March 26, 2004
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Baylor opens conference play this week as the Kansas Jayhawks come to town for a two-game series beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 27, before the nationally-ranked Oklahoma Sooners visit the Lady Bears for a doubleheader on Monday, March 29 at 2:00 p.m.
The No. 21 Lady Bears enter conference play winners of 22 of the last 23 contests. At 29-6, Baylor is off to its best start in school history with the hopes the hot streak continues once conference play begins.
Kansas comes to Getterman Stadium with a record of 20-13, however, the Jayhawks enter the contest with a four-game losing streak after a pair of losses to Oregon State and Oregon.
No. 9 Oklahoma, the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 title, enter with a record of 26-9-1 overall after losing to Washington 1-0 in the Kia Klassic.
HEAD COACH Glenn Moore
Glenn Moore is in his fourth season as Baylor's head coach, coming to Waco after a stellar three-year stint at Louisiana State.
In his first season at Baylor, Moore led the Lady Bears to a 38-22 overall record and a sixth-place, 7-9 mark in the Big 12 Conference. The following season, he guided the Lady Bears to even greater successes with more than 50 team and individual, single-game and single-season school records. Baylor finished 46-18 overall and 10-8 in the Big 12 Conference, establishing school marks for victories in a season, conference victories in a season and highest conference finish (fourth).
Moore led Baylor to a third straight 30-win season in 2003, and the Lady Bears cracked the NFCA Top 25 for the third consecutive year. During the 2003 season, Moore claimed his 100th victory as Baylor's head coach with the Lady Bears 3-0 triumph against Texas Tech. He is now 144-75 (.626) in three-plus seasons at Baylor.
Moore has a career record of 283-117 (.694); he posted a 22-17 mark in his first year as a collegiate head coach at William Carey in Mississippi. Moore is 260-98 (.713) at the Division I level.
SCOUTING KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA
After a stellar non-conference season, the 'second season' begins for the Lady Bears as Baylor hosts Kansas and Oklahoma in conference action. Historically, the Jayhawks and Sooners have had the upper-hand on the Lady Bears, as Kansas owns an 18-6 lead in the series while Oklahoma owns a 24-2 record against Baylor.
Kansas comes into the two-game series on a four-game losing streak after losses to nationally-ranked Oregon State and Oregon. The Jayhawks are led at the plate by Destiny Frankenstein, who is batting .323 on the year and leads the team with 15 runs scored. The speedster has also recorded a team-high 14 stolen bases on the season.
On the mound, Kassie Humphreys leads the Kansas charge. So far this season, Humphreys has posted a mark of 9-4 and leads the team with a 1.67 ERA. The freshman recorded 98 strikeouts in 92 innings of work.
The Sooners travel to Getterman Stadium after posting a 1-3 record after facing some of the top teams in the country at the Kia Klassic.
The preseason pick to win the Big 12 title, Oklahoma boasts two players who have posted a batting average of over .400 this season. Norelle Dickson leads the team with a .425 average while Heather Scagliona is currently batting .409 on the year.
Forced to miss the start of the season due to injury, Oklahoma's Kami Keiter has returned to lead the Sooners on the mound. In 11 appearances, Keiter has posted a 4-3 record with an impressive 0.52 ERA.
LAST WEEK: BAYLOR SWEEPS DOUBLEHEADERS
The Baylor Lady Bears had another successful week, going 7-0 with victories over Houston, Sam Houston State, McNeese State and Texas-Arlington. The victories extended the Lady Bears winning streak to eight games as Baylor moved to 28-6 on the season. Wit the wins, the Lady Bears have now won 22 of the last 23 contests.
In game one against Houston, Baylor captured a 2-0 victory as six separate Baylor batters recorded hits in the game as the Lady Bears defeated starter Crystal Briscoe, whose record dropped to 6-3 on the season with a loss.
Cristin Vitek moved her record to 14-3 on the season, tossing four innings, allowing only three hits while striking out six.
Lisa Ferguson worked the final three innings without allowing a hit to secure the save and the game one victory.
In game two against Houston, a double by Baylor's Danelle Arnold in the bottom of the seventh scored Amber Daniel to give the Lady Bears a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Cougars.
The pair of victories for Baylor avenged a 2-1 loss to the Cougars earlier in the season at the Cougar Invitational.
The opening game against Sam Houston State saw Baylor set a new season high with 11 runs in an 11-7 victory over the Bearkats.
Harmony Schwethelm, who leads the team in batting average, had another outstanding game for Baylor, going three for three with a run scored and three RBI.
In game two Baylor managed to win a pitcher's duel, as the Lady Bears and the Bearkats went into the seventh inning tied at zero. After Schwethelm led off the inning for the Lady Bears with a hit, Melissa Maler stepped up to the plate and hit a line drive over the left field fence for a two-run home run to give Baylor a 2-0 lead.
Following the trip to Sam Houston State, Baylor completed the week by defeating McNeese State 8-0 and 7-0 in Lake Charles, La.
A balanced Lady Bears attack kept the pressure on the Cowgirls in game one, as six Baylor players recorded hits in the game, with Kim Wilmoth, Carrie Leerberg and Maler leading the way with two hits apiece.
In game two, the Lady Bears scored seven runs on nine hits, and with the help of another shutout by Ferguson, defeated the Cowgirls 7-0.
Schwethelm, Arnold and Leerberg led the Baylor attack at the plate, each recording two hits in the game. Kelly Levesque also added a two-run single for the Lady Bears in the victory.
Finally, the Lady Bears concluded the week with a 2-1 victory over Texas-Arlington. Arnold provided the heroics for Baylor with her two-out, run scoring single in the bottom of the sixth to break the tie. Ferguson retired the Lady Mavs in order to record her seventh save of the season.
VITEK AND FERGUSON SET PAIR OF MILESTONES
In the first game of a doubleheader against Houston on March 15, 2004, the Lady Bears' Cristin Vitek and Lisa Ferguson set a pair of Baylor softball milestones.
With her strike out of Houston's Kristen Glowacz in the top of the first inning, Vitek became only the second pitcher in school history to record 500 career strikeouts, joining Stacey Allison (610) as the only Lady Bears to accomplish the feat.
Lisa Ferguson then set a record of her own as she retired the Cougars in the final three innings for her sixth save of the season, establishing a new single season save record for the Lady Bears.
She passed former Baylor pitcher Joni Miller, who recorded five saves during the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
BAYLOR IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
Having won 22 of its last 23 contests, Baylor entered the nationals polls this week for the first time this season. The Lady Bears are currently ranked 21st in the latest NFCA poll and 24th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings.
Baylor began the 2003 season as the second team out of the NFCA Preseason Coaches Poll and eventually cracked the rankings at No. 25 for two weeks in March. The Lady Bears have been ranked nationally during each of the past three seasons.
Nine 2004 Baylor opponents were ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason rankings.
BAYLOR ESTABLISHES NEW RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS
After opening the week with a victory over Texas-Arlington, Baylor won the opening six games at the Speedline Invitational to stretch the Lady Bears winning streak to 14 games before falling to No. 22 USF in the championship game of the tournament. The 14 game winning streak established a new school record for Baylor as the last loss the Lady Bears suffered prior to the USF game was a 9-0 defeat to No. 1 UCLA at the Palm Springs Classic on February 20.
The loss to USF also snapped an impressive four-game winning streak against ranked opponents. Along the way, Baylor defeated No. 11 Tennessee twice, No. 20 Cal-State Fullerton and No. 22 Iowa.
Baylor dominated opponents during the winning streak, allowing the opposition to score more than two runs only once while the Lady Bears scored three or more runs nine times. In all, Baylor out-scored the competition 53-13 during the historic win streak.
Cristin Vitek THROWS CONSECUTIVE NO-HITTERS
Cristin Vitek became the first pitcher in Baylor history to throw back-to-back no-hitters after she no-hit Boston and Northern Illinois at the Speedline Invitational in Tampa, Fla. After walking the first batter against Boston, the Katy, Texas, lefty sat down the next 21 batters for her first complete-game no-hitter of her career. She followed with another no-hitter against Northern Illinois, retiring the first 12 batters of the game before walking the first batter of the fifth inning.
During the victory over the Huskies, Vitek struck out 13 batters, tying a career high and ranking third on Baylor's single game strikeout list. Vitek went 4-1 on the week with a save, with her only loss coming at the hands of No. 22 South Florida in the championship game of the Speedline Classic. Before the loss to South Florida, Vitek had won nine straight decisions.
For the week, Vitek allowed only 12 hits in 29 innings pitched, striking out 44 batters while only walking three. Her 0.97 ERA on the week was aided by an opponent's batting average of only .121. She was also victorious over No. 22 Iowa, tossing four innings while allowing one earned run. Vitek added a save against Tennessee-Chattanooga, pitching three innings, allowing only one hit and no runs.
For her performance at the Speedline Invitational, Vitek was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Pitcher.
The performance also garnered the junior her second Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week honor this season.
LADY BEARS STIR UP DUST ON THE BASE PATHS
Last season, the Lady Bears established a new single-season record for stolen bases with 119. This season, Baylor is off to another fast start in the category as the Lady Bears have swiped 83 bases through the first 35 games of the year.
At the Getterman Classic, Baylor established a new Big 12 Conference record for most steals in a game, with 11 in an 8-4 victory over Wichita State. Kelly Osburn had three, April Luce had two as six others added a steal each. The 11 steals marked the 10th highest total in NCAA history.
Carrie Leerberg currently leads the team in steals with 18 as 13 Lady Bears have stolen at least one base this season.
While Baylor has stolen 83 bases on 104 attempts this season, opponents have been much more timid. So far this season, opponents have only six steals on ten attempts.
FERGUSON THROWS NO-HITTER VERSUS AUBURN Freshman Lisa Ferguson tossed the seventh no-hitter in Baylor history with her eight-inning, complete game performance against Auburn University.
The Lady Bears won the game with two runs in the top of the eighth inning as Ferguson retired the Tigers in order in the bottom of the inning to record the first no-hitter since Cristin Vitek and Katie Decker combined to shut-down Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 22, 2002.
Kelly Levesque MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS
Senior center fielder Kelly Levesque continues her steady climb up the Baylor career charts. Levesque now ranks ninth in Baylor history for career hits (133), seventh in steals (38) and ranks ninth in total bases (183).
Levesque will continue to move-up in almost every major offensive category throughout the season, as she ranks near the top in every category except for sacrifice hits. She is currently Baylor's career leader in the hit by pitch category with 20.
She currently ranks sixth in career doubles (22), third in triples (6) and fifth in sacrifice flies (3). Levesque also ranks fifth in runs scored (79).
LADY BEARS APPEAR ON THE PRICE IS RIGHT
The Baylor softball team appeared on the 6,000th episode of The Price is Right on March 1, 2004.
The Lady Bears attended a taping of the popular game show while in Los Angeles, Calif., before heading to Palm Springs, Calif., to play in the Palm Springs Classic.
"We always try to include a unique experience for the team each time we travel," head coach Glenn Moore said. "The fact we were a part of television history means it was an experience we will never forget."
In the episode, Lady Bears freshman infielder Kylie Conroy appeared as a contestant. Although Conroy was one of the first contestants called to contestant's row, she was unable to get on stage with host Bob Barker as she was never closest to the actual price without going over.
GETTERMAN ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO GROW
In 18 home dates, Getterman Stadium attracted 8,157 fans last season. Baylor ranked 13th nationally in total attendance for the second consecutive season. Getterman's average attendance of 453 fans established a school record, breaking the 2002 mark of 402, and ranked 18th nationally, a program best.
Six of the 13 largest crowds in the stadium's five-year history came last season, including the two largest crowds - 979 vs. Texas (4/16) and 840 vs. Nebraska (4/5).
Baylor has finished 21st or better in total attendance and 23rd or better in average attendance nationally each of the past three seasons.
TRANSFERS FIND HOME AT BAYLOR
Six members of the 2004 Lady Bears' squad transferred to Baylor from other schools, two coming in this season and four coming from four-year schools.
In 2002, Danelle Arnold and Katie Decker transferred to Baylor from Nebraska, while Kelly Levesque transferred from Louisiana State. Last season, Amber Daniel joined the Baylor program after two all-America seasons at Temple [Texas] College.
This year, Baylor adds two more transfers. Melissa Maler followed Daniel from Temple College, while Tessa Lynam followed Levesque from Louisiana State. Both are juniors for the 2004 season.
BAYLOR ADDS 4 EARLY SIGNEES
Head coach Glenn Moore signed four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the fall early signing period: Jordan Daniels, Tiffany Hartsell, Nicole Jackson and Katie Ottens.
Daniels is a senior at Tomball [Texas] High School where she competes in track for the Cougars. She plays softball for the Impact Gold travel team. Last year, she a member of the ASA national qualifier Spring-Klein Sliders, with whom she hit .523 with a .787 on base percentage.
Hartsell will be a sophomore this spring at Navarro Junior College in Corsicana, Texas. She earned all-region honors as a freshman at Navarro. Hartsell prepped at Poteet High School in Mesquite, Texas, where she earned District 13-4A MVP honors in 2001 and 2002. She was a second-team all-area selection by the Dallas Morning News in 2002 after hitting .541 with five home runs and 36 RBI.
Jackson, a left-handed pitcher from Midway High School in Hewitt, Texas, posted a 15-1 record with a 0.21 ERA last spring for the Pantherettes. She registered 102 strikeouts with only six walks and 39 hits allowed in 102.0 innings pitched. Jackson led Midway to the 2003 regional finals and was named District 15-4A Most Valuable Player. She played club ball for the Texas High Voltage Gold.
Ottens, a shortstop, will come to Baylor from Hollywood Christian School in Sunrise, Fla. She was named second-team all-state by the Florida Sports Writers Association and first-team all-Broward County by The Miami Herald after hitting .430 with 37 runs scored and 21 RBI last spring. Ottens led Hollywood Christian to the 2003 state title, the school's fourth since 1995. Ottens played club ball for the Davie Power.
BAYLOR SOFTBALL RADIO NETWORK
For the third straight season, the Baylor Radio Network provides live play-by-play broadcast for selected Baylor softball games. Larry Little handles play-by-play duties, while Lady Bear Katie Decker provides color analysis.
Broadcasts can be heard on KRZI-AM 1660/1580AM in Waco, the flagship station of the Baylor Radio Network. Broadcasts also are available worldwide on the Internet at www.BaylorBears.com and Yahoo!Broadcast.com.
INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and the region. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Net Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on FSN Southwest.
UP NEXT...
Baylor will continue Big 12 Conference action when Texas A&M visits Waco, Texas, for a single game on Wednesday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m.
