By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
“Their spirits are alive.”
That was what head coach Mitch Thompson said about his team after they dropped three straight games at the Round Rock Classic.
While it was a disappointing road trip on the stat sheet, Baylor (5-3) is not wavering in confidence.
“We had a rough weekend, no doubt about it,” freshman outfielder Brady Janusek said. “We know we’re going to be good. We never had any doubts in the clubhouse.”
Times like these show a team’s true colors. Thompson understands that adversity is part of the game and necessary for the Bears to take another step early in the season.
“We all like playing it when it’s all going good,” Thompson said. “Sometimes we’ve got to get through some of that and get a little tougher when it’s not going good and get it turned back around.”
Baylor was riding high through its first four games, outscoring its opponents 41-11. The lineup looked to be a juggernaut with redshirt junior infielder Travis Sanders leading off, redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong anchoring the middle with his historic three-grand slam performance and Janusek providing some new speed on the base paths.
Things took a turn over the weekend when the Bears faced one of the top hurlers in the country in Oregon State’s Dax Whitney (7.0 IP, 0 R, 17 K) and a stout Southern Miss pitching staff.
Despite finishing 0-3 in Round Rock, the Bears remained competitive in every game, losing by a combined seven runs. They are still hopeful, knowing they can go toe-to-toe with top-25 teams even without hitting well.
“We’re young, and we’re going to make a few mistakes, but we’re learning,” Thompson said. “We’re talented, and they’re coming around … We’ve now played eight games, and we’re in all the games.”
The bats looked to make a statement and bounce back against Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday night.
“We faced some unreal competition this past weekend. Nothing like what we’ve seen before,” Armstrong said. “It wasn’t the best weekend, but we know what we can do, and we just wanted to drill on that today.”
Baylor regained its confidence in the batter’s box against the Lumberjacks. The Bears exploded for five runs in the first three innings behind a trio of home runs. They also tacked on a three-run fifth and the game-winning run in the eighth.
Armstrong, who went 1-for-11 in Round Rock, led the way for Baylor. He finished the night 3-for-4 with four runs driven in along with a pair of doubles and a home run.
“This weekend was not who we were,” Janusek said. “It feels good to come out here and put up 10 or 11 hits and three home runs.”
Janusek contributed to the Bears’ offensive success with three base hits and runs, including his steal of home in the eighth inning to pull ahead 9-8.
Baylor’s performance at the plate served as a much-needed boost before the Bruce Bolt College Classic. The upcoming weekend slate is a gauntlet for the Bears, who will face No. 25 Ole Miss (9-0), No. 3 Texas (8-0) and UTSA (7-1).
They look to find a similar rhythm on offense against a Longhorn staff that ranks second nationally in team ERA and a Rebels staff that stands at 13th.
“It feels good to feel the bat hit the ball and put some good swings on it,” Janusek said. “Our confidence is up going into this weekend.”
Baylor opens the weekend against Ole Miss at 3:05 p.m. Friday. The game will be streamed on D1Baseball.com and broadcast on Baylor Lariat Radio.
