By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Baylor searched for a Big 12 series win for a month as the 2026 season continued to roll on.
Cincinnati took care of the Bears in the first two games in mid-April before a series against TCU fell out of the Bears’ grasp, with a collapse in Game 2 and blowout loss in Game 3. Then-No. 25 Arizona State handed the Bears their third straight series loss in April.
Once the calendar turned to May, Baylor (25-22, 11-13 Big 12) showed up against Texas Tech, taking the first two contests to secure its first conference series win since beating BYU on April 2 and 4.
The successful weekend served as a boost for the Bears, who are currently sitting on the bubble and fighting for their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2019.
“This was a really good weekend for us,” redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong said. “It showed that we have the fight that it takes to be an NCAA Tournament team.”
Baylor entered the series against the Red Raiders ranked 59th in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which is generally considered to be the metric that determines which teams make the NCAA Tournament.
Being in the top 55 in RPI has become a goal number for teams trying to find themselves in the mix for an at-large bid in the 64-team tournament. With the Bears straddling that line, every outcome can be make or break.
“You could say we’re a fingernail from sweeping the series, but we’re also a fingernail from losing the two out of three,” Thompson said. “The margins are so thin.”
RPI ratings use three main categories to be calculated, and a team’s opponents’ winning percentage accounts for 50%. While Texas Tech (23-24 overall) did not provide much support for Baylor, the series win goes beyond the numbers.
“You got to feel good about getting a series win,” Thompson said. “We played our hearts out yesterday and had to fight for the second win there.”
The Bears dominated the first game 8-1. They won 10-9 in Game 2, despite giving up seven runs in the last two innings, but could not secure the sweep after allowing another seven runs across the final two frames.
The Bears were happy to secure their first series victory in a month, but the ending to the weekend forced them to learn a valuable lesson.
“Yesterday for sure showed that the game’s never over,” Armstrong said. “You can’t ease off the pedal. You just got to stay on the gas until the last out.”
Baylor plans to attack the remainder of the season with that all-gas mentality.
The Bears stare down seven games left in the regular season. They first will try to take care of Texas State, whom they defeated 14-4 in February.
Then Baylor will close out its home schedule with a three-game series against UCF. This series could serve as a catalyst or a major obstacle for the Bears as the Knights ranked 25th in RPI coming into this past weekend.
Baylor will close out the regular season with a series against Utah. The two teams stand tied at ninth in the Big 12 with an 11-13 conference record.
“It’s just keep playing one game at a time, take care of the one game that’s up in front of you,” Thompson said. “It didn’t work out today, but these guys came and competed really hard.”
The race for the finish line does not come without its speed bumps. Baylor dealt with multiple injuries in the starting rotation early in the season and now deals with the absence of multiple bullpen arms, including junior left-hander Mason Green and senior left-hander Stefan Stahl.
“We’re in the grind of the baseball season,” Armstrong said. “Everybody’s trying to just stay healthy, stay committed and stay energized in these games.”
The Bears enter the final seven-game stretch of the regular season as they take on Texas State at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Irvine-Rasmussen Ballpark in San Marcos. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
