://hcuhuskies.com/sports/baseball/stats/2024>

STORYLINES

LEADING OFF

• Baylor Baseball continues along its eight-game homestand with another four-game week at Baylor Ballpark, playing host to HCU on Tuesday before welcoming Incarnate Word over the weekend.

• BU is coming off its second-straight Big 12 home series victory after taking two of three from Cincinnati.

• The Bears have played the nation's 46th-ranked strength of schedule in 2024, the seventh-best in the Big 12.

• According to Pro Baseball Radar, BU faced the nation's toughest schedule through the first month of the season based on 2023's RPI and win percentage.

• Baylor plays 26 games against the 2023 RPI top-50 this season, the most in the Big 12.

• 56% of Baylor's offense (131 of 232 hits) has been produced by underclassmen or players in their first season at Baylor.

• True or redshirt freshmen have accounted for 43% of innings pitched on the mound this season (101.0 of 236.1).

• Eighteen Bears have made their Baylor debuts so far in 2024, including 13 players making their Division I debut and nine freshmen making their collegiate debuts.

BACK-TO-BACK IN BIG 12 PLAY ON THE BANKS OF THE BRAZOS

• Baylor won its second-consecutive home Big 12 series last weekend after taking two of three over Cincinnati.

• The Bears opened up an 8-2 lead on Friday behind Hunter Teplanszky's<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/hunter-teplanszky/13010> three-run home run, and held on despite a grand slam for UC in the top of the eighth inning.

• Kobe Andrade<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/kobe-andrade/12991> collected his first-career save in the Friday night victory after retiring all five batters he faced.

• On Saturday, BU received a dominant 10-strikeout start from redshirt freshman Collin McKinney<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/collin-mckinney/13004>, who worked a career-high 6.1 innings and allowed just one hit and one unearned run, in leading BU to a 9-2 victory.

• The Bears pounded out a 13 hits, their most in a Big 12 game so far, and struck out 14 to tie their season high in the win.

STRAIGHT DEALIN'

• On Saturday, Collin McKinney's<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/collin-mckinney/13004> 10 strikeouts matched a season high (Mason Marriott<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/mason-marriott/13001> vs. Nebraska, Feb. 16) and marked the first time since 2018 that Baylor has had multiple 10+ strikeout performances in the same season.

• After a leadoff walk in the top of the second, McKinney retired 14 in a row, including five consecutive strikeouts in the third and fourth innings.

• The redshirt freshman out of Nassau Bay, Texas, became the first Bear since Logan Verrett on March 16, 2009 vs. Texas A&M to strike out five in a row.

HEATING UP

• Junior outfielder Wesley Jordan<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/wesley-jordan/13033> is on an absolute tear, reaching in 19 straight games and hitting .417 (15-for-36) over his last 10 games.

• The powerful right-handed hitter has logged five doubles and a home run while driving in eight runs over the last 10 games.

• Junior infielder Hunter Teplanszky<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/hunter-teplanszky/13010> and senior infielder Daniel Altman<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/daniel-altman/12990> have also been stout in the middle of the Bears' order, combining to drive in 19 runs over the last 10 games and hitting a combined .353 (24-for-68) in that stretch.

• In the last 10 games, senior LHP Kobe Andrade<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/kobe-andrade/12991> has not allowed a run over 7.2 IP and has fanned five with just one walk.

BULLPEN TAKING SHAPE

• Five Baylor relievers hold sub-3.52 ERA's in sophomore lefty Ethan Calder<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/ethan-calder/12994> (2.49), freshman southpaw RJ Ruais<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/rj-ruais/13049> (2.87), redshirt junior righty Drew Leach<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/drew-leach/13012> (3.30) redshirt junior right-hander Patrick Hail<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/patrick-hail/13047> (3.38) and senior lefty Kobe Andrade<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/kobe-andrade/12991> (3.52).

• The quintet has struck out a combined 91 batters and walked just 33.

• The group has also inherited 44 runners and allowed just 12 to score on the season.

BY THE NUMBERS VS. HCU

• Baylor leads the all-time series, 7-2, over HCU and has won each of the last three meetings.

• Each of BU's five midweek wins over the Huskies have come by at least four runs (11-4, 2023; 6-2, 2022; 9-3, 2014; 15-4, 2009; 12-4, 2008).

• The Bears are 2-4 in midweek games so far in 2024 and 11-10 under second-year head coach Mitch Thompson<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/mitch-thompson/2258>.

• Baylor is 5-10 against teams from the state of Texas in 2024 and 15-22 in the Thompson era.

PROBABLE STARTERS

• Tues. April 2 • 6:30 p.m. • LHP RJ Ruais<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/rj-ruais/13049> (1-0, 2.87) vs. TBD

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Tuesday's game will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Voice of the Bears John Morris (play-by-play) and former Baylor pitcher Pat Combs (color analyst) on the call.

• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor radio broadcast on ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM with Derek Smith and Tom Barfield on the call.

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 (Baseball, Football)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-265-1639

[signature_1826093016]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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