By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
No. 21 Baylor soccer is lacing up its dancing cleats for the seventh time in program history and hosting for its eighth time, opening the first round of the NCAA tournament at Betty Lou Mays Field against Texas State Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m.
In a 64-team field that includes 30 automatic qualifiers and 34 at-large selections, Baylor (12-4-4, 7-3-1 Big 12) found its name comfortably in the mix Monday afternoon. The Bears earned an at-large spot and landed as the No. 5 seed in their bracket.
After a disappointing semifinal loss to BYU — the eventual Big 12 tournament champions — Baylor returns home looking to reset and chase its sixth NCAA Tournament win on its home pitch.
“While I would have liked to win a conference championship, we had that extra opportunity to take a couple of days off and recover, which we desperately needed,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “At this point, I expect my players to be reenergized and refocused, ready to go for this week.”
Entering the tournament with the best overall record, RPI mark and conference finish of Lenard’s tenure, Baylor now prepares for its second all-time meeting with Texas State (10-3-7, 5-1-4 Sun Belt). The last matchup came in San Marcos, where the Bears earned a 4-1 win behind senior midfielder Tyler Isgrig’s fourth career brace.
This time, the stakes and the stage are bigger as Baylor enters the 2025 postseason playing its most complete soccer since its last deep postseason run seven years ago.
“We know this opponent, which helps us, and we’re excited to be at home, but that’s not a game we expect to coast through,” Lenard said. “The key is to stay in the moment, focus on what’s next and lean into what’s gotten us here.”
Baylor carries a 9-6 all-time mark in the NCAA Tournament, last appearing in 2018, when the Bears put together a quarterfinal run with wins over Abilene Christian, Vanderbilt and Virginia in Waco before a road loss to Georgetown ended their streak.
As Baylor heads into the postseason, the Bears look to a head coach who’s no stranger to extended tournament runs.
Entering her first Division I NCAA Tournament as a Bear, Lenard brings postseason experience from Dallas Baptist, where she guided the Division II program to four conference titles, multiple Sweet 16 runs and separate appearances in the Elite Eight and Final Four.
“My biggest takeaway from playing in the postseason over the years is that you have to stick with what you’ve got at this point,” Lenard said. “We’re tweaking some things here and there, but we know what’s allowed us to be successful, and we plan to lean into that as we get into postseason play.”
With the bracket set and home-field advantage in place, Friday’s matchup will mark the first test of Baylor’s postseason run. The Bears will play Texas State at 7 p.m. Friday at Betty Lou Mays Field.
