April 10, 2007
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#9 BAYLOR (36-9, 6-0) TRAVELS TO #11 TEXAS (28-10, 3-4)
APRIL 11, 2007 - 6:30 PM
McCombs Field
Austin, Texas
THE SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11
No. 9 Baylor at No. 11 Texas, 6:30 p.m.
LIVE COVERAGE
Radio: ESPN Radio 1660 AM
Live Video: None
Live Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Live Stats: www.BaylorBears.com
Television: CSTV (Waco area listings below)
Grande (Cable) - Ch. 223
Time Warner (Cable) - Ch. 435
Direct TV (Satellite) - Ch. 610
Dish Network (Satellite) - Ch. 152
Carter Blackburn - Play-by-play
Ann Schatz - Color
THE SERIES
Baylor vs. Texas: Texas leads 14-5
Waco, Texas: Texas leads 6-3
Austin, Texas: Texas leads 8-1
Neutral: Baylor leads 1-0
Riding a 10-game winning streak and sitting atop the Big 12 Conference standings, the No. 9 Baylor (36-9, 6-0) softball team returns to action this week as the Lady Bears travel to Austin, Texas, to face No. 11 Texas at 6:30 p.m.
The contest marks the end of a five-game road swing through Big 12 Conference play as the game with the Longhorns will be televised nationally by CSTV.
Baylor has used strong pitching and clutch hitting to start the Big 12 Conference portion of the schedule with a perfect 6-0 record, the best in school history. Brette Reagan, who earned Co-Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors this week, has been especially hot at the plate, ranking second in the conference and leading the team with a .556 batting average in Big 12 play.
Ashley Monceaux continues to swing a strong bat as well as the senior leads the team with a .406 average, 12 home runs and 46 RBI on the year.
Senior Lisa Ferguson will likely get the nod in the circle as the right-hander has posted an impressive 16-4 record and 1.90 ERA so far this season.
Texas (28-10, 3-4) leads the all-time series, 14-5, and have won three straight in the series, including sweeping a pair of games last year. The Longhorns currently stand in a tied for fifth-place in the Big 12 standings after splitting a pair of games against Kansas last weekend.
SCOUTING TEXAS
No. 11 Texas enters the week currently tied for fifth-place in the Big 12 Conference standings after a split against Kansas last weekend.
Texas' pitching staff is among the best in the Big 12, with freshman hurler Erin Tresselt and junior righthander Meagan Denny ranking first and sixth, respectively in ERA. Tresselt owns a 0.93 ERA for the season and Denny has posted a 1.46 ERA this year. Denny ranks second in the league with 18 victories and nine shutouts, while leading the Big 12 in strikeouts (251) and games started (28).
On offense, Texas is led by freshman designated player Tallie Thrasher and rightfielder Kacie Gaskin, who are flirting with UT's single-season home run record after 38 games. Thrasher, who is currently hitting .324 on the season, has hit 10 homers this year, while Gaskin, currently batting .279, has added 10 round-trippers of her own.
Texas leads the all-time series, 14-5, and owns an impressive 8-1 advantage in games played in Austin.
QUICK NOTES
• Baylor is No. 16 in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and No. 9 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.
• Baylor's appearance in both polls marks the 51st consecutive week the Lady Bears have appeared in the NFCA Top 25 and the 51st consecutive week the team has appeared in the USA Softball Top 25.
• Baylor is 173-10 over the past six seasons when scoring at least four runs.
• Baylor is 143-18 over the past five seasons when collecting at least eight hits.
• Baylor is 206-20 over the past five seasons when out-hitting its opponent.
• Baylor is 94-19 over the past four seasons at Getterman Stadium, including a 23-1 mark at home this season.
• For the first time in school history, Baylor swept the national player of the week honors after taking two-of-three from No. 2 Arizona. Alex Colyer was named USA Softball National Player of the Week while Lisa Ferguson was named Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week. Both earned Big 12 Conference player of the week honors as well.
• Ashley Monceaux was selected as one of the top 25 finalists for USA Softball National Player of the Year. Baylor's Chelsi Lake and Brette Reagan were selected to the pre-season watch list.
• With Brette Reagan winning Big 12 Conference Co-Player of the Week honors this week, Baylor has had five players earn Big 12 Conference Pitcher or Player of the Week honors this season, the most in school history.
• For the first time in history, live, streaming audio will be available for every Baylor softball game. Sign-up for audio is free and fans can listen to every Baylor softball game by visiting www.baylorbears.com.
LISA FERGUSON NEARS BAYLOR CAREER WIN MARK
After posting an extra-inning, complete-game victory against No. 4 Texas A&M last week, Baylor senior Lisa Ferguson moved one-win closer to the Baylor career win mark as the right-hander now owns a career record of 72-33 in three-plus seasons.
Ferguson, who currently ranks third on the Baylor career list, is three wins shy of tying Stacey Allison (1996-99) for the most career wins in school history with 75.
The senior has been a force in the circle this year, posting a 16-4 record and 1.90 ERA on the year. In all but four innings this season, the right-hander has been in complete control. In games (24-of-28 appearances) in which she did not allow an inning of four or more runs, she has posted 16-1 record and 0.83 ERA.
THE BAYLOR JETS
Over the last few seasons, Baylor has always been known for its speed. This year is no different as the Lady Bears head into the contest with the Longhorns leading the Big 12 Conference with 111 stolen bases in 123 attempts.
This season, Baylor speed and conditioning coach Brandon Marcello and the Lady Bears coaching staff have created a club called "The Baylor Jets" to honor the speedsters in the Baylor line-up.
Starting this year; while recognizing speedsters from the past, "The Baylor Jets' is an elite club for the fastest players to come through the Baylor softball program. Starting in 2007, each time a player "earns their wings," the player will get a sticker of a jet to go on the back of their batting helmet.
In order to "earn their wings," a player must meet the following criteria: post a time of 2.78 second from home-to-first, record a combination of at least 25 stolen bases and infield singles throughout the year and have a shuttle time average of 62 second or less with one time less than 60 seconds.
With the above criteria in mind, Miriam Romero, Tiffany Wesley and Nicole Wesley have all "earned their wings" for the 2007 season and will play the rest of the year with a sticker of a jet on the back of their helmet. Former jets in the Baylor program include Kelly Levesque, Carrie Leerberg, Kim Wilmoth and Harmony Schwethelm.
Brette Reagan NAMED BIG 12 CONFERENCE CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Baylor softball third baseman Brette Reagan has been named Co-Big 12 Conference Player of the Week the conference office announced on Tuesday. Reagan, who picks up her first career weekly honor, joins Norrelle Dickson of Oklahoma as co-winners of the award.
The honor marks the fifth time a Baylor player has been selected for Big 12 Conference Player or Pitcher of the Week honors, the most in school history.
Reagan posted a pair of Baylor school records after going 5-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored and five RBI in a 14-9 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday. The 2006 Big 12 Freshman of the Year tallied a BU-record five hits and 12 total bases in the contest. The total bases mark ranks 11th all-time in NCAA history in addition to Reagan tying the school single-game home run record with two.
After trailing 7-1 to the Red Raiders, Reagan's two-run homer pulled the 11th-ranked Lady Bears within one. Reagan followed with a double in the fifth inning to give Baylor the final lead. For the week, Reagan posted a slugging percentage of 1.333 and a perfect fielding percentage with two putouts and seven assists.
Chelsi Lake BREAKS CAREER HOME RUN MILESTONE
With a home run at the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational, Chelsi Lake moved into first place, surpassing former Baylor star Kelly Osburn (2003-06),in the Baylor career home run category. Lake has now hit 41 career home runs as the senior already holds the Baylor single-season home run mark with 18 round-trippers in 2006.
The career milestone is just one of a number of Baylor marks Lake will likely pass during the 2007 campaign as the senior already holds the Lady Bears career record with 169 RBI. In addition, Lake is just nine total bases shy of surpassing Osburn's career total bases mark of 395 and has tied Osburn's career mark with 43 doubles as well as Stephanie Pomes' career mark of nine sacrifice flies.
Ashley Monceaux AND BAYLOR CONTINUE TO PRODUCE
Over the past few years, the Baylor offense has had tremendous success at the plate and this year has been no different. So far this season, Baylor has posted a .321 batting average on the year and currently ranks second in the league in the category. In addition, the Lady Bears have hit 41 home runs on the season and have posted an impressive .482 slugging percentage.
Leading the way for Baylor has been senior Ashley Monceaux. Monceaux leads the Lady Bears with a .406 batting average, 12 home runs and 46 RBI. The senior first baseman has posted an almost unbelievable .781 slugging percentage and 100 total bases as she ranks among the top ten in the conference in eight different categories.
As a team, Baylor currently features seven players batting over .300 on the season, including freshman Kirsten Shortridge (.364), Nicole Wesley (.343) and Tiffany Wesley (.326).
HONORS CONTINUE TO POUR IN FOR 2007 BAYLOR SOFTBALL
Off to one of the best starts in school history, Baylor softball players have seen their fair share of recognition throughout the season as a number of players have won individual honors so far this year.
The lengthy list is highlighted by senior Ashley Monceaux, who was recently named one of 25 finalist for the USA Softball National Player of the Year award.
Earlier this year, for the first time in school history, Baylor swept the national player of the week honors as Alex Colyer captured the USA Softball National Player of the Week award and senior Lisa Ferguson was named NFCA National Player of the Week following the Lady Bears series victory over then-No. 2 Arizona.
Finally, with Brette Reagan capturing Big 12 Conference Co-Player of the Week honors this season, five Baylor players have been named Big 12 Conference Pitcher of Player of the Week, the most in school history.
Ferguson has picked up a pair of Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors this year as Colyer and Monceaux have earned player of the week honors for the Lady Bears this season. The previous high for most player of the week honors was set in 2004, when Baylor picked up four Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week awards.
A pair of players were recognized nationally prior to the start of the season as well as Chelsi Lake and Brette Reagan were named to the USA Softball National Player of the Year pre-season watch list as Lake also earned first-team Preseason ESPN.com All-America honors.
BAYLOR SOFTBALL IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
The Baylor softball team is currently ranked No. 9 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll. In addition, Baylor earned a No. 16 ranking in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25.
Baylor is one of four Big 12 Conference school ranked in both polls as Texas A&M (No. 5, No. 2), Oklahoma (No. 2, No. 4) and Texas (No. 13, No. 9) join the Lady Bears in the polls.
Tennessee, after opening the year No. 2 in the national polls, has moved to No. 1 in the rankings in both polls.
Baylor's appearance in both polls marks the 51st consecutive week the Lady Bears have appeared in the NFCA Top 25 and the 51st 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. Within the Big 12 Conference, only Texas A&M and Oklahoma have currently appeared in the national polls for more consecutive weeks.
LADY BEARS PICKED SECOND IN BIG 12 CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
In a pre-season vote conducted by league coaches, the Baylor softball team has been picked to finish second in the Big 12 Conference. The second-place preseason prediction marks the highest the Lady Bears have appeared in the league preseason vote.
The Lady Bears return eight players, including NFCA All-Americans Brette Reagan and Chelsi Lake, from last year's squad that finished 38-22 on the season and finished third in the Big 12 Conference and advanced to the NCAA Corvallis Regional final.
Texas A&M (80 points) was picked to win the league and received eight of the possible 10 first-place votes to edge out second-place Baylor, which earned 69 points, including one first-place tally.
Nebraska was ranked third followed by Oklahoma, defending-conference champion Texas, and 2006 postseason winner Kansas.
The Sooners also claimed a vote for first place. Filling the remaining spots in the preseason poll were Oklahoma State, Missouri, Texas Tech and Iowa State, respectively.
BAYLOR LADY BEARS IN THE CAREER CHARTS
Several Lady Bears are aiming to continue making their way up the career charts in 2007. Below is a list of Lady Bears who currently rank in the top ten in one of the career categories:
BATTING RECORDS
RUNS: Chelsi Lake (97, 7th)
HITS: Chelsi Lake (201, 7th)
MULTIPLE-HIT GAMES: Chelsi Lake (49, 7th)
DOUBLES: Chelsi Lake (43, t-1st)
TRIPLES: Chelsi Lake (t-10th, 4)
HOME RUNS: Chelsi Lake (1st, 41); Ashley Monceaux (t-5th, 20); Brette Reagan (7th, 18)
TOTAL BASES: Chelsi Lake (385, 2nd)
SACRIFICE FLIES: Chelsi Lake (t-1st, 9)
PITCHING RECORDS
APPEARANCES: Lisa Ferguson (3rd, 156); Ashley Monceaux (10th, 29)
GAMES STARTED: Lisa Ferguson (3rd, 107)
RELIEF APPEARANCES: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 49)
WINS: Lisa Ferguson (3rd, 72)
LOSSES: Lisa Ferguson (5th, 33); Brittany Turner (t-8th, 5)
DECISIONS: Lisa Ferguson (3rd, 105)
COMPLETE GAMES: Lisa Ferguson (3rd, 55)
SHUTOUTS: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 26)
SAVES: Lisa Ferguson (1st, 18)
INNINGS PITCHED: Lisa Ferguson (3rd, 712.0); Kirsten Shortridge (9th, 108.0); Ashley Monceaux (10th, 103.1)
STRIKEOUTS: Lisa Ferguson (3rd, 548); Ashley Monceaux (10th, 76); Kirsten Shortridge (9th, 95)
UP NEXT...
After a three-week absence, Baylor returns to the friendly confines of Getterman Stadium as the Lady Bears host Oklahoma State for the start of a two-game series on Saturday, April 14, at 2:00 p.m.
