🐻 The Official Daily Newsletter For Baylor Athletics

Good Monday morning. The temperature isn’t the only thing heating up.

Campus is alive. Green and Gold is spread across Waco. And our Bears are heating up!

Our women’s soccer squad got everything rolling over the weekend. This week, the volleyball team joins the party.. and we’re less than two weeks away from Baylor football!

What else is stirring in today’s Brew? Check it out below!

👟 Now, that’s fast
⚾️ Turning Two
⏱ Countdown to Kickoff
🐻 And much, much more!

🎥 BAYLOR+

Premium video. Iconic moments. Original storytelling. Baylor+ is the official content platform for Baylor Athletics and it’s coming in September.

With Baylor+ you’ll be getting more of what you love every single day—from behind-the-scenes with your favorite teams to compelling stories from student-athletes and coaches that shape the university.

Learn more about all the exciting coverage of Baylor legends past and present by clicking below.

📈 STOCK UP

🔺 They Keep Runnin’, Runnin’ and Runnin’, Runnin’. The entire world, literally, is getting to see the talent that resides in Waco.

Representing their home country of Nigeria, rising juniors Imaobong Uko and Nathaniel Ezekiel are both in action at the World Athletics Championships this week in Budapest.

Ezekiel, the reigning NCAA 400m hurdle bronze medalist, was outstanding in the 400m hurdles, earning a spot in the World Championship semis after a fourth-place showing in his quarterfinal heat.

Uko had good showings in both the 400m and the mixed 4×4.

The Championships run through Sunday, August 27.

🔺 A Sight For Sore Eyes. Folks, we are less than two weeks away.

Doesn’t it feel good to see the Bears back in McLane? Man, we can’t wait to see the real thing on Sept. 2nd.

And we can tell you, they… are… READY!

📝: View From The Hill: Depth Through Versatility - The Baylor LBs

🎥: Running Through A Wall

📸: Flicks From The Field

🔺 Turning Two. Head baseball coach Mitch Thompson got a 2-for-1 deal this past weekend with the additions of two grad transfers for the next spring.

Joning the Green and Gold in 2024 will be utility man Kade Fletcher (Oklahoma) and infielder Mason Greer (Missouri State).

Fletcher, a versatile defender who can play the outfield, first base or catcher, began his collegiate career at Paris Junior College before spending the last two seasons at Oklahoma. At PJC, he hit .250 with four home runs and 30 RBIs in 2021 and batted .341 with five home runs and a .541 OBP in 2020. After transferring to OU, Fletcher made just three appearances for the Sooners in 2023 and scored two runs.
 
Greer played the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Missouri State, enjoying a breakout junior campaign in which he batted .312 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs. In his breakout 2022 season, Greer ranked third in the Missouri Valley Conference with 21 doubles, which was also good for seventh all-time in a single season at MSU. He was named the 2022 MVC Tournament MVP after hitting .385 with nine runs scored, eight RBIs and six extra-base hits in the event. The switch-hitting corner infielder racked up 21 multi-hit games, including 10 with at least three, and drove in multiple runs on 15 occasions.
 
Prior to his time at MSU, Greer played for Thompson at Waco's own McLennan Community College and was part of the 2021 national championship-winning squad. That year, Greer hit .322 with 17 home runs, 66 RBIs and totaled 33 extra-base hits in 62 games with the Highlanders.

🔺 Back To The Lab. Road trips are never easy.

The Bears continued their away-from-home trip to start the season on Sunday with a hard-fought, nail biting 2-1 loss to former conference rival Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers jumped on the board early getting two goals in the first 30 minutes of action, but Baylor wouldn’t go away.

With seconds ticking off the first half clock, freshman Callie Conrad scored her first collegiate goal thanks to a good bounce off a free kick from Natalie Vatter.

BU would pressure the Huskers in the second half, getting off six shots, but were kept off the scoreboard for the 2-1 defeat.

Baylor’s challenge doesn’t get any easier when it faces perennial NCAA Tournament contender Texas A&M on Thursday night in College Station.

🏈 COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 12 DAYS

Our field general, #12. Redshirt junior Blake Shapen.

Shapen is looking to build upon his sophomore season in which he tossed for nearly 3,000 yards (2,709) and 18 TDs, earning him Honorable Mention All-Big 12 accolades in his first season as a full-time starter.

Last fall, he completed 63.3 percent of his passes, the fifth-best total in program history, while ranking in the top-10 in yards and completions.

This season, Shapen is ready to take another step forward and help the Bears make some noise in the Big 12.

🤔 SIC ’EM TRIVIA

The Pass Is Complete. We mentioned above that Blake Shapen’s 63.3 completion percentage last fall was the fifth-best in school history.

Can you come up with who has the highest mark in program history? And let’s add some bonus points on the year and the percentage?

Got a guess?

Scroll on down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

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📅 COMING SOON

Friday, August 25

🏐 Volleyball vs. Wisconsin (at Minnesota) @ 4:00pm CT | Live Stats

Saturday, August 26

⚽ Soccer at Texas A&M @ 7:00pm CT | Tickets

🏐 Volleyball at Minnesota @ 7:00pm CT | Live Stats

Saturday, September 2

🏈 Football vs. Texas State @ 6:00pm CT on ESPN+ | Tickets

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Robert Griffin III.

Of course it’s RGIII. But did you have the year and the number?

2011 and he completed 72.4-percent of his passes that season.

🐻 Let’s have a great Monday, y’all!