Friday, April 29
Waco, Texas
6:30 PM
Baylor
vs
Iowa State
SB Set to Host Iowa State
4/28/2022 5:01:00 PM | Softball
Bears hold the all-time record over the Cyclones, 41-17
BAYLOR (26-19, 4-8 Big 12) vs. IOWA STATE (22-24, 2-10 BIG 12)
Friday, April 29 • vs. Iowa State • Waco, Texas |Getterman Stadium • Radio: 101.3 FM • TV: Big 12 Now ESPN+Saturday, April 30 • vs. Iowa State • Waco, Texas |Getterman Stadium • Radio: 101.3 FM • TV: Big 12 Now ESPN+
Sunday, May 1 • vs. Iowa State • Waco, Texas |Getterman Stadium • Radio: 101.3 FM • TV: Big 12 Now ESPN+
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Glenn Moore has never tried to sugarcoat or hide anything from his Baylor softball players about their postseason chances.
After winning back-to-back Big 12 series and nine of their last 11 games, the Bears (26-19, 4-8) host Iowa State (22-24, 2-10) in a three-game series this weekend at Getterman Stadium before closing out the regular season with a split series against 17th-ranked Texas (32-15-1, 7-5) next weekend.
While Baylor is 56th in the latest RPI rankings, "there is opportunity to improve it a little bit," Moore said. "We just have to win right now."
"I like to use transparency with the team all the time and tell them at least what I feel. (RPI) is a major factor, but it's not the only factor. Right now, it's where we are. . . . We've let some games slip away that would have put this season in more of our control, but they still have the opportunity to play those games."
Sophomore Emily Hott (.317), who made her first start at first base in Tuesday's 8-1 win over SFA, said the postseason is "on every message that gets sent out between group messages, between players only, it is our goal."
"I think everyone understands the importance of getting there, and how every game will determine if they're going to call our name or not," Hott said. "I think if we go out like it's in the palm of our hand and we have the control right now, we just need to make sure we get it done on the field."
Hott, who's also played left field, right field and DP, is part of a defensive shuffle that is "trying to put together a better offense," Moore said. That's also included using Sydney Collazos at catcher, shortstop and third base, freshman outfielder Kaci West at second base and four different players at right field.
"I didn't know (West) could play the infield until she got to college, because I grew up playing with her. She only ever pitched, and I only ever caught," Collazos said. "Now, we're both on the infield, it's hilarious. . . . If (Coach Moore) wants me to play center, I can do it. I probably don't have the range that McKenzie (Wilson) does, but I could do it."
Fourth on the team with a .296 batting average, freshman Taylor Strain had missed the previous 10 games with an injury before starting in left field and getting one-bat in Tuesday's game.
"We lost Taylor Strain for a while, and she was a big spark for us up in the top of the order," Moore said. "We're hoping to get her back this weekend, we'll find out today. And if we do, we want to have Emily Hott and Josie Bower in the lineup. We have some challenges defensively to make all those offensive tools work out in the lineup. So, that's where we are."
Even with all the shuffling around, the defense has been steadily improving since the beginning of the year and Tuesday's game was "the first time in the season that we've had it all together," Hott said.
Other than covering first base on bunt coverages at second, Hott had never played it until the SFA game.
"Coach Moore said, just don't freak out," Hott said. "I've been playing this game a long time. And, at the end of the day, it's catching and fielding the ball, just like any other position. I think if I just go in with the mindset that it's the game I've been playing forever, it makes it more fun, less pressure. And I trust my teammates that they're going to help me out and make good throws."
While the offense has struggled some recently, the Bears have been getting solid pitching from sophomores Dariana Orme (11-11, 2.88) and Aliyah Binford (8-5, 2.68). On top of giving up just one run on four hits with five strikeouts in 5.0 innings against SFA, Binford also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a homer and three RBI.
"She's a phenomenal athlete," Moore said of Binford, who's also hitting .314 with three homers and 20 RBI. "I didn't want her at shortstop this year, she had an arm injury. I wanted to put her on a corner with a shorter, quicker throw, more time to throw. But, she wanted shortstop. I challenged her to really work that, and she's developed her game there and made some big plays for us."
Iowa State is coming off a 5-4 midweek win over in-state rival Iowa, but has lost seven of its last eight in conference play after a 3-1 upset of a top-10 Oklahoma State team.
"I talked about Texas Tech being a mirror image of Baylor, and I think (Iowa State) is in that same area. We're all very similar teams," Moore said. "They had Texas on the ropes the first two games of the series. It came down to the last inning, and they just couldn't get the third out and let them come back. Their conference record doesn't look very good, but I can promise you, they're a lot better than their conference record."
The series starts with a 6:30 p.m. game Friday, followed by 2 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday, with all three games streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
STORY LINES
• Baylor Softball is hosting Iowa State for a three-game conference series this weekend at Getterman Stadium. This series marks the last home series for the Bears this season, as they will close out the year in Austin, Texas.
• The Bears and Cyclones are meeting for the 58th time, with Baylor leading the all-time record 41-17. The Bears went 2-1 in the series last season.
• Baylor (26-19) have now won nine of their last 11 games. The Bears took the midweek win over Stephen F. Austin, 8-1, completing the two-game season sweep of the Lady Jacks.
• The Cyclones (22-24) defeated Iowa in a midweek matchup this week, 5-4. Iowa State is 2-10 in conference this season, playing No. 1 Oklahoma last weekend and falling in all three games.
• Dariana Orme pitched two complete games last week, a nine-inning midweek game and a complete-game shutout Friday. She set new career highs in last week's midweek, for innings pitched (9.0) and strikeouts (9).
•The Bears are currently sitting at 56 in the NCAA RPI rankings. All seven Big 12 schools currently rank in the top 100 RPI rankings.
• Last week, the Bears pitching carried them through four games as their bats cooled off from the 21 hits the week before.
BEARS IN THE BIG 12 RANKINGS
• McKenzie Wilson still ranks first in the Big 12 with five triples on the season, she has not been passed all season long. Her .403 season batting average still leads the Bears as well as her 25 RBI. Also in the Big 12, Wilson is sixth in batting average (.403), third in hits (52) and first for stolen bases (24).
• Baylor as a team is third in the conference in team pitching and fourth in team batting. BU is also leading the league in sacrifice bunts (22).
• McKenzie Wilson is 1st in percentage reached as a leadoff batter with .643, while Emry McDonough is batting 1.000 with the bases loaded.
• Josie Bower is leading the league in hit by pitches (10), while Taylor Strain leads in sacrifice bunts (8).
• As a pinch hitter, Katie Ellington is batting 1.000.
• Dariana Orme and Aliyah Binford are sitting at No. 2 and No. 3 for striking out batters looking, with 46 and 44.
IOWA STATE
BAYLOR LEADS 41-17Waco: Baylor leads 20-8
Ames, Iowa: Baylor leads 18-6
Neutral: Baylor 3-3
- BaylorBears.com -
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