May 7, 2007

IRVING, Texas --- Fresh of the first Big 12 regular-season softball championship in school history, the No. 7 Baylor softball team will return to action this week at the Big 12 Championship as the Lady Bears enter the single-elimination tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and will face No. 8 Texas Tech or No. 9 Oklahoma State on Friday, May 11, at 1:30 p.m. at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Red Raiders and Cowgirls will square off in a play-in game on Thursday, May 10, at 5:00 p.m. to determine which team advances to face the top-seeded Lady Bears on Friday.

For the first time in Big 12 history, the championship will be a three-day, single-elimination event. Should the Lady Bears win their quarterfinal contest, Baylor would face the winner of No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 5 Nebraska at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 11.

Baylor (45-12, 14-3) compiled a school-record 14 conference wins this season as the Lady Bears clinched the Big 12 title with a thrilling, 5-4, win over Texas A&M on Sunday.

In other action in the opening rounds of the championship, No. 7 Kansas will meet No. 10 Iowa State at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 10 while the Red Raiders and Cowgirls meet at the same time in the other play-in game.

On Friday, No. 2 Oklahoma will face the winner of the Iowa State-Kansas contest at 11 a.m. while No. 3 Missouri will take on No. 6 Texas at 11:30 a.m.

Following the two play-in games on Thursday, May 10, the Lady Bears will be presented with the championship trophy as the conference will announce the 2007 All-Big 12 Conference selections as voted on by the league coaches.

Each of Baylor's contests at the 2007 Big 12 Conference Championship can be heard on radio in the Waco area. Friday's first contest can be heard on ESPN Radio 1660 AM while the remaining Baylor games at the tournament can be heard on KYCX 104.9 FM.