Feb. 15, 2017

Getterman Classic Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

If the Baylor softball team learned anything from last year's Getterman Classic, it's that every game matters, even in February.

A pair of losses to North Texas in the Getterman Classic "did some damage to our postseason hosting chances," said coach Glenn Moore, whose team ended up getting shipped to Oregon instead of potentially hosting a regional at Getterman Stadium.

"So, it's a field you don't take lightly," said Moore, whose team will face UTSA (1-2) at 6 p.m. Thursday in the opening game of the 16th annual Getterman Classic. "It can get you better. Lamar (2-3) played some great competition last weekend. Grand Canyon is (6-0), so it's a very competitive field."

After going 3-2 at the season-opening Hillenbrand Invitational last weekend in Arizona, the No. 23/24 Lady Bears will be tested again with five games in four days. Baylor will play the Grand Canyon Lopes at 5:30 p.m. Friday, kick off Day 3 with a matchup against Lamar at 10 a.m. Saturday, then close with games on Sunday against North Texas (1-3) and UTSA at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.

"We always love playing in Getterman Stadium," Moore said. "It's still one of the top facilities in the country, and we like protecting our backyard and like playing in front of our fans."

At the Hillenbrand tournament, Baylor was shut out by Fordham, 1-0, in the opening game. But, the Lady Bears responded with run-rule victories over Cal State Northridge and Tulsa and an eight-inning, 7-6 win over Northwestern before falling to No. 10 Arizona, 4-0, in a game that was 1-0 through the first five innings.

"It helped a lot, definitely, getting to see teams like Arizona and facing hitters like that," said senior right-hander Kelsee Selman, who is 1-1 with a 1.85 ERA, one save and a .231 opponents' batting average. "Seeing pitchers that will challenge us and make us better, I definitely think that tournament will help us in the long run. We learned a lot from the losses, and we'll definitely get better."

Moore was impressed with Selman's opening-weekend performance, where she had no walks, hit batters or wild pitches in 11.1 innings.

"We pitched her against the strongest lineup we saw in Arizona," Moore said. "Last year, she struggled a little bit with control, but she didn't walk a batter. She didn't have a ton of strikeouts, but she gave us a chance to win the ballgame. . . . If we made a play or two, we might have knocked off a top-10 team. We pitched her against the top teams, so that sent a message of the type of confidence we have in her."

Sophomore Gia Rodoni was also effective, going 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. Junior Kendall Potts, coming back from a pair of offseason surgeries, made only one appearance and pitched the last two innings in the 9-1 win over Tulsa.

"(Potts) will be on a little longer leash this weekend, a few more pitches," Moore said. "We don't have a hard pitch count (for the staff), just a general area where we want them to be. We watch arm slots to see if they're losing it a little bit, and see if they're getting fatigued."

Despite getting shut out in two of the five games, Baylor hit .346 as a team and had four batters hit over .400. Kyla Walker led the way at .500 with a double, triple and six RBI, with Maddison Kettler (.467), Jessie Scroggins (.438) and Lindsey Cargill (.400) also producing at the plate.

"I was more nervous (last) weekend, because it was my first weekend," Walker said, "but now I'm more confident that we'll do really well."

The tournament field features last season's champion, North Texas, along with UTSA, Grand Canyon, and Lamar.

For these and all other home games this season, a live audio and video stream will be available for subscribers on BaylorBears.com/allaccess. Baylor fans can follow action all season long on Twitter by following @BaylorSoftball.

GETTERMAN CLASSIC NOTES
- The Getterman Classic will mark the 16th year of the annual tournament, hosted by Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

- The tournament is named after Ted and Sue Getterman, lifelong supporters of the program and instrumental benefactors to starting the Baylor softball program and funding the world-class Getterman Stadium, also carrying their namesake.

- Baylor has won the Getterman Classic 10 times, including two of the last three seasons, carrying a 66-11 all-time record in the tournament.

- North Texas is making its third appearance in the tournament field (2004, 2016) and carries a 4-6 all-time record in the Getterman Classic. North Texas took the 2016 tournament title.

- UTSA is make its third appearance in the Getterman Classic field (2009, 2011).

- GCU and Lamar are both make debuts in the tournament field's history.

- 2016 marks just the third time in the tournament's history that the field will feature five teams.

- An all-tournament team consisting of 12 players will be selected and presented following the games on Sunday.

Home team is listed in bold and will occupy the 3rd base dugout
Home teams will wear dark or a contrasting color

All games to be held at Getterman Stadium
Game times are subject to change with delays and field prep
Balls will be provided | Tie Breaker in the top of the 8th | 8-Run Rule in effect