Big weekend a big success for Baylor athletics

Following up on Friday’s post about this past weekend in Baylor athletics… If you were holding your breath, you can let it out now; this weekend was an unqualified success for the Bears and Lady Bears.

Both the Baylor men’s and women’s basketball teams continued their marches toward the NCAA Tournament with wins Saturday. The ninth-ranked Lady Bears came from behind to beat Iowa State in Ames, 59-54, taking sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with three games remaining. The men, meanwhile, knocked off No. 24 Kansas State, 92-86, to improve to 18-8 on the year; the squad’s 6-6 Big 12 record has the Bears tied for fourth in the conference.

Baylor baseball kicked off its season with a three-game sweep of Purdue, thanks to stellar performances from the likes of sophomore pitcher Kendall Volz (8.0 shutout innings, 10 strikeouts) and freshman Landis Ware (5-for-10 with a double and a home run in his first three collegiate games).

The 10th-ranked Baylor softball team won four of six games at the Palm Springs Classic in California, including a pair of wins over top-25 teams. Men’s and women’s tennis each defended their home courts successfully, with the 11th-ranked men blanking Kentucky 7-0 and the 8th-ranked women slipping past No. 16 William & Mary 4-3. Even the equestrian team got in on the action, defeating Fresno State on Saturday.

All in all, not bad for a weekend’s work.

Sic ’em, Baylor student-athletes!