March 30, 2004
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Waco, Texas- Winners of 12 in a row and 26 of the last 27, the Baylor Lady Bears look to improve on a 4-0 conference start when Texas A&M comes to town for a single game on Wednesday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m.
The game can be heard live on KLRK-FM 92.9 with Larry Little on the play-by-play and Lady Bear Katie Decker providing color analysis.
Baylor enters the contest with the Aggies with a record of 33-6 following a pair of two-game series sweeps against the Kansas Jayhawks and the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners. However, Texas A&M has had Baylor's number over the years, as the Aggies lead the series with an all-time record of 35-10-1.
Texas A&M also enters the contest undefeated in conference play after opening the Big 12 portion of the schedule with a pair of victories over the Sooners. Overall, Texas A&M has a record 20-15 on the season.
Following the single game against the Aggies, Baylor will face Oklahoma Christian in a doubleheader at Getterman Stadium on Thursday, April 1.
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 148-75 (.626) in three-plus seasons at Baylor.
Moore has a career record of 287-117 (.694); he posted a 22-17 mark in his first year as a collegiate head coach at William Carey in Mississippi. Moore is 264-98 (.713) at the Division I level.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M AND OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN
Baylor looks to stay undefeated in conference play as the Texas A&M Aggies come to town before a non-conference doubleheader against Oklahoma Christian.
The task will not be easy, however, as Texas A&M has owned the series against the Lady Bears with an all-time record of 35-10-1 against Baylor, including a record of 13-6 in Waco, Texas.
The Aggies currently stand in third place in the Big 12 Conference standings with a record of 2-0 after a pair of victories over the nationally-ranked Oklahoma Sooners.
On the mound, the Aggies are led by standout Christina Smith. Smith is currently 3-3 on the season and leads Texas A&M with a 0.86 ERA. The Aggies also feature Jill Weynand, who has worked a team high 72.0 innings and has struck out 79 batters on the season.
At the plate, Texas A&M boasts a trio of players who are currently batting over .320 on the year. Rocky Spencer currently leads the team with a .325 batting average while Nicole Robinson and Jana James are batting .322 and .321 on the season, respectively.
Texas A&M also features speedster Nicole Robinson who leads the Big 12 Conference with 30 stolen bases on the year.
Oklahoma Christian is currently 6-15 on the year and will play at the University of Texas on Wednesday, March 31, before travelling to face Baylor at Getterman Stadium.
LAST TIME: BAYLOR PERFECT TO OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY
The Baylor Lady Bears started off conference play 4-0, the best start in school history, posting a pair of victories over Kansas and No. 9 Oklahoma. With the victories, the Lady Bears have now won 12 in a row and have won 26 of the last 27 contests to improve to 33-6 on the season.
The action saw a number of highlights, as Cristin Vitek opened conference play with her third complete game, no-hitter of the season in the 2-0 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks. With two outs in the seventh, the Jayhawks' Jessica Moppin hit a shot to deep left field, however, Kelly Osburn managed to haul it in to secure the no-hitter and the Baylor victory.
Vitek got all the support she needed in the contest when the Lady Bears managed single runs in the first and second innings.
Baylor captured another 2-0 victory in game two against the Jayhawks, as Chelsi Lake broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth with her two-run single.
On a 2-0 pitch from Kansas starter Kara Pierce, Lake hit a rocket into left field to score Danelle Arnold from third. Carrie Leerberg also came around to score when Heather Stanley was unable to field the ball cleanly as Baylor took a 2-0 lead into the final inning.
Lisa Ferguson (12-1) worked out of a jam in the seventh to finish the complete-game victory, allowing only four hits in seven innings of work.
The winning ways continued for the Lady Bears when the nationally-ranked Sooners came to town for a doubleheader at Getterman Stadium.
The Lady Bears took game one against the No. 9 Sooners 3-1 behind solid pitching from Vitek and a walk-off home run from left fielder Kelly Osburn.
After Baylor starter Cristin Vitek held the Sooners to one run through ten innings, Osburn ended the game on a 2-0 pitch from Oklahoma starter Kami Keiter in the bottom of the tenth. Osburn took the pitch and blasted a line drive over the left-center field walk for her fifth home run of the season and the first walk-off home run of her career.
Trailing early in game two, Baylor responded with four unanswered runs to capture the victory and post the first victories over a team in the top ten of the national rankings since the Lady Bears defeated No. 4 Nebraska 1-0 on March 29, 2002.
Stephanie Pomes started the rally when she hit a two-out, two-run single up the middle to score Leerberg and Kelly Levesque to give the Lady Bears a 2-1 lead. Levesque then gave Baylor a three-run cushion with her two-run home run to right-center field to score Arnold and make the score 4-1.
Vitek came into the game in relief of Ferguson and allowed no hits in 1.1 innings of work to record her second save of the season.
Ferguson (13-1) picked up her tenth straight victory, allowing only one run.
VITEK NAMED BIG 12 PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Baylor junior Cristin Vitek registered her third complete game no-hitter of the season in the league opener against Kansas and is the Big 12 Softball Pitcher of the Week, the league announced Tuesday. With the honor, Vitek joins Joni Miller (2001) as the only Lady Bears in school history to win the award three times in the same season.
Vitek also posted a victory over Texas-Arlington earlier in the week, pitching six innings against the Lady Mavs, allowing only one run on four hits while striking out nine. For the week, Vitek was 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA. She allowed four hits in 13 innings of work, striking out 18 batters while only walking one. She also held opponents to a .095 batting average on the week.
The honor marks the fourth time this season a Baylor pitcher has won the award, as Lisa Ferguson won the award following the first week of the season.
FERGUSON AND VITEK 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 26 of its last 27 contests, Baylor remains in the national polls after entering the top 25 two weeks ago. 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
Baylor won the opening six games at the Speedline Invitational to stretch the Lady Bears winning streak to 14 games earlier this season 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.
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 her performance, Vitek was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Pitcher.
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 on pace to break the mark, as the Lady Bears have swiped 93 bases through the first 39 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 20 as 13 Lady Bears have stolen at least one base this season.
While Baylor has stolen 93 bases on 115 attempts this season, opponents have been much more timid. So far this season, opponents have only 10 steals on 11 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 seventh in Baylor history for career hits (141), seventh in steals (38) and ranks seventh in total bases (190).
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 24.
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 (82).
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 the Lady Bears hit the road for a pair of games against Nebraska. The series with the Cornhuskers will begin on Saturday, April 3, at 2:00 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb.
