May 30, 2007
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2007 NCAA WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
#7 BAYLOR (50-14) AT THE WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
GAME FOUR - #4 ARIZONA (44-12-1) vs. #7 BAYLOR (50-14)
MAY 31, 2007 - 8:00 PM
ASA HALL OF FAME STADIUM
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.
THE SCHEDULE (BAYLOR BRACKET)
THURSDAY, MAY 31
Game 3 - Texas A&M vs. Tennessee, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 4 - Arizona vs. Baylor, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN)
FRIDAY, JUNE 1
Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
SATURDAY, JUNE 2
Game 8 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 10 - Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 5, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Note - The loser of the winner's bracket on the other side flips to this side of the bracket and vice versa.
SUNDAY, JUNE 3
Game 12 - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 10, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 14 - If necessary game, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
LIVE COVERAGE
Radio: KWGW 104. 9 FM or
ESPN Radio 1660 AM
Live Video: None
Live Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Live Stats: www.BaylorBears.com
Television: ESPN or ESPN2
Eric Collins - Play-by-play
Michele Smith - Color
Holly Rowe - Sideline
THE SERIES
Baylor vs. Arizona: Arizona leads 9-2
Baylor vs. Tennessee: Series tied 4-4
Baylor vs. Texas A&M: Texas A&M leads 39-16-1
The No. 7 Baylor (50-14) softball team returns to action this week as the Lady Bears go after their first national title in program history as they open play at the NCAA Women's College World Series on Thursday, May 31, at 8:00 p.m. against top-seeded and defending national champion Arizona at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN and will be available in high definition on ESPNHD.
While Baylor is making its first appearance at college softball's ultimate stage since the sport was recognized by the NCAA, Arizona is making its 19th appearance in the last 20 years. The Wildcats captured the national title last season after sweeping Northwestern in a best-of-three national championship series.
The meeting will mark the fourth time the Lady Bears and Wildcats have met this season as Baylor took two-of-three from Arizona at the Compass Bank Challenge at Getterman Stadium. After dropping game one to the Wildcats, 3-0, the Lady Bears responded with back-to-back, 3-2 victories to clinch the three-game series.
In addition to Baylor and Arizona, Texas A&M and Tennessee join the Lady Bears and the Wildcats in the four-team bracket to determine which team advances to the best-of-three national championship series.
Should the Lady Bears open with a win against the Wildcats, Baylor will advance in the winner's bracket contest on Friday, June 1, at 8:00 p.m. A loss would send the Lady Bears into an elimination game to be played on Saturday, June 2, at 1:00 p.m.
Each game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1660 AM or KWGW 104.9 FM in the Waco area and is also available online for free at the official athletic website of Baylor Athletics, www.BaylorBears.com.
BAYLOR AT THE NCAA SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
After winning the best-of-three series with Michigan to capture a berth in the Women's College World Series, Baylor owns a 5-1 record at this year's NCAA Championship and is now 13-7 all-time at the NCAA Softball Championship with a pair of regional titles and a Women's College World Series berth.
Baylor's appearance in the super regional round this season marked the second time the Lady Bears have advanced to the best-of-three series to determine advancement into the Women's College World Series. Although this will be Baylor's first appearance at the NCAA Division I Women's College World Series (the Lady Bears made two appearances under the AIAW format), the Lady Bears have come close to reaching softball's ultimate stage before.
In 2005, Baylor came within one win of its first appearance at the WCWS. After capturing the NCAA Auburn Regional title, Baylor faced No. 2 Cal in a best-of-three series to determine who would advance to the series in Oklahoma City, Okla. After dropping game one to the Golden Bears, Baylor responded with a victory in game two before Cal picked up the win in game three.
Baylor's first-ever contest in NCAA Championship play might have been one of the most memorable in school history as the Lady Bears defeated North Carolina, 1-0, in a 16-inning marathon. The game received national attention as Baylor's Cristin Vitek established a new NCAA, NCAA Championship and Big 12 Conference record with 28 strikeouts to help lead the Lady Bears to the victory over the Tar Heels. Baylor finished the regional with a 2-2 record as the Lady Bears were eliminated with losses at the hands of LSU and Illinois.
SCOUTING ARIZONA
Arizona (16-3), the defending national champion, is making its 19th appearance in the last 20 season at the NCAA Division I Women's College World Series after sweeping the NCAA Tucson Super Regional with a pair of wins over Cal State Fullerton. Arizona, the Pac-10 regular season champions, is a perfect 5-0 so far at the 2007 NCAA Championship after sweeping three games to open regional play to advance to the super regional round.
Caitlin Lowe paces the Wildcats as the outfielder leads the team with a .425 batting average and 55 runs scored. Kristie Fox also having a strong year for the Wildcats, leading the team with 14 home runs and 61 RBI on the year.
In the circle, Taryne Mowatt leads the Wildcats as the pitcher has posted a 36-10 record and 1.65 ERA in an incredible 310.0 innings of work. The junior right-hander has struck out 446 batters on the season while holding opponents to a .159 average against.
Mike Candrea is is in his 22nd season at the helm of the Arizona softball program. The Team USA coach boasts a 1,123-226-2 (.832) record in 21 seasons in the dugout. Candrea has earned 17 coach of the year honors, including nine Pac-10 Coach of the Year citations, and is a member of the NFCA Hall of Fame.
The meeting with the Wildcats will mark the fourth time the teams have met this season after Baylor took two-of-three from the Wildcats to claim the Compass Bank Challenge held at Getterman Stadium. Despite the series loss, Arizona still holds an impressive 9-2 record against the Lady Bears all-time.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M, the No. 4 overall seed after a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 Conference standings, is led by pitcher Amanda Scarborough. The junior ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with a 0.99 ERA as she has posted a 26-8 record in 212.0 innings of work so far this season.
Megan Gibson leads the attack at the plate as she leads the team with a .397 average, 12 home runs and 40 RBI on the year.
The Aggies pitching staff ranks first in Big 12 Conference play, posting an ERA of 1.50during conference play while the Texas A&M hitters ranks third in Big 12 play, hitting .260 in conference games.
Despite dropping both contests against the Lady Bears this season, Texas A&M still leads the all-time series, 39-16-1.
The Aggies make their sixth appearance at the NCAA Division I Women's College World Series after defeating Florida, 2-1, in a best-of-three series in College Station.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE
This will be Tennessee's third consecutive trip to the Women's College World Series as the Lady Vols have finished third nationally in each of the past two seasons. Tennessee owns a 6-4 record at the WCWS after going 3-2 during both the 2005 & 2006 campaigns. Tennessee is 23-10 all-time in five appearances in the NCAA Softball Championship.
Tennessee advanced to Oklahoma City, Okla., with a best two-of-three Knoxville Super Regional victory over No. 12 Hawai'i Tennessee took the opener, 9-0 (five inn.), before falling, 9-6, in game two. The Lady Vols rebounded to nab a 7-1 decision in the series clincher to punch its ticket back to the WCWS.
The Lady Vols are led by perhaps the best pitcher in college softball as Monica Abbott, the NCAA's all-time leader in wins and strikeouts, guides Tennessee into the world series. So far this season, Abbott has posted a 46-3 record and 0.65 ERA while striking out 649 in 314.1 innings of work.
As an offense, Tennessee is hitting .328 on the season while stealing 160 bases on the year.
`POSTSEASON FERGIE' IS ALIVE AND WELL
One of the main reasons Baylor is making its first-ever appearance at the Women's College World Series is due to the right-arm of senior pitcher Lisa Ferguson. Dubbed `Postseason Fergie' by teammates and the coaching staff due to her past success in post-season play, Ferguson has tossed lights out during the 2007 NCAA Softball Championship.
Ferguson enters the Women's College World Series with a scoreless inning streak of 19.2 innings as she has posted a perfect 4-0 record with a 0.57 ERA after allowing only two earned runs on 15 hits in 24.2 innings of work. The senior has not allowed a walk in post-season play, striking out 15 while holding opponents to a .174 batting average as she tossed back-to-back shutouts against Michigan, holding the Wolverines to a season-low two hits in the game one win, to send the Lady Bears to the world series for the first time in school history.
LISA FERGUSON BREAKS BAYLOR CAREER VICTORY MARK
With a win against Texas State, Baylor senior Lisa Ferguson broke the Baylor career win mark as the right-hander now owns a career record of 81-36 in three-plus seasons. With the victory against the Bobcats, Ferguson broke Stacey Allison's (1996-99) career mark of 75 wins for the most career wins in Baylor softball history. Ferguson is starting to rewrite the Baylor record book as the senior owns the career lead in saves (19) and victories (81) and ranks in the top three in 10 career categories.
The senior has been a force in the circle this year, posting a 25-7 record and 1.88 ERA on the year. With 174 strikeouts this year, the right-hander enters the NCAA Women's College World Series just five strikeouts shy of 600 for her career and one strikeout shy of matching her single-season career-best total of 175 strikeouts.
HEAD COACH Glenn Moore PICKS UP 300th CAREER VICTORY AT BAYLOR
Baylor's 10-0 win over Albany in the NCAA Hempstead Regional final allowed head coach Glenn Moore to pick up a significant milestone as the victory was Moore's 300th win as the Lady Bears head man. While at Baylor, Moore has posted a career record of 302-136 as he has posted at least 30 wins in each of his first six seasons with the Lady Bears and has posted at least 35 wins in all but one season.
The milestone is just one of several Moore has surpassed this season. With a 7-2 win over Iowa State at the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational, Moore reached a career milestone as he recorded his 400th career victory with the win. In 10-plus seasons as a head coach, Moore now has a career record of 441-178.
Moore has led Baylor to four consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, the first appearances in school history, as he has guided the Lady Bears to a pair of regional titles as well as their first-ever Big 12 Conference title and first-ever trip to the Women's College World Series.
BAYLOR CONTINUES ON HOT HITTING STREAK
Like most other teams still alive for the national championship, Baylor enters the world series as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 24-of-29 contests dating back to the team's trip to the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational. During the hot streak, which included a 13-game winning streak, the Baylor offense has hit at an impressive .305 clip while the pitching staff has been dominant in the circle, posting a 24-5 record and 1.93 ERA while holding opponents to a .213 average.
Ashley Monceaux has led the attack during the streak, posting a .378 batting average with 11 home runs and 33 RBI. Brette Reagan has also been hot at the plate, posting a .365 average with seven home runs and 25 RBI. During the streak, six players are currently batting .300 or higher as seven players have scored at least 12 runs in the last 29 games.
In the circle, Kirsten Shortridge has led the way during the streak as the freshman has posted an 9-2 record with a 1.95 ERA while holding opponents to an impressive .203 batting average against.
CHELSI LAKE MAKING HER MARK ON CAREER CHARTS
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 44 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 has passed during the 2007 campaign as the senior already holds the Lady Bears career record with 181 RBI. In addition, Lake just surpassed Osburn's career total bases mark of 395 as she now has 412 for her career and recently broke Osburn's career doubles mark of 43 with a double in the victory over Oklahoma State. Finally, Lake owns Baylor's career mark with 10 sacrifice flies during her career.
Ashley Monceaux AND BAYLOR OFFENSE BREAK SEASON MARKS
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 .315 batting average on the year and currently ranks second in the league and 11th in the country in the category. In addition, the Lady Bears have hit 61 home runs on the season and have posted an impressive .476 slugging percentage.
Leading the way for Baylor has been senior Ashley Monceaux. Monceaux leads the Lady Bears with a .409 batting average, 20 home runs and 70 RBI. The 20 home runs and 70 RBI have tied Baylor single-season marks as she looks to close out a storied two-year career in a Baylor uniform. The senior first baseman has posted an almost unbelievable .828 slugging percentage and 154 total bases as she ranks among the top five in the conference in ten different categories.
As a team, Baylor currently features six players batting over .300 on the season, including freshman Kirsten Shortridge (.350) and Nicole Wesley (.320).
Ashley Monceaux NOW SETTING THE TONE FOR BAYLOR OFFENSE
After batting in the third-spot of the order for most the season, Baylor senior Ashley Monceaux has found a home as the new lead-off hitter for the Lady Bears as she has set the tone for the Lady Bears offense in her new role. Against some of the top competition in the country since moving Monceaux up to the lead-off spot, Baylor has posted an impressive 9-2 record in the 11 games Monceaux has led-off for the Lady Bears.
Since her arrival at the top of the order, Monceaux has blasted two home runs to lead off the game as she opened the Texas victory with a home run to center and followed with a solo home run to open the contest against Hofstra at the NCAA Hempstead Regional.
As the lead-off hitter, Monceaux has posted almost unbelievable numbers, batting .444 while leading the team with 14 runs, five doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI, 1.000 slugging percentage, nine walks and a .556 on-base percentage in 11 contests
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 NCAA Softball Championships leading the Big 12 Conference with 140 stolen bases in 164 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 seconds 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.
HONORS CONTINUE TO POUR IN FOR BAYLOR SOFTBALL
Baylor softball players have seen their fair share of recognition throughout the season as a number of players have won individual honors 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 and was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Week during the final week of the season, marking the second time Monceaux has been given the honor this season.
Earlier this year 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.
With Monceaux's selection on the last week of the season, six 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 Brette Reagan 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.
BAYLOR SOFTBALL IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
The Baylor softball team is currently ranked No. 7 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll. In addition, Baylor earned a No. 8 ranking in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25.
Baylor is one of five Big 12 Conference school ranked in both polls as Texas A&M (No. 8, No. 8), Oklahoma (No. 1, No. 3), Missouri (No. 19, RV) and Texas (RV, No. 18) join the Lady Bears in the polls.
After win the Big 12 Conference post-season title, Oklahoma has moved to No. 1 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll while Tennessee is No. 1 in the NFCA national rankings.
Baylor's appearance in both polls marks the 56th consecutive week the Lady Bears have appeared in the NFCA Top 25 and the 55th 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.
BAYLOR LANDS THREE ON NFCA ALL-REGION SQUAD
The No. 7 Baylor softball team placed three players on the NFCA All-Midwest Region squad the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced. Ashley Monceaux earned first-team honors while Chelsi Lake and Brette Reagan were second-team selections.
Lake's selection to the squad marked the fourth time she has been selected to the all-region squad, making her the first player in school history to earn all-region honors in each of her four seasons.
Monceaux has led the Baylor attack throughout the season as the senior first baseman picks up her first career all-region honor.
Reagan rounds out the selections as the sophomore earns her second consecutive all-region selection. The third baseman, who did not commit an error in Big 12 Conference play this season, looks to pick up her second consecutive NFCA All-America selection.
Chosen by NFCA member coaches from each region, the honorees will now be eligible for selection to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America first, second or third teams.
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 (103, 7th)
HITS: Chelsi Lake (225, 3rd)
MULTIPLE-HIT GAMES: Chelsi Lake (58, 4th); Ashley Monceaux (33, 10th)
DOUBLES: Chelsi Lake (47, 1st); Ashley Monceaux (t-4th, 29)
TRIPLES: Chelsi Lake (t-10th, 4)
HOME RUNS: Chelsi Lake (1st, 44); Ashley Monceaux (3rd, 28); Brette Reagan (t-5th, 22)
TOTAL BASES: Chelsi Lake (412, 1st)
SACRIFICE FLIES: Chelsi Lake (t-1st, 9)
PITCHING RECORDS
APPEARANCES: Lisa Ferguson (1st, 172); Ashley Monceaux (10th, 29); Kirsten Shortridge (9th, 33)
GAMES STARTED: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 118); Kirsten Shortridge (8th, 22)
RELIEF APPEARANCES: Lisa Ferguson (1st, 54)
WINS: Lisa Ferguson (1st, 81); Kirsten Shortridge (8th, 17)
LOSSES: Lisa Ferguson (5th, 36); Brittany Turner (t-8th, 5)
DECISIONS: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 117)
COMPLETE GAMES: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 62)
SHUTOUTS: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 29)
SAVES: Lisa Ferguson (1st, 19)
INNINGS PITCHED: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 786.2); Kirsten Shortridge (8th, 165.0); Ashley Monceaux (10th, 103.1)
STRIKEOUTS: Lisa Ferguson (3rd, 595); Ashley Monceaux (10th, 76); Kirsten Shortridge (8th, 123)
UP NEXT...
Should Baylor defeat No. 1 Arizona, the Lady Bears will advance to the winners bracket to face the winner of No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 5 Tennessee on Friday, June 1, at 8:00 p.m. A loss would send the Lady Bears into the loser's bracket where they would face and elimination game on Saturday, June 2, at 1:00 p.m.
