Baylor Baseball Concludes Homestand Against No. 17 Dallas Baptist

Mon Mar 4 18:15:00 CST 2024

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 4, 2024

Baylor Baseball Concludes Homestand Against No. 17 Dallas Baptist
Bears set to play fifth game against ranked opponent in 2024
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

[BU Logo]
BAYLOR BEARS (4-7, 0-0 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/2024/3/4/BU_BSB_Game_Notes_2024_12_DBU.pdf>
BAYLOR (4-7, 0-0) vs DALLAS BAPTIST (10-1, 0-0)
March 5, 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: Pete Sousa, 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/>

[DBU]
DALLAS BAPTIST PATRIOTS (10-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Location: Dallas, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: C-USA
Head Coach: Dan Heefner (Olivet Nazarene, 2001)

Roster<https://dbupatriots.com/sports/baseball/roster/2024> | Stats<https://dbupatriots.com/sports/baseball/stats/2024#game>

STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball concludes its season-long, nine-game homestand on Tuesday, hosting top-20 Dallas Baptist at Baylor Ballpark, before opening Big 12 play this week at Houston.
• BU is facing the nation's toughest schedule statistically through March 14, according to Pro Baseball Radar, based on 2023's RPI and win percentage.
• Baylor plays 26 games against the RPI top-50 this season, the most in the Big 12.
• The Bears have already played four games against ranked opponents (Tennessee, Indiana), and a fifth against a team that was receiving votes (Oregon).
• 53% of Baylor's offense (56 of 105 hits) has been produced by underclassmen or players in their first season at Baylor.
• True or redshirt freshmen have accounted for 45% of innings pitched on the mound this season (43.2 of 97.0).
• 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.
• The Bears have eclipsed double digits in strikeouts in six of their 11 games so far in 2024, increasing the total to 26 games in the Thompson era in which BU has fanned at least 10 opponents.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
• Baylor completed a weekend sweep over Oral Roberts on March 1-3, it's second sweep in the Mitch Thompson<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/mitch-thompson/2258> era and third sweep since the start of the 2022 season.
• BU went 2-0 to begin a weekend series for just the fourth time in the last three seasons.
• The Bears racked up 31 runs on 42 hits, their most in a three-game weekend series since May 7-9, 2021, when they scored 43 runs on 45 hits against Kansas State.
• All nine starters reached base safely in each of the three games on the weekend.
• The bottom of the order (spots 6-9) produced 14 hits, scored 11 runs and drove in six throughout the series.
• Baylor benefitted from a seven-run sixth inning in Friday's series opener to pull away and win 11-2.
• Sophomore LHP Ethan Calder<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/ethan-calder/12994> collected a four-inning save on Saturday to help clinch the series in a 9-3 win.
• BU came from down two runs three different times in Sunday's finale, ultimately riding a pair of late home runs by redshirt junior INF Will Pendergrass<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/will-pendergrass/13005> and junior OF Wesley Jordan<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/wesley-jordan/13033> to an 11-7 victory.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST DBU
• Baylor leads the all-time series over Dallas Baptist, 54-29.
• Last season, BU and DBU played a pair of tightly-contested games, as the Bears walked off the Patriots, 8-7, in 12 innings in Waco on March 7, then dropped a 6-5 ballgame in Dallas on April 11.
• In the last meeting between the two sides, Baylor had loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, but Hunter Simmons'<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/hunter-simmons/13008> 100+mph line drive was caught by DBU's leaping centerfielder to end the ballgame
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Tues., March 5 • 6:30 p.m. • RHP Tanner Duke<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/tanner-duke/12998> (0-0, 7.71) vs. RHP Luke Pettitte (0-0, 4.26)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• Tuesday's game will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Pete Sousa (play-by-play) and former Baylor left-handed 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, featuring Derek Smith and Tom Barfield calling the action.
PENDY'S HEATING UP
• Redshirt junior INF Will Pendergrass<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/will-pendergrass/13005> had a very productive weekend series vs. ORU, batting .429 with four extra-base hits, including his first home run of 2024.
• He also drove in a team-leading three runs in the series out of the three-hole in the order.
YOU GO, WE GO, 'ZO!
• Of the 24 times that redshirt junior OF Enzo Apodaca<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/enzo-apodaca/13013> has reached base, he has either scored a run or driven in a run 15 times (63%).
• In the 35 innings that Baylor has scored at least one run, Apodaca has reached base in 19 of them (54%).
SCORING EARLY, SCORING OFTEN
• 35 of BU's 66 runs so far this season have been scored in the first four innings (53%).
• Baylor has out-scored its opponents 16-13 in the first two innings.
• Last weekend against ORU, Baylor scored in 14 of its 24 offensive innings (58%), including a season-high seven-run sixth inning in Friday's series opener.
BULLPEN TAKING SHAPE
• Baylor received fantastic relief performances over the weekend from redshirt junior RHP Patrick Hail<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/patrick-hail/13047> (3.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K) and sophomore LHP Ethan Calder<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/ethan-calder/12994> (4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) in the wins on Friday and Saturday.
• Hail and Calder are two of five Bears with sub-3.25 ERA's who have pitched more than once out of the bullpen, joining freshman LHP RJ Ruais<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/rj-ruais/13049> (2.57), freshman RHP Stephen Sepulveda<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/stephen-sepulveda/13016> (3.12) and redshirt junior RHP Drew Leach<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/drew-leach/13012> (3.24).
• Freshman LHP Mason Green<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/mason-green/13014> has also given the Bears good innings out of the 'pen, including back-to-back three-strikeout appearances in his last two outings.
TURNING TWO
• After leading the nation in 2022 with 64 double plays and 1.19 twin killings per game, the Bears are off to another hot start turning two in 2024.
• Through 11 games, Baylor has turned 13 double plays (1.18 per game) to lead the Big 12 and rank seventh nationally.

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_2316536628]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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