By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
When head coach Mitch Thompson made his return to Baylor, he inherited a program that had fallen from second in the Big 12 in 2019 to second-to-last in 2022.
The man who saw the program at its peak as an assistant coach found it in need of a rebuild. The Bears (6-5) took a new step in their rebuild and in the 2026 season with their upset win over No. 25 Ole Miss on Friday.
“I’m proud of all the guys,” Thompson said. “It’s a big-time win for us.”
Baylor has improved every year since Thompson took over as the skipper. The progress started slowly as the Bears missed the Big 12 Tournament in the first two seasons under Thompson, compiling a 42-66 overall record with a 16-38 mark against conference opponents.
“We’re going to build this thing back into a national power,” Thompson said in his introduction as the Baylor head coach in 2022. “If God be willing, we’re going to take this place back to Omaha and we’re going to compete to win the whole dadgum thing.”
The methodical and consistent growth was what Thompson envisioned for the program with him at the helm.
“We needed to try and flip the program and get it turned back in the right direction,” Thompson said after the 2023 season. “The future looks bright with what we’re able to do now recruiting-wise.”
Baylor returned to the conference tournament for the first time in three years in 2025, finishing with a 33-22 record — the best mark in the Thompson era.
The Bears expected to take the next step in 2026. They faced multiple opportunities early on with matchups against then-No. 7 Oregon State and No. 18 Southern Miss at the Round Rock Classic but failed to topple either of the proven programs.
“We played three really good ball clubs,” fifth-year right-handed pitcher Caleb Bunch said. “Being able to stay in those games after we get punched and punched right back, I think that shows the character of this team.”
Baylor believed its battle-tested resume would eventually pay off against other top opponents.
“That’s going to help us when we get to those situations because we’ve been there before,” Bunch said.
It seemed like Baylor needed to get over the hump in close games against premier teams to take another step forward. It had another chance to prove itself at the Bruce Bolt College Classic.
“It’s just a huge opportunity for us to show how good we are,” redshirt sophomore catcher Brayden Buchanan said before going to Houston. “We were super close last weekend against quality opponents.”
The Bears finally found their opportunity against the Rebels.
The Friday-night matchup at Daikin Park in Houston looked familiar to the previous weekend, with a multitude of strikeouts and a stagnant offense. That is, until timely hitting in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings led Baylor to its eighth ranked win under Thompson.
“We’ve been fighting, fighting, fighting,” Thompson said. “Finally got a couple guys on, and we made the right rip, made the right swing and it was big time.”
The statement victory looks to be a turning point in a season that saw multiple competitive losses to top-25 squads and for a program that wants to return to national relevance.
“A lot of fight, a lot of heart,” Thompson said. “They showed up, competed their tails off.”
In pursuit of another Big 12 Tournament appearance and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, the Bears are still scheduled to face off against three currently ranked teams with a pair of series against No. 23 West Virginia (March 13-15) and No. 17 TCU (April 17-19) and a meeting with No. 25 UTSA on April 14.
