By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
History made its way to Baylor Ballpark on Friday evening, as first baseman Tyce Armstrong became the second player in NCAA history to hit three grand slams in a single game, and the first to do so in a season opener.
Armstrong is the first college baseball player to reach the mark since Louisville’s Jim LaFountain in 1976. The redshirt senior cranked 12 RBIs in the Bears’ 15-2 win over New Mexico State.
“All glory to God,” Armstrong said. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of and I have no words.”
New Mexico State’s (0-1) pitching staff walked or plunked 13 batters, leaving plenty of runners on base for Armstrong’s heroics. The UT Arlington transfer earned Second Team All-WAC honors in 2025.
Redshirt junior Lucas Davenport was first on the mound for the season. A 97-mph strikeout following a four to three double play sent the Aggies back into their dugout after just three batters.
“It was all working today,” Davenport said. “My cutter could be a little better but the changeup, sweeper and fastball all felt really good today.”
In the bottom of the second, the Bears (1-0) got their first hit of the season off a double from redshirt freshman left fielder Hunter Snow. The brought fellow freshman Brady Janusek, who reached on a fielder’s choice, to third, setting up a scoring opportunity.
The Bears did not profit as a grounder to second put the inning away.
Baylor took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third as fifth-year centerfielder Ty Johnson led the inning off with a triple to right field. Sophomore third baseman Cade Dodson brought Johnson home off a single in the next at-bat.
With bases loaded and no outs, the Bears stretched their lead to five when Armstrong went yard for a 401-foot grand slam over left field.
“I just stuck to my approach,” Armstrong said. “I was just planning to hit the fastball hard … It worked out for me really well.”
New Mexico State made a pitching change to start the bottom of the fourth inning, putting sophomore Cooper Reese on the mound. Reese quickly loaded the bases with back-to-back batters hit by pitch.
Armstrong stepped up to the plate with two outs on the board, still in rhythm from his previous four RBI at–bat. Cementing himself in Baylor history, the UT Arlington transfer found his second grand slam of the day, rocketing out a 407-foot dinger once again over the left-field wall. Armstrong became the first Bear to ever hit two grand slams in the same game.
The Bears led 9-0 at the end of the fourth.
“We had a bunch of opportunities at the plate today,” head coach Mitch Thompson said. “We drew a bunch of walks and that definitely helped us a little bit ... When you get 13 free baserunners in a game, you know you’re going to have some success offensively.”
Midway through the top of the fifth, Davenport made his way back to the dugout. The right hander finished the day with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed on 75 pitches. Junior Mason Green came out of the bullpen to take his place on the mound.
The Aggies made their way into the box score at the top of sixth off a two-run homer from senior DH Bryce Campbell. The Baylor defense found three straight outs in response to escape the attempted response from New Mexico State.
“It was great to get Green out there,” Thompson said. “There’s good stuff there for sure.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Dodson was hit by a pitch with bases loaded to force in the Bears 10th run. In the next at-bat, the Aggies walked redshirt junior shortstop Travis Sanders, bringing in another run for the green and gold.
In his fourth at-bat of the outing, Armstrong cemented himself in baseball history as he smashed his third grand slam of the day, ending the game. (NCAA rules state that if a team is leading by 10 or more runs through seven innings, the battle is over.)
Armstrong’s three grand slams make him the first Baylor player to ever hit more than one grand slam in a single game, icing on top of the cake for his national record.
The Bears will return to the diamond against New Mexico State at 2 p.m. Saturday at Baylor Ballpark. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
