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Baylor Bears baseball

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The Baylor Bears baseball team represents Baylor University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team belongs to the Big 12 Conference and plays home games at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears are currently led by head coach Mitch Thompson, who was hired in 2022

Baylor Bears
2024 Baylor Bears baseball team
Founded1902
UniversityBaylor University
Head coachMitch Thompson (2nd season)
ConferenceBig 12
LocationWaco, Texas
Home stadiumBaylor Ballpark
(Capacity: 5,000)
NicknameBears
ColorsGreen and gold[1]
   
College World Series appearances
1977, 1978, 2005
NCAA regional champions
1977, 1978, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2012
NCAA Tournament appearances
1948, 1977, 1978, 1991, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019
Conference tournament champions
SWC: 1977, 1978, 1993
Big 12: 2018
Regular season conference champions
SWC: 1923, 1966
Big 12: 2000, 2005, 2012

History

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The early years (1902–1948)

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Baylor first fielded a baseball team in 1902 as Baylor's second varsity sport. Pitcher Ted Lyons was a player on Baylor's Southwest Conference (SWC) Championship team in 1923. He would go on to be enshrined in Cooperstown after an outstanding career with the Chicago White Sox. At this time, Lyons is the only player from a Big 12 or former SWC University to be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Baylor did not field a baseball team from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. However, Baylor appeared in its first NCAA tournament in 1948 only in its 3rd year of play after the war.

 
Baylor baseball game on campus

The modern era (1970–2012)

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Baylor returned to the NCAA tournament in 1977, led by legendary Baylor head coach Mickey Sullivan, and advanced to the College World Series for Baylor's first appearance in Omaha. Baylor lost both of its games in the 1977 College World Series, one game each to South Carolina and Minnesota. Baylor concluded the 1977 season ranked #7 nationally by Collegiate Baseball. In 1978, the Bears returned to the College World Series but lost its only 2 games again, one game each to Michigan and Miami, Fl. Baylor finished the 1978 season ranked #8 nationally by Collegiate Baseball.

Baylor has achieved a season 50-win mark in only one season in its history. This season win total was earned in 1999 under the guidance of former head coach Steve Smith, ending the season with a W-L record of 50–15. While exiting the national tournament during the Super Regional stage, the Bears ended the season ranked #8 nationally by Baseball America. It was during this 1999 season that Jason Jennings won National Player of the Year. As a pitcher and designated hitter for the Bears in 1999, Jason also won the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Award, Rotary Smith Award, consensus Big 12 Player of the Year and was voted a unanimous All-American. Kelly Shoppach would also earn the unanimous All-American honor as a Baylor catcher in 2001 and consensus Big 12 Player of the Year.

Baylor's 2005 squad would become the first to win a game in Omaha. The Bears went 2–2 including wins over Oregon State and #1 ranked Tulane (a dramatic come from behind win, 7–6), but was eliminated from the tournament after its second loss to the Texas Longhorns, losing 3–4 in Baylor's final game. Baylor lost 1–5 to the Texas Longhorns in its first CWS game in 2005. Baylor finished the 2005 season ranked #4 nationally by Baseball America.

In 2012, Baylor went 42–12 and was undefeated at home during conference play in the regular season. The Bears racked up a mid-season 24-game win streak (including an 18–0 start to conference play) which the players attributed to their adoption of a beaver that appeared along the banks of the Brazos River.[2] "Feeding the Beaver" – referring to a player hitting a home-run onto the Brazos riverbank – became a year-long team slogan as the Bears earned the #4 national seed and were selected as regional hosts in the 2012 NCAA Baseball Championship tournament.[3] In the Waco Regional, Baylor lost their first game and then won four straight games to stave off elimination and advance to host the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Super Regional. Big 12 Conference awards were won by Josh Ludy (Player of the Year) and Nathan Orf (Newcomer of the Year), Steve Smith was named Coach of the Year, and 11 Baylor players were named to All-Big 12 teams.[4]

Baylor has reached NCAA postseason play 18 times, including 13 of the last 15 seasons (1998–2012). The Texas Longhorns are Baylor's most played opponent, including 334 matchups through the 2011 season. Baylor has defeated the TCU Horned Frogs more than any other single opponent with 136 all-time wins.

The Steve Rodriguez era (2015–2022)

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In June 2015, the Bears announced the hiring of former Pepperdine head baseball coach Steve Rodriguez.[5] Following a 24–29 record in the 2016 season, Coach Rodriguez and the Baylor baseball team ended the 2017 season with a record of 34–23, good for 4th overall in the Big 12 and an NCAA postseason appearance.[6]

According to the Big 12 website Big12Sports,[7] with 2 picks in the 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft (pick 719, Montana Parsons and pick 793, Kameron Esthay) "Baylor has had at least one player chosen in 40 of the last 42 drafts, dating back to 1976. The Bears have a total of 138 draft choices in program history and their first multi-player draft since 2014."[8]

Memorable games

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Among other games in recent history, Baylor has been involved in 3 particularly memorable games.

"The Comeback" game occurred on May 26, 2001, against the Rice Owls in Houston. Trailing 9–0 in the top of the 8th inning, Baylor scored 11 runs in the final 2 innings to win the game 11–10. Leading 11–9, Baylor pitching only allowed 1 run on 3 hits in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win. Former Bears and major leaguers David Murphy and Kelly Shoppach both played in this game for Baylor.

"The Marathon" game was played on February 21, 1999, in Houston, TX against the Houston Cougars. This game is notable simply for its duration. Lasting 6 hours and 43 minutes, Baylor was finally victorious 8–2 after 22 innings of play. The game saw 87 plate appearances by Baylor. The game included a total of 28 different batters collecting 25 total hits, 13 different pitchers and 2 ejected coaches.

The "Miracle on 13th Street" game was played in Omaha, Nebraska at Rosenblatt Stadium on June 21, 2005, against #1 Tulane Green Wave. Trailing Tulane 7–0 in the bottom of the 7th inning, the Bears scored 8 runs in the final 3 innings to beat the Green Wave 8–7 in the nationally televised game on ESPN. The comeback was completed with a ninth-inning game-winning play that occurred with the bases loaded, 1-out, and Baylor down 7–6. The ball was hit up the middle and fielded by the 2nd baseman who fired to first to try to complete the double play. Not only was the throw late, allowing the tying run to score, but it was wild, allowing the winning run to score from 2nd.

Stadium

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Baylor Ballpark is the current home of Baylor Baseball. The park hosted its first game on February 5, 1999, a 3–2 Baylor win over the Long Beach State Dirtbags. A replacement for outdated Ferrell Field (Baylor's on campus home park from 1977 to 1998), Baylor Ballpark was one of the finest collegiate stadiums in the country at the time of its construction during 1998. With a listed capacity of 5,000 people, the retro-styled ballpark was modeled after Plainsman Park, home field of the Auburn Tigers, which had a very similar design, but was smaller. In 2001 Sports Illustrated on Campus ranked Baylor Ballpark "the best college baseball venue". And the ballpark was voted as the third best collegiate baseball stadium in a 2003 poll conducted by Baseball America. Baylor formerly played its home games at stadiums including Carroll Field (on campus), Katy Park (a Waco city field), Dutton Street Park (a Waco city field) and the aforementioned Ferrell Field. Baylor played its home games exclusively at Dutton Street Park from 1960 to 1976.

The first season for Baylor Ballpark was 1999, although construction continued throughout the season. Despite the construction, Baylor Ballpark hosted its first NCAA Regional that season. It hosted additional NCAA Regionals in 2000 and 2005 along with two NCAA Super Regionals (2000, 2005). The largest single-game attendance at Baylor Ballpark occurred on April 17, 2004, versus the Texas Longhorns, a recorded attendance of 5,602 crowded the confines to see the Longhorns overcome the Bears 7–6.

Baylor Ballpark has been recognized as a top-tier facility for collegiate baseball. In 2003, Baseball America conducted a survey in which college coaches voted Baylor's facility the third best ballpark in the country.

2005 Baylor Bears

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The 2005 Baylor Bears squad was one of the most successful teams in Baylor history. With a strong pitching staff, the squad won the Big 12 Conference and hosted both an NCAA Regional and NCAA Super Regional before advancing to the 2005 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

At the College World Series, the Bears were defeated by the Texas Longhorns in the opening game. However, in back-to-back games, the Bears defeated the Oregon State Beavers and #1 Tulane Green Wave to set a rematch with the Longhorns. Despite leading 3–2 through the 8th inning, the Bears fell 4–3 which ended the season. Despite the loss in Omaha, the Bears were highly rated to end the season. Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, and USA Today, along with several other publications, ranked the Bears #4 in the country to end the year.

[9][10]

Conference championships

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Baylor has won or shared 5 Conference Championships. 1923 (SWC), 1966 (SWC), 2000 (Big 12), 2005 (Big 12), 2012 (Big 12)

Baylor has won 4 Conference Tournament championships. 1977(SWC),1978(SWC),1993(SWC),2018(Big 12). Baylor has appeared in 6 Big 12 Conference Tournament championship title games.

Head coaches

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Coach Years Record CWS appearances NCAA Appearances Conf Championships
J.C. Ewing 1902 5–9 0 0 0
R.N. Watts 1903–1904 14–18 0 0 0
Lee Carroll 1905 12–7 0 0 0
L.F. Burleson 1906–1908 25–34 0 0 0
E.J. Mills 1909 9–12 0 0 0
Ralph Glaze 1910–1913 54–27 0 0 0
C.P. Mosley 1914–1919 47–60 0 0 0
Frank Bridges 1920–1927 95–73 0 0 1
Morley Jennings 1928–1939 120–78–1 0 0 0
Lloyd Russell 1940–1941 22–17 0 0 0
Floyd Crow 1942 8–8 0 0 0
A.E. Jones 1946–1950 82–47 0 1 0
Vic Bradford 1951 10–10 0 0 0
Chuck Devereaux 1952 9–6 0 0 0
A.E. Jones 1953 7–5 0 0 0
Boyd SoRelle 1954–1957 48–45 0 0 0
Lloyd Russell 1958–1961 50–41–1 0 0 0
Dutch Schroeder 1962–1973 196–165 0 0 1
Mickey Sullivan 1974–1994 649–428–4 2 4 0
Steve Smith 1995–2015 744–523–1 1 13 3
Steve Rodriguez 2016–2022 197–134 0 3 0
Mitch Thompson 2023–Present 1-2 0 0 0

Season-by-season results

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Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Independent (1902–1914)
1902 J. C. Ewing 5–9
1903 R. N. Watts 6–8
1904 R. N. Watts 7–10
1905 Lee Carroll 12–7
1906 Luther Burleson 7–9
1907 Luther Burleson 8–14
1908 Luther Burleson 10–11
1909 Enoch J. Mills 9–12
1910 Ralph Glaze 8–11
1911 Ralph Glaze 17–7
1912 Ralph Glaze 16–0
1913 Ralph Glaze 13–9
1914 Charles Mosley 10–10
Southwest Conference (1915–1996)
1915 Charles Mosley 10–10 5–7 4th
1916 Charles Mosley 13–7 6–4 2nd
1917 Charles Mosley 3–7 1–2 4th
1918 Charles Mosley 2–15 1–6 3rd
1919 Charles Mosley 9–11 3–5 3rd
1920 Frank Bridges 13–7 8–5 3rd
1921 Frank Bridges 3–11 3–9 5th
1922 Frank Bridges 13–7 11–5 2nd
1923 Frank Bridges 15–6 14–5 1st
1924 Frank Bridges 16–9 11–8 4th
1925 Frank Bridges 13–10 9–5 3rd
1926 Frank Bridges 12–9 6–5 4th
1927 Frank Bridges 10–4 5–11 5th
1928 Morley Jennings 16–4 11–4 2nd
1929 Morley Jennings 14–6 12–4 2nd
1930 Morley Jennings 11–6 10–6 3rd
1931 Morley Jennings 10–3 7–3 3rd
1932 Morley Jennings 10–7 7–7 4th
1933 Morley Jennings 5–9 3–7 4th
1934 Morley Jennings 2–12 2–10 4th
1935 Morley Jennings 7–8 5–7 4th
1936 Morley Jennings 9–6–1 7–6–1 4th
1937 Morley Jennings 12–6 9–6 3rd
1938 Morley Jennings 13–4–2 9–4 4th
1939 Morley Jennings 11–7 8–7 T–2nd
1940 Lloyd Russell 11–9 7–7 3rd
1941 Lloyd Russell 11–8 8–6 3rd
1942 Floyd Crow 8–8 7–8 T–3rd
No Team Fielded: World War II (1943–1945)
1946 A. E. Jones 12–9 9–6 2nd
1947 A. E. Jones 12–8 9–5 3rd
1948 A. E. Jones 18–11 9–5 3rd NCAA Western Regional, L 2–2
1949 A. E. Jones 20–9 9–6 3rd
1950 A. E. Jones 20–10 8–7 3rd
1951 Vic Bradford 10–10 6–9 T–4th
1952 Chuck Devereaux 9–6 2nd
1953 A. E. Jones 7–5 3rd
1954 Boyd SoRelle 15–9–1 9–5–1 2nd
1955 Boyd SoRelle 11–14 7–8 T–3rd
1956 Boyd SoRelle 12–11 8–6 T–2nd
1957 Boyd SoRelle 10–11 4–7 4th
1959 Lloyd Russell 5–17 2–11 6th
1960 Lloyd Russell 15–7 10–5 T–2nd
1961 Lloyd Russell 18–4–1 10–4–1 T–2nd
1962 Dutch Schroeder 17–7 9–5 3rd
1963 Dutch Schroeder 13–11 7–8 4th
1964 Dutch Schroeder 18–7 10–5 2nd
1965 Dutch Schroeder 18–7 9–6 3rd
1966 Dutch Schroeder 18–10–1 8–6–1 T–1st
1967 Dutch Schroeder 14–13 4–11 6th
1968 Dutch Schroeder 14–13 9–7 4th
1969 Dutch Schroeder 10–17 6–11 6th
1970 Dutch Schroeder 16–21 4–14 6th
1971 Dutch Schroeder 17–22 7–10 5th
1972 Dutch Schroeder 20–20 6–12 T–5th
1973 Dutch Schroeder 21–17 9–9 4th
1974 Mickey Sullivan 25–19 12–12 5th
1975 Mickey Sullivan 25–19 11–13 T–4th
1976 Mickey Sullivan 23–19 14–10 4th
1977 Mickey Sullivan 43–15 15–9 3rd SWC Tournament, W 3–0
NCAA South Central Regional, W 4–1
NCAA College World Series, L 0–2
1978 Mickey Sullivan 32–19 15–9 3rd SWC Tournament, W 3–0
NCAA South Central Regional, W 3–0
NCAA College World Series, L 0–2
1979 Mickey Sullivan 34–15 13–9 3rd SWC Tournament, L 0–2
1980 Mickey Sullivan 25–19–2 12–12 5th
1981 Mickey Sullivan 21–24 6–15 8th
1982 Mickey Sullivan 25–22 9–12 6th
1983 Mickey Sullivan 26–22 11–10 T–4th
1984 Mickey Sullivan 26–23 9–12 T–5th
1985 Mickey Sullivan 42–13 14–7 2nd SWC Tournament, L 0–2
1986 Mickey Sullivan 40–22 12–9 4th SWC Tournament, L 1–2
1987 Mickey Sullivan 38–15 9–12 5th
1988 Mickey Sullivan 25–31–1 9–12 4th SWC Tournament, L 1–2
1989 Mickey Sullivan 32–19 7–14 T–6th
1990 Mickey Sullivan 33–19 9–12 6th
1991 Mickey Sullivan 40–20 12–9 3rd SWC Tournament, L 0–2
NCAA Midwest Regional, L 0–2
1992 Mickey Sullivan 29–26 17–19 3rd
1993 Mickey Sullivan 41–19 11–7 T–2nd SWC Tournament, W 3–0
NCAA South Regional, L 1–2
1994 Mickey Sullivan 24–28–1 6–12 T–5th
1995 Steve Smith 25–28 7–17 6th
1996 Steve Smith 32–27 11–13 T–4th SWC Tournament, L 1–2
Big 12 Conference (1997–present)
1997 Steve Smith 32–23 12–18 5th Big 12 tournament, L 0–2
1998 Steve Smith 41–20–1 18–10 2nd Big 12 tournament, L 1–2
NCAA South I Regional, L 1–2
1999 Steve Smith 50–15 20–7 2nd Big 12 tournament, L 3–1
NCAA Waco Regional, W 3–0
NCAA Waco Super Regional, L 1–2
2000 Steve Smith 45–17 23–7 1st Big 12 tournament, L 2–2
NCAA Waco Regional, L 0–2
2001 Steve Smith 37–24 17–10 4th Big 12 tournament, L 0–2
NCAA Houston Regional, L 2–2
2002 Steve Smith 36–26 13–13 5th Big 12 tournament, L 0–2
NCAA Austin Regional, L 2–2
2003 Steve Smith 45–23 15–12 5th Big 12 tournament, L 4–2
NCAA Hattiesburg Regional, W 3–0
NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional, L 1–2
2004 Steve Smith 29–31 13–12 6th Big 12 tournament, L 2–2
2005 Steve Smith 46–24 19–8 1st Big 12 tournament, L 3–1
NCAA Waco Regional, W 3–0
NCAA Waco Super Regional, W 2–1
NCAA College World Series, L 2–2
2006 Steve Smith 37–26 13–14 5th Big 12 tournament, L 1–2
NCAA Houston Regional, L 2–2
2007 Steve Smith 35–27 12–15 6th Big 12 tournament, L 3–1
NCAA Houston Regional, L 1–2
2008 Steve Smith 32–26 11–16 6th Big 12 tournament, L 1–2
2009 Steve Smith 30–26 10–16 8th Big 12 tournament, L 2–1
NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, L 1–2
2010 Steve Smith 36–24 12–13 6th Big 12 tournament, L 3–1
NCAA Fort Worth Regional, L 2–2
2011 Steve Smith 31–28 13–14 5th Big 12 tournament, L 0–2
NCAA Houston Regional, L 2–2
2012 Steve Smith 49–17 20–4 1st Big 12 tournament, L 2–2
NCAA Waco Regional, W 4–1
NCAA Waco Super Regional, L 1–2
2013 Steve Smith 27–28 12–11 5th Big 12 tournament, L 0–3
2014 Steve Smith 26–31 8–15 7th Big 12 tournament, L 2–2
2015 Steve Smith 23–32 9–15 8th Big 12 tournament, L 2–2
2016 Steve Rodriguez 24–26 10–13 6th Big 12 tournament, L 0-2
2017 Steve Rodriguez 34–23 12–12 4th Big 12 tournament, L 0-2

NCAA Houston Regional, L 0-2

2018 Steve Rodriguez 37-21 13-11 5th Big 12 tournament, W 4-0

NCAA Palo Alto Regional, L 1-2

2019 Steve Rodriguez 35-19 14-8 2nd Big 12 tournament, L 1-2

NCAA Los Angeles Regional, L 1-2

Pre-Conference (1902 - 1915): 128-117-0


SWC Overall (1915 - 1996): 1362-994-10 650-634-4


Big 12 Overall (1997 - Present): 813-555-1 319-274-0


Overall Combined Record: 2303-1666-11 969-908-4

Major League Baseball

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Baylor has had 79 Major League Baseball Draft selections since the draft began in 1965.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Baylor University Athletics Brand Identity (PDF). April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  2. ^ Fox Sports. "Southwest". FOX Sports.
  3. ^ "Baseball Earns No. 4 National Seed". baylorbears.com.
  4. ^ "Baseball Trio Honored, 11 Named All-Big 12". baylorbears.com.
  5. ^ "Baylor hires Pepperdine's Steve Rodriguez as baseball coach".
  6. ^ "Baylor Hires Pepperdine's Rodriguez As New Head Baseball Coach". kwtx.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-14.
  7. ^ "Big 12 Conference". Big 12 Conference.
  8. ^ "League Players Selected in 2017 MLB Draft".
  9. ^ "Media Guide — Season Outlook" (PDF). Baylor University Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  10. ^ "Media Guide — Players" (PDF). Baylor University Athletics. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  11. ^ "MLB Amateur Draft Picks who came from "Baylor University (Waco, TX)"". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
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