Baylor Bear Insider
            Full disclosure, Andy Thomas didn't have a chance. This was like a high school wrestler getting tag-teamed by Daniel Bryan and Rowan. 
            By the end of a 20-minute shared interview with All-American catcher Shea Langeliers, where Baylor's junior first baseman/DH/catcher was constantly needled about his lack of home run power, Thomas walked out of my office feeling like he had been punched a few too many times. 
            "You know, I have DOUBLED my home run production this year. DOUBLED!" said Thomas, who has hit two homers this season and four for his career. 
            Langeliers quickly interjected, "He had to get dumbed-up by the catcher for him to hit his second home run of the year," a no-doubt, two-run shot in the first inning of an 11-6 win over Kansas State on May 4. 
            "That's true, I got knocked pretty good. Woke me up," Andy said. 
            And so it went, back and forth, Thomas taking gentle jabs from both his road roomie and an old, know-it-all sportswriter. 
            Shea, who batted behind Thomas earlier in the season when they were hitting in the 4 and 5 holes, said that he was "almost at the point mentally that when Andy's at the plate, in my mind, it's guaranteed on base."
            Because, obviously, he wouldn't be rounding the bases for a home run, right? Another gentle jab. 
            "Man, you're stuck on that home run thing. You are terrible," Andy fires back. 
            The thing that becomes so evident, though, is how much these two guys pull for each other. Whether it's in the field, at the plate or just in life, they're cheering for each other to succeed. 
            "Obviously, we both came in as catchers, we pushed each other to be better," said Langeliers, who's hitting .311 with six home runs and 28 RBI going into Wednesday's 4 p.m. game between the 18th-ranked Bears (33-15) and seventh-seeded Oklahoma (33-21) at the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City. 
            "But, being around Andy for three years, has advanced my knowledge of baseball. He's one of the smartest guys I've ever met when it comes to baseball, just thinking about the game, different situations, anticipating what's going to happen, how the other teams play. More than anything, I think he's made me grow as a baseball player."
            As smart a player as he is, one thing Thomas had to accept right from the start is that Langeliers is the better catcher. 
            "It was hard at first," said Thomas, an honorable mention All-American and Gold Glove-winning catcher at Murrieta (Calif.) Mesa High School, "because you're like, 'Dang, the guy's better than me.' But, then you go, 'All right, I've got to find my way into the lineup, somehow. I've just got to hit my way into a spot.' And that's what happened last year and this year."
            Until a wrist injury early in his freshman season, Thomas was in position to maybe platoon with Langeliers behind the plate. Instead, he got just 20 at-bats that year and hit .450 with four of his nine hits going for extra bases. 
            "It's one of those moments in your life where you can either build from it or sink with it," Thomas said. "I built from it."
            Producing in pinch-hit and just limited opportunities "says a lot about his character and what he's like on and off the field," Langeliers said of Thomas. 
            That same year, Langeliers "took the league by storm," Thomas said, earning Freshman All-America and first-team All-Big 12 honors. Taking over full-time catching duties, he hit .313 with 10 homers and 38 RBI.

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