Zach Smith

1 week ago | missionlocal.org | Zach Smith

Mission Local has even more matching funds!Every dollar you give in June is doubled until we hit $85,000! About 65% of our revenue comes from individuals like you — help support a growing local newsroom today.

1 week ago | wacotrib.com | Zach Smith

The last six months of Kendrick Simpkins’ football life have been filled with frustration, pain and disappointment. Just four games into his Baylor career, the senior safety suffered a torn quad in the road loss at Colorado, ending his season. He returned for the Texas Bowl against LSU, where he played six snaps on defense. “I’m back to 100%,” Simpkins said this spring. “I’m just trying to build my game.

2 weeks ago | wacotrib.com | Zach Smith

Baylor head coach Nicki Collen had to pause for a moment when she was formulating the first practice plan of the summer earlier his week. There was no Jada Walker. No Aliyah Matharu. No Yaya Felder. No Aaronette Vonleh. And, for the first time since Collen took over as head coach four years ago, there was no Sarah Andrews, the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers and games played. “I certainly think we certainly have some things to figure out,” Collen said.

2 weeks ago | wacotrib.com | Zach Smith

For the first three seasons of his Baylor career, offensive lineman Ryan Lengyel was a forgotten man. A former three-star recruit who helped his high school team in Dallas put up big offensive numbers, Lengyel had high hopes when he picked Baylor over Texas coming out of high school in 2021. He played in just six games as a reserve lineman over his first three years in Waco. It had to be frustrating, right? “Extremely,” Lengyel said this spring. “Especially when you start playing the comparison game.

2 weeks ago | wacotrib.com | Zach Smith

Baylor picked up a pair of former SEC softball players out of the transfer portal this week. Former LSU infielder Sa’Maya Jones and former Tennessee pitcher Peyton Tanner both announced they had committed to the Bears on social media. They both have three years of eligibility remaining. Jones played in 27 games as a true freshman for the Tigers last season and was primarily used as a pinch runner, scoring 13 runs and finishing a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts.