2015 Baylor Bears baseball team

2015 Baylor Bears baseball
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	13–22 (4–8 Big 12)
Head coach	Steve Smith (21st season)
Assistant coaches	Steve Johnigan (20th season) Trevor Mote (7th season)
Home stadium	Baylor Ballpark
Seasons ←  2014 2016  →

2015 Big 12 Conference baseball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 4 TCU  ‍†‍‍y	18	–	5		.783			51	–	15		.773
No. 19 Oklahoma State  ‍‍‍y	14	–	8		.636			38	–	20		.655
Oklahoma  ‍‍‍	13	–	11		.542			34	–	27		.557
Texas Tech  ‍‍‍	13	–	11		.542			31	–	24		.564
Texas  ‍‍‡‍y	11	–	13		.458			30	–	27		.526
Kansas State  ‍‍‍	10	–	14		.417			27	–	30		.474
West Virginia  ‍‍‍	9	–	13		.409			27	–	27		.500
Baylor  ‍‍‍	9	–	15		.375			23	–	32		.418
Kansas  ‍‍‍	8	–	15		.348			23	–	32		.418
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament Rankings from Collegiate Baseball [1]

The 2015 Baylor Bears baseball team represented Baylor University during the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bears played their home games at Baylor Ballpark as a member of the Big 12 Conference. They were led by head coach Steve Smith, in his 21st season at Baylor.

Previous season

In 2014, the Bears finished the season 7th in the Big 12 with a record of 26–31, 8–15 in conference play. They qualified for the 2014 Big 12 Conference baseball tournament and were eliminated in the semifinals. They failed to qualify for the 2014 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

Personnel

Roster

2015 Baylor Bears roster [2]
	Pitchers 3 – Nick Lewis – Sophomore 6 – Ryan Smith – Junior 10 – Austin Stone – Senior 11 – Brad Kuntz – Senior 12 – Joe Kirkland – Senior 20 – Daniel Castano – Sophomore 22 – Hunter Abbe – Sophomore 26 – Kody Hessemer – Junior 27 – Drew Tolson – Sophomore 28 – Blake Allen – Freshman 31 – Hudson Pearson – Freshman 33 – Theron Kay – Freshman 35 – Kyle Ott – Freshman 36 – Troy Montemayor – Freshman 44 – Sean Spicer – Senior 46 – Reese Jefferies – Junior 54 – Dylan Johannik – Junior		Catchers 13 – Joe Sabatini – Sophomore 19 – Aaron Dodson – Sophomore 23 – Matt Menard – Sophomore 32 – Cameron Miller – Freshman Infielders 1 – Justin Arrington – Junior 2 – Steven McLean – Freshman 5 – Duncan Wendel – Senior 9 – West Tunnell – Junior 26 – Ben Carl – Freshman 37 – Johnathan Ducoff – Freshman 39 – Garrett Prossner – Freshman 45 – Hayden Ross – Sophomore		Outfielders 4 – Darryn Sheppard – Sophomore 8 – Levi Gilcrease – Freshman 15 – Adam Toth – Senior 16 – Logan Brown – Senior 21 – Richard Cunningham – Freshman 29 – Ryan Romo – Sophomore 38 – Lane Kelly – Sophomore

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons at Baylor	Alma Mater
Steve Smith	Head coach	21	Baylor University (1986)
Steve Johnigan	Associate head coach	19	Texas A&M University (1989)
Trevor Mote	Assistant coach	5	Baylor University (2004)

Season

February

Baylor opened its season on February 13 as part of a three-game series with Cal Poly. In game 1, the Mustangs outhit the Bears 12–7, but Baylor won 8–6. ^[3] In the second game of the series, the Bears also won by a score of 8–6, and closed out the series sweep with a 6–0 win in the series finale. ^[4] Baylor moved into the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll at #21 nationally following the Cal Poly sweep. ^[5] Playing as the #21 team in the country, Baylor went 2–2 over the next week. After a midweek loss to Dallas Baptist in which the Bears pitching surrendered eight walks, ^[6] the Bears dropped the first game of a three-game weekend series to 2014 NCAA Tournament participant Kent State. On February 21, the Bears swept the Golden Flashes in a doubleheader, winning the two games by a combined score of 10–4. ^[7]

For the final week of February (and the first day of March), the Bears fell to #25 nationally in the Collegiate Baseball poll and were also ranked number 28 in the NCBWA poll. On February 25, the Bears defeated Northwestern State in a game that had been pushed back one day due to inclement weather. Starter Theron Kay allowed no runs over five innings pitched. ^[8] On the weekend of February 27, the Bears travelled to Fullerton, California to face Cal State Fullerton, a team that had been ranked in the national polls in the early portion of the season. The Bears were swept over a 3-game series by the Titans, one in which Bears pitching allowed 28 runs. ^[9]

Schedule

Legend
	Baylor win
	Baylor loss
	Postponement
Bold	Baylor team member

2015 Baylor Bears baseball game log
Regular season
February Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record B12 Record February 13 #13 Cal Poly Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 8–6 Lewis (1–0) Zandona (0–1) Spicer (1) 2,834 1–0 – February 14 #13 Cal Poly Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 8–6 Kirkland (1–0) Smith (0–1) Spicer (2) 2,835 2–0 – February 15 #13 Cal Poly Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 6–0 Kay (1–0) Calomeni (0–1) Castano (1) 2,380 3–0 – February 17 Dallas Baptist #21 Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX L 6–9 Adams (2–0) Montemayor (0–1) Koch (1) 2,052 3–1 – February 20 Kent State #21 Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX L 3–11 Jensen-Clagg (1–1) Castano (0–1) 2,220 3–2 – February 21 Kent State #21 Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 6–1 Kirkland (2–0) Skolnicki (1–1) 2,189 4–2 – February 21 Kent State #21 Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 4–3 (10) Spicer (1–0) Pierce (0–1) 2,986 5–2 – February 24 Northwestern State Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX Cancelled February 25 Northwestern State #25 Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 8–4 Kay (2–0) Tidwell (0–2) 1,854 6–2 – February 27 at Cal State Fullerton #25 Goodwin Field • Fullerton, CA L 1–10 Eshelman (1–2) Tolson (0–1) 1,422 6–3 – February 28 at Cal State Fullerton #25 Goodwin Field • Fullerton, CA L 6–11 Seabold (1–0) Kirkland (2–1) 1,422 6–4 –
March Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record B12 Record March 1 at Cal State Fullerton #25 Goodwin Field • Fullerton, CA L 6–7 Kuhl (1–0) Montemayor (0–2) Peitzmeier (3) 1,184 6–5 – March 4 Sam Houston State Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX PostponedRescheduled for March 18 March 6 vs. Hawaii Minute Maid Park • Houston, TX L 1–2 Brewster (3–1) Tolson (0–2) Culp (3) 503 6–6 – March 7 vs. #3 LSU Minute Maid Park • Houston, TX L 0–2 Lange (4–0) Castano (0–2) Stallings (7) 3,343 6–7 – March 8 vs. #11 Texas A&M Minute Maid Park • Houston, TX L 2–3 Kent (4–0) Stone (0–1) Hendrix (4) 4,589 6–8 – March 10 at Dallas Baptist Horner Ballpark • Houston, TX L 3–17 Smith (2–1) Kay (2–1) 1,102 6–9 – March 13 at #1 TCU Lupton Stadium • Fort Worth, TX L 1–3 Traver (3–0) Tolson (0–3) Ferrell (6) 4,018 6–10 0–1 March 14 at #1 TCU Lupton Stadium • Fort Worth, TX L 2–3 Morrison (4–0) Castano (0–3) Ferrell (7) 4,259 6–11 0–2 March 15 at #1 TCU Lupton Stadium • Fort Worth, TX L 1–10 Young (4–0) Stone (0–2) 4,323 6–12 0–3 March 17 at Sam Houston State Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TX W 4–3 (10) Castano (1–3) Church (0–1) 1,729 7–12 – March 18 Sam Houston State Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX L 3–4 Ebbs (3–1) Tolson (0–4) Odom (1) 1,789 7–13 – March 20 West Virginia Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 5–4 Kirkland (3–1) Dotson (0–2) Spicer (3) 1,906 8–13 1–3 March 21 West Virginia Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 10–4 Hessemer (1–0) Vance (2–2) 2,239 9–13 2–3 March 22 West Virginia Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX L 2–8 Donato (3–3) Tolson (0–5) 2,172 9–14 2–4 March 24 at Texas–Arlington Clay Gould Ballpark • Arlington, TX W 6–2 Kay (3–1) Laberge (1–3) 480 10–14 – March 27 Oklahoma Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 3–0 Castano (2–3) Elliott (3–3) 2,495 11–14 3–4 March 28 Oklahoma Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 7–2 Tolson (1–5) Hansen (3–3) 3,446 12–14 4–4 March 29 Oklahoma Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX L 3–13 Tasin (5–1) Hessemer (1–1) 2,435 12–15 4–5 March 31 #14 Houston Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX L 0–11 Longville (2–2) Kay (3–2) 2,104 12–16 –
April Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record B12 Record April 2 at Texas State Bobcat Ballpark • San Marcos, TX L 8–9 (10) Powell (2–3) Spicer (1–1) 1,808 12–17 – April 3 Texas State Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX L 0–5 Grist (2–2) Tolson (1–6) 2,157 12–18 – April 4 Texas State Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX L 1–4 Hallonquist (2–1) Kay (3–3) 2,539 12–19 – April 7 Texas–Arlington Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX W 10–7 Hessemer (2–1) Hobbs (1–2) Spicer (4) 2,224 13–19 – April 10 at Texas Tech Rip Griffin Park • Lubbock, TX L 4–8 Moseley (3–3) Castano (2–4) 3,974 13–20 4–6 April 11 at Texas Tech Rip Griffin Park • Lubbock, TX L 2–3 (12) Moreno (2–3) Montemayor (0–3) 4,387 13–21 4–7 April 12 at Texas Tech Rip Griffin Park • Lubbock, TX L 5–9 Damron (3–2) Lewis (1–1) 3,573 13–22 4–8 April 14 Incarnate Word Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX April 17 at Oklahoma State Allie P. Reynolds Stadium • Stillwater, OK April 18 at Oklahoma State Allie P. Reynolds Stadium • Stillwater, OK April 19 at Oklahoma State Allie P. Reynolds Stadium • Stillwater, OK April 21 Lamar Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX April 24 Kansas State Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX April 25 Kansas State Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX April 26 Kansas State Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX April 28 at UTSA Roadrunner Field • San Antonio, TX
May Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record B12 Record May 1 at Kansas Hoglund Ballpark • Lawrence, KS May 2 at Kansas Hoglund Ballpark • Lawrence, KS May 3 at Kansas Hoglund Ballpark • Lawrence, KS May 12 UTSA Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX May 16 Texas Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX May 17 Texas Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX May 17 Texas Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX
Post-season
Big 12 Tournament Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record B12 Record TBD ONEOK Field • Tulsa, OK TBD ONEOK Field • Tulsa, OK
All rankings from Collegiate Baseball.

Rankings

See also: 2015 NCAA Division I baseball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
Coaches'	—	—*	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Baseball America	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Collegiate Baseball^	—	21	25	—	—	—	—	—	—
NCBWA†	—	27	28	RV	—	—	—	—	—

^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season.
† NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References

1. "2020 Big 12 Baseball Record Book" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. pp. 4–8. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
2. "Official Baseball Roster". Baylor Bears. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
3. "College Roundup: Cal Poly drops baseball opener at Baylor". San Luis Obispo Tribune. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
4. "Baylor Baseball Sweeps No. 13 Cal Poly to Start 2015". KCENTV. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
5. "Collegiate Baseball Div. I Poll 2–16–15". Collegiate Baseball. February 16, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
6. "Dallas Baptist rallies past Bears in 9th, 9–6". wacotrib.com. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
7. "Baylor Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader Against Kent State". kwtx.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
8. "No. 25 Baylor Baseball Tops Northwestern State, 8–4". kxxv.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
9. "Baylor baseball swept in California". wacotrib.com. Retrieved March 4, 2015.