By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
Not everyone’s spring break was spent laying out on the beach, as Baylor Athletics kept its spring slate moving through the time off from class. Here’s everything you may have missed over the annual hiatus.
Baylor equestrian drops Senior Day contest to TCU 12-7
Baylor equestrian fell to No. 1 TCU by a score of 12-7 on March 1 at the Willis Family Equestrian Center.
The Bears (2-10, 1-5 Big 12) found a bulk of their production in jumping seat but couldn’t sustain that in the western arena, as the Horned Frogs (11-0, 6-0 Big 12) took advantage.
“The team put forth a good effort,” head coach Casie Maxwell said. “TCU is a really good team. You know you have to be at your best today, playing the No. 1 team in the country that’s been No. 1 all year.
“Our jumping seat team was fantastic. Really happy to be able to recognize our seniors and send them out on a good note. I appreciate everything that they’ve done over the last couple years.”
Baylor will now prepare to host the 2024 Big 12 Equestrian Championship, which will take place March 29-30 at the Willis Family Equestrian Center.
Baylor men’s golf cards 12th-place finish at Cabo Collegiate
Baylor secured a 12th-place finish in the Cabo Collegiate on Tuesday at Twin Dolphin Golf Club in Los Cabos, Mexico.
The Bears came four shots back of 11th-place Arizona. They were also eight shots ahead of 13th-place Rice, and No. 6 Arizona State won the team championship, fending off Texas Tech by nine shots.
“Honestly, there’s really not much I can say about this finish except that it was extremely disappointing,” head coach Mike McGraw said. “We will get back to work and get ready for Houston’s event next week.”
Baylor’s next event is the All-American Intercollegiate, which is set for March 18-19 at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble.
No. 1 Baylor acro & tumbling cruises past Long Island Sharks 276.405-242.675
No. 1 Baylor acrobatics & tumbling took down Long Island 276.405 to 242.675 on Tuesday at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y.
The Bears (5-0) swam past the Sharks (0-3) in LIU’s inaugural home meet and first-ever meeting with Baylor. The Bears are now riding a 32-meet winning streak, dating back to March 27, 2021.
Baylor’s upcoming test comes against No. 4 Gannon, as the Senior Night matchup is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday in the Ferrell Center.
Baylor women’s golf wraps up Darius Rucker Intercollegiate tied for 13th
Baylor women’s golf completed the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate tied for 13th following a final-round 9-over 293 on Wednesday at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The Bears were one of two teams to have three players finish top 20 individually. Baylor’s 24-over 876 matched Kentucky, and the two programs were six shots back of No. 20 Vanderbilt.
“This was certainly not the finish we were looking for, but I definitely saw some positives that we can take out of this week,” head coach Jay Goble said. “We need to keep getting reps, and we will have a great opportunity to do that next week at the FSU Match-Up.”
The Bears now head east to take part in the Florida State Match-Up, which will run March 15-17 at Seminole Legacy Golf Club in Tallahassee, Fla.
Baylor track and field finishes indoor season with Ezekiel’s second-straight All-America honor
Baylor had one athlete competing as it closed the 2024 indoor season with the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at the TRACK at new balance in Boston.
Junior sprinter and hurdler Nathaniel Ezekiel secured an All-America finish in the men’s quarter-mile, which marked his second-straight year on the indoor NCAA podium for that event. Senior sprinter Alexis Brown earned All-America honors when she placed fifth in the long jump on Friday.
The Bears’ attention now shifts to the outdoor season, which begins at the TCU Alumni Invitational on Saturday in Fort Worth.
No. 5 seed Baylor women’s basketball suffers 67-62 quarterfinal exit to No. 4 seed Iowa State
Just when the Bears’ defense put them in position to advance to the semifinals, their offense went ice cold.
In a tight contest throughout, No. 5 seed Baylor women’s basketball came up short as No. 4 seed Iowa State squeezed out a 67-62 victory in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Saturday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
For Baylor, it now looks to the 2024 NCAA Division I women’s basketball Selection Show. The televised event is scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 17 on ESPN.
As of Saturday morning, the latest ESPN Bracketology has the Bears projected to head to South Bend, Ind., where Notre Dame would host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
No. 11 Baylor men’s basketball’s late push not enough as Texas Tech hangs on for 78-68 win
After freshman guard Ja’Kobe Walter knocked down the game’s first shot, No. 11 Baylor men’s basketball only held that lead for 16 seconds, as Texas Tech rattled off a 16-0 run.
The Bears didn’t see the lead again until down the stretch of the second half, and even then, Baylor was only able to hang onto it for 22 seconds.
The Red Raiders’ answered the Bears’ second-half run with a 14-2 rally of their own to hand Baylor a 78-68 loss in the Big 12 regular-season finale on Saturday night at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock.
“Well, finished the Big 12 season, never disappoints,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said after the game. “I thought we did a great job of coming back. Really credit Texas Tech for making some big shots. We had some defensive breakdowns and errors — that’s on us.”
Despite the result, the Bears clinched the No. 3 seed in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship. Top-four seeds get a double-bye and start the tournament on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Tipoff for Baylor’s to-be-determined matchup is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
No. 14 Baylor softball drops heartbreaking series finale to No. 7 Oklahoma State
If there were only 18 outs in softball, No. 14 Baylor would’ve swept the No. 7 team in the country this weekend.
But Oklahoma State used some late-inning magic once again to secure the series win with a 3-2 victory on Sunday afternoon at Getterman Stadium. The Bears (14-5, 1-2 Big 12) led or were tied with the Cowgirls (20-3, 2-1 Big 12) in 20 of 22 innings this weekend.
“I know the team that walked off that Oklahoma State bus on Friday has a lot more respect for us now that we showed up and played three games,” Baylor head coach Glenn Moore said. “We played well enough to win, but the game is not always kind to you, and it wasn’t today.
“It hurt a little bit, but we’ll get better from it.”
Baylor sticks around for a midweek doubleheader against Lamar, with the first contest set for 4 p.m. on Tuesday at Getterman Stadium. Both contests can be watched on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ or listened to on 101.3 FM radio.
Houston sweeps Baylor baseball with 3-2 victory in series finale
Baylor baseball fell to Houston 3-2 in the series finale on Sunday at Schroeder Park in Houston.
The Bears (4-11, 0-3 Big 12) got 5 ⅓ innings on the mound from freshman left-handed pitcher Mason Green in his first start. Green allowed three earned runs on five hits and walked three batters while striking out three.
“There was good effort,” head coach Mitch Thompson said. “Really nice pitching performance from Mason Green. He gave us an opportunity to be in the game and have a chance to win it, so I’m proud of him. I’m disappointed we couldn’t get enough runs across, but [Green] threw great. I thought it was a great first start for him.”
Baylor gets back home to host Stephen F. Austin for a midweek bout at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark.
Baylor women’s tennis dusts Houston 6-1 behind strong singles play
Baylor women’s tennis bested Houston 6-1 on Sunday at the Hurd Tennis Center. The Bears (11-5, 4-0 Big 12) have won five-straight matches, including their first four conference matchups of the spring.
Houston (1-9, 0-4 Big 12) won the doubles point before Baylor swept singles play.
The Bears get back onto the court to face Nebraska at 3 p.m. on Wednesday in Lincoln, Neb.
No. 25 Baylor men’s tennis falls at No. 2 TCU, tops Cleveland State at home
No. 25 Baylor men’s tennis split its doubleheader across two locations, as it fell to No. 2 TCU 4-2 in Fort Worth on Sunday afternoon before topping Cleveland State 5-2 on Sunday evening at the Hurd Tennis Center.
“We had opportunities to win the match, and I thought our guys played aggressively in those situations, which is exactly what I would want,” head coach Michael Woodson said. “We weren’t quite able to get over the finish line, but we learned a lot. That’s what we wanted to learn, and it’s a great time to learn it.
“It’s a tall ask to have them drive back to Waco and play again. The team is definitely tired — mentally and emotionally more than physically — but they handled their business out there. … All in all, it was a solid day. I think we moved the program forward, and it’s time to get back to the practice courts to get ready for Wake Forest.”
The Bears (15-4) get back on the road to play at Wake Forest at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C.
