April 30, 2004
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Baylor enters the final week of Big 12 Conference play with a key weekend series against Oklahoma State. The Lady Bears make the trip to Stillwater, Okla., currently in fourth place in the Big 12, two games behind Missouri and only one game ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Lady Bears have already clinched a top-six seed in the Big 12 tournament, however, a weekend sweep will keep the Lady Bears alive for a possible third-place finish in the conference.
Oklahoma State enters the contest looking to wrap up a top-six seed in the Big 12 tournament and will need a pair of wins over Baylor to stay ahead of the Texas Longhorns in the standings.
History is on the Cowgirls side, as Oklahoma State owns a 20-8 edge in the series, including a 10-2 record in Stillwater.
THE SERIES
Baylor vs. Oklahoma State: OSU leads 20-8
Waco, Texas: Tied 3-3
Stillwater, Okla.: OSU leads 10-2
Neutral: OSU leads 7-3
Streak: OSU won 3
Last Meeting: OSU 8, Baylor 0 (5/1/2004)
LIVE COVERAGE
Radio: None
Live Audio: None
Live Stats: www.BaylorBears.com
Television: None
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 157-81 (.661) in three-plus seasons at Baylor.
Moore has a career record of 296-123 (.708); he posted a 22-17 mark in his first year as a collegiate head coach at William Carey in Mississippi. Moore is 274-104 (.727) at the Division I level.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State is battling to secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament as the Cowgirls are at 26-25 on the season and stand in sixth place in the Big 12 Conference with a record of 6-9 overall, one game ahead of the Texas Longhorns.
Pitcher Jessica Hoppock has seen a majority of the time on the mound for Oklahoma State, as she has tossed 279.1 innings so far this season. Hoppock leads the team with a 2.28 ERA and has compiled a record of 21-18 this season.
On the year, she has struck out 251 batters while walking 96 and has held opponents to an average of .236. The standout has also managed to close out games for OSU as she ranks second in the league behind Baylor's Lisa Ferguson with four saves on the year.
At the plate, the Cowgirls offense is kick-started by lead-off hitter Shanel Scott. Scott leads the team in with a .340 average on the season and has stolen 22 bases for Oklahoma State so far this year. Scott also leads the team with 34 runs scored as she is the only Cowgirl to start in every game for Oklahoma State this year.
Stephanie Nicholson provides the pop for OSU, as she leads the team with 26 RBI on the season and is hitting .280 on the year.
LAST TIME: BAYLOR SWEEPS NORTH TEXAS
No. 22 Baylor stepped out of conference play to face North Texas this past week and swept the Mean Green in a pair of games at Getterman Stadium.
The Lady Bears took game one 4-0 behind a two-hit complete game shutout from Baylor starter Lisa Ferguson. It was Ferguson's ninth shutout and 12th complete game of the season as she improved to 15-4 on the year.
Baylor gave Ferguson the cushion she needed with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Kim Wilmoth gave the Lady Bears a 1-0 lead when she singled down the line as Kelly Levesque came home to score. Erin Sheek drove Wilmoth home with her double down the left field line to give Baylor a 2-0 lead. The scoring ended in the inning when Sheek scored the first run of her career when April Luce reached on an error to give Baylor a three-run lead.
The Lady Bears added an insurance run in the fifth when Chelsi Lake doubled to score Kelly Osburn as Ferguson managed to shut down the Mean Green the rest of the way for Baylor's 41st win of the season.
Levesque preserved the shutout and ended the game when she caught a blast from Maureen Kelley while slamming into the center field wall.
Harmony Schwethelm led the Baylor attack at the plate in the game, going two for three in the contest.
Mandy Hacker (5-17) took the loss for the Mean Green, allowing three earned runs on eight hits in six innings of work.
Game two saw Baylor set a pair of milestones, as the Lady Bears cruised to an 8-3 victory over the Mean Green.
Baylor stole eight bases in the contest and pushed their season total to 128 for the year. Wilmoth's steal in the bottom of the sixth extended Baylor's season total to 128 and established a new Big 12 Conference record for most stolen bases by a team in a single season. The mark broke the old record of 127, set by Nebraska in 2002.
The second milestone in the contest came when Cristin Vitek closed out the win for her 26th victory of the season. With the win, Vitek tied Joni Miller's (2001) school record for most victories in a single season.
Baylor jumped on the Mean Green early in the second contest, scoring three runs in the first inning to grab the lead. Carrie Leerberg got the Lady Bears off on the right track as she doubled down the right field line, allowing Schwethelm to score. Lake added an RBI single and then scored on a fielding error as Baylor took a 3-0 lead.
The Lady Bears put the game away with four runs in the fourth to grab a 7-0 lead. The big blow in the inning came when Lake doubled to left field to drive home Osburn and Schwethelm for her second and third RBI of the game and fourth on the day.
BAYLOR IN THE BIG 12 RANKINGS
Off to a 9-5 start in conference play, it is no surprise the Lady Bears rank near the top in several key conference categories. Baylor is currently third among Big 12 teams with a .277 team batting average and leads the league with an ERA of 1.11 in 54 games this season.
In conference play, Baylor ranks sixth in the league with a .237 batting average and is third in league play with an ERA of 0.97.
Harmony Schwethelm is the highest ranking Lady Bear in the conference in batting average, as she currently ranks third in the league with a .392 average. She has also made an impact on the base paths for Baylor, as she is second in the league with 26 stolen bases.
On the mound, Baylor's high ranking is due to the season's Lisa Ferguson and Cristin Vitek are having on the mound. Vitek is second in the league with a 0.87 ERA while Ferguson currently stands at third in the conference with a 0.98 ERA on the season.
VITEK NAMED FINALIST FOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Baylor's Cristin Vitek is one of 25 finalists for the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award the Amateur Softball Association and USA Softball announced. Vitek's selection marks the first time in school history a Baylor player has been selected as a finalist for the award.
The award is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
The list will be reduced to ten players on April 30 and three finalists will be announced May 11. The winner of the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced May 26 at the opening ceremonies of the NCAA College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. The winner will be recognized and presented with the Player of the Year trophy during the ASA National Council Meeting in November.
LADY BEARS ESTABLISH BIG 12 RECORD
With 10 stolen bases in the doubleheader sweep of North Texas, the Lady Bears established a new Big 12 record for stolen bases in a season, pushing their season total to 128. The total surpassed the 2002 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who previously held the record with 127 stolen bases. Last season, the Lady Bears established a new single-season school record for stolen bases with 119.
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.
Harmony Schwethelm currently leads the team in steals with 26 as 13 Lady Bears have stolen at least one base this season.
While Baylor has stolen 128 bases on 155 attempts this season, opponents have been much more timid. So far this season, opponents have only 18 steals on 30 attempts.
BAYLOR IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
Baylor remains in the national polls for the sixth consecutive week. The Lady Bears are currently ranked 21st in the latest NFCA poll and 22nd in the ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings. The No. 19 ranking earlier in the season marks the highest ranking for the Lady Bears in school history, surpassing the 2002 version of the Lady Bears, who were ranked as high as 20th during the year.
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.
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 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.
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 sixth in Baylor history for career hits (145), seventh in steals (40) and ranks seventh in total bases (197).
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 25.
She currently ranks sixth in career doubles (23), third in triples (7) and fifth in sacrifice flies (3). Levesque also ranks fifth in runs scored (85).
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.
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.
BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the Official College Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including four Big 12 schools.
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 conclude the regular-season when in-state rival Texas visits Getterman Stadium on Wednesday, May 5, at 6:00 p.m. The game will mark the final home game for Baylor seniors Danelle Arnold, Amber Daniel, Katie Decker and Kelly Levesque.
