WACO, Texas -- On a night when college baseball returned to diamonds across the country, Baylor first baseman Tyce Armstrong turned the season opener into a personal highlight reel for the ages. The senior slugger crushed three grand slams in the Bears' 15-2 demolition of New Mexico State on Friday, February 13, tying an NCAA record that had stood for nearly 50 years.

Armstrong, a transfer from Texas-Arlington, became just the second Division I player since 1957 to hit three grand slams in a single game. The only other player to accomplish the feat was Louisville's Jim LaFountain back in 1976. To put the achievement in further perspective, no Major League Baseball player has ever hit three grand slams in a single game.

"I'm speechless," Armstrong said after the historic performance. "It's the coolest thing I've ever been a part of."

The fireworks began in the third inning at Baylor Ballpark's Magnolia Field. With the bases loaded, Armstrong worked the count to 2-2 before crushing a towering drive to left field that traveled 401 feet, giving the Bears a commanding 5-0 lead and setting the tone for what was to come.

Armstrong was far from finished. Back in the batter's box in the fourth inning with the bases juiced once again, he launched an even more impressive blast, this one measured at 407 feet to left field. The second grand slam blew the game wide open and sent the Baylor faithful into a frenzy.

But the senior was not done writing his name into the record books. In the seventh inning, with runners on every base for a third time, Armstrong hammered a 386-foot shot over the left field wall. The third grand slam triggered the run rule and ended the game, capping off a performance that will be talked about in college baseball circles for years to come.

Armstrong finished the night 3-for-4 at the plate with a staggering 12 RBIs, accounting for the vast majority of Baylor's offensive output. All three of his home runs sailed to left field, each one a no-doubt blast that cleared the fence with authority.

Before transferring to Baylor, Armstrong spent three seasons at Texas-Arlington, where he compiled 17 home runs and 87 RBIs. While those numbers hinted at his power potential, nothing could have predicted the kind of historic explosion he delivered on Opening Day. In a single game, he matched more than two-thirds of his career home run total from his previous program.

The 2026 college baseball season is just getting underway, with Opening Day weekend games taking place across the country. But it is safe to say that no performance this weekend, and perhaps no performance all season, will match what Armstrong accomplished on Friday night in Waco.

For Baylor, the dominant victory signals a promising start to the campaign. For Armstrong, it marks the beginning of what could be a special final season of college baseball. And for the sport as a whole, it serves as a reminder that on any given night, history can be made in the most spectacular fashion imaginable.

The Bears continue their opening weekend series against New Mexico State on Saturday.