May 24, 2004

WACO, Texas-For her incredible 28-strikeout performance against North Carolina in the NCAA Softball Championships, Baylor pitcher Cristen Vitek has been chosen College Sports Television's Student-Athlete of the Week the organization announced today.

Vitek-locked in a pitchers duel with North Carolina's Crystal Cox-went 16 full innings and struck out an NCAA record 28 batters along the way as the Lady Bears advanced in the winner's bracket with a 1-0 triumph. The win was Baylor's 47th of the year, establishing a new record for victories in a season.

Vitik tossed 185 pitches in the game, 139 for strikes, and carried a no-hitter into the eleventh inning. She allowed just two walks in the game-both intentional- and at one point struck out 10 straight Tar Heels.

The junior from Katy, Texas, is majoring in pre-med and accounting and is a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's honor roll.

Baylor ended their season with losses to third-ranked LSU and Illinois as the Lady Bears were eliminated from the NCAA Softball Championships.

Vitek finished with a 0.92 ERA and a 31-7 record. The junior pitched 17 complete games and struck out 264 in 250.1 innings.

The 2004 squad became the first Baylor team in school history to make the NCAA tournament. The team also established new school records for wins (48), conference wins (11) and achieved the highest ranking in school history (19).