By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
For just the third time since 2013, Baylor baseball is off to a 4-0 start. The team looks to keep its winning ways going against Gonzaga for a three-game weekend series at Baylor Ballpark.
Head coach Mitch Thompson’s Bears sit seventh in the nation in batting average (.396) and recorded top-five marks in the Big 12 with a team ERA of 2.36 with 46 strikeouts in one week.
“We’ve played like we’re capable of,” Thompson said. “We’ve had a bunch of guys get out there as well. It’s been a good 4-0 start to the season, but it’s time to move on and keep getting better and keep working [with] the end of year in mind.”
With a high-quality weekend behind them, Thompson will stick with the same rotation for the team’s clash with the Bulldogs (1-2). Junior left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder, who struck out 13 batters in the season opener and won Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week, will start Friday. Seniors, left-handed pitcher Bryson Bales and right-handed pitcher Cole Stasio, will take the mound on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
“We’ve put in the work, and we’re all expecting the results,” Bales said. “We just go day by day and each guy does his own job. And at that point, everyone should do pretty good.”
The green and gold have backed up a pitching staff that has allowed an average of 2.75 runs per game, with 11 runs of their own. Six Bears are hitting .350 or better, four of which have a batting average of at least .500.
“The biggest thing for us is just getting the lineup hot, especially getting all the freshmen’s feet wet,” Bales said. “These wins are very crucial, especially for our record down the road. This is make or break for 30 wins, 29 wins. And every one of them counts from here on.”
Gonzaga heads to Waco for its first-ever battle with the Bears on the diamond after dropping a three-game series against UC Davis to open the season. Redshirt senior right fielder Enzo Apodaca, who transferred from the Bulldogs to Baylor before the 2024 season, owns a .300 career batting average with the two programs and is looking forward to clashing with the team he started with.
“I respect that program a lot,” Apodaca said. “I know they’re blue-collar and gritty. I expect them to play their best as well, but they’re a great program … I’m excited to go see the guys that I know and I’m close with over there.”
With highs in the 30s and 40s this weekend, the Bears expect to play all three games and have no intention of delaying, moving, or canceling any contests. Insead, Thompson has prepared his team with a “business-like” mentality to overcome the freezing temperatures.
“We’ll have to be tough this weekend,” Thompson said. “Friday and Saturday are going to be cold… But we’re going to play, and we’re going to get this on, and we’ll just have to wear enough clothes and get warm when we’re in the dugout.”
The first pitch for the series opener against Gonzaga is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Baylor Ballpark.
