By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
As students have eased back into the groove of the semester following spring break, Baylor Athletics kept it moving.
Before heading into the Diadeloso festivities, here is everything you may have missed over the busy, sports-heavy weekend.
Baylor track and field finds five winners in Clyde Hart Classic
Baylor track and field opened up its gates for its first home meet of the season, the Clyde Hart Classic on Saturday at the Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium. The Bears took away multiple wins and new program records in the two-day competition.
“I thought it was good,” head coach Michael Ford said. “We got some rust off some kids that ran last at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. We needed to see where they were because next week, Texas Relays, it’s kind of like a mini-nationals.”
Up next, the Bears travel to Austin to compete in the 95th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays starting on Thursday at the Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field on the University of Texas’ campus.
No. 9 Baylor equestrian secures third place with 16-4 drubbing of No. 8 Fresno State
No. 9 Baylor equestrian dominated Fresno State University, 16-4, in a consolation contest of the Big 12 Championship Saturday at the Pedigo-Hull Equestrian Center in Stillwater, Okla.
“I thought today they really rode like the team they’re capable of,” head coach Casie Maxwell said. “They were fabulous. They didn’t make the errors and didn’t override in some places that got them in trouble yesterday, but they rode extremely confident, very poised, and had clear minds going out there. That’s why they were successful. It’s been a challenge to have them find that rhythm every week, but they certainly found it today.”
The Bears (6-9) went 1-1 on the weekend and now await their final NCEA ranking in hopes of punching their ticket to Ocala, Fla., for the NCEA National Championship. Nationals competition is set to start Thursday, April 13 and run through Saturday, April 15. Final seedings will be announced Tuesday, March 28.
No. 1 Baylor acrobatics & tumbling flipped closer to another undefeated season with its 280.495-266.770 win over No. 4 Quinnipiac University Saturday in the Ferrell Center. The Bears are now 6-0 this season and have won their 22nd-straight meet going all the way back to 2021.
“I’m so happy and really proud of the team,” head coach Felecia Mulkey said. “They stepped up to the plate and executed. There’s still room for improvement, but they did exactly what they needed to do today. Extremely proud of them all.”
The Bears’ (6-0) next meet is against No. 5 University of Oregon in their third-straight home meet at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Ferrell Center.
Hasegawa leads No. 14 Baylor women’s golf to third-place finish at PING/ASU Intercollegiate
Sophomore Sera Hasegawa secured a share of the individual title as No. 14 Baylor women’s golf clinched a third-place finish on Sunday at the PING/ASU Intercollegiate at Papago Golf Club in Tempe, Ariz.
“I am so proud of Sera for getting her first win as a Baylor Bear,” head coach Jay Goble said. “I believe this is just the start for her. We fought hard for every shot, and I am so happy with how they played against a stacked field this week.”
The Bears will take part in the first-ever Big 12 Women’s Match Play from April 7-9 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
No. 2 Oklahoma State sweeps No. 20 Baylor softball with 5-1 win in series finale
No. 20 Baylor softball dropped its series finale to No. 2 Oklahoma State University, 5-1, Sunday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.
“As disappointing as the outcome was this weekend, we battled through some adversity from start to finish,” head coach Glenn Moore said. “Although we couldn’t overcome it with wins, the fight confirmed a characteristic of championship teams. We have to be big-picture focused and make sure to be prepared for all opponents.”
The Bears (23-8, 0-3 Big 12) jump out of conference play for a midweek clash with the University of Texas at San Antonio at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Getterman Stadium. A day later, they’ll face Texas State University at 6 p.m. at Bobcat Softball Stadium in San Marcos.
Baylor women’s tennis goes 1-1 on weekend, falls to No. 6 Iowa State, 6-1
Sophomore Alina Shcherbinina notched her third ranked win of the season in the midst of Baylor women’s tennis’ 6-1 loss to No. 6 Iowa State University on Sunday.
The team’s loss came on the heels of a 6-1 win over West Virginia University on Friday.
The Bears (11-10, 2-4 Big 12) get back on the road next weekend for a pair of in-state matches at Texas Tech University and Texas Christian University.
No. 15 Oklahoma State sweeps series, tops Baylor baseball, 13-2, in seven-inning run-rule
Baylor baseball couldn’t hang with No. 15 Oklahoma State University, as it fell 13-2 via a seven-inning run-rule Sunday at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.
“Well, I think we ran into a buzzsaw,” head coach Mitch Thompson said. “I think Oklahoma State is really playing well and I give their club a lot of credit. I think [Juaron] Watts-Brown was outstanding for them on the mound, gave them a great start, and we couldn’t get into their bullpen. If we could’ve done that, then maybe we have a chance, but we couldn’t do that.
“He was excellent. He looked like the guy everyone said he was going to be, the conference pitcher of the year. Their hitters, you try to hold them and do a pretty good job for a while, but then all of a sudden they just explode. They’re built for this ballpark and they wear it out.”
The Bears (9-15, 2-4 Big 12) travel back home for a midweek tilt against Abilene Christian University at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark.
