March 4, 2014
WACO, Texas - Baylor sophomore right-handed pitcher Heather Stearns picked up Tuesday's Pitcher of the Week award from the Big 12 after a big weekend at the inaugural Gulf Coast Classic in Gulfport, Miss. Stearns beat undefeated Mississippi State Friday night with an 8-inning shutout and followed with a 1-hit victory over UTSA Sunday.
Baylor went 4-1 on the weekend and improved to 16-4 on the season. The Lady Bears also remained ranked No. 12 in both the USA Softball and NFCA Top 25 polls.
Stearns matched a career high with 12 strikeouts and allowed just four hits in the longest outing of her career vs. Mississippi State Friday night. The Bulldogs were undefeated headed into the contest and Stearns' heroics along with Ari Hawkins' game-winning RBI single helped Baylor to the victory.
To close the tournament Sunday, Stearns threw the 28th one-hitter in school history striking out 11. She allowed just a solo homer to the Roadrunners' Megan Low. All in all for the weekend, Stearns was 2-0 with 2 complete games, a 0.47 ERA and 23 strikeouts.
Baylor will take on Louisiana Tech Thursday in Waco at Getterman Stadium at 6 p.m. for the first non-tournament game of the season.
