By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Middle infielders Pearson Riebock and Travis Sanders first met over what unites many teenage boys: video games.
“Me and Travis met when I was probably like 14 years old,” said Riebock, a sophomore. “We were playing video games together, and we had a mutual connection with a friend.”
Their friendship was not limited to animated characters on a screen. The pair remained close throughout high school, as Riebock played at Rockwall High School and Sanders at Copperas Cove High School. They eventually united at Baylor after Sanders transferred from Texas Tech and Riebock came in as a freshman.
“We had always kept up with each other through the years,” Riebock said. “He transferred [to Baylor], and I ended up coming here, and it was just kind of like a small world.”
The two friends broke out for the Bears in their first season in Waco. Both were awarded All-Big 12 Honorable Mention as Sanders slugged eight home runs and 25 RBIs with a .335 batting average and Riebock finished the season with a .306 average and 32 RBIs.
“I kind of just came in and didn’t really know too much,” Riebock said. “It was a really fun year, and I wouldn’t trade anything for it.
What started as a friendship that bonded through headsets and controllers has led to two breakout players stationed next to each other on the diamond. Their chemistry off the field has already played a role in their performance.
“This fall, especially playing middle infield together, our connection [has] just been super tight, and I feel like we know each other so well,” Riebock said.
Sanders and Riebock are expected to command the middle of the diamond with the departure of infielders Tyriq Kemp and Jack Little.
Sanders, who has played shortstop for most of his career, is returning to the position after playing second base last year.
“Whenever I had my exit meeting last year after the season, [head coach Mitch Thompson] asked me and said, ‘Do you want to move to shortstop?’” said Sanders, now a redshirt junior. “Ever since that day, I’ve been at shortstop, and it should be good. Back to my old roots.”
Riebock is moving from third to second base. He also expects to be utilized at multiple other positions throughout the season, as well, after playing infield and outfield in the fall. Riebock said he can “do really anything that the team needs.”
The infielders also serve as leaders for a Baylor team that has 17 new players, including nine true freshmen.
“We got a lot of new players in, and we had to … mesh together,” Sanders said. “There’s always turnover. We had a hard fall, and we worked.”
They are now using their experience to help their teammates assimilate more easily into the program and the life of being a college baseball player.
“Last year, coming in, I had no clue or any expectation,” Riebock said. “Some of these freshmen are in the exact same position … I know exactly where they’re coming from.”
Riebock, along with fifth-year outfielder Ty Johnson and junior catcher JJ Kennett, formed a special bond with the newcomers early. The three returners came back to Waco in July because they did not play in a summer league.
“It was only me, Ty Johnson and JJ Kennett, as far as returners that were back,” Riebock said. “We were hanging out with all these freshmen and the transfers, so I got super close with them over the summer.”
Sanders and Riebock were thrown into the fire fairly early last season. Both cemented themselves into the starting lineup within the first few weeks of the 2025 season. They hope to use that experience to guide newcomers who will have the opportunity to play consistently.
Thompson mentioned names like redshirt freshmen Hunter Snow and Brytton Clements, along with true freshmen Dylan Perez, TJ Woodson and Bo Caraway, as guys that could receive substantial playing time for the Bears in 2026.
