Baylor
Incarnate Word
BSB Returns Home for Midweek With UIW
3/23/2026 3:30:00 PM | Baseball
Bears make pit stop to face Cardinals at Baylor Ballpark before another weekend road trip
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BAYLOR BEARS (12-11, 2-4 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (12-11, 2-4) vs. INCARNATE WORD (13-11, 5-7) March 24, 2026 • 6:30 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark (5,000) LIVE STATS: BaylorBears.com/Stats WATCH: ESPN+ Talent: John Morris, Matt Menard LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Tom Barfield Baylor Social Media:    |
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INCARNATE WORD CARDINALS (13-11, 5-7 Southland) Location: San Antonio, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Southland Head Coach: Nick Zaleski (Sam Houston, 2009) Roster | Stats |
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball returns home for a midweek matchup against Incarnate Word that is sandwiched between a pair of Big 12 road series.
• The Bears are coming off a series loss at Oklahoma State, where BU won the Friday night opener, 6-4.
• BU opened the year on a 10-game winning streak at home, its longest home winning streak to start a season since 2021.
• The home winning streak extended to 11 games when counting the 2025 home finale, making it Baylor's longest home winning streak since 2012, when the Bears won 22 in a row in Waco.
• Baylor has played nine games against ranked opponents so far in 2026, its most at this point in a season since 2014 (9).
• The Bears have stolen 31 bases through 23 games this year, their most at this point in a season since 2015 (32).
• Baylor has turned 22 double plays in 23 games, which ranks third in the Big 12 and 20th nationally.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST UIW
• Baylor is 7-1 all-time against Incarnate Word, including a 2-1 record against the Cardinals under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
• The last time the two sides met was in 2024, when UIW came to Waco for a three-game series. The Bears took the first two games, 13-7 and 15-3, but dropped the finale 14-1.
• This will be the first midweek meeting between the Bears and the Cardinals during the Thompson Era, as the last midweek matchup came on April 26, 2022 .
• BU is 3-2 in midweek ballgames so far in 2026.
• During the Thompson Era, the Bears are 30-13 in midweek contests and have won 19 of their last 22 midweek games.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
• Tues. March 24 • 6:30 p.m. CT • RHP Cayden Baker (1-1, 8.44 ERA) vs. RHP Emir Encalada (0-0, 13.19 ERA)
LAST TIME OUT
• Baylor won the opening game of its weekend series at Oklahoma State, a 6-4 decision on Friday night in Stillwater, but the Bears dropped the series with a narrow 5-3 loss and 13-6 defeat on Saturday and Sunday.
• The Bears racked up a season-high 15 strikeouts on the mound in Friday's victory and improved to 10-2 this season when scoring first.
WHO's HOT
• Redshirt junior INF Travis Sanders carries a 27-game on-base streak into Tuesday night's game against Incarnate Word, dating back to the 2025 season. Sanders leads the Bears in hitting (34 hits, .386 AVG).
• Redshirt senior 1B Tyce Armstrong has hit seven home runs and driven in 29 runs, both team highs.
• Redshirt junior RHP Lucas Davenport was stretched out to throw a season-high 80 total pitches across four innings, while sophomore RHP Zack Wallace turned in 4.2 frames in his first conference start.
• Fifth-year senior RHP Caleb Bunch fanned a Baylor-career-high six batters in three scoreless innings on Friday at Oklahoma State in earning his third save of the season.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
• Through 23 games, 47% 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 35% of the team's total plate appearances.
• That group also accounts for 46% of the team's hits, including 35% from true or redshirt freshmen.
• 52% of Baylor's hits have come from players who have previously redshirted in their careers.
• 44% of Baylor's IP this season have been thrown by players who have thrown less than five career innings at the Div. I level.
• Baylor has nine true freshmen on its 2026 roster and an additional four redshirt freshmen.
• Through 23 games, 18 Bears have made their Baylor debuts (9 hitters, 9 pitchers), including 10 true or redshirt freshmen.
BROADCAST INFO
• Tuesday's game will be streamed on ESPN+, with Voice of the Bears John Morris (play-by-play) and former Bear Matt Menard (color analyst) on the broadcast.
• Fans can also tune in to the Baylor Sports Media Network radio call featuring Derek Smith and Tom Barfield on the call on ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM.
SIZZLING SANDERS
• Redshirt junior INF and Preseason All-Big 12 shortstop Travis Sanders is off to a blistering start at the plate, batting .386 (34-for-88) through his first 22 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 an impressive .596 on balls in play this season.
• He currently ranks 10th in the Big 12 with 34 hits, just seven shy of the league lead, and ninth in the conference in AVG.
FACING THE BEST OF THE BEST
• Through 23 games, Baylor own's the nations No. 6 Strength of Schedule (WarrenNolan.com)
• BU has faced seven ranked opponents for a total of nine games, and six of the top-40 RPI teams at this point in the year (No. 1 Texas, No. 3 Southern Miss, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 29 Oregon State, No. 31 West Virginia and No. 34 Kansas State).
• Baylor currently sits at No. 40 in the RPI entering Tuesday's game against Incarnate Word.
• 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.
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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