Friday, April 1
Waco, Texas
6:30 PM
Baylor
vs
Oklahoma State
SB Set to Host No. 6 Oklahoma State in Big 12 Home Opener
3/31/2022 3:48:00 PM | Softball
Bears vs. Cowgirls will air on ESPN Saturday night at 7 p.m.
BAYLOR (17-14) vs. OKLAHOMA STATE (25-6)
Friday, April 1 • vs. Oklahoma State • Waco, Texas | Getterman Stadium • Radio: 101.3 FM • TV: Big 12 Now ESPN+Saturday, April 2 • vs. Oklahoma State • Waco, Texas | Getterman Stadium • Radio: 101.3 FM • TV: ESPN
Sunday, April 3 • vs. Oklahoma State • Waco, Texas | Getterman Stadium • Radio: 101.3 FM • TV: Big 12 Now ESPN+
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Even in a loss, Baylor softball showed that it can compete with the best team in the country.
Facing a top-ranked Oklahoma team that is arguably one of the best ever, the Bears were one out away from handing the Sooners their first loss of the season. Dariana Orme tossed a one-hit shutout through 6 2/3 innings before giving up back-to-back two-out singles in the seventh and a three-run homer by Tiare Jennings in a heartbreaking 3-1 loss.
"I've said along, I had to be patient with this team," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose Bears (17-14, 0-3) will host sixth-ranked Oklahoma State (25-6, 3-0) in a three-game series this weekend at Getterman Stadium.
"Now that I've seen them compete on that stage against that competition in their home park with the nation looking at them, I think I'm going to be a little less patient with them. I think we've proven we can compete against teams. We've done that with a few other big teams, we just haven't figured out how to finish yet."
Baylor, which won one of three games against No. 12 Oregon earlier this season, will get another chance against an OSU team that has won eight-straight and swept its conference-opening series against Texas Tech.
"I think we are definitely very confident," said McKenzie Wilson, who is hitting .451 with a Big 12-best five triples. "Especially coming off of what we did on Sunday (against OU). I think that was a big confidence builder that we can step on the field and compete with anybody."
The way Orme (6-8, 3.27 ERA) pitched against Oklahoma in Sunday's series finale gives the Bears confidence going into Friday's 6:30 p.m. matchup against the Cowgirls.
"She kept what possibly could be the best-hitting lineup in the history of softball off-balanced for seven innings," Moore said. "She grew a lot, and the team gained a lot of confidence in her to know what we're capable of doing. And I certainly did as well."
Wilson said Orme's performance "was no surprise." They were teammates last year at Fresno State before transferring to Baylor.
"She did everything she absolutely could," Wilson said. "She performed amazing, which is expected of her. I think, obviously, that gives her the confidence going into this game. . . . For her to perform the way she did on Friday, not her best stuff, and then come back out on Sunday and do that was just exceptional."
What was most impressive about Sunday's game – after back-to-back run-rule losses – is that Baylor did it with a lineup that included just three upperclassmen, three freshmen and three sophomores.
"We took away a lot of confidence in who we are," said designated player Josie Bower, who is hitting .273 with one home run and 10 RBI. "We've been saying it all along that we're a really good team, and we just haven't shown it fully yet. I think that proved to us, just how good we can be. It just gave us a lot of confidence to know that we can compete and beat anybody in the country."
The Bears are trying to snap a four-game losing streak after giving up an early lead in Tuesday's 6-4 loss at home to Incarnate Word.
"Losing is always frustrating," Wilson said, "but I think it just shows that when you step on the field, it doesn't matter what is across their chest. You have to play to the same level of competitiveness, the same way. You have to step on the field with the same swagger, no matter who you're playing."
The Friday series opener and Sunday's 1 p.m. finale will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Saturday's 7 p.m. game broadcast by ESPN.
STORY LINES
• Baylor Softball will host No. 6 Oklahoma State for its Big 12 home opener this weekend, in a three-game series starting Friday.
• This marks the second Top-25 ranked opponent the Bears are hosting this season after opening play at Getterman Stadium against then ranked No. 12 Oregon.
• Saturday's game will be featured on ESPN at 7 PM. This will be the first time the Bears have been broadcast on the main ESPN network in the regular season since April 6, 2019, when they faced off against Oklahoma in Norman.
• The Bears (17-14) are trying to snap a four-game losing streak that began at No. 1 Oklahoma in a three-game series and continued during the midweek tilt with Incarnate Word.
• The Cowgirls (25-6) are coming off of a Big 12 opening weekend sweep of Texas Tech and a midweek win over Tulsa.
•The Bears are currently sitting at 48 in the NCAA RPI rankings. All seven Big 12 schools currently rank in the top 100 RPI rankings.
• With two outs, the Bears are hitting .309 this season providing key hits at the right moments to get wins. Head Coach Glenn Moore said this could be one of the best situational hitting teams he has ever had. Taylor Strain leads the charge in hits with two outs posting a .500 batting average when two outs are on the board.
BEARS IN THE BIG 12 RANKINGS
• McKenzie Wilson still ranks first in the Big 12 with five triples on the season. Her .451 season batting average still leads the Bears as well as her 22 RBI. Also in the Big 12, Wilson is fourth in batting average (.451), second in hits (41) and first for stolen bases (15).
• Maren Judisch is tied for first in saves with two.
• McKenzie Wilson is 2nd in percentage reached as a leadoff batter with .727, while Josie Bower is batting 1.000 with the bases loaded.
• Josie Bower is leading the league in hit by pitches (8), while Taylor Strain leads in sacrifice bunts (7). Strain also leads in average with 2 outs (.500).
BACK-TO-BACK RANKED OPPONENTS
• This is the first time since April 2019 that the Bears are facing ranked Big 12 opponents in back-to-back games.
• The previous time was No. 2 Oklahoma followed by No. 15 Texas Tech.
VS NO.1 OKLAHOMA
• After being run-ruled in games one and two, the Bears held the Sooners scoreless until the seventh inning, the first time that has happened to the Sooners since, 2019.
• With the 1-0 advantage and two outs a timely OU homer walked-off the game keeping the Sooners undefeated this season.
• The Bears, backed by Dariana Orme's stellar pitching, snapped Oklahoma's 13-game run-rule streak.
OKLAHOMA STATE
OKLAHOMA STATE LEADS 42-31Waco: Baylor leads 16-10
Stillwater, Okla.: Okla. State leads 24-11
Neutral: Oklahoma State leads 8-5
- BaylorBears.com -
Players Mentioned
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