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<a name="_Hlk490052374"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS –
</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">May 20, 2023<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;color:black">Baylor Baseball Sweeps Bakersfield to Close Out 2023<br>
</span></b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Bears finish the year on season-best four-game winning streak<br>
</span></i><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">For more information contact:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"> Max Calderone, 254-265-1639,
</span><a href="mailto:Max_Calderone@Baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Max_Calderone@Baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">
</span><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;color:black"> </span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"><br>
<br>
</span><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">WACO, Texas –
</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">The Bears reached the 20-win plateau for the 51<sup>st</sup> 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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">THE RUNDOWN<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">HIGHLIGHTS</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Baylor finished the year on a season-best four-game win streak and reached the 20-win mark for the 51<sup>st</sup> consecutive season, dating back to 1971.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• BU improved to 17-7 when scoring six or more runs, and 8-0 when scoring 10 or more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• The Bears recorded their largest margin of victory with the nine-run win in the middle game of the series.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Baylor collected its sixth win this season when being out-hit by its opponent.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Junior INF/OF Cole Posey tallied his 16<sup>th</sup> multi-hit game of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Sophomore INF Hunter Teplanszky recorded his 14<sup>th</sup> multi-hit game and 10<sup>th</sup> multi-RBI game of the year, including his sixth home run of the season which
tied for a team high.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Freshman INF Kolby Branch finished the year on an eight-game on-base streak.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Branch also collected his team-leading 19<sup>th</sup> multi-hit game and 10<sup>th</sup> multi-RBI game, including his sixth home run of the season which tied for a team
high.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Redshirt freshman OF Gavin Brzozowski notched his 10<sup>th</sup> multi-hit and fourth multi-RBI efforts of the year, including a season-high three RBIs and his fifth home
run of the season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Sophomore 1B John Ceccoli picked up two hits for his sixth multi-hit performance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Junior INF Casey Sunseri collected a season-high two hits in the finale.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Fifth-year senior RHP Blake Helton earned his first win of the season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Fourth-year junior RHP Hambleton Oliver collected his fifth save of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Oliver also worked his 11<sup>th</sup> scoreless appearance of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Fifth-year junior RHP Anderson Needham worked his 14<sup>th</sup> scoreless appearance of the season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">STAT OF THE DAY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">20 – Baylor reached the 20-win mark for the 51<sup>st</sup> consecutive full season, dating back to 1971.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">QUOTABLE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Head Coach Mitch Thompson<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">On ending the season on a four-game winning streak…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">“</span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">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.”</span></span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">On building a culture at Baylor…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">“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.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:center;background:white">
<i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><br>
-BaylorBears.com-</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">__________________________________</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#154734;mso-ligatures:none">Max Calderone</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (BSB, FB, EQ)</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">C: 254-265-1639</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><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@01D98B56.914BE9E0" alt="signature_39911580"></span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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