By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
A year ago, Baylor stepped into Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth as underdogs against then-No. 23 TCU. The Horned Frogs took care of business as expected in the first two games.
A sweep would be an all-too-familiar sight for the Bears, but they took charge in game three with a four-run third inning to go up 4-1. TCU answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to bring it back to one run, but Baylor pitchers Lucas Davenport and Gabe Craig tossed 5.2 scoreless innings to secure Baylor’s first win over its rivals under head coach Mitch Thompson.
“It’s a great rival game,” sophomore infielder Pearson Riebock said. “Last year we had to go in their place, and we ended up getting one off them.”
A year later, the Revivalry returns to Baylor Ballpark as Baylor (21-15, 8-7 Big 12) looks to take the series against TCU (22-14, 8-7 Big 12) for the first time since 2019.
“The end goal is to get the series win,” Riebock said. “To bring it here to Waco and get the fans behind it and get a series win, that would be huge for us.”
The Horned Frogs have not been as dominant this season as in previous years. After coming into 2026 ranked No. 10, they fell out of the top 25 in mid-March after dropping a series to Arizona State.
Multiple injuries to key players have accounted for the drop in regular season success. Reigning first team all-conference pitcher Tommy LaPour has missed all but opening day with a flexor strain. Louis Rodriguez, a staple in last season’s bullpen, required Tommy John surgery before the start of this season.
“They’ve got big-time position players, and they’ve fought with injuries,” Thompson said. “They’ve been hit hard with it and [are] still more than holding their own.”
Despite being hit with the injury bug, particularly in the pitching staff, TCU stands in sixth place in the Big 12.
While the Horned Frogs are staying afloat in the conference standings, neither the pitching staff nor the lineup have been noticeably potent. Their 5.78 team ERA ranks eighth and .266 batting average sits tied with Baylor for second-to-last.
There are still some spots in the lineup that can cause serious problems for opposing pitchers. Sawyer Strosnider leads the squad with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs after winning Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2025. Cole Cramer boasts a team-best .322 batting average — one of only two to sit above the .300 mark.
“There’s some great hitters,” junior left-handed pitcher RJ Ruais said. “It’s going to boil down to us and limiting free bases, going right after guys, making pitches, getting timely hits, just really playing our game.”
There will not be much of a shakeup with the Baylor pitching staff despite a rough weekend for Davenport and sophomore right-handed pitcher Zack Wallace, who both allowed six runs in their starts against Cincinnati.
“The rotation is going to stay the same this weekend,” Thompson said. “[I] hope those guys can all go out and give us good starts and give us a chance to get in the game and have a chance to win.”
Alongside a solidified starting rotation, the back end of the bullpen has continued to take shape. Fifth-year right-hander Caleb Bunch has proven himself as one of the top closers in college baseball, boasting five saves and a 1.00 ERA after allowing only three runs in 27 frames.
It’s also been Ruais, who has stepped into the setup role. He has dealt 17.2 innings with a 3.06 ERA. He ran a streak of eight straight scoreless appearances until Tuesday, when he gave up a pair of runs against UTSA.
“Bunch has been unbelievable. It’s been awesome to see him go out there and just do his thing,” Ruais said. “And a lot of props to the starting pitching just allowing me to get out there and get into those situations.”
Thompson credited Ruais’ composure and confidence as he found his new role in the Bears’ bullpen.
“He’s one of those guys that if you set a firecracker off in his back pocket … he’s not going to jump,” Thompson said. “You don’t ever have to worry about his mentality and how he’s going about it.”
The Baylor offense will look to build off back-to-back productive games. The Bears put up eight runs on Sunday to salvage the series against Cincinnati and pulled through on Tuesday for a 10-9 extra-innings victory over UTSA.
Riebock has also come along in the last few games. He finished the series against the Bearcats 4-for-9 with three doubles and walked twice while getting hit by a pitch once against the Roadrunners.
“Getting a few knocks, it definitely helps out the confidence and morale,” Riebock said. “That Cincinnati weekend definitely built off of that. I felt good at the plate.”
Baylor opens its series against TCU at 6:30 p.m. today at Baylor Ballpark. All three weekend series games will be streamed on ESPN+.
