Baylor
BYU
BSB Battles BYU on Easter Weekend
4/1/2026 5:30:00 PM | Baseball
Bears host Cougars for first time as Big 12 foes
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BAYLOR BEARS (16-12, 5-4 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Mitch Thompson (Fort Hays St., 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
BAYLOR (16-12, 5-4) vs BYU (13-14, 4-5) April 2, 2026 • 6:30 p.m. CT April 3, 2026 • 6:30 p.m. CT April 4, 2026 • 1:00 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark LIVE STATS: BaylorBears.com/Stats WATCH: ESPN+ Talent: Pete Sousa (Thurs.), Mike Leslie (Fri. & Sat.), Pat Combs LISTEN: ESPN Central Texas 1660 AM/92.3 FM Talent: Derek Smith, Tom Barfield Baylor Social Media:    |
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BYU COUGARS (13-14, 4-5 Big 12) Location: Provo, Utah Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Trent Pratt Roster | Stats |
STORYLINES
LEADING OFF
• Baylor Baseball remains at home for an adjusted three-game weekend series against BYU, playing on Thursday-Friday-Saturday to accomodate the upcoming Easter holiday.
• Before dropping a midweek contest to Tarleton State, the Bears came off a weekend sweep at Houston and a perfect 4-0 week after defeating UIW last Tuesday.
• The sweep marked BU's first series win against Houston since 2017 and the first series win over the Coogs on the road since 1996.
• Under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson, the Bears have now won four Big 12 road series during his tenure.
• Baylor is 6-1 on Friday nights so far in 2026 and has won each of its last five Friday night contests.
• This is the first time since 2021 that BU has won three-straight series openers in Big 12 play.
• Baylor has turned 27 double plays in 28 games, which ranks second in the Big 12 and 13th nationally.
• 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.
CATCHING UP WITH THE COUGS
• Baylor is 4-1 all-time against BYU, including an undefeated 3-0 record against the Cougars under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
• BU swept BYU in Provo in 2024, the only previous meeting between the Bears and Cougars since BYU joined the Big 12.
• This will be BYU's third trip to Waco all-time, and first for a weekend series, as the two sides split a midweek game in the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
• Thurs. April 2 • 6:30 p.m. CT • RHP Lucas Davenport (2-0, 1.89 ERA) vs. LHP Justis Reiser (0-0, 8.71 ERA)
• Fri. April 3 • 6:30 p.m. CT • RHP Zack Wallace (3-1, 4.10 ERA) vs. LHP Wayland Crane (0-2, 7.00 ERA)
• Sat. April 4 • 1:00 p.m. CT • TBA vs. RHP Cayson Bell (1-0, 6.28 ERA)
HOW SWEEP IT IS!
• Baylor's series sweep at Houston marked just its second Big 12 sweep under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
• It was the first series sweep by any road team in Big 12 play so far this season.
• The sweep was BU's third of the 2026 season, marking the first season since 2021 that the Bears have swept three or more series, and the first time since 2019 that BU has swept 3+ series including at least one against a conference foe.
SWIPING RIGHT (ON THE BASES)
• In Sunday's series finale, the Bears stole eight bases, their most in a single game since May 16, 2006, vs. Dallas Baptist. • Eight stolen bases is just one shy of the program's all-time single-game record.
• The Bears have stolen five or more bases four times in 2026, and have stolen multiple bases in 12 games this year.
• BU's 49 stolen bases through 28 games are its most at this point in a season since 2011 (53).
CALDER LEADS GROUP OF SOLID STARTERS
• Baylor's starting pitchers combined to throw 17.1 innings on the weekend, a season high. It was the first time since March 3-5, 2023, against Youngstown State that BU had three starters each go 5+ innings on the mound.
• Senior LHP Ethan Calder matched his career high for the third time with seven innings pitched in the series finale on Sunday. He recorded 12 outs with two or fewer pitches, and 14 outs on three or less offerings.
• Calder also threw 21 first-pitch strikes out of the 29 batters he faced.
• Calder has now thrown 195 career innings. Tyler Thomas (2018-2022) was the most recent BU pitcher to eclipse the 200 career innings plateau.
STREAKING SANDERS
• Redshirt junior shortstop Travis Sanders carries a 31-game on-base streak into this weekend's series, dating back to the 2025 season.
• Sanders and Ryan Bennett (2003) are tied for the 10th-longest on-base streak Baylor's modern era (since 2003) leaderboard.
• Sanders also notched his 100th career hit on Saturday at Houston, blasting a two-run home run to reach the milestone.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
• Through 28 games, 46% 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 34% 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.
• 51% 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.
• This year, 19 Bears have made their Baylor debuts (9 hitters, 10 pitchers), including 10 true or redshirt freshmen.
FACING THE BEST OF THE BEST
• Through 28 games, Baylor own's the nations No. 9 Strength of Schedule (WarrenNolan.com)
• BU has faced seven ranked opponents for a total of nine games, and five of the top-20 RPI teams at this point in the year (No. 1 Texas, No. 12 Ole Miss, No. 15 West Virginia, No. 16 Southern Miss and No. 20 Oregon State.)
• Baylor currently sits at No. 34 in the RPI entering the weekend series against BYU.
• 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.
THE TYCE IS RIGHT
• Redshirt senior 1B Tyce Armstrong ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 10 home runs and 11th in the league with 35 RBIs.
• Armstrong's 10 home runs mark the 11th time since 2012 that a Bear has hit double-digit homers in a single season.
• This is the second time under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson that a Bear has hit 10+ home runs, as Wesley Jordan hit 10 in 2025.
• Baylor's school record for home runs in a season is 21, set by Charley Carter in 1998.
• Armstrong sits six blasts shy of cracking the top-10 on BU's single-season leaderboard.
• Baylor has not had two players hit 10+ home runs in the same season since 2021, when Andy Thomas (11) and Jared McKenzie (10) each did so.
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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