Wednesday, May 20
Surprise, Ariz.
6:30 PM
Baylor
29-26
13
vs
9
BYU
28-28
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BYU | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 4 |
| Baylor | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | X | 13 | 11 | 0 |
No. 8 Seed BSB Advances Past No. 9 BYU, 13-9
5/20/2026 11:47:00 PM | Baseball
Sanders, Armstrong, Janusek combine for seven runs, seven hits and eight RBIs in the win
SURPRISE, Ariz. – No. 8-seed Baylor baseball came from behind to defeat No. 9-seed BYU, 13-9, on Wednesday evening at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz., to advance to the 2026 Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.
The Bears (29-26) used a combined seven-hit, seven-run, eight-RBI performance from their three-headed monster trio of redshirt junior infielder Travis Sanders, redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong and freshman outfielder Brady Janusek to eliminate the Cougars (28-28), who led the ballgame at 8-6 through five innings.
Though Baylor threw the game's first punch, BYU responded to climb back from a five-run deficit and go in front. However, BU scored seven late runs to collect its 14th comeback victory of the season and advance to the next round of the conference tournament.
Senior left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder got the win after making his first relief appearance in over two years and going 4.2 innings on the mound, allowing just two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight batters.
Janusek matched his career high with five RBIs on the night, including his freshman-record 14th home run of the year, a massive two-out, three-run shot that changed the ballgame and lifted the Bears past the Cougars.
THE RUNDOWN
Baylor got out to a fast start with a three-spot in the bottom of the first inning after BU starter Lucas Davenport worked a 1-2-3 frame in the top half. Janusek got the rally started with a one-out double, moving Armstrong to third after he walked. Sophomore infielder Pearson Riebock singled both of his teammates in on the first pitch he saw, then wheeled around from first on redshirt freshman infielder Brytton Clements' RBI double to make it a quick 3-0 lead.
The Bears added two more in the bottom of the second, pushing their lead to 5-0 after Janusek delivered a two-run single with two outs in the inning.
In the third, BYU struck for six runs on six hits to chase Davenport from the mound and take a 6-5 lead, seemingly out of nowhere. Calder came on to stop the bleeding, fanning each of the first two batters he faced to get Baylor out of the mess. He kept it rolling into the fourth, retiring the side in order on just eight pitches to get the Bears back up to the plate trailing by just a run.
After fifth-year senior outfielder Ty Johnson reached on an error to start the home half and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt, it was Sanders who brought him in with a screaming RBI line drive the other way, knotting the scoreline up at 6-6.
Things wouldn't stay tied for long, though, as BYU went back in front in the top of the fifth by plating two runs on three hits and a walk in the inning. Calder stayed out there and continued to battle, retiring the Cougar side in order in the top of the sixth. Then, in the home half, Janusek came up with a huge two-out swing, blasting a three-run home run over the left-center wall to put Baylor back in front at 9-8. Janusek's moment came on an 0-2 count following tough at-bats from Sanders, who reached on a BYU error with two down in the inning, and Armstrong who shot a bloop single the other way to help set the stage for the stud freshman.
Those runs helped Calder find another gear, as he made quick work of the Cougar side once more in the top of the seventh with a one-run lead. That's when the Bears broke it open, scoring four runs on three hits in the bottom of the inning to pull away. Clements led things off with his second knock of the night, then senior outfielder Caleb Bergman dropped down a pinch-hit bunt single to give BU two runners on with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly plated one run to make it 10-8, Sanders shot a two-run double down the left-field line and Armstrong reached on a run-scoring error to extend the Baylor lead to 13-8.
Fifth-year senior closer Caleb Bunch came on in the eighth and fanned a pair, then worked around a solo home run in the top of the ninth to shut the door and send Baylor on to the tournament's quarterfinals.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor picked up its first win at the Big 12 Tournament since 2019 and improved to 38-44 all-time at the event.
• BU improved to 7-2 all-time against BYU and 6-1 against the Cougars under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
• Baylor tallied its 14th come-from-behind victory of the season, and third in its last four wins.
• BU's 60 home runs on the year are its most since hitting 73 in 2009.
• Tonight's game marked the fourth time this season that BU has scored 3+ runs in the first inning.
• Tonight's game marked Baylor's 23rd double-digit hitting performance.
• Baylor's three-headed monster of Travis Sanders, Tyce Armstrong and Brady Janusek combined to score seven runs, rack up seven hits and drove in eight runs on the night.
• Redshirt junior INF Travis Sanders extended his on-base streak to 21 games and his hitting streak to 13 games.
• Sanders tallied his team-leading 25th multi-hit game of the season and produced his 12th multi-RBI effort of the year.
• Sanders tied Jared McKenzie's total of 82 hits for most by a Bear since 2021.
• Redshirt senior 1B Tyce Armstrong extended his career-best on-base streak to 27 games and his hitting streak to 13 games.
• Armstrong also recorded his 18th multi-hit game of the season.
• Freshman OF Brady Janusek extended his hitting streak to six games.
• Janusek also logged his 18th multi-hit and 12th multi-RBI efforts of the year, tying his career high with five RBIs.
• Janusek crushed his 14th home run of the season, extending his freshman program record.
• Sophomore INF Pearson Riebock extended his on-base streak to five games.
• Riebock also notched his fifth multi-RBI game of the season.
• Redshirt freshman DH Brytton Clements collected his 13th multi-hit game of the 2026 campaign.
• Freshman INF Cole Lanclos reached safely for the 11th-straight game.
• Senior LHP Ethan Calder made his first relief appearance of the season and first since May 4, 2024, when he went 6.2 innings out of the bullpen against TCU in Waco.
• Calder fanned eight for his fifth outing of the year with at least five punchouts.
• Calder also picked up career win number 16.
• Fifth-year senior RHP Caleb Bunch notched his 12th multi-strikeout outing of the season.
STAT OF THE DAY
7, 7, 8 – Baylor's three-headed monster of Travis Sanders, Tyce Armstrong and Brady Janusek combined for seven runs, seven hits and eight RBIs on the night.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On the back and forth contest…
"It's a fight all the way. We knew it was going to be a fight. We knew those guys would really compete hard against us. I loved the way we came out early and punched them in the mouth, but man they punched right back. That's what you expect from those guys, but I liked the way our guys fought. We played good baseball today."
Freshman OF Brady Janusek
On the fight in this ball club…
"We knew it was going to be a long game. They took the lead, but we all said "so what?" We were going to go back out there and battle. We knew it was going to be a long game, these tournament games always are, so we knew we could still come out on top."
Senior LHP Ethan Calder
On coming out of the bullpen…
"It's fun. Sophomore year I came out of the 'pen. You get to have a little bit of adrenaline. You don't know when you're coming out, if it's going to be short or long, but just trying to keep the team in it. Trying to keep the runs off the board for Davenport. It was fun and hopefully throughout the week I'll be doing more of that."
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 8-seed Baylor (29-26) advances to the quarterfinals to take on No. 1-seed Kansas (39-16) on Thursday, May 21, at 2:30 p.m. CT at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
The Bears (29-26) used a combined seven-hit, seven-run, eight-RBI performance from their three-headed monster trio of redshirt junior infielder Travis Sanders, redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong and freshman outfielder Brady Janusek to eliminate the Cougars (28-28), who led the ballgame at 8-6 through five innings.
Though Baylor threw the game's first punch, BYU responded to climb back from a five-run deficit and go in front. However, BU scored seven late runs to collect its 14th comeback victory of the season and advance to the next round of the conference tournament.
Senior left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder got the win after making his first relief appearance in over two years and going 4.2 innings on the mound, allowing just two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight batters.
Janusek matched his career high with five RBIs on the night, including his freshman-record 14th home run of the year, a massive two-out, three-run shot that changed the ballgame and lifted the Bears past the Cougars.
THE RUNDOWN
Baylor got out to a fast start with a three-spot in the bottom of the first inning after BU starter Lucas Davenport worked a 1-2-3 frame in the top half. Janusek got the rally started with a one-out double, moving Armstrong to third after he walked. Sophomore infielder Pearson Riebock singled both of his teammates in on the first pitch he saw, then wheeled around from first on redshirt freshman infielder Brytton Clements' RBI double to make it a quick 3-0 lead.
The Bears added two more in the bottom of the second, pushing their lead to 5-0 after Janusek delivered a two-run single with two outs in the inning.
In the third, BYU struck for six runs on six hits to chase Davenport from the mound and take a 6-5 lead, seemingly out of nowhere. Calder came on to stop the bleeding, fanning each of the first two batters he faced to get Baylor out of the mess. He kept it rolling into the fourth, retiring the side in order on just eight pitches to get the Bears back up to the plate trailing by just a run.
After fifth-year senior outfielder Ty Johnson reached on an error to start the home half and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt, it was Sanders who brought him in with a screaming RBI line drive the other way, knotting the scoreline up at 6-6.
Things wouldn't stay tied for long, though, as BYU went back in front in the top of the fifth by plating two runs on three hits and a walk in the inning. Calder stayed out there and continued to battle, retiring the Cougar side in order in the top of the sixth. Then, in the home half, Janusek came up with a huge two-out swing, blasting a three-run home run over the left-center wall to put Baylor back in front at 9-8. Janusek's moment came on an 0-2 count following tough at-bats from Sanders, who reached on a BYU error with two down in the inning, and Armstrong who shot a bloop single the other way to help set the stage for the stud freshman.
Those runs helped Calder find another gear, as he made quick work of the Cougar side once more in the top of the seventh with a one-run lead. That's when the Bears broke it open, scoring four runs on three hits in the bottom of the inning to pull away. Clements led things off with his second knock of the night, then senior outfielder Caleb Bergman dropped down a pinch-hit bunt single to give BU two runners on with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly plated one run to make it 10-8, Sanders shot a two-run double down the left-field line and Armstrong reached on a run-scoring error to extend the Baylor lead to 13-8.
Fifth-year senior closer Caleb Bunch came on in the eighth and fanned a pair, then worked around a solo home run in the top of the ninth to shut the door and send Baylor on to the tournament's quarterfinals.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor picked up its first win at the Big 12 Tournament since 2019 and improved to 38-44 all-time at the event.
• BU improved to 7-2 all-time against BYU and 6-1 against the Cougars under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
• Baylor tallied its 14th come-from-behind victory of the season, and third in its last four wins.
• BU's 60 home runs on the year are its most since hitting 73 in 2009.
• Tonight's game marked the fourth time this season that BU has scored 3+ runs in the first inning.
• Tonight's game marked Baylor's 23rd double-digit hitting performance.
• Baylor's three-headed monster of Travis Sanders, Tyce Armstrong and Brady Janusek combined to score seven runs, rack up seven hits and drove in eight runs on the night.
• Redshirt junior INF Travis Sanders extended his on-base streak to 21 games and his hitting streak to 13 games.
• Sanders tallied his team-leading 25th multi-hit game of the season and produced his 12th multi-RBI effort of the year.
• Sanders tied Jared McKenzie's total of 82 hits for most by a Bear since 2021.
• Redshirt senior 1B Tyce Armstrong extended his career-best on-base streak to 27 games and his hitting streak to 13 games.
• Armstrong also recorded his 18th multi-hit game of the season.
• Freshman OF Brady Janusek extended his hitting streak to six games.
• Janusek also logged his 18th multi-hit and 12th multi-RBI efforts of the year, tying his career high with five RBIs.
• Janusek crushed his 14th home run of the season, extending his freshman program record.
• Sophomore INF Pearson Riebock extended his on-base streak to five games.
• Riebock also notched his fifth multi-RBI game of the season.
• Redshirt freshman DH Brytton Clements collected his 13th multi-hit game of the 2026 campaign.
• Freshman INF Cole Lanclos reached safely for the 11th-straight game.
• Senior LHP Ethan Calder made his first relief appearance of the season and first since May 4, 2024, when he went 6.2 innings out of the bullpen against TCU in Waco.
• Calder fanned eight for his fifth outing of the year with at least five punchouts.
• Calder also picked up career win number 16.
• Fifth-year senior RHP Caleb Bunch notched his 12th multi-strikeout outing of the season.
STAT OF THE DAY
7, 7, 8 – Baylor's three-headed monster of Travis Sanders, Tyce Armstrong and Brady Janusek combined for seven runs, seven hits and eight RBIs on the night.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On the back and forth contest…
"It's a fight all the way. We knew it was going to be a fight. We knew those guys would really compete hard against us. I loved the way we came out early and punched them in the mouth, but man they punched right back. That's what you expect from those guys, but I liked the way our guys fought. We played good baseball today."
Freshman OF Brady Janusek
On the fight in this ball club…
"We knew it was going to be a long game. They took the lead, but we all said "so what?" We were going to go back out there and battle. We knew it was going to be a long game, these tournament games always are, so we knew we could still come out on top."
Senior LHP Ethan Calder
On coming out of the bullpen…
"It's fun. Sophomore year I came out of the 'pen. You get to have a little bit of adrenaline. You don't know when you're coming out, if it's going to be short or long, but just trying to keep the team in it. Trying to keep the runs off the board for Davenport. It was fun and hopefully throughout the week I'll be doing more of that."
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 8-seed Baylor (29-26) advances to the quarterfinals to take on No. 1-seed Kansas (39-16) on Thursday, May 21, at 2:30 p.m. CT at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz.
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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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Calder, Ethan (5-5)
L: Johnson, Ashton (2-5)
Batting:
2B: Painter, Keoni 1 ; Anderson, Luke 1
3B: Hansen, Matt 1
HR: Robinson, Ryder 1
RBI: Painter, Keoni 1 ; McChesney, Crew 1 ; Robinson, Ryder 1 ; Anderson, Luke 1 ; Hurdsman, Bryker 2 ; Erickson, Ridge 1 ; McNaughton, Ezra 2
SF: Hurdsman, Bryker 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Painter, Keoni 1 ; McChesney, Crew 1 ; Robinson, Ryder 2 ; Anderson, Luke 1 ; Hansen, Matt 1 ; Jones, Easton 1 ; Erickson, Ridge 1 ; McNaughton, Ezra 1
HBP: Painter, Keoni 1 ; Hansen, Matt 1
Batting:
2B: Clements, Brytton 1 ; Sanders, Travis 1 ; Janusek, Brady 1
HR: Janusek, Brady 1
RBI: Clements, Brytton 1 ; Riebock, Pearson 2 ; Sanders, Travis 3 ; Janusek, Brady 5 ; Johnson, Ty 1
SH: Lanclos, Cole 2 ; Buchanan, Brayden 1 ; Johnson, Ty 1
SF: Johnson, Ty 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Riebock, Pearson 1 ; Sanders, Travis 3 ; Lanclos, Cole 1 ; Janusek, Brady 2 ; Armstrong, Tyce 2 ; Buchanan, Brayden 1 ; Caraway, Bo 1 ; Johnson, Ty 1 ; Bergman, Caleb 1
HBP: Lanclos, Cole 1
Players Mentioned
1B
/ Baseball
OF
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RHP
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LHP
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INF
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RHP
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OF
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OF
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INF/OF/RHP
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INF/OF
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INF
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