Baylor Bears
Overall Rank: #22
Conference Rank: #5 Big 12
Coach Steve Rodriguez is attempting to get Baylor back to their old winning ways. The Bears have made the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons and the expectations continue to grow. In 2018 Baylor was drawn into the tough Stanford Regional and lost to both Cal State Fullerton and Stanford with a win over Wright State in-between. With just about the entire lineup returning and a very strong pitching staff, this is a team that can compete for a Big 12 title and make a decent tournament run.
2018: 37-21, 13-11
2018 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Steve Rodriguez
Key Departed Players:
Troy Montemayor, P, 2.39 ERA, 2-1 W/L, 26.1 IP, 24 SO, 11 SV
Key Returning Players:
Richard Cunningham, OF, .342 BA, 9 HR, 38 RBI
Andy Thomas, C/1B, .324 BA, 1 HR, 34 RBI
T.J. Raguse, OF, .324 BA, 1 HR, 19 RBI
Davis Wendzel, IF, .310 BA, 8 HR, 49 RBI
Nick Lofton, IF, .306 BA, 6 HR, 36 RBI
Davion Downey, OF, .274 BA, 4 HR, 33 RBI
Josh Bissonette, IF, .269 BA, 7 HR, 39 RBI
Cole Haring, OF, .255 BA, 7 HR, 32 RBI
Shea Langeliers, C/1B, .252 BA, 11 HR, 44 RBI
Cody Bradford, P, 2.51 ERA, 7-6 W/L, 96.2 IP, 87 SO
Hayden Kettler, P, 3.81 ERA, 8-4 W/L, 87.1 IP, 56 SO
Projection:
The weekend rotation is in great shape with the return of Cody Bradford. In 14 starts last season, Bradford went 7-6 with a 2.51 ERA. The junior lefty will again be the ace of the staff and Hayden Kettler and Tyler Thomas are also back after combining to start 30 games last year. That is an experienced rotation, but Baylor will need to find a new closer to replace Troy Montemayor. The batting order is loaded with experience from top to bottom. Catcher Shea Langeliers is the star of the team after belting 11 homeruns last season. But there are many other powerful bats in the lineup, most notably Richard Cunningham, Davis Wednzel, Nick Lofton, Josh Bissonette and Cole Haring. All of those players added at least 30 RBIs and this is an experienced team that has a dangerous lineup from top to bottom.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
