# 2015 Baylor Bears baseball team

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
### 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. 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. Baylor moved into the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll at #21 nationally following the Cal Poly sweep. 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, 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.
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. 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.

## Schedule

Legend :
| | Baylor win |
| | Baylor loss |
| | Postponement |
| Bold | Baylor team member |
2015 Baylor Bears baseball game log :
Regular season :
February
DateOpponentRankSite/stadiumScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall recordB12 Record
February 13#13 Cal PolyBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 8–6Lewis (1–0)Zandona (0–1)Spicer (1)2,8341–0–
February 14#13 Cal PolyBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 8–6Kirkland (1–0)Smith (0–1)Spicer (2)2,8352–0–
February 15#13 Cal PolyBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 6–0Kay (1–0)Calomeni (0–1)Castano (1)2,3803–0–
February 17Dallas Baptist#21Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TXL 6–9Adams (2–0)Montemayor (0–1)Koch (1)2,0523–1–
February 20Kent State#21Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TXL 3–11Jensen-Clagg (1–1)Castano (0–1)2,2203–2–
February 21Kent State#21Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 6–1Kirkland (2–0)Skolnicki (1–1)2,1894–2–
February 21Kent State#21Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 4–3 $^{(10)}$Spicer (1–0)Pierce (0–1)2,9865–2–
February 24Northwestern StateBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXCancelled
February 25Northwestern State#25Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 8–4Kay (2–0)Tidwell (0–2)1,8546–2–
February 27at Cal State Fullerton#25Goodwin Field • Fullerton, CAL 1–10Eshelman (1–2)Tolson (0–1)1,4226–3–
February 28at Cal State Fullerton#25Goodwin Field • Fullerton, CAL 6–11Seabold (1–0)Kirkland (2–1)1,4226–4– :
March
DateOpponentRankSite/stadiumScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall recordB12 Record
March 1at Cal State Fullerton#25Goodwin Field • Fullerton, CAL 6–7Kuhl (1–0)Montemayor (0–2)Peitzmeier (3)1,1846–5–
March 4Sam Houston StateBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXPostponed Rescheduled for March 18
March 6vs. HawaiiMinute Maid Park • Houston, TXL 1–2Brewster (3–1)Tolson (0–2)Culp (3)5036–6–
March 7vs. #3 LSUMinute Maid Park • Houston, TXL 0–2Lange (4–0)Castano (0–2)Stallings (7)3,3436–7–
March 8vs. #11 Texas A&MMinute Maid Park • Houston, TXL 2–3Kent (4–0)Stone (0–1)Hendrix (4)4,5896–8–
March 10at Dallas BaptistHorner Ballpark • Houston, TXL 3–17Smith (2–1)Kay (2–1)1,1026–9–
March 13at #1 TCULupton Stadium • Fort Worth, TXL 1–3Traver (3–0)Tolson (0–3)Ferrell (6)4,0186–100–1
March 14at #1 TCULupton Stadium • Fort Worth, TXL 2–3Morrison (4–0)Castano (0–3)Ferrell (7)4,2596–110–2
March 15at #1 TCULupton Stadium • Fort Worth, TXL 1–10Young (4–0)Stone (0–2)4,3236–120–3
March 17at Sam Houston StateDon Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TXW 4–3 $^{(10)}$Castano (1–3)Church (0–1)1,7297–12–
March 18Sam Houston StateBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXL 3–4Ebbs (3–1)Tolson (0–4)Odom (1)1,7897–13–
March 20West VirginiaBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 5–4Kirkland (3–1)Dotson (0–2)Spicer (3)1,9068–131–3
March 21West VirginiaBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 10–4Hessemer (1–0)Vance (2–2)2,2399–132–3
March 22West VirginiaBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXL 2–8Donato (3–3)Tolson (0–5)2,1729–142–4
March 24at Texas–ArlingtonClay Gould Ballpark • Arlington, TXW 6–2Kay (3–1)Laberge (1–3)48010–14–
March 27OklahomaBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 3–0Castano (2–3)Elliott (3–3)2,49511–143–4
March 28OklahomaBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 7–2Tolson (1–5)Hansen (3–3)3,44612–144–4
March 29OklahomaBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXL 3–13Tasin (5–1)Hessemer (1–1)2,43512–154–5
March 31#14 HoustonBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXL 0–11Longville (2–2)Kay (3–2)2,10412–16– :
April
DateOpponentRankSite/stadiumScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall recordB12 Record
April 2at Texas StateBobcat Ballpark • San Marcos, TXL 8–9 $^{(10)}$Powell (2–3)Spicer (1–1)1,80812–17–
April 3Texas StateBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXL 0–5Grist (2–2)Tolson (1–6)2,15712–18–
April 4Texas StateBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXL 1–4Hallonquist (2–1)Kay (3–3)2,53912–19–
April 7Texas–ArlingtonBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TXW 10–7Hessemer (2–1)Hobbs (1–2)Spicer (4)2,22413–19–
April 10at Texas TechRip Griffin Park • Lubbock, TXL 4–8Moseley (3–3)Castano (2–4)3,97413–204–6
April 11at Texas TechRip Griffin Park • Lubbock, TXL 2–3 $^{(12)}$Moreno (2–3)Montemayor (0–3)4,38713–214–7
April 12at Texas TechRip Griffin Park • Lubbock, TXL 5–9Damron (3–2)Lewis (1–1)3,57313–224–8
April 14Incarnate WordBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TX
April 17at Oklahoma StateAllie P. Reynolds Stadium • Stillwater, OK
April 18at Oklahoma StateAllie P. Reynolds Stadium • Stillwater, OK
April 19at Oklahoma StateAllie P. Reynolds Stadium • Stillwater, OK
April 21LamarBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TX
April 24Kansas StateBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TX
April 25Kansas StateBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TX
April 26Kansas StateBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TX
April 28at UTSARoadrunner Field • San Antonio, TX :
May
DateOpponentRankSite/stadiumScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall recordB12 Record
May 1at KansasHoglund Ballpark • Lawrence, KS
May 2at KansasHoglund Ballpark • Lawrence, KS
May 3at KansasHoglund Ballpark • Lawrence, KS
May 12UTSABaylor Ballpark • Waco, TX
May 16TexasBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TX
May 17TexasBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TX
May 17TexasBaylor Ballpark • Waco, TX :
Post-season :
Big 12 Tournament
DateOpponentRankSite/stadiumScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall recordB12 Record
TBDONEOK Field • Tulsa, OK
TBDONEOK Field • Tulsa, OK :
All rankings from Collegiate Baseball. :

## Rankings

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