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<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – May 19, 2021</span></b><u><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Baseball Closes Out Regular Season with Home Series vs. OU<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The Bears and Sooners will begin the series Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Game Notes:
</span></b><a href="http://baylorbea.rs/3r9TtUN"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">http://baylorbea.rs/3r9TtUN</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For more information contact: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Zach Rhodes, 919-247-7585, </span><u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1">Zach_Rhodes@baylor.edu</span></u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">WACO, Texas</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">– Baylor
baseball finishes the regular season with a home series against Oklahoma beginning on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. in Baylor Ballpark with 100 percent capacity. The Bears (30-16, 10-11 Big 12) and the Sooners (25-25, 9-12 Big 12) will play game two on Friday
at 6:30 p.m. and the finale on Saturday at 3 p.m. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Promotions for this weekend include a trading card giveaway on Thursday, and foam Bear paw and pennant giveaway on Friday. Saturday is Senior Day as Baylor will honor 13 seniors;
Jacob Ashkinos, Luke Boyd, Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo, Davion Downey, Logan Freeman, Kyle Harper, Brooks Helmer, Hayden Kettler, Ryan Leckich, Andy Thomas, Tyler Thomas, Chase Wehsener and Jimmy Winston all being recognized approximately 30 minutes before first
pitch.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Oklahoma leads the all-time series 51-48, including winning the matchup in the 2021 Round Rock Classic earlier this season, 9-3 on Feb. 28. Baylor leads 30-19 in Waco, while head
coach Steve Rodriguez is 7-9 against the Sooners.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">SERIES INFO</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
<b>Date: </b>May 20-22 (Thurs.-Sat.)<br>
<b>Game Times: </b>6:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./3 p.m. <br>
<b>Site: </b>Waco, Texas /Baylor Ballpark (5,000)<br>
<b>TV: </b>Big 12 Now (ESPN+)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Talent: Lincoln Rose (pxp) (Thurs. & Fri.), Pete Sousa (pxp) (Sat.), Pat Combs (color)<br>
<b>Radio:</b> ESPN 1660/92.3FM<br>
• Talent: Derek Smith (pxp)<br>
<b>Live Stats</b>: BaylorBears.com<br>
<b>Twitter Updates: </b>@BaylorBaseball<br>
<b>Series History: </b>OU leads 51-48<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> Streak:
</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Oklahoma, W1<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> First Meeting:
</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">1936<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> Last Meeting:
</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Feb. 28, 2021 (OU won 9-3)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Under Rodriguez:
</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">7-9<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">PITCHING MATCHUP</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Thurs. May 20 – LHP Tyler Thomas (5-2, 2.49 ERA) vs. LHP Jason Ruffcorn (4-1, 2.68 ERA)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Fri. May 21 – RHP Hayden Kettler (4-3, 3.27 ERA) vs. TBA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Sat. May 22 – RHP Blake Helton (4-2, 3.20 ERA) vs. TBA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
<b>STORY LINES</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Baylor is in the postseason conversation after winning 17 of its last 23 games. Both D1Baseball and Baseball America have the Bears projected as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bears have climbed all the way up to the No. 5 spot in the Big 12 after starting conference play 1-5 in March. BU has an RPI of 31.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• If Baylor stays at the No. 5 spot in the Big 12, the Bears will have a first-round matchup with No. 4 seed Oklahoma State in next week’s Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament. Baylor would
need to sweep Oklahoma this weekend to move up to the No. 4 seed. The Bears could move up to the No. 3 spot with a sweep and with a series win from Kansas at Texas Tech.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Fifth-year senior Andy Thomas has reached safely in 22 straight games and has a career-long 14-game streak. He leads the team and is 4th in the Big 12 in batting average (.373)
through 21 conference games.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• After a slow start to his Baylor career, true freshman Cam Caley has become a reliable piece on the mound for the Bears. Over his last seven appearances, Caley has an impressive
0.44 ERA in 20.2 innings of work. He earned his second career win on Sunday after hurling 2.1 innings against No. 21 Oklahoma State.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• On the season, second-year freshman Jared McKenzie is hitting .377 (3rd Big 12), while leading the league and 7th in the nation in runs scored with 56. In addition, McKenzie’s 117
total bases are 6th in the Big 12 and 33rd nationally.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Baylor is outscoring its opponents 53-19 in the first inning and has a 24-9 record when scoring first (23-5 when scoring in the first frame). The Bears also hold a 37-15 advantage
in the eighth inning. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Baylor has scored double-digit runs in 13 games in 2021. The Bears are first in the Big 12 in batting average (13th nationally) with a .306 clip and second in the conference in
earned run average with a 3.49 ERA (13th nationally).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Individually, the Bears have a number of players at the top of the conference as McKenzie is 1st in runs scored (7th in the nation), 2nd in hits (10th in the nation), 3rd in batting
average, Andy Thomas is 3rd in RBI, Hayden Kettler is 3rd in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.78) and 2nd in walks per nine innings (1.47), Tyler Thomas is T-2nd in opp. batting average (.202) and 5th in ERA (2.49), while Luke Boyd is 3rd in saves (22nd in the nation)
with eight.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on Facebook (Baylor Baseball), Twitter (@BaylorBaseball) and Instagram (@BaylorBaseball).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;background:white">-BaylorBears.com-</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:black">Zach Rhodes</span></b><span style="color:black"> | Associate Director of Athletics Communications<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">C: 919-247-7585 | O: 254-710-3784<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D74CE5.DE3ED340" alt="signature_1425743159"></span></a><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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