May 14, 2015 WACO, Texas -- Baylor's 10th all-time postseason appearance begins Friday at Lamson Park on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette at 5:30 p.m. vs. Mississippi State. The Bears (38-15) will face the Bulldogs (35-19) in game one while Louisiana (39-9) faces Weber State (38-17) at 8 p.m.
The Bears finished in a second-place tie in the Big 12 while Mississippi State finished 10th in the SEC. The Bears are 3-0 all-time vs. MSSU and Baylor last beat the Bulldogs at a tournament in Gulfport, Miss. last season in a 1-0 win Feb. 28, 2014.
Baylor is 35-21 all-time in the postseason and 24-15 in games away from Waco. Mississippi State is 11-22 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and this is the Bulldogs' 12th appearance in the national tournament.
Cheri Kempf and Pam Ward will have the call and color, respectively on ESPN3.com, which features a video stream. Baylor will provide audio on BaylorBears.com and locally in Waco on 1660 AM with Derek Smith and Kyle Robarts on the play-by-pay and color, respectively.
Live Stats can be found on RaginCajuns.com. The first round of the NCAA Tournament features 64 teams on 16 sites. The winner of the double-elimination tournament in the first round will advance to the NCAA Super Regional Round.
Follow Baylor softball all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by following the handles @baylorsoftball.
BAYLOR POSTSEASON NOTES ? The Bears are 35-21 all-time in the postseason. Baylor is 24-15 all-time in postseason games away from Waco and Getterman Stadium.
? Since
Glenn Moore's arrival in 2001, Baylor made its first NCAA?Tournament appearance in 2004, and since then, have missed the tournament just twice (2008, 2010).
? Baylor is looking to return to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 2015. Baylor has 2007, 2011 and 2014 appearances in Oklahoma City.
? Baylor has been to an NCAA Regional in Lafayette before, back in 2012, but the Bears did not face Louisiana-Lafayette before they were eliminated by Stanford. Baylor last played the Ragin' Cajuns in the playoffs in 2009 in Waco, eliminating Louisiana-Lafayette to move on to the Ann?Arbor, Mich. Super Regional.
? Seniors
Kaitlyn Thumann and
Jordan Strickland have played in the NCAA?Tournament all four seasons at Baylor.
? Strickland is Baylor's all-time leader in postseason hits (25) and batting average (.446).
MILESTONES WATCH ?
Sarah Smith is three hits (147) shy of 150 for her career.
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Heather Stearns picked up her 500th career strikeout in BU's May 6 win over Texas. She carries 505 into the NCAA?Regional.
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Kaitlyn Thumann picked up the 100th walk of her career in a May 9 loss to Texas. ?
Ari Hawkins picked up her 125th career hit Sunday in the last regular-season game of the season vs. Texas in a 1-for-3 performance.
? Stearns threw the 25th complete game of her career Wednesday in a 5-0, 1-hit shutout of Texas.
? Thumann is three hits shy (222) of 225 for her career.
RECORDS WATCH ? Thumann doubled Saturday at Texas to move into a third-place tie on the BU career list for doubles with Kelly Osburn (43, 2003-06).
? Thumann also tied Osburn for sixth all-time on the career hits list with her 224th Saturday at Texas.
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Heather Stearns tied Courtney Repka (11, 2010-13) for sixth all-time on the school's career list for shutouts with her shutout May 6 vs. Texas.
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Linsey Hays is one home run shy (27) of tying Ashley Monceaux (28, 2006-07) for fourth on the all-time home run list.
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Jordan Strickland tied
Holly Holl (108, 2011-14) & Kelly Osburn (108, 2003-06) for fifth all time on the career RBI list with her RBI single May 6 at Texas.
