Baylor Baseball Squares Off Against Sam Houston

Mon Mar 9 16:37:05 CDT 2026

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 9, 2026

Baylor Baseball Squares Off Against Sam Houston
Bears continue eight-game homestand with midweek matchup against Bearkats
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

[BU Logo]
BAYLOR BEARS (9-6, 0-0 Big 12)
Location: Waco, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: Big 12
Head Coach:
Mitch Thompson<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/mitch-thompson/2913>
 (Fort Hays St., 1988)

Roster<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/roster> | Stats<https://baylorbears.com/sports/baseball/stats/2026> | Game Notes (PDF)<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2026/3/9/BU_BSB_Game_Notes_2026_16_SHSU.pdf>
BAYLOR (9-6, 0-0) vs. SAM HOUSTON (8-7, 0-0)
March 10, 2026 • 6:30 p.m. CT
Waco, Texas • Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark (5,000)

LIVE STATS: BaylorBears.com/Stats<http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=bay>
WATCH: ESPN+
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/>
[SHSU]
SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS (8-7, 0-0 C-USA)
Location: Huntsville, Texas
Conference/Affiliation: C-USA
Head Coach: Jay Sirianni (Nebraska, 2001)

Roster<https://gobearkats.com/sports/baseball/roster> | Stats<https://gobearkats.com/sports/baseball/stats/2026>

STORYLINES

LEADING OFF

• Baylor Baseball continues its eight-game homestand on Tuesday night with a midweek clash against Sam Houston. The Bears begin Big 12 Conference play against No. 22 West Virginia this weekend in Waco, before a non-conference contest against Kansas State next Tuesday, March 17, rounds out the home swing.

• BU is coming off its second series sweep of the season, taking all three over Air Force last weekend.

• The Bears are off to an 8-0 start at home this year and have won nine-straight at Baylor Ballpark, dating back to the 2025 regular-season finale (May 11, vs. Oklahoma State, 5-4 in 10 innings).

• Baylor sits at No. 34 in the RPI through four weeks of non-conference action and has played the nation's 22nd-toughest schedule, featuring five games against ranked opponents.

SQUARING OFF AGAINST SAM HOUSTON

• Baylor is 63-49 all-time against Sam Houston and has won five of six meetings against the Bearkats under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson, including each of the last three matchups.

• BU is 2-1 in midweek ballgames so far this season and has won 18 of its last 20 midweek contests.

• The Bears are 29-12 in midweek games during the Thompson Era.

• Against fellow teams from the state of Texas, BU is 2-3 in 2026.

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS

• Tues. March 10 • 6:30 p.m. CT • RHP Cayden Baker (0-0, 9.00 ERA) vs. LHP Jakob Holzer (0-1, 10.00 ERA)

LAST TIME OUT

• Baylor is coming off a series sweep of Air Force, having shut out the Falcons on Friday night, 7-0, before claiming both ends of a doubleheader (which included a resumed game from Saturday's rain suspension), 5-4 and 6-1.

• Freshman OF Brady Janusek led the Bears in hitting on the week, going 7-for-14 with a big two-run home run in game two of the series against Air Force.

• Senior LHP Ethan Calder picked up his first win of the year with five solid innings of work on the mound, allowing just one run on six hits and one walk, while fanning four.

MAGNOLIA CONFINES

• BU is off to an 8-0 start at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark this season, marking its longest home winning streak to start a season since the 2021 Bears won their first 10 games of the year at home.

• The eight-game single-season home winning streak is the longest since March 30-April 10, 2021, when the 2021 Bears also won eight straight at Baylor Ballpark.

• Dating back to the 2025 regular-season finale, Baylor has won nine straight games at home, marking the longest home winning streak since March 2-17, 2021 (10).

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

• Through 12 games, 48% of Baylor's total plate appearances have been taken by players with less than 55 career PA's entering the 2026 season. True or redshirt freshmen account for 36% of the team's total plate appearances.

• That group also accounts for 48% of the team's hits, including 36% from true or redshirt freshmen.

• 56% of Baylor's hits have come from players who have previously redshirted in their careers.

• 42% of Baylor's innings pitched this season have been thrown by players who have thrown less than five career innings at the Division I level.

• Baylor has nine true freshmen on its 2026 roster and an additional four redshirt freshmen.

• Through 15 games, 18 Bears have made their Baylor debuts (9 hitters, 9 pitchers), including 10 true or redshirt freshmen.

SIZZLING SANDERS

• Redshirt junior INF and Preseason All-Big 12 shortstop Travis Sanders is off to a blistering start at the plate, batting .431 (25-for-57) through the first 15 games.

• Sanders became the fastest Bear to collect 20 hits in a season since Davis Wendzel in 2019, as the duo both recorded their 20th knocks in their 43rd at-bats of the year.

• Prior to Wendzel, only Nathan Orf (39 at-bats) was quicker to 20 hits in a season in 2013.

• Sanders is batting a ridiculous .676 on balls in play this season.

FACING THE BEST OF THE BEST

• Through 15 games, Baylor own's the nations No. 22 Strength of Schedule.

• BU has faced five ranked opponents and five of the top-20 RPI teams at this point in the year (No. 1 Southern Miss, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Ole Miss, No. 14 UTSA and No. 18 Oregon State.

• Baylor will play a combined 22 games against 11 NCAA Tournament teams in 2026, including three conference champions from a year ago.

• 14 30-game winners headline the 2026 campaign, including six teams that won 40 or more games last season.

• 52% of this year's schedule features opponents that finished 2025 with a top-75 RPI.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Baylor has won the free pass battle (BB + HBP) 114 to 59 over its opponents through the first 15 games of 2026.

• The Bears have stolen 25 bases through 15 games this year, their most at this point in a season since 2011 (26).

• Baylor has turned 15 double plays in 15 games, which leads the conference and ranks 14th nationally.

BROADCAST INFO

• Tuesday night's game will be available to watch on ESPN+.

• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor Sports Network radio broadcast featuring Derek Smith and Tom Barfield on the call.

• The radio broadcast will be available via ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM.

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

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