Browsing: Hunter Simmons

When junior outfielder Caleb Bergman stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning as a pinch hitter, the last thing on his mind was leaving the yard. But as fate would have it, on a full count pitch Bergman put a charge into a 376-foot solo home run — his first longball in a real game in four years.

It only took one game for Baylor baseball’s pitching staff to dominate under first-year pitching coach Sean Snedeker. Earning the Opening Day start, Calder racked up a career-high 13 strikeouts — the most by a Baylor pitcher since 2011 — and allowed just one run on two hits in five innings of work en route to the Bears’ 10-3 win over Youngstown State.

On Feb. 23, 2024, just five games into the Baylor baseball season, senior left fielder Hunter Simmons crashed into the wall and suffered a season-ending injury, leaving a group of three transfer outfielders to lead the team. Enzo Apodaca, Ty Johnson and Wesley Jordan did not just meet expectations but excelled and are ready for one last run together.

Baylor baseball is no stranger to success, and assistant coach Zach Dillon has been in the middle of it from both sides. Dillon was the starting designated hitter during the 2005 College World Series and acted as an assistant coach when the “Feed the Beaver” craze in 2012 propelled the squad to a Big 12 championship.

After an injury-riddled 2024 season, some familiar faces at Baylor Ballpark have worked their way back onto the field for Baylor baseball during fall ball and established themselves as cornerstones heading into the 2025 season.

With a brand new season comes a brand new style of fall ball for Thompson’s Bears. The green and gold will have three free and open-to-the-public scrimmages each week during the fall to showcase the team’s talent as each athlete competes for a starting position.

With a year under his belt, head coach Mitch Thompson enters year two with a new motto: “To be the best, you have to beat the best.” And the Bears will get a chance to do just that as the first month of their season features the most difficult schedule in Division I, based on last year’s win percentage and RPI.

“My coaches tell me that my walk-up song is ‘I want it all and I want it now,’” head coach Mitch Thompson quipped. “That’s just the way it is, and that’s probably true. I’m a really impatient guy, and I do want it all, and I want it now, so give it to me now and let’s do it.”