By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

TUCSON, Ariz. -- You have to go back almost 10 years to find the last time that Baylor softball went into a season without a proven ace. Or, even knowing who that ace might be.

But, with Heather Stearns graduating and Kendall Potts on the shelf with an injury, Glenn Moore and pitching coach Britni Sneed Newman were just hoping someone would step up into that role this season.

"I knew we had some good arms and had a lot of good qualities about our pitching," Newman said, "but I wasn't sure who was going to step up, because ultimately it comes down to performance."

As it turns out, the Lady Bears (46-12) didn't just have one pitcher step up, they have arguably one of the best 1-2 combos in the country with senior Kelsee Selman (23-8, 1.46 ERA) and sophomore Gia Rodoni (17-2, 1.57).

An LSU transfer that struggled with her control during a 5-3 junior campaign when she walked more batters than she struck out, Selman transitioned into the ace role early with wins over Michigan, Washington and UCLA.

"Coming into the year, my focus wasn't really to be the ace, it was just to help the team out," said Selman, a first-team All-Big 12 and second-team all-region pick. "I just wanted to be someone that contributed. I just focused on myself and my pitches and my mental game, basically, and that helped me out a lot. I knew that if I got better, it would help the team out."

Newman said the key for Selman was just to "keep it simple."

"The adversity she faced last year, she handled it all and channeled it all in the right way," she said.

"Ultimately, she put of that in her faith, and I think that's really propelled her to where she is today. That, and just getting out there and getting the job done on the field. She knows what you have to do, and she kind of kept it simple. She took it back to, just throw strikes and use my defense, rather than all this other stuff that can go along with pitching games. She kept it simple."

Selman also figured out how to keep it in the zone. She has better than a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 185 strikeouts and just 41 walks in 201.0 innings.

Both pitchers' biggest weapon is a defense that's bordered on spectacular, particularly with Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jessie Scroggins in centerfield.

"Just going out there and knowing that I don't have to strike out all 21 of them, that's a really good feeling," said Selman, a senior from Lufkin, Texas. "When you see Scroggs literally climbing the wall to catch balls, and you see Ari (Hawkins), Taylor (Ellis), CC (Caitlin Charlton) or whoever going after every ball they can, it just gives you so much confidence. There's times where they'll mess up, but those are the times when you pick them up and say, `Hey, you've done this a million times. It's OK.'''

While Selman has clearly been the most consistent pitcher all year, no one in the country had a better regionals weekend than Rodoni.

The sophomore right-hander from Los Banos, Calif., tossed the first postseason no-hitter in program history in a 1-0 win over Kent State and came back two days later to do it again in beating James Madison and All-American pitcher Megan Good, 1-0, in the championship game.

"I knew I had that in me, I just didn't know it would come out in the regionals," Rodoni said. "But, it was an awesome time to do it. I couldn't be more grateful about that."

A year ago, Rodoni had her redshirt pulled nearly two months into the season and went 6-1 with a 3.35 ERA, beating Long Beach State in the NCAA Eugene Regional and pitching in three of the four games there.

"It was tough at first, just because the other pitchers and players had already played in all the preseason games and prepared themselves for conference play," she said. "So, it was tough just jumping right into conference, not having any of the experience they had. It wasn't an easy decision, but I wanted to do what was best to help the team."

Ultimately, that experience probably helped Rodoni this year, "just for my confidence, just knowing that I can hang at this level and experiencing that before I get a full year to start," she said.

At LSU, Moore had what most considered "the best 1-2 punch in the country" with Ashley Lewis and Newman, a three-time first-team All-American.

But, he said, "I don't think I've ever had two pitchers performing as closely as these two are," Moore said. "We've had the 1B or 2 talent of a Heather Stearns (with Whitney Canion). . . . But, I don't know that I've had as much confidence in both pitchers as I do in these two."

The two-ace concept gives the 15th-seeded Lady Bears a fighting chance against second-seeded Arizona (51-7) going into the Super Regional that starts with Friday's 8 p.m. CDT game at Hillenbrand Stadium in Tucson, Ariz., in a game that will be broadcast by ESPN2.

"More than ever now, because most teams have two pitchers," Moore said. "Fifteen years ago, 10 years ago even, more teams were riding one arm, at least until you got into the loser's bracket. And many were, still, in that case. So yeah, I think the bullpen is becoming more and more important every year."

Simple math tells you that two is better than one, but it also takes some of the pressure off both pitchers.

"It helps me with being able to relax, because I'm not going out there feeling like the weight of the world is on me," Selman said. "Last weekend, I pitched really well, but it gives me more confidence seeing what Gia did. Just knowing that even if I don't do well, there's somebody right there to back me up."

This situation could have gotten a little sticky, with both pitchers vying for basically the same role. But, that wasn't the case with Selman and Rodoni. They are friends on and off the field and want to see the other one do their best.

"I've never had a pitching situation like this where we get along so well," Rodoni said. "At the beginning of the season, Kelsee had just said no matter whether she was in the dugout or on the field, she wants me to succeed. I feel like she's the one person on the team that wants me to do the most. My whole team respects me and wants me to do the best, but it's awesome coming from a different pitcher."

Selman says the two do compete in the circle, "but it's a healthy competition."

"We're going at each other, but we're also happy when each one of us does well," she said. "Of course, inside, we're like really wanting to be better for ourselves. But, we also know that if we're both doing really well, it helps the team and we're going to win. I think it helps that we're really good friends on and off the field, too. She's kind of like a sister to me."