Baylor baseball celebrates its series sweep over Texas A&M with a 7-5 victory Sunday at Baylor Ballpark after junior Max Garner closed out the game.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

No. 3 Baylor baseball will take on the No. 25 New Mexico State Aggies tonight and Saturday. Both games of the two-game series will be at Baylor Ballpark, and the top 25 showdown should test both teams.

Offensively, New Mexico State makes their living by drawing walks. In their 41 games this season, the Aggies have drawn 271 walks, leading the nation by over 50. They also rank No. 36 in the country in getting hit by pitches. They manage to take many free bases however they can get them.

“[They] are very good, and [they] do what they do extremely well,” head coach Steve Smith said. “When you look at their stat sheet … it will not look like anybody’s stat sheet that you’ve seen all year … they lead the world in walks and getting hit by pitches.”

New Mexico State seizes the opportunities that they are given with free base runners. The Aggies are capable of piling on runs in innings.

“They’re doing a good job of hitting with runners in scoring position and [getting] guys on base. They’re averaging about eight runs per game,” Smith said.

With this in mind, Smith stressed the importance of Baylor’s pitching staff getting ahead of batters in the count.

“Throw strike one. Throw strike one. Throw strike one,” Smith said, emphasizing the importance of first-pitch strikes. “[It] is as big a pitch in the game as there is. It won’t necessarily mean we have to change anything, and I don’t expect them to change anything. We just need to continue to be who we are and do what we’ve been doing.”

Junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley will get the call tonight. Turley is 6-0 in his 10 starts. He leads the team in strikeouts with 51, and his ERA is 1.94.

“It’s always important to win games, especially when you have a tough schedule like we do,” Turley said.

The Bears recently bounced back from a loss that ended their 24-game winning streak. The loss came to the University of Texas at San Antonio 4-1 on Tuesday.

“Coming off of the series [with] Texas A&M … everybody was pumped up about that. [Then we played] a team like UTSA who doesn’t take anybody for granted [and is] trying to beat big teams like us. It was a good win for them. It’s a bad loss for us,” Turley said.

Baylor responded with a strong outing against the University of Texas at Arlington 6-4 Wednesday.

“To come back from [the loss] the next day and beat a quality team like UTA is a good thing for us. I think we played well, for the most part, until late. I’m just glad we got the W,” Turley said.

Baylor is 36-8 overall, 18-0 in conference and 25-3 at home. While this is a nonconference game, it will help prepare the team for their final two conference series against Oklahoma and Texas.

Despite a perfect conference record late in the season, the Bears have not locked up the conference title. Texas is currently 11-4 in conference play and 24-14 overall.

First pitch will be at 6:35 p.m. for tonight’s game.

No. 4 catcher Nathan Orf slides to safety at third as UT Arlington’s No. 37 third baseman Brent Bollinger prepares to catch the ball and tag him when baseball played UT Arlington on Wednesday at the Baylor Ballpark.
Meagan Downing | Lariat Photographer

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

No. 3 Baylor baseball returned to its winning ways with a 6-4 win over the University of Texas at Arlington Wednesday.

Senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremer earned the win and moves to 4-0.

“We’re dragging a little bit right now,” head coach Steve Smith said. “That’s not an excuse, that’s just reality. Probably most teams in college baseball are. All of us are getting close to finals … and I know our guys take those things [seriously]. So they’re burning at both ends.”

A two-run home run to center field in the first inning by senior left fielder Dan Evatt put the Bears on the board first. Junior designated hitter Nathan Orf crossed the plate as well, and Baylor took an early 2-0 lead.

“I knew the way the wind was blowing tonight that it was probably going to blow out,” Evatt said. “I hit it really well.”

Orf drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third inning. He advanced to third on junior third baseman Cal Towey’s single to right field. Orf scored on junior first baseman Max Muncy’s RBI groundout during the next at bat.

Two consecutive wild pitches by Bremer in the fourth inning led to the first run of the game for UTA.

Freshman left fielder Logan Brown and Towey both reached base in the bottom of the fifth inning. A wild pitch advanced them to third and second, respectively. An RBI single up the middle by Muncy scored both runs and extended Baylor’s lead to 5-1.

Junior second baseman Steve DalPorto scored from third base on a sacrifice bunt by Brown in the bottom of the sixth inning. This brought Baylor’s lead to 6-1.

Bremer pitched seven innings, allowed one earned run on four hits and struck out a career-high nine batters, including six in a row.

“That was probably, all around, the best outing I’ve had. I was only a two-pitch guy tonight. Just fastball, changeup,” Bremer said. “I was able to establish the fastball at the knees … and they were chasing the changeup all day long.”

Sophomore right-hander Dillon Newman replaced him in the sixth. Newman faced two batters and allowed two hits before junior left-handed pitcher Crayton Bare took the mound.

UTA added another run in the top of the eighth inning. With base runners threatening to add more runs, Bare was able to get out of the jam.

DalPorto and sophomore catcher Nate Goodwin both reached base in the bottom of the eighth inning. Towey loaded the bases after being hit by the pitch. With the bases loaded, Muncy flew out to left-center to end the inning, and Baylor took its 6-2 lead into the top of the ninth inning.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Joe Kirkland came in to close out the ninth inning. Kirkland retired one batter, but was pulled after allowing two batters to reach base. Junior right-handed pitcher Max Garner took the mound to close out the game.

Garner walked two consecutive batters to load the bases and score a run for the Mavericks. A wild pitch scored the runner from third and advanced the two other runners. This cut Baylor’s lead to 6-4.

With the tying run on second, Garner recorded a strikeout for the second out of the inning. He forced the final batter to groundout to first and seal the victory for the Bears. The save was Garner’s ninth of the season.

The Bears are now 35-8 overall and will take on New Mexico State at Baylor Ballpark on Friday at 6:35 p.m.

Left: Box score; Right: Baseball's winning streak

The Baylor baseball team celebrates its 24th straight win with a Sic’ Em on Sunday after a 7-5 win against Texas A&M. The team has been recognized by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Baseball America, Perfect Game and USA Today/ESPN.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

No. 30 senior catcher Josh Ludy swings at the ball against Texas A&M on Sunday at Baylor Ballpark. Ludy had two hits and two RBIs in Sunday’s 7-5 win over the Aggies.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

“Others receiving votes.” That’s where the Baylor baseball team was in the rankings to begin the season. A record of 35-7, including 24 straight wins, has changed the minds of voters around the country.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper ranked Baylor the No. 1 team in the country Monday, in a first-place tie with the Kentucky Wildcats. This marks the first time in program history that baseball has earned the nation’s top ranking.

The team is also ranked No. 3 by Baseball America and Perfect Game, and No. 4 by USA Today/ESPN. This was due in large part to the recent three-game sweep of then-No. 2 Texas A&M University and the 24-game winning streak.

No. 20 infielder Jake Miller tags a Texas A&M runner at second base on Sunday at Baylor Ballpark. The runner was called safe on the play.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

“I don’t try to explain it. We didn’t win 24 straight. We won a game 24 times,” head coach Steve Smith said. “The guys are just playing. I don’t have to explain it.”

The first game of the series took place Friday in College Station. With the Bears down by one run in the top of the eighth inning, sophomore second baseman Lawton Langford hit an RBI single down the left field line. With two outs, junior center fielder Logan Vick drove in the go-ahead runs and gave Baylor the 5-3 advantage and subsequent win.

“I haven’t been frustrated, nor have I sensed any kind of frustration with this team in so long that I can’t remember the last time I had it,” Smith said after Friday’s game. “They’re just competing.”

Senior right-handed pitcher Trent Blank earned his nation-leading ninth win of the season in front of a Baylor Ballpark record 5,911 spectators. Blank pitched eight shutout innings and helped the Bears win 1-0.

Two Aggie players look on from the dugout after a 7-5 loss to Baylor Sunday at Baylor Ballpark. The win by the Bears completed a three-game sweep.
Chris Derrett | Editor-In-Chief

“It felt like somebody else was behind me, so I just want to thank God right now,” Blank said. “I want to thank these fans, I want to thank my teammates and family. It was amazing. [The crowd] felt great and I hope they keep coming out.”

The only run of the game came when Langford drew a walk to load the bases again in the bottom of the fifth.

With freshman right-fielder Adam Toth and junior designated hitter Nathan Orf on third and second, respectively, Max Muncy delivered an RBI sacrifice fly to center field that scored Toth and gave the Bears a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

There was much more offense in the final game of the series.

The Bears posted four runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by senior catcher Josh Ludy’s two-run home run over the left field wall.

The home run came on the 15th pitch of the at bat after Ludy fouled off pitch after pitch.

“I hardly ever foul off that many pitches. I don’t know if I ever have,” Ludy said. “Luckily I just got a pitch I could handle better, and [I was] just looking for a [sacrifice] fly or something. It ended up going out.”

The Aggies fought and took the lead in the top of the sixth inning.

Ludy doubled down the left field line to end a long hitless streak by the Bears.

A fan holds up a “Feed the Beaver” sign showing baseball’s unofficial new motto Sunday at Baylor Ballpark.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

Vick followed with a double to the right fielder that advanced Ludy to third base.

The Bears regained the lead after senior left fielder Dan Evatt singled up the middle to score both runners and help the Bears regain the lead, 6-5.

“I just got a good pitch to hit. I really locked in, got extremely focused for that at bat because I knew it was a huge one. I thought I got it done,” Evatt said. “It’s kind of nice to send them off to the SEC with a sweeping.”

The Bears added another run before winning 7-5 and completing the three-game sweep of Texas A&M.

The Bears will next travel to San Antonio to take on the University of Texas at San Antonio tonight.

The Bears come back to Baylor Ballpark at 6 p.m. today to take on the University of Texas at Arlington.

Smith

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

Steve Smith earned a very special accolade on Tuesday night after the baseball team earned their 20th win in a row against Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi.

But it wasn’t the win streak that earned head coach Smith a permanent spot among Baylor’s all-time legends.

The win was Smith’s 650th of his coaching career. He surpassed his predecessor, Mickey Sullivan, who tallied a record of 649-428-4 from 1974-1994.

The win makes Smith Baylor’s all-time leader in wins for a coach in any sport.

“It is absolutely special to be the winningest head coach in Baylor baseball history. It absolutely is,” Smith said. “It is absolutely special to be right next to Mickey in a record book.”

Sullivan is a legend in his own right. Win total aside, Sullivan’s Bears appeared in the College World Series twice, won three Southwest Conference Championships and he was named the Southwest Conference’s Coach of the year five times.

“It’s not even really fair. I had facilities to work with that Mickey could have only dreamed of,” Smith said. “When it came time to build this stadium, the people that put the money in, they did it because of Mickey Sullivan.”

As the applause for Smith continued, his wife made her way onto the diamond to give him a congratulatory kiss.

Luckily she made it to Smith before senior Joey Hainsfurther did. While Smith was being interviewed, Hainsfurther snuck up behind him and smashed a towel full of shaving cream in Smith’s face as the dugout cheered.

“I did not know that was coming. I never would have expected that,” junior third baseman Cal Towey said about the shaving cream. “[It took] some big cojones right there. We might be having track practice tomorrow.”

The team disappeared into the locker room while Smith wiped the shaving cream from his face.

“If you stay with something long enough, these kinds of records are sort of records of perseverance and longevity. For that, I’m proud,” Smith said.

Smith has carved out his place in Baylor history with more than just a lengthy coaching tenure. In addition to the wins, Smith has one College World Series appearance, two Big 12 Championships, and has been named the Big 12 Coach of the Year four times.

Smith’s predecessor Sullivan passed away on March 22 of this season. Smith said Sullivan would be happy to see his record for wins broken.

“I love Mickey,” Smith said. “He’s not sad at all. As a matter of fact, he’s happier than we all are. I’m sure he and my dad right now are high-fiving each other.”

Despite the fact that the record is an individual achievement, Smith continued to talk about his players and the job that they have done on the field.

“I’m proud of them. I really like this group of guys. I’ve never had a group I didn’t like, but these guys are doing a heck of a job being coachable,” Smith said about his players. “We grieve together. I don’t want to overstate it, but when you lose one like we lost last year, that is as close in baseball context to death emotionally as you can get. We grieve together. I think that’s one reason why we’re so close.”

The players were just as quick to credit coach Smith as he was to credit them.

“That is a pretty big honor. To just be a part of that is pretty humbling,” sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Kuntz said. “It’s pretty cool to be a part of that whole thing.”

No. 9 first baseman Max Muncy tags out a runner during a record-breaking win Wednesday at Baylor Ballpark against Texas A&M — Corpus Christi.
David Li | Lariat Photographer

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

No. 6 Baylor baseball will take its program-record 21-game winning streak to College Station at 7 p.m. today to take on the Texas A&M Aggies.

The series will start with an away game for the Bears, but the final two games of the series will be played at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

Junior right-handed pitcher Josh Turley will get the start in the first game against the Aggies.

Head coach Steve Smith said he isn’t going to rely on the momentum to carry his team.

“Momentum is as good as Josh Turley will be on Friday night,” Smith said. “There were a lot a lot of positives that went on [against Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi]. Hopefully that will carry over.”

Baylor is sitting atop the Big 12 standings at 15-0 in conference play. Right behind the first-place Bears is the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies are 9-3 in Big 12, which ties them with the Texas Longhorns, but a better overall record gives them the tiebreaker.

Nine of the conference wins have come at home for the Bears compared to seven for the Aggies. Both teams have played mostly home games thus far.

The Bears are riding a 15-game conference-winning streak and are the hottest team in the country.

Despite being in second place in the Big 12, Texas A&M has lost two games in a row and three of its last five. This marked the third time this season that the Aggies have lost back-to-back games, but they have yet to lose three in a row.

“Definitely excited, definitely ready, definitely have something to prove every game,” sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Kuntz said. “[We] are just going to take it one game at a time and just keep rolling.”

The Aggies dropped a game at home to University of Texas–Arlington, won two of three at the University of Kansas and lost to Rice University in College Station on Tuesday. The recent miniature slump has dropped the Aggies to No. 13 in the rankings.

Aggie outfielder Tyler Naquin led the nation in hits last season. He earned All-American honors and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year. He has started all 37 games for the Aggies and is batting .403 with 58 hits.

Texas A&M’s best hitting infielder is first baseman Jacob House. Last season, House led the Aggies in RBI’s. This season is more of the same. House leads the team with 36 RBI’s and 5 homeruns. He is batting .336, and he has also started every game this season.

Pitching has also been strong for the Aggies this season. Texas A&M is ranked No. 18 in the country in team ERA at 2.87

In the preseason poll, Baseball America picked Texas A&M to finish first in the Big 12. It had the Aggies listed at No. 7 in the nation, with Texas at No. 13 and Oklahoma at No. 19. Baylor was not in the preseason top 25.

Baylor Basketball’s Quincy Acy will be throwing out the first pitch for Saturday’s game.

No. 3 right-handed relief pitcher Trae Davis releases a pitch against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears defeated the Islanders 15-2 in seven innings.
Meagan Downing | Lariat Photographer

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

There was no shortage of offense for the No. 6 Baylor baseball team as it tied its all-time win streak total of 20 games by beating the Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Islanders Tuesday 15-2. The game was ended after the top of the seventh due to run rule.

Head coach Steve Smith became the all-time leader in wins for a Baylor coach by recording his 650th win.

“It is absolutely special to be the winningest coach in Baylor baseball history,” Smith said. “It was not something I thought about or set out to do, or anything like that … these kinds of records are sort of records of perseverance or longevity.”

This moves the Bears to 31-7 overall, and they will look to record the club’s longest winning streak in history at 4:05 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark against the Islanders.

Junior designated hitter Nathan Orf scored on junior first baseman Max Muncy’s blooper single to left field in the bottom of the first inning.

Later in the inning, senior left fielder Dan Evatt hit a three-run home run over the left field fence to give the Bears a 4-0 lead. Muncy and senior catcher Josh Ludy scored on the homerun.

In the bottom of the third with Ludy on first, third baseman Cal Towey hit a triple to the right field wall to extend the Bears’ lead to 5-0.

The Islanders got on the board in the top of the fourth inning after Corpus Christi left fielder Jordan Lee scored on a single up the middle. The Islanders added another run on an RBI double to right field.

After an error by Islander pitcher Trevor Belicek loaded the bases, Muncy drew a two-out walk to make the score 6-2. The walk prompted a Corpus Christi pitching change.

With the bases still loaded, Ludy singled to short and drove in another run. Towey followed with a double, extending the lead to 9-2.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Islanders loaded the bases with nobody out.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Austin Stone was able to escape trouble with no damage done. Stone struck out two batters and forced the third to pop out to shallow center field.

“Bases loaded, no outs, you just have to make all of your pitches and compete,” Stone said. “The first guy got the strikeout, the second guy, [I] had to come back and make the first pitch, and come back and battle.”

Stone was pulled going into the sixth inning for sophomore right-hander Trae Davis. Stone pitched a career-best five innings, and allowed two runs on four hits.

Towey singled to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning, but an error on the left fielder allowed Muncy to also score.

Towey advanced to third on the error. Baylor’s lead was stretched to 11-2.

“It’s a lot of fun when you’re able to just relax and enjoy your at bat out there,” Towey said. “It feels really good when you’re able to put it in left center.”

A throwing error on Corpus Christi’s third baseman Dan Sciantarelli allowed Towey to score. This was the Islanders’ fifth error on the day.

The next batter, junior second baseman Steve DalPorto, singled to load the bases for freshman right fielder Logan Brown. Brown singled to right field to score two more runs for the Bears.

Junior pinch hitter Wes Mercurio singled to center to score DalPorto from third and give the Bears a 15-2 advantage.

No. 4 junior designated hitter Nathan Orf hits the ball against the University of Louisiana-Monroe Wednesday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears are currently on a 19-game winning streak.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

Baylor baseball has continued to claw its way up the standings. The Bears have reached the No. 6 overall ranking according to Baseball America, and the latest victim in their 19-game winning streak was the Kansas State Wildcats.

The Bears completed their sweep of Kansas State on Sunday. Baylor won the first game 5-2 on the shoulders, or rather, the arm of junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley.

Turley pitched his second complete game of his career and moved to 5-0 with the win. He notched six strikeouts, allowed six hits and just one earned run.

“He was really, really good. He threw four [types of] pitches for strikes and threw a lot of strikes,” head coach Steve Smith said. “They put the ball on the ground, and it’s a tough matchup for him, but he did a great job with it and just kept throwing strike after strike.”

Junior first baseman Max Muncy led the Bears on the offensive side. Muncy finished with three hits, including a home run and two doubles that drove in two runs.

Senior catcher Josh Ludy finished with two hits and two RBIs. Ludy’s single in the seventh inning drove in the two runs that broke the 2-2 tie.

Baylor and Kansas State began Saturday’s game at 1 p.m. After five innings, the Bears trailed 10-4. A four-run rally in the sixth inning brought the score to 10-8, but the game was postponed until Sunday while Baylor had runners at the corners.

When the game did finally resume, the Bears added one more run in the top of the sixth inning to cut the lead to one.

In the top of the seventh inning, freshman outfielder Michael Howard singled to drive in the tying run. Howard went 4 of 5 on the day and scored twice.

Junior designated hitter Nathan Orf followed with a three-run homer to left field.

The Wildcats added two runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Bears’ lead to 14-12, but Baylor was able to contain the damage. Junior right-handed pitcher Max Garner sealed the victory, pitching the final two innings without allowing a hit.

“Obviously this was a hitters’ day today, which makes it miserable for coaches and pitchers, because you know a lead is never safe,” Smith said. “There’s nothing in baseball more difficult than winning in extra innings on the road, and we got it done.”

In the final game of the series, the Bears jumped out to an early 1-0 lead only to allow five runs in the second inning.

Ludy cut the Wildcat lead to two after hitting his first home run of the day with one runner on base. Baylor added three more runs in the fourth inning. Outfielder Logan Vick, Orf and junior shortstop Jake Miller all scored in the inning, giving the Bears a 6-5 lead.

Ludy started the fifth inning with a solo home run — his second of the day. Baylor’s lead was short-lived, however. Kansas State added three runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth and one more in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-7 lead.

The Bears mounted a comeback in the eight inning after Orf was hit by a pitch and second baseman Lawton Langford walked. Ludy followed with a home run over the right field fence, his third home run of the day. The next batter, junior third baseman Cal Towey, hit a solo shot over the right field fence.

Baylor took an 11-9 lead, but Kansas State would tie and send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the 11th inning, Howard homered down the right field line to give the Bears a 12-11 lead. Baylor would hang on in the bottom of the inning to seal the deal.

“It was as competitive as it could’ve possibly been,” Smith said. “I think the world of the K-State club, because they competed so hard and made things so difficult on us, but then I think just as much of our guys. Our guys played hard, both teams played extremely hard, and it’s as good of a win as I can remember in a very long time.”

The Bears will take on Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 6:35 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark

Baylor's baseball team has not lost since March 12, exactly one month ago.

No. 28 Dillion Newman fires a pitch in Baylor’s 8-7 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday. During the Bears’ 16-game winning streak, Newman is one of 10 different pitchers to record a win.
David Li | Lariat Photographer

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

Beavers have played a significant role throughout the course of human history. They have made their way onto Canadian money and helped shape the economy of New Netherland.

The beavers are at it again. This time, a beaver is helping the Baylor baseball team win games. And whatever beavers do, they do well. The team’s current streak is up to 16 games. The team takes on Kansas State starting tonight in Manhattan, Kan.

“We saw the beaver in the parking lot right as the winning streak started,” junior left-handed pitcher (and unofficial team beaver expert) Crayton Bare said. “Max Muncy hit a home run, and Josh Michalec from the dugout yelled, ‘Feed the beaver!’ [The] joke is feeding the beaver with a home-run ball.”

The beaver frequents Baylor Ballpark’s parking lot. It comes up every once in awhile to eat acorns. Apparently, he has been eating his fill.

“It’s really big. It’s colossal in size,” Bare said. “The [Texas] Rangers have their antlers and their bear claw. We have our beaver.”

Since the beaver has blessed the baseball team with his presence, “feed the beaver” has caught on. Fans are wearing white T-shirts that depict a beaver holding a baseball and bat. The Baylor Beaver now has his own twitter feed. Baseball fans have been using the hashtag #FeedTheBeaver, which was trending at times over the last few weeks.

“I didn’t see it coming down to this, honestly,” junior left-handed pitcher Josh Turley said. “That’s how big of a deal it has gotten. Our Dia shirts [say], ‘Feed the beaver,’ and now they’re selling them.”

Head coach Steve Smith has appreciated the energy that the beaver has brought to the fans.

“I think [the fans] have enjoyed it. It’s unique. It’s ours. He’s our beaver. They don’t have one down at A&M or Texas,” Smith said. “It isn’t going to make a difference in winning or losing.”

Interactions with the beaver have been more than passive sightings. Players have taken pictures of the animal, and junior center fielder Logan Vick has even touched it.

“I’ve actually petted the beaver before. He’s getting really fat, so he’s not too fast,” Vick said. “I went out one day after practice and he was eating some acorns … one of the guys dared me to touch him. I touched him, and I don’t know. I had two hits the next day. It might have been a little luck. If I see him again, I am definitely going to pet him.”

The beaver is wild, and the team cannot take it to away games. To continue to feed the beaver away from Baylor Ballpark, the team has purchased a toy stuffed beaver.

“[The beaver] is kind of on his own schedule,” Bare said. “We have a little travel beaver that comes with us. I guess we just like him around.”

Smith has left this beaver craze to the players but takes a comical approach to the stuffed travel beaver.

“I don’t know if somebody sleeps with that thing or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did,” Smith said.

Feeding the beaver will not stop when the winning streak stops. The players hope to keep it going throughout the year.

“When we do lose a game, we’re still going to say it. It is still going to be a part of what we like to use as a rallying point,” Turley said. “Regardless, win, lose, it’s still there. It’s still feed the beaver.”

Vick takes a more optimistic, albeit unlikely, stance.

“Hopefully it’s a streak thing and a season-long thing,” Vick said. “That means we’re streaking all the way through.”

The Bears next opponent, the Wildcats, are 3-6 in the Big 12 and 17-15 overall. Baylor is currently in first place at 12-0 in Big 12 play and 27-7 overall.

No. 15 freshman outfielder Adam Toth hits the ball for the first run of the game against UL-Monroe on Tuesday at the Baylor Ballpark. The Bears won 7-5.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

No. 8 Baylor baseball reached 15 wins in a row after beating the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 7-5 Tuesday.

The Bears moved to 26-7 overall with the win. Freshman right-handed pitcher Ryan Smith earned the win for Baylor.

The Warhawks tallied three runs in the top of the second inning to jump out to an early lead.

The Bears responded with three consecutive singles by senior left fielder Dan Evatt, junior third baseman Cal Towey and sophomore shortstop Jake Miller to load the bases for freshman right fielder Adam Toth. Toth’s sacrifice fly to left field scored a run and advanced Towey to third.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Smith took the mound for Tyler Bremer in the top of the third inning. Smith struck out two batters in the inning and did not allow an earned run until the sixth inning.

“Early, my fastball [was working],” Smith said. “Later on, I just kept throwing breaking balls and they were getting themselves out. It was a lot of fun.”

Smith pitched 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits.

“His pitch count was nothing. He was very efficient. I didn’t go into this game thinking that anybody was going to throw four-plus innings,” head coach Steve Smith said. “The thing I thought he was really good at was locating fastballs down.”

Senior catcher Josh Ludy singled to start the bottom of the third. Junior center fielder Logan Vick hit his Big 12-leading 15th double of the season. With runners on second and third, Louisiana-Monroe pitcher Alex Hermeling balked to score Ludy and advance Vick to third, cutting the lead to 3-2. With two outs, Towey singled to right field to score Vick from third and tie the game at three.

The Bears loaded the bases again in the top of the fourth inning. Junior first baseman Max Muncy broke the tie on an RBI fielder’s choice that gave the Bears a 4-3 lead.

The Warhawks tied the game after Toth committed an error in right field. The next batter was able to score the runner at third, giving Louisiana-Monroe a 5-4 lead.

With the bases loaded in the sixth, Muncy singled up the middle to score two runs and help the Bears regain the lead. Ludy hit a deep sacrifice fly ball to center field that scored a run, giving Baylor a 7-5 lead.

“[We] are treating it as a game and [we] not getting worked up about being down early,” Towey said. “[The scoreboard] doesn’t matter until it’s over.”

Sophomore left-hander Brad Kuntz closed out the game in the ninth inning. Baylor will next take on Louisiana-Monroe at 4:05 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark.

No. 18 junior third baseman Cal Towey hits the ball out of the park for a three-run home run against Oklahoma State Sunday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears celebrated a 5-4 victory in 13 innings.
Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor

By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer

Amid all of the excitement surrounding Baylor’s success on the basketball court, you may not have realized the Bears have been winning on the baseball diamond.

In fact, the Bears have rattled off 11 wins in a row to move to 22-7, are first place in Big 12 play and have moved up to No. 8 in Collegiate Baseball Top 30.

“It’s definitely exciting in our dugout for sure. We’re looking forward to playing every day and getting after it,” sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Kuntz said.

Baylor’s most recent sweep was of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The first game was a 7-4 win on Friday night. The Bears came back from an early 4-1 deficit to tie the game in the sixth inning. Kuntz earned the win in relief after the Bears added three more runs in the subsequent innings.

“That’s the nature of baseball. You get lots of opportunities to respond, and [Kuntz] was big tonight. And that’s why we put him out there; we know what he’s capable of,” head coach Steve Smith said.

A crowd of nearly 3,500 showed up to Baylor Ballpark Saturday to watch the Bears earn their second win over the Cowboys. Senior right-handed pitcher Trent Blank earned the win and moved to 7-0 on the season. Blank now leads the nation in wins.

“Trent was maybe as good as I’ve seen him this year,” Smith said. “Coming off of the last one, that’s really good to see. He bounced back from last weekend really really well.”

Baylor struck first blood in the bottom of the second inning when senior designated hitter Dan Evatt hit a solo home run to right-center field. The home run was Evatt’s second of the year and No. 20 of his career.

Junior third baseman Cal Towey also hit a solo home run to right-center field, about the same spot where Evatt hit his home run. This was Towey’s first home run of the season, and the Bears coasted to a 3-2 win.

Blank was very appreciative of the high number of fans in attendance.

“I came here because I heard this was a baseball school. People love baseball here and it’s great to see them out here and supporting us,” Blank said. “I hope they keep coming out.”

The final game of the series was a nail-biter that lasted 13 innings.

Baylor was down 3-0 and had not recorded a hit going into the seventh inning. Junior center fielder Logan Vick ended the drought with a single that was hit right back to the pitcher. Evatt followed with another single before Towey tied the game with a three-run homer over the right-field fence.

“I felt like I hit him pretty well my second at bat, [I] just lined out to center,” Towey said. “I was just trying to get the ball in the air, get the guy in, and start a rally.”

The score remained tied until the top of the 13-inning. Oklahoma State added a run to take a 4-3 lead going into the bottom half of the inning.

To start the bottom of the 13th, junior left fielder Nathan Orf reached on a single. Junior first baseman Max Muncy followed with a double down the right field line. Senior catcher Josh Ludy followed with an RBI single that advanced Muncy to third.

The score was 4-4. After Vick walked, Josh Turley stepped to the plate with no outs and the winning run on third. Turley singled up the middle to score the winning run for the Bears. The dugout emptied as the Bears celebrated their 11th win in a row.

“I was just looking for a fastball in that situation. That’s what I got,” Turley said. “All around, we’re happy with the result. We fought as a team and this is a big win for us.”

Baylor will take on Texas State at 3:05 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark.