By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
Coming off a second-straight opening weekend sweep, Baylor baseball leaves Magnolia field for the first time this season riding an undefeated start and early momentum under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson.
The Bears (4–0) now head to the Round Rock Classic at Dell Diamond for their first neutral-site test of the season, squaring off against No. 11 Oregon State, No. 20 Southern Miss and Purdue in a loaded four-team field for its toughest challenge yet.
While the opening stretch highlighted depth across a lineup featuring 17 newcomers, it was redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong who delivered history, becoming just the second player in NCAA history to hit three grand slams in a single game in Friday’s opener against New Mexico State.
Still a month out from Big 12 competition, the Bears will keep their nonconference slate moving against Oregon State (3-1). The Beavers are fresh off completing a 10th-inning walk-off win over Michigan to avenge a loss in their season opener.
After going 1–2 in Omaha to cap their 2025 campaign, including a Corvallis Super Regional win over Florida State, the Beavers enter 2026 as one of the nation’s elite programs. Backed by a strong returning core of pitchers, Oregon State has been ranked as high as No. 7 in the preseason and remains firmly slotted inside the top 15 across major polls.
Despite losing several key contributors to the draft and transfer portal, Oregon State, like Baylor, returns a strong core, including five of its top 10 innings leaders from a year ago. Offensively, the Beavers bring back veterans in catcher Jacob Galloway, first baseman Jacob Krieg and second baseman AJ Singer, who anchors the infield.
With defensive precision and a hefty strikeout bag, Oregon State shrinks the margin for error. For Baylor, that means first-pitch strikes, clean defense and forcing the Beavers to string hits together rather than capitalizing on free passes.
A 75-degree Saturday and clear Texas skies — perfect weather to play ball — greet the Bears in Round Rock for a 1 p.m. first pitch in game two against Purdue.
The Boilermakers (2-2) enter the spring under seventh-year head coach Greg Goff, coming off a 31–23 overall season in 2025 and a mid-February trip to Sugar Land, where they opened with a 2–1 series win over Portland behind a bullpen rebound after an early loss.
While Purdue wasn’t projected among the Big Ten’s top six teams, nobody gets written off this early in the season. For Baylor, it starts with controlling the tempo from the first pitch. That means pounding the strike zone and forcing Purdue to earn every 90 feet, every inning. Offensively, it’s about situational baseball — moving runners, winning deep-count at-bats and cashing in when traffic builds.
The tournament caps Sunday as the Bears meet Southern Miss (3-1) at 3 p.m., marking the first meeting between the two programs in 23 years. The last time they faced off, Baylor defeated the then-No. 12 Golden Eagles in back-to-back games during the Hattiesburg Regional, later sending the Bears to the second Super Regional in program history.
Two decades later, the Golden Eagles sit among the nation’s best at No. 18 and claim one of college baseball’s most consistent programs, extending a run of success mounted by nine consecutive 40-win seasons and 21 all-time NCAA Regional appearances.
Posting a 47–16 record last season and hosting a regional before falling at home, Southern Miss has carried that momentum into 2026 with high preseason expectations.
The Golden Eagles return a roster that blends experienced veterans with newcomers and offseason additions to bolster depth. On the mound, senior right-hander and preseason All-Sun Belt selection Colby Allen anchors the rotation, while catcher Tucker Stockman and outfielder Ben Higdon — also preseason all-conference selections — steady the lineup.
Entering Sunday as the only unbeaten club in the field after a 14-4 win over Texas State on Tuesday, the Bears will aim to finish the weekend unscathed before heading back up I-35 Sunday.
The Bears open the weekend against Oregon State at 6 p.m. Friday at Dell Diamond, setting the tone for a three-game stretch in Round Rock. All three games will be streamed on D1Baseball.com.
