Softball Game Notes vs. Southwest Texas State
4/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 3, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Baylor rebounded from their Big 12 opener loss at Texas (1-0) with two 1-0 extra-inning victories over Oklahoma State in Waco. The Lady Bears host two ranked teams this week with #22 Southwest Texas State and #17 Nebraska coming to Waco.
Southwest Texas State comes into the game at 29-7 overall and ranked #22 nationally. The Bobcats took two games from Baylor in San Marcos earlier this season, 2-0 & 8-0. This came in the Bobcats' tournament, Baylor's second and third games of the season. The Bobcats have won 15 straight games.
HEAD COACH GLENN MOORE Glenn Moore is in his first season as head coach at Baylor, coming to Waco after a stellar three-year tenure at Louisiana State. Moore, a 1993 graduate of Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., was selected June 26, 2000 to replace Paula Young, who left coaching to accept an administrative position within the department.
While at LSU, Moore amassed a 117-25 (.820) record in two-plus seasons as the head coach. In that time, he led the Tigers to consecutive Southeastern Conference titles and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Regionals. He was named head coach at LSU just prior to the 1998 Regionals, giving him three NCAA postseason appearances as a head coach. The Tigers went 56-10 in 1999 en route to the SEC regular season title and the conference tournament championship. Last season, the Tigers finished 59-13, one game shy of the College World Series. LSU finished eighth nationally in team batting average (.310) and ninth in team ERA (1.11).
Moore has a career record of 168-53 (.760), he posted a 22-17 mark in his first year as a collegiate head coach at William Carey in Mississippi.
BAYLOR
Ryan Stukel (junior, Cochise, Ariz.) leads four Lady Bear hitters that are hitting over .300. Stukel leads the team in hitting (.405), home runs (8) and had a 13-game hitting streak snapped on Sunday. Centerfielder Naomi Fitzgerald (senior, College Grove, Tenn.) ranks second in hitting with a .386 mark, she also has a team-high eight doubles. Sophomore Sarah Caudle (Gilroy, Calif.) is hitting .336 and sophomore Stacey Hundley (Mesa, Ariz.) checks in at .314 while leading the team in stolen bases with 13. Baylor pitchers are led by sophomore Joni Miller (Edmond, Okla.). The rightie sports a record of 20-6 and an ERA of 0.97. In 180.1 innings pitched she has struck out 102 and issued only 23 walks.
BAYLOR VS. SOUTHWEST TEXAS STATE
Baylor leads the series with the Southwest Texas State Bobcats 23-9 despite losing two games arlier this season (2-0, 8-0). The Bobcats, coached by first-year head coach Ricci Woodard, are 29-7 on the season and have only lost two games on the road this season. They are currently on a 15-game winning streak. The Bobcats pitching tandem of Jessica Chase and Nicole Neurburg have posted impressive numbers. Chase is 17-2 on the season with a 0.83 ERA and Neuerburg is 12-5 overall with a 0.89 ERA. The two have combined for 150 strikeouts. Kristen Zaleski is the only batter hitting over .300, she checks in at .343. Elizabeth Wissel heads the team in slugging percentage at .561, she has five home runs and 12 doubles to her credit.
BAYLOR IN THE BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
As of Monday's release, Baylor ranks quite high in the Big 12 Conference statistical rankings. The Lady Bears ranked fifth in hitting (.281) and fourth in fielding (.961). Baylor ranked third in the conference in home runs (21), fourth in RBI (134), the Lady Bears are second in the Big 12 in stolen bases with 66.
STUKEL, FITZGERALD AMONG BATTING LEADERS
Junior catcher Ryan Stukel (junior, Cochise, Ariz.) leads the Lady Bears with a .405 batting average (49-for-121), ranking third in the Big 12. She leads the conference in total bases (85) and is second in home runs (8) and sluggint percentage (.702) and third in RBI (32), Stukel ranks tied for second in triples (3). Senior center fielder Naomi Fitzgerald (College Grove, Tenn.) is third in triples (2), seventh in total bases (61) and runs scored (26) and ninth in stolen bases (12). Sophomore second baseman Stacey Hundley (Mesa, Ariz.) ranks eighth in stolen bases with 13.
MILLER AMONG PITCHING LEADERS
Sophomore Joni Miller (Edmond, Okla.) is 20-6 on the season, leads the Big 12 in saves (4) and ranks second in the Big 12 in starts (26), wins (20), appearances (33) and shutouts (6) and third in innings (180.1). She also ranks third in ERA (0.97), sixth in strike outs (102) and fourth in complete games (15).
LAST TIME OUT
Baylor 1, OSU 0 (14): Baylor 1, OSU 0 (8) Joni Miller was a mainstay on the mound and Kourtny Westerfeld (sophomore, Crawford, Texas) delivered at the plate when the Lady Bears posted two, 1-0 extra-inning, victories over Oklahoma State. On Saturday Miller pitched all 14 innings limiting the Cowgirls to just four hits before Westerfeld delivered the game winning hit, a single to left center. Miller started Sunday's game and pitched 5.0 innings before being relieved by Jill Smith. Miller reentered the game with one out in the seventh and went the distance. Miller limited OSU batters to five hits and got the victory when, in the bottom of the eighth, Westerfeld again delivered the game winner, a shot down the right field line.
An interesting note - the pitch before hitting the single to drive in the winning run in the 14th inning, Westerfeld fouled a ball that hit the index finger of her right hand. It was discovered Monday that the foul ball broke the finger in four places. Both game-winning singles were hit after the injury. She is out for the season.
LADY BEARS AMONG NATION'S ELITE
For the fifth straight week, the Lady Bears are ranked among the nation's elite. They dropped from 19th to 21st in the latest ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll. The Lady Bears, on Feb. 26 made their first appearance in the national rankings since the 1997 season checking in at No. 23. That year, Baylor spent four weeks in the Top 25, reaching as high as No. 22. Rankings this season:
Feb. 26 - No. 23
Mar. 7 - No. 21
March 14 - No. 19
March 21 - No. 19
March 28 - No. 21
OUT FOR THE YEAR
Injuries have hit the Lady Bears hard with three starters out for the season:
Summer Rohde - first baseman, out for season, torn ACL.
Kristen Lancaster - third baseman, out for season, shoulder (right) surgery.
Kourtny Westerfeld - 1B/3B/DP - out for season, right index finger broken in four places.
WAS IT THE LONGEST?...NOT
Baylor's 14-inning marathon against Oklahoma State last Saturday was not the longest game in Baylor history. On April 8, 1984 Baylor and Texas Tech played a 24 inning game. Texas Tech won the game 1-0.
