By Marquis Cooley | Sports Editor
While most Baylor Athletics programs were on the road this weekend, both men’s and women’s tennis stepped up and gave Baylor fans quite a show at home, as each squad had intense matches lasting several hours this weekend. So here’s a run down of everything that happened in case you missed it.
“All sorts of madness”; No. 4 Baylor MTEN takes two big wins at home
No. 4 Baylor men’s tennis did not disappoint, clinching two wins this weekend. On Friday the team swept No. 44 Oklahoma State University 7-0 and on Sunday it took a 6-1 victory in a seven-hour battle against No. 34 University of Oklahoma.
“There were so many distractions today. Even just the whole weekend with everything that happened on Friday night, everybody’s family coming in — some have never been in the States before,” head coach Michael Woodson said. “We don’t start anywhere near on time. Rain delays, starts and stops and ‘Are we going to go inside? Are we not?’ It’s just taxing on the body and mind … but again for us to turn and close some of those matches and allow seniors to kind of have the spotlight for a while was pretty cool. I was proud of the effort today.”
The Bears close out the regular season on the road with a match against Texas Tech University at 5 p.m. on Saturday at the McLeod Tennis Center in Lubbock.
Barañano prevails, tips No. 21 Baylor WTEN over No. 25 Kansas
On Friday, No. 21 Baylor women’s tennis knocked off Kansas State University 4-1 at the Hurd Tennis Center. Then on Sunday, nearly five hours after start time, the Bears pushed past No. 25 University of Kansas 4-3, thanks in part to junior Paula Barañano clinching the final point of the contest.
“Pauli’s a warrior, she’s always been a warrior. She loves being in those situations and we’re proud of her,” head coach Joey Scrivano said. “She could have easily let the match points get to her but she did a great job of just refocusing, responding and getting her mindset ready for that third set. She deserves all the credit. If she didn’t have that mental discipline, we wouldn’t have the win today. So all the credit to her.”
Baylor will stick around to host No. 4 University of Texas at 2 p.m. on Saturday for senior day.
Softball nearly secures the sweep, takes two of three in Kansas
Baylor softball won its three-game series with the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., taking the first two contests 10-3 and 4-3. The Bears aimed to secure the sweep on Sunday, but came up short in a 3-1 loss.
“Winning a series is big, especially on the road,” head coach Glenn Moore said. “We expected Kansas to put up this kind of fight, but I also expected us to fight; we have all year. Each win helps reestablish our confidence.”
Baylor returns to Waco on Tuesday for a midweek battle with Texas State University at 6:30 p.m. at Getterman Stadium.
WVU handles business; 7-5 tally sweeps Baylor baseball
It was an unsuccessful road trip to Morgantown, W.Va., for Baylor baseball as the team dropped the series finale to West Virginia University 7-5 on Sunday at Monongalia County Ballpark. It was a tough game for the Bears who were looking to salvage the series after a 6-7 loss on Friday and 4-8 defeat on Saturday.
“The biggest thing right now is we just have to make sure we continue to learn from some of the mistakes we’re making on the mound and at the plate,” head coach Steve Rodriguez said. “For the most part, when you’re young you need to continue to learn and that’s the biggest thing right now.”
Before returning to Waco, Baylor takes a trip down I-35 to San Marcos for a midweek clash against No. 10 Texas State University, the first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Bobcat Ballpark.
No. 1 A&T completes perfect regular season
No. 1 Baylor acrobatics and tumbling defeated No. 5 University of Oregon to complete its undefeated regular season at 8-0. It was a close meet, but the Bears still managed to win every event in the 281.990-270.775 victory on Sunday in Eugene, Ore.
Up next, the Bears will prepare for the NCATA National Championships in Eugene, Ore., held from April 28 to April 30. Baylor was named the No. 1 seed on Monday and will face No. 8 Converse University at 6:30 p.m. on April 28 at Matthew Knight Arena.
Men’s golf improves in every round, finishes ninth at Aggie Invitational
Baylor men’s golf finished ninth at the Aggie Invitational this weekend at the Traditions Golf Club in Bryan. In a field of 12 teams, the Bears posted a composite score of 921 strokes, 57-over par. The team improved each day in the 54-hole tournament, placing 11th after day one, then 10th after day two and finally winding up in the ninth spot for the weekend.
“We had a very good round going today, well into the back nine, but didn’t finish well,” head coach Mike McGraw said. “Johnny’s round was very good. The conditions were so tough. I can’t remember a tournament round where the low round of the day was one-over par.”
Baylor golf is now preparing for the ASU Thunderbird Collegiate tournament in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 15 and 16. It will be the final tournament before the Big 12 Championship in Trinity spanning from April 25-27.
Baylor comes away with 10 gold medals in 44 Farms Invitational
Baylor track and field took home 10 gold medals and set a few event records at the 44 Farms Team Invitational at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station on Friday and Saturday.
“I thought today went really well,” head coach Michael Ford said. “We had some good performances with some national top-15 marks. We just need to continue improving going into the Big 12s and get ready for the Michael Johnson Classic in two weeks. I was really happy with the jumps, the sprinters and the pole vault. We just need to keep improving.”
The Bears will take off for Easter and return the following weekend back at home for the Michael Johnson Classic on April 22 and 23.