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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">Feb. 18, 2024<br>
<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;color:black">Baylor Baseball Hangs Tough But Comes Up Short To No. 5 Tennessee<br>
</span></b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Five newcomers make their Baylor debut in 11-5 loss<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>
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</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">ARLINGTON, Texas –
</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Baylor baseball (0-3) battled No. 5 Tennessee (2-1) to an 11-5 loss Sunday night in the final game of the 2024 Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington.<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">Despite jumping out to a 2-0 lead and trailing just 6-5 after three innings, the Vols’ bats proved to be too much for the Bears to overcome as they scored in six consecutive
frames to pull away from BU.<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">Five new Bears made their Baylor debuts, including freshman catcher Brayden Buchanan, redshirt junior outfielder Kade Fletcher, junior right-handed pitcher Will Glatch, freshman
lefty Mason Green and freshman southpaw RJ Ruais. Green and Ruais combined to give BU 3.1 impressive innings in their first-career action out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit and one run with a pair of strikeouts between the duo.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<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">It was Baylor that jumped out to a quick lead, as junior outfielder Enzo Apodaca scorched a line drive up the middle to get things started and then wheeled around to score
on senior outfielder Hunter Simmons’ RBI double to start the bottom of the first. Simmons would later score on fifth-year senior infielder Mason Greer’s RBI fielder’s choice as the Bears took a 2-0 lead into the second inning.<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">UT struck back with a three-run home run off Baylor starter Jared Matheson, but BU would respond in the home half as senior catcher Harrison Caley hit his first-career home
run, a solo shot, to knot the score at 3-3.<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 third, a two-run triple and sacrifice fly gave the Vols a three-spot, but junior outfielder Ty Johnson split the gap for a two-RBI triple and got the Bears back within
one at 6-5.<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">That’s as close as Baylor would get though, as Tennessee added two more in the fourth and another in the fifth to go ahead 9-5. Threatening for more, the freshman southpaw
Green entered out of the bullpen with the bases loaded and nobody out but was able to retire the side in order to avoid further damage.<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 Vols added a run in each of the next two innings, extending their lead to 11-5, and held off any hopes of a Baylor comeback with six-straight scoreless innings of relief.<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 falls to 1-2 all-time against Tennessee.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• BU still owns an above-.500 record at tournaments sponsored by Shriners Children’s, at 8-7 all-time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Eight Bears pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts, marking the third time this season and 23<sup>rd</sup> time in the Mitch Thompson era that BU has eclipsed double-digit punchouts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Five newcomers made their Baylor debuts in freshman C Brayden Buchanan, redshirt junior OF Kade Fletcher, junior RHP Will Glatch, freshman LHP Mason Green and freshman LHP
RJ Ruais.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Green and Ruais combined for 3.1 innings of relief allowing just one hit, one run and striking out two.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Buchanan collected his first-career hit, an infield single.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Junior OF Ty Johnson became the first Bear to record a multi-RBI game in 2024 with a two-run triple.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Junior OF Enzo Apodaca posted his first two-hit game as a Bear.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Senior C Harrison Caley hit his first-career home run.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Junior INF Hunter Teplanszky extended his team-leading on-base streak to nine games, dating back to last season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Senior OF Hunter Simmons has a six-game on-base streak, dating back to last season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">• Redshirt junior RHP Drew Leach made his first appearance for the Bears since May 26, 2021, after suffering a season-ending injury in 2022 and playing a season at Alvin CC
in 2023.<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">5 – Baylor scored five runs in the first three innings against No. 5 Tennessee, and five Bears made their Baylor debuts.<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">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 his team competing throughout the weekend…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">“We did compete, there’s no question, but we do have room to improve. The disappointing thing about tonight is we were playing such a good opponent with such great physical
skills and talent, their athletes are big-time dudes, and you can't help them. You can’t make silly mistakes defensively and we gave them too many opportunities that ended up costing us. We did compete, and that’s to be expected. We just have to get over the
hump. We’re playing good teams and we’re learning a lot about where we have to go and how much better we have to get. Work is ahead of us and we have to try to get better every day.”<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"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">On getting some freshmen experience in their collegiate debuts…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">“We got some guys out there and they handled themselves well for their first times. Mason Green coming in the ballgame with the bases loaded and nobody out, for him to pitch
out of that was fantastic. I thought RJ [Ruais] threw the ball well out of the bullpen. Those will be two good left-handed arms for us that can help us. And Brayden Buchanan getting his first start, I thought he handled himself well. It’s disappointing to
leave here 0-3, there’s no question about it, but we’ll keep growing.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">Junior OF Ty Johnson<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">On the positives from the weekend…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">“I think the positive that we can take out of this weekend is that we competed. We can go into the rest of the season having been battle-tested. We were thrown right into the fire
and we competed our tails off against some of the best teams in the nation. I’m proud of us for that and I’m excited to see what this team can do the rest of the season.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">On maintaining the offense late into games…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">“We’ve just got to keep our energy up. I think that we’re capable of being a great offensive team, averaging seven, eight runs per game. We’ve just got to stick to our approaches,
not get too big or try to do something different whenever the other team responds.”<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">WHAT’S NEXT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Baylor (0-3) opens its home schedule with a Tuesday afternoon tilt against Lamar (2-1) with a 4 p.m. first pitch at Baylor Ballpark, the first of a nine-game homestand for
the Bears.<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>
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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 (Baseball, Football)</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@01DA62C8.5083D810" alt="signature_590430712"></span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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