Feb. 16, 2006
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#15 BAYLOR (2-2) TRAVELS TO THE HOUSTON HOBBY INVITATIONAL
Feb. 17-19, 2006
Cougar Softball Complex • Houston, Texas
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 17
Baylor vs. Sam Houston State, 3:00 p.m.
Baylor vs. Houston, 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 18
Baylor vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 9:00 a.m.
Baylor vs. Samford, 11:00 a.m.
Sunday, Feb. 12
Baylor vs. Northwestern State, 11:00 a.m.
THE SERIES
Baylor vs. Sam Houston State: Baylor leads 33-27
Baylor vs. Houston: Baylor leads 4-2
Baylor vs. TAMU-CC: Baylor leads 5-2
Baylor vs. Samford: Never Met
Baylor vs. Northwestern St.: Baylor leads 12-2
LIVE COVERAGE
Radio: None
Live Audio: None
Live Stats: www.BaylorBears.com
Television: None
The No. 15 Baylor (2-2) softball team returns to action this weekend when the Lady Bears travel to Houston, Texas, to participate in the Marriott Houston Hobby Invitational. Baylor opens play in the six-team, round-robin style tournament against Sam Houston State on Friday, Feb. 17, at 3:00 p.m.
Baylor, which leads the Big 12 Conference in team batting average after the first weekend of play, comes into the weekend tournament after splitting four games at the Getterman Classic. The Lady Bears defeated tournament champion Tulsa as well as Wichita State while falling to Illinois and in the second contest with the Shockers.
The trip to Houston marks the third consecutive year the Lady Bears will play in a tournament hosted by the Cougars. Baylor is 7-3 in Houston over the last two years as the Lady Bears captured last season's Crowne Plaza Classic title with a 4-1 record.
Baylor is 54-35 all-time against teams participating in this year's tournament, which includes Houston, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Samford and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. However, the Lady Bears own a 41-5 record against the teams participating this weekend since 1996, when Baylor reinstated its softball program.
QUICK NOTES
• Baylor is No. 15 in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and No. 16 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.
• Baylor's appearance in both polls marks the 28th consecutive week the Lady Bears have appeared in the NFCA Top 25 and the 27th consecutive week the team has appeared in the USA Softball Top 25.
• Baylor is 122-5 over the past five seasons when scoring at least four runs.
• Baylor is 101-13 over the past four seasons when collecting at least eight hits.
• Baylor is 145-15 over the past five seasons when out-hitting its opponent.
• Baylor is 52-12 over the past two seasons at Getterman Stadium, including a 23-6 mark at home last season.
• Baylor's Chelsi Lake and Harmony Schwethelm were named to the ASA Softball National Player of the Year Preseason Watch List. The selection to the watch list marked the first time in school history Baylor players have been named to the preseason list.
• Baylor's Kelly Osburn and Lisa Ferguson successfully underwent off-season surgery and are available for the start of the 2006 season.
• Baylor's Harmony Schwethelm was one of 20 players in the country selected in the inaugural PFX Tour Draft.
SCOUTING HOUSTON (5-1)
After falling to nationally-ranked Florida to open the season, Houston has reeled off five straight victories, including a victory over nationally-ranked Oregon as well as a double-header sweep of McNeese State on Wednesday.
The Cougars have won two of the last four in the series against the Lady Bears, including a 4-3 victory over Baylor at the Crowne Plaza Classic last season. Although Baylor holds a 4-2 edge in the series, Houston has won 2-of-3 against the Lady Bears in Houston.
The Cougars feature a pair of talented pitchers in Candi Kloecker and Angel Shamblin. Kloecker has tossed 14 straight scoreless innings on the season as she and Shamblin share identical 2-0 records.
Jessica Valis leads the way at the plate for Houston, leading the team with 10 hits and a .500 batting average. Laura Durham is also off to a strong start this season as she currently leads the team with two home runs and five RBI.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN STATE (3-2)
Northwestern State enters the Marriott Houston Hobby Invitational after an 11-1 victory over Louisiana Tech on Wednesday. Right-handed hurler Amanda Glenn (2-1) leads the Demons into the tournament after tossing a two-hitter against the Lady Techsters in her last outing.
Baylor owns a commanding advantage in the series as the Lady Bears have won seven straight and own a 12-2 record all-time against the Demons. The meeting will mark the first time since March 2, 1984, the teams have met on a neutral field when Northwestern State claimed a 2-0 win in Houma, La.
SCOUTING SAMFORD (1-4)
After ending a four game losing streak with a victory over Kennesaw State on Wednesday, Samford enters this weekend's tournament with a 1-4 record. The meeting with Samford will mark the first in school history for the Lady Bears as Samford is the only team in the tournament Baylor has never faced in softball.
Samford is led in the circle by Stephanie Royall as the freshman right-hander has posted a 1-0 record and a 2.28 ERA so far this season. In 15.1 innings of work, Royall has struck out 13 batters while holding opponents to a .217 average.
At the plate, Samford is led by Shelley Stanley, who leads the team with a .500 average, one home run, two doubles and three RBI.
SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON STATE (4-2)
After dropping a pair of close contests against nationally-ranked Texas, Sam Houston State enters the tournament with a record of 4-2. The Bearkats opened the season with four straight victories as Sam Houston recorded at least 10 hits in each of its wins.
Baylor owns a 33-27 record all-time against Sam Houston and heads into the contest riding a 21-game winning streak against the Bearkats. Since Baylor's softball program was re-established in 1996, the Lady Bears have posted a perfect 21-0 record against Sam Houston State, including a perfect 3-0 record last season.
Heading into the contest with the Lady Bears, Sam Houston State is led at the plate by a trio of plus-.400 hitters. Laura Boone leads the way for the Bearkats on the season, leading the team with eight hits and a .471 average on the year.
In the circle, Sam Houston State features Brandi Crnkovic, who leads the team with a 2-1 record and 1.98 ERA. In 17.2 innings of work, Crnkovic has struck out 11 batters while holding opponents to a .176 batting average against.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI (0-4)
For the second consecutive week, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will travel to Houston, Texas, to participate in a tournament hosted by the Cougars. Last weekend, the Islanders were unable to pick up a win as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi started the season with four straight losses.
The meeting with the Lady Bears marks the first since Feb. 14, 2004, when the Islanders picked up a 3-2 win over Baylor in Houston, Texas. Despite the loss two years ago, Baylor still leads the all-time series 5-2.
Amanda Foster leads the Islanders in the circle, posting a 5.40 ERA in 11.2 innings of work.
At the plate, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi features Julie Monsivais, who leads the team with two runs scored and a .285 batting average.
BAYLOR SOFTBALL IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
After going 2-2 last week at the Getterman Classic, the Lady Bears are ranked No. 16 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll released Tuesday. In addition, Baylor earned a No. 15 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25.
Baylor is one of six Big 12 Conference school ranked in the preseason polls as Texas (No. 5 ESPN.com/No. 5 USA Today), Texas A&M (No. 9, No. 9) and Oklahoma (No. 10, No. 10) are ranked ahead of the Lady Bears in both polls. Missouri (No. 23, No. 18) and Nebraska (No. 17, No. 17) are the other Big 12 schools currently ranked in the polls.
Michigan, the defending national champion, remains the top-ranked team in both polls.
Baylor's appearance in both polls marks the 28th consecutive week the Lady Bears have appeared in the NFCA Top 25 and the 27th consecutive week the team has appeared in the USA Softball Top 25. The last time Baylor failed to appear in either poll was March 16, 2004.
BAYLOR SOFTBALL SEES FRESH FACES ARRIVE FOR 2006 SEASON
With six seniors and seven letterwinners gone from last year's squad that finished 51-14 and advanced to the NCAA Super Regional against No. 2 Cal, six newcomers will play an important roll in this year's squad if the Lady Bears hope to duplicate last year's success. New to the team in 2006 are a pair of junior college transfers, Ashley Monceaux and Miriam Romero, as well as four freshman: Alex Colyer, Lauren Parker, Brette Reagan and Brittany Turner.
Monceaux and Romero join Baylor after standout careers at Pima Community College in Pima, Ariz. The junior college All-Americans helped lead Pima CC to the national championship as freshman as the duo established themselves as two of the top junior college players in the country. As a sophomore, Monceaux earned All-America honors after hit .501 with 21 home runs, 92 RBI and 80 runs scored. In addition, the right-handed hurler went 26-5 on the season while recording 182 strikeouts. Romero also earned All-America honors last season after leading the nation with 68 stolen bases while hitting .468 on the year.
Colyer, a four-time first-team all district selection out of Stratford High School in Houston, Texas, comes to Baylor after finishing in the top 10 in the Houston area in runs scored and stolen bases as a senior. Parker, a freshman from Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School in Port Neches, Texas, joins the squad after earning 2005 TAPPS all-state honors as a senior.
Reagan, a talented third baseman from Tomball (Texas) High School who earned second-team NFCA All-South Region honors as a senior and Turner, a right-handed pitcher from Brewer High School in Fort Worth, Texas, and was named District 6-4A Most Valuable Player as a senior, round out one of the most talented incoming classes in school history.
BAYLOR LADY BEARS IN THE CAREER CHARTS
Several Lady Bears are aiming to continue making their way up the career charts in 2006. Below is a list of Lady Bears who currently rank in the top ten in one of the career categories:
BATTING RECORDS
RUNS: Kelly Osburn (t-1st, 128); Harmony Schwethelm (t-4th, 104)
HITS: Harmony Schwethelm (5th, 185); Kelly Osburn 6th, 173)
MULTIPLE-HIT GAMES: Harmony Schwethelm (4th, 53); Kelly Osburn (6th, 41)
DOUBLES: Kelly Osburn (2nd, 35); Chelsi Lake (t-8th, 24); Tessa Lynam (t-10th, 21)
TRIPLES: Harmony Schwethelm (t-4th, 7); Kelly Osburn (t-4th, 7); Chelsi Lake (t-10th, 4)
HOME RUNS: Kelly Osburn (1st, 24); Chelsi Lake (4th, 16); Tessa Lynam (t-6th, 14)
TOTAL BASES: Kelly Osburn (2nd, 294); Harmony Schwethelm (6th, 218)
WALKS: Kelly Osburn (1st, 82)
HIT BY PITCH: Kelly Osburn (2nd, 16); Kylie Conroy (t-7th, 9)
SACRIFICE FLIES: Kelly Osburn (t-7th; 3); Chelsi Lake (t-7th, 3); Tessa Lynam (t-7th, 3)
SACRIFICE HITS: Harmony Schwethelm (6th, 25)
STOLEN BASES: Harmony Schwethelm (2nd, 81); Kelly Osburn (4th, 66)
STOLEN BASE ATTEMPTS: Harmony Schwethelm (2nd, 94); Kelly Osburn (4th, 79)
PITCHING RECORDS
APPEARANCES: Lisa Ferguson (5th, 87); Tessa Lynam (8th, 32)
GAMES STARTED: Lisa Ferguson (5th, 55); Tessa Lynam (9th, 12)
RELIEF APPEARANCES: Lisa Ferguson (t-4th, 32); Tessa Lynam (9th, 20); Nicole Jackson (10th, 19)
WINS: Lisa Ferguson (4th, 37); Tessa Lynam (8th, 11)
LOSSES: Lisa Ferguson (6th, 14); Tessa Lynam (t-9th, 4)
DECISIONS: Lisa Ferguson (5th, 51); Tessa Lynam (8th, 15)
COMPLETE GAMES: Lisa Ferguson (5th, 22); Tessa Lynam (10th, 4)
SHUTOUTS: Lisa Ferguson (4th, 12); Tessa Lynam (t-9th, 1)
SAVES: Lisa Ferguson (1st, 11); Tessa Lynam (t-5th, 4); Nicole Jackson (t-8th, 1)
INNINGS PITCHED: Lisa Ferguson (5th, 366.2); Tessa Lynam (8th, 97.1)
STRIKEOUTS: Lisa Ferguson (4th, 251); Tessa Lynam (8th, 83)
Kelly Osburn ON VERGE OF BREAKING SEVERAL CAREER RECORDS
After scoring four runs at the Getterman Classic, Baylor senior Kelly Osburn pushed her career runs scored total to 128, tying Michelle Sorrels (1996-99) for the Lady Bears' career lead.
The category is just one of several where Osburn will hold the career lead once her career is over. Already Baylor's career leader in home runs (24) and walks (82), the senior ranks second in doubles (35), fourth in triples (7) and second in total bases (294).
With a strong showing this weekend, Osburn could become Baylor's career leader in doubles and total bases. The senior left-fielder is currently three doubles shy of Sarah Caudle (38, 2000-03) for the career lead and nine total bases from surpassing Caudle (303) for first on the all-time list.
OSBURN AND Lisa Ferguson RETURN AFTER OFF-SEASON SURGERY
A pair of key Baylor players, Lisa Ferguson an d Kelly Osburn, have returned to practice and are ready for the 2006 season after undergoing off-season surgery. Ferguson returns after undergoing minor shoulder surgery while Osburn is back at full-strength after season-ending knee surgery late last year.
Ferguson led the team last season with a 20-6 record and 1.97 ERA while Osburn, an all-conference selection last season, returns after establishing a new school record with 59 runs scored last season.
Harmony Schwethelm SELECTED IN PFX TOUR DRAFT
Senior Baylor softball player Harmony Schwethelm was one of 20 collegiate players drafted to participate in the inaugural season of the PFX Tour, the professional fast-pitch softball tour announced.
At the end of her senior season, Schwethelm will join the tour and travel to various amateur softball tournaments, competing against top-level amateur and professional team while providing instruction to teams competing at the PFX Tour stops.
Last season, Schwethelm set a new school record with 81 hits as she ranked third on the team with a .360 average while earning All-Big 12 Conference, NFCA All-Midwest Region honors.
The PFX Tour, founded by Team USA players Dot Richardson and Lisa Fernandez, is designed to help promote the sport worldwide, build an elite level for more than only a few select athletes, expand the sport's fan base, create an opportunity for athletes who have graduated from college to continue to play, provide a financial package that grows with the Tour's success to offer a career choice in the sport, generate value to sponsors for a "win-win" relationship and above all, give back to the sport from the grass roots up.
PHILADELPHIA FORCE SELECT Harmony Schwethelm IN NPF DRAFT
Just two weeks after being selected in the inaugural PFX Tour Draft, Baylor's Harmony Schwethelm was drafted by another professional league as the National Pro Fastpitch league announced the senior outfielder was selected by the Philadelphia Force with the fourth selection (13th overall) in the second round of the Senior Draft on Wednesday.
The selection of Schwethelm marked the first time in school history a Baylor player has been tabbed to play in the professional fastpitch league.
The Force was one of seven teams that participated in the annual draft as Schwethelm was one of five collegiate players selected by the expansion team. Schwethelm, a NFCA All-America selection last season after establishing a new school record with 81 hits, was one of five Big 12 Conference players selected in the draft, joining Cat Osterman of Texas (1st overall pick, Connecticut), Kristin Vesley of Oklahoma (4th, New England), Serena Settlemeier of Kansas (14th, Texas) and Tina Boutelle of Texas (28th, Texas).
Due to NCAA regulations, an active college senior-athlete may not sign with her respective franchise until their 2006 college season is finished. For players selected in the Senior Draft, they will be permitted to pursue any available roster spot on their assigned team after completing their college season. Senior draft rights expire August 31, 2006.
Major League Baseball is the Official Development Partner of National Professional Fastpitch in the category of women's professional fastpitch softball. The partnership, which began the fall of 2002, is part of The Commissioner's Initiative on Women and Baseball, a league-wide effort to help Major League Baseball and the 30 Major League Clubs build stronger relationships with female audiences.
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL).
UP NEXT...
Baylor will return to action the weekend of Friday, Feb. 17, when the Lady Bears travel to Palm Springs, Calif., to participate in the Palm Springs Classic. The Lady Bears will open play at the tournament against Pacific at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17.
