Baylor Tennis: A Student's Complete Guide to Men's & Women's Tennis at Baylor
Baylor tennis is one of the most decorated — and most overlooked — student experiences on campus. Both the men's and women's programs consistently rank in the national top 25 by the ITA, compete in the Big 12 Conference, and have built championship histories that most students don't know about until they stumble into a match. What makes attending even easier: it's free with your Baylor ID. No ticket purchase, no advance registration — just show up at the Hurd Tennis Center and watch a nationally ranked team compete.
The Hurd Tennis Center: Where Baylor Tennis Happens
All Baylor tennis home matches — both men's and women's — take place at the Hurd Tennis Center, located at 1618 S. University Parks Drive on Baylor's campus near the Brazos River. The facility includes 12 outdoor hard courts and 6 indoor courts in the Jim and Nell Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center, making it one of the better collegiate tennis facilities in the Big 12.
The complex is named for Mark Hurd, a Baylor alum who became CEO of Hewlett-Packard and later co-CEO of Oracle. It was renamed in his honor in 2009 and serves as home base for both programs.
From 19Eleven at 1911 S 8th Street, the Hurd Tennis Center is roughly 1.5–2 miles away — about a 5-minute drive north along University Parks Drive or a short Uber for a group. You can also follow the walking guide to Baylor's south campus for the full pedestrian-friendly route. Parking along University Parks Drive is generally easy for tennis matches — nothing like the logistics involved on Baylor football game days.
Baylor Men's Tennis
Head coach Michael Woodson has led the Baylor Bears men's tennis program since May 2021, continuing a tradition of Big 12 dominance that spans decades. The program has won 14 Big 12 regular season championships (since 1996–97), 11 Big 12 tournament titles, and made 21 NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
The 2025–26 season was one of the program's best in years: the team finished ranked #10 nationally by the ITA, went 25–10 overall with a 6–2 Big 12 record, and reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 2022. At home, the Bears went 18–2 — a dominant record that makes the Hurd Tennis Center a difficult venue for visiting programs.
Baylor men's tennis has a tradition of recruiting internationally, with players from Spain, France, Australia, and across Europe regularly on the roster. The style of play is technically polished and aggressive. Watching a Big 12 dual match live gives you a sense of the gap between Division I college tennis and what most people played in high school or club — it's legitimately high-level competition.
Baylor Women's Tennis
If you want a program with genuine championship depth, look no further. Head coach Joey Scrivano has been building Baylor women's tennis for over two decades, entering his 24th season in 2025–26 with a career record of 559–227 (.711). The numbers are hard to argue with:
- 11 Big 12 regular season championships
- 8 Big 12 tournament championships
- 12 consecutive NCAA Championship berths through the 2024–25 season
The women's program has produced multiple All-Americans and has been a near-annual NCAA Tournament participant throughout Scrivano's tenure. In 2024–25, the team upset No. 26 Wake Forest in the first round of NCAA play — the kind of competitive edge this program maintains year after year.
For a sport where the coaching consistency, recruiting pipeline, and competitive culture are all aligned, Baylor women's tennis is one of the better stories in the Big 12.
Baylor Tennis Schedule and When to Go
The main season for both baylor tennis programs runs February through May, covering Big 12 Conference play, the Big 12 Championship, and the NCAA Tournament for qualifying teams. Fall semester features limited invitational matches and scrimmages — the spring schedule is where stakes are higher and competition more intense.
To find the current schedule, go to baylorbears.com and navigate to Men's Tennis or Women's Tennis under the sports menu. Home matches clearly list the Hurd Tennis Center as the venue.
Matches worth prioritizing:
- Big 12 rivals — TCU, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech bring the most energy. These matches tend to draw more fans and feature higher-ranked opponents.
- Weekend matches — Friday afternoon and Saturday contests get more student attendance than mid-week games.
- Senior Day — The final home match of the season recognizes departing players and is well-attended by the tennis community on campus.
How to Attend: Free with Your Baylor ID
Attending a Baylor tennis match is as simple as it gets for student sports:
- Check the schedule at baylorbears.com for upcoming home matches.
- Bring your Baylor student ID — no advance ticket purchase or registration is required.
- Arrive 10–15 minutes early. The grandstand near Court 1 fills first for popular opponents; most regular-season matches have plenty of room.
- Plan for 2–4 hours. A full dual match runs doubles first — three doubles courts playing simultaneously — then singles across six courts at once. You can move between courts, focus on one match, or take in the full facility. It's a more relaxed atmosphere than football or basketball — you can have a conversation, move around freely, and get close to the action.
- Dress for the weather. Waco spring means potential heat by late March and cool evenings in February. Sunscreen is essential for daytime outdoor matches.
There are no baylor tennis tickets to purchase for regular-season home matches — student admission is free across the board for tennis, just like Baylor volleyball and Baylor softball.
Why It's Worth Going
Most Baylor students never attend a tennis match, which means the Hurd Tennis Center is rarely crowded, parking is easy, and you get close access to nationally ranked players that you couldn't replicate at any other campus venue. At football or basketball, you're in a crowd of thousands. At a tennis dual match, you might be 20 feet from a player ranked in the ITA top 100 nationally.
There's also something distinctly different about the outdoor atmosphere of a tennis match. You're not locked into a stadium seat. You can walk the courts, get close to the action, and actually talk to the people around you. For a group of 3–5 students looking for something to do on a weekday afternoon that doesn't cost anything and doesn't require advance planning, a baylor bears tennis home match is an easy call.
The $10.00 CPC advertisers attach to "baylor tennis" searches isn't arbitrary — tennis draws an audience that includes parents researching private coaching for their kids, students looking for club team options, and fans who follow the sport closely. The matches reflect that: a more knowledgeable, engaged crowd than you might expect for a sport that doesn't headline SportsCenter.
Baylor Tennis and Off-Campus Living Near Campus
Spring tennis season runs February through May — the exact window when most Baylor students are making housing decisions for the following year. If you're attending matches at the Hurd Tennis Center while also thinking about where to live next semester, it's worth noting that 19Eleven at 1911 S 8th Street is one of the closer off-campus communities to Baylor's entire athletic complex — the Hurd Tennis Center, Baylor Ballpark, and McLane Stadium are all within a short drive.
19Eleven's 4-bedroom floor plans split to $437–$450 per person per month, which gives you the budget to actually participate in Waco — attending free events like tennis matches, exploring the city's restaurants and activities, and not spending every weekend calculating whether you can afford to go out.
The amenities at 19Eleven include an indoor pool, sports court, bark park, and study rooms — so when you're not at the Hurd Tennis Center, you're not short on things to do at home. Spring is the right time to check available floor plans — most off-campus leases near Baylor move fast between January and March.
Ready to see 19Eleven in person? Schedule a tour and we'll show you what's available for the coming year.
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