By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
Very few things top Opening Day for Baylor baseball head coach Mitch Thompson. With a fresh slate, Thompson and the Bears are hungry for the opportunity to see nine months of hard work and long nights pay off.
So when Thompson walked onto the dirt at Baylor Ballpark Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours from the team’s season opener, he wore a smile from ear to ear — like a kid on Christmas morning.
“I eat this stuff up, man,” Thompson said. “It’s game week. We’ve been waiting since last May to get back out here and do this again. And all the work that’s gone into the recruiting of the players, to getting them here, to starting to mold the team together — we all get to put on the same uniform and compete together. And it won’t always go well. There’ll be ups and downs, but I really like the make of this group.”
Following a 22-31 season, the Bears will open the 2025 season at Baylor Ballpark with a three-game series against Youngstown State at 3 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Saturday. Returning 22 players from the injury-riddled 2024 roster, the Bears trotted onto the diamond healthy on Thursday afternoon.
Early in the 2024 season, Baylor was without redshirt senior outfielder Hunter Simmons, redshirt sophomore second baseman Jack Little and redshirt junior first baseman Gavin Brzozowski. A few weeks later, redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Cole Stasio and redshirt senior infielder Will Pendergrass were sidelined for the season. The quintet is back in 2025 at full health. Thompson expects all five to be key contributors across a 54-game season.
“I think that those guys will all be playing with a sense of, ‘Hey, man, this is house money,’” Thompson said. “ And what do I mean by that? ‘Hey, the game is fun, and I can’t wait to play the game.’ And I don’t think any of them will play with pressure. I think they’ll all play with a real attitude of gratitude and thankfulness that they’re healthy.”
Junior left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder was named the team’s Opening Day starter by Thompson on Wednesday for being the “most consistent guy over the last couple years.” Redshirt senior left-handed pitcher Bryson Bales and Stasio will round out the weekend rotation, starting games two and three, respectively.
“The guys who are going to get the chances to start are veteran guys who have pitched really well the entire fall,” Thompson said. “But everything’s not set in stone. We can make these changes from week to week, and we’re going to obviously run a lot of guys out there this week, and we have other guys that are in the mix for the weekend rotation.”
Bales, a junior college transfer from Hendrix College, will be making his first appearance with the Bears, while Stasio will make just his second career start in his fifth season in Waco. The righty suffered his second straight season-ending injury in 2024 after appearing in three games and making his first career start on March 3.
“[I’m] super thankful for the opportunity that God’s given me just to play another year at Baylor,” Stasio said. “I love this place. So, it’s just extreme excitement [to start]. I think that the first inning is going to be pretty emotional just getting back on the field after a season and a half of not being there. So, I’m excited to get that competitive nature back and kind of roll with that.”
In addition to the experienced rotation, senior catcher Cortlan Castle is one of seven senior position players expected to earn a spot in the starting lineup at some point during opening weekend. And for Castle, his final run in the green and gold is what looks to be his best season yet.
“There is just so much confidence brewing right now in our team, and we’re so excited,” Castle said. “This is my fourth year, and this is the most excited I’ve been. I’ve been excited every year, but man, I’m really looking forward to it.”
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Baylor Ballpark. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and available on ESPN Central Texas.
