Baylor
West Virginia
BSB Hits The Road to Face No. 21 West Virginia
4/25/2024 3:15:00 PM | Baseball
Bears looking for first series win in Morgantown since 2018
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BAYLOR BEARS (19-20, 9-9 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (19-20, 9-9) at WEST VIRGINIA (23-16, 11-7) April 26, 2024 • 5:30 p.m. CT April 27, 2024 • 3:00 p.m. CT April 28, 2024 • 10:00 a.m. CT Morgantown, W.Va. • Monongalia County Ballpark (3,500) LIVE STATS: BaylorStats.com WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: Lanny Frattare, Tyler Barnette LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Tom Barfield Baylor Social Media:    |
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WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (23-16, 11-7 Big 12) Location: Morgantown, W.Va. Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Randy Mazey (Clemson, 1988) Roster | Stats |
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball heads east to face No. 21 West Virginia in a three-game set at Monongalia County Ballpark in Morgantown, W.Va., BU's first ranked weekend series since taking two of three from No. 23 Texas Tech on March 15-17.
• The Bears are coming off a 9-3 victory over Sam Houston on Tuesday night, in which six Baylor pitchers combined to strike out 12 Bearkats, while freshman catcher Brayden Buchanan, junior outfielder Ty Johnson and junior outfielder Wesley Jordan each added two hits and combined for three extra-base hits, six runs scored and four RBIs.
• Baylor has scored eight or more runs in 10 of its last 14 games, has tallied nine or more hits in 13 of its last 16 games, and has struck out 10 or more batters in nine of its last 15 games.
• Since moving redshirt junior OF Enzo Apodaca back into the leadoff spot on March 29, the Bears are hitting .327 as a team across those 14 games and have scored 126 runs on 161 hits, including 30 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs.
• According to Pro Baseball Radar, BU faced the nation's toughest schedule through the first month of the season based on 2023's RPI and win percentage.
• Baylor plays 26 games against the 2023 RPI top-50 this season, the most in the Big 12.
• 61% of Baylor's offense (227 of 371 hits) has been produced by underclassmen or players in their first season at Baylor.
• True or redshirt freshmen have accounted for 40% of innings pitched on the mound this season (136.0 of 343.1).
SHORTSTOP'S BEEN A SPARKPLUG
• Junior INF Tyriq Kemp is red hot at the plate, batting .447 (17-for-38) over his last 12 games and reaching base at a .558 clip.
• The native of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, has slugged .737 over his last 12 games with five doubles and two home runs, while driving in 11.
• Kemp has paired with senior INF Cole Posey and junior C Cortlan Castle as Baylor's primary bottom-third of the order over the last 10 games, with the trio hitting a combined .388 (38-for-98) with 14 extra-base hits and 25 RBIs.
CHECKING IN AT THE MARRIOTT
• Junior RHP Mason Marriott leads the Bears in 2024 with seven starts of at least 5.0 innings without allowing more than three earned runs, including five of his last six starts, and leads all BU starters with a 4.17 ERA.
• He has struck out six or more batters in half of his starts this season, including a combined 18 punchouts against Nebraska and Oral Roberts as two of his first three starts of the year.
• Marriott's 10 strikeouts on Opening Day were the most by a Baylor starter in a season opener since Shawn Tolleson fanned 11 against Duke on Feb. 19, 2010.
CHASING 30
• Junior OF Wesley Jordan is currently riding a 30-game on-base streak, the longest such streak by a Bear since Davis Wendzel reached in 37 straight games in 2018.
• On Tuesday, Jordan became the ninth Bear to boast an on-base streaks of at least 30 games since the 2003 season.
• More information on the streak leaderboard can be found on Jordan's player page.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. WEST VIRGINIA
• Baylor trails the all-time series with West Virginia, 17-14, and has lost each of its last seven contests against the Mountaineers.
• The Bears are in search of their first series win in Morgantown since 2018.
• The Bears are 2-6 against ranked teams in 2024 and 4-17 under second-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Fri. April 26 • 5:30 p.m. • RHP Mason Marriott (3-3, 4.17 ERA) vs. RHP Hayden Cooper (1-2, 6.19 ERA)
• Sat. April 27 • 3:00 p.m. • RHP Collin McKinney (3-4, 6.13 ERA) vs. LHP Derek Clark (4-1, 2.79 ERA)
• Sun. April 28 • 10:00 a.m. • TBD vs. RHP Aidan Major (3-3, 5.30 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• This weekend's games will all be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
• Fans can also tune in to ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM to hear the home radio broadcast featuring Derek Smith and Tom Barfield calling the action.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
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