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BAYLOR
vs.
KANSAS
March 23 * 2:00 p.m. CST
March 24 * 1:00 p.m. CST
Getterman Stadium
Waco, Texas
Baylor returns to action this weekend, hosting Kansas for a two-game series at Getterman Stadium. The Lady Bears and the Jayhawks play at 2 p.m. CST Saturday and at 1 p.m. CST Sunday. Baylor (32-7, 3-0) is coming off a 7-0, 2-0 doubleheader sweep Wednesday at Texas Tech. Kansas (16-10, 1-1) split a doubleheader Wednesday at home against Oklahoma State, winning the first game 4-0 and dropping the nightcap 4-1. Live stats for both games will be available at www.GoBaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the FANSOnly Network.
HEAD COACH GLENN MOORE
Glenn Moore is in his second season as head coach at Baylor, coming to Waco after a stellar three-year tenure at Louisiana State. In his first season at Baylor, Moore led the Lady Bears to a 38-22 overall record and a sixth-place, 7-9 mark in the Big 12 Conference. Along the way, Baylor established school season records for wins, home runs (24), fielding percentage (.963), on base percentage (.329), shutouts (17) and saves (7). The Lady Bears also enjoyed a school-record 11-game winning streak in February. 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 209-71 (.746), he posted a 22-17 mark in his first year as a collegiate head coach at William Carey in Mississippi.
MOORE CLAIMS CAREER WIN No. 200
Baylor head coach Glenn Moore claimed his 200th career victory as a collegiate head coach Feb. 24 when the Lady Bears defeated San Diego State 5-1. Moore, who is 209-71 (.746) in his career, holds a 187-54 record (.776) at the Division I level.
THE KANSAS SERIES
Baylor and Kansas meet for the 21st and 22nd times this weekend, the Jayhawks hold a 16-4 advantage in the all-time series and have won four straight against the Lady Bears. In games played in Waco, Kansas holds a 6-2 advantage, splitting two-game sets in each of its last two trips to Waco (1999 and 2000). Last season, Kansas defeated Baylor 6-2 and 6-0 at Lawrence, where the Lady Bears have never won in four tries. The Jayhawks then knocked Baylor out of the Big 12 Tournament with a 10-4 victory in the first round of the losers' bracket. Kansas and Baylor first met March 16, 1981, the Jayhawks swept a doubleheader that day 5-4 and 4-0 in Waco. KU leads the series 11-3 since the inception of the Big 12 conference in 1997.
MOORE vs. KANSAS
Baylor head coach Glenn Moore is 1-3 in his career against Kansas, including an 0-3 mark against the Jayhawks while at Baylor. Moore was 1-0 against KU during his two seasons at Louisiana State.
THE KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Kansas (16-11, 1-1) is in its fifth year under the direction of head coach Tracy Bunge, a former all-America pitcher at KU. Bunge has a career record of 235-197 in eight seasons as a collegiate head coach, 143-130 while at her alma mater.
KU Notes: The Jayhawks are 5-4 in their last nine games after a season-long seven-game winning streak in early March. ... Kansas split a doubleheader Wednesday at home against Oklahoma State, Sophomore RHP Kara Pierce tossed no-hitter in the opener as the Jayhawks defeated the Cowgirls 4-0 before falling 4-1 in the nightcap. ... Senior OF Christi Musser carries the load for Kansas at the plate, leading the team with a .423 batting average, five home runs, 18 RBI and a .718 slugging percentage. ... Pierce anchors the Jayhawk staff, she is 7-4 this season with a 2.11 ERA on a staff that balances four pitchers. ... KU is hitting .288 as a team with 18 home runs. ... Jayhawk pitchers tote a staff ERA of 2.17, led by Senior RHP Kelly Campbell at 1.35.
LAST MEETING ... KANSAS 10, BAYLOR 4 - MAY 2001
Baylor surrendered five unearned runs en route to a 10-4 loss to Kansas in the losers' bracket of the 2001 Big 12 Conference Tournament in Oklahoma City, Okla. The loss ended Baylor's season at 38-22. Sarah Caudle, pitching her second game of the day, went 5.1 innings against the Jayhawks. Jill Smith came in to relieve Caudle in the sixth and faced three batters. Caudle, now 8-6 on the season gave up 12 hits and 10 runs, five of which were unearned. Baylor got on the board first, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Stacey Hundley walked and Koral King tripled through the right side. Caudle, who was Baylor's leading batter at 2-for-3 in the game, singled to center to drive in King. In the bottom of the first inning Kansas countered with two runs of their own on four hits, two of which were high flies that Baylor players lost in the sun. The Jayhawks pushed across two more in the fourth inning. Baylor pulled to within one when with a run in the fifth. However, Kansas would add two more runs in the fifth and four in the sixth for the victory.
LAST TIME OUT ... BAYLOR 7-2, TEXAS TECH 0-0
Baylor extended its streak of consecutive scoreless innings in Big 12 play to 21 here Wednesday with a doubleheader sweep of Texas Tech. The Lady Bears won the first game 7-0 and took the nightcap 2-0. A six-run Baylor third inning proved to be fatal for Texas Tech in the opener. After Kelly Levesque gave the Lady Bears a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly in the second, Baylor erupted for six runs on four hits and three walks in the third. Sarah Caudle had a two-out, two-run single in the inning. Meanwhile, Joni Miller and Katie Decker kept the Red Raider bats at bay. Miller went three innings and allowed just one hit and a walk with two strikeouts. Decker (7-1) pitched the final four innings to get the victory in relief, she scattered two hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Levesque sparked the Baylor offense, going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI. April Luce was 1-for-2 with an RBI and scored twice. In the second game, Baylor got a run in the third and another in the fifth for the 2-0 win. Caudle had a two-out single in the third that plated Kim Wilmoth. In the fifth, Wilmoth scored on a Caudle fielder's choice. Cristin Vitek started for Baylor, tossing five shutout innings for the win. Vitek (14-3) scattered six hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Miller pitched the final two innings for her fourth save of the season, she allowed just one hit with four strikeouts, including three in the seventh. It was Miller's ninth career save, breaking Stacey Allison's school record for career saves.
LADY BEARS NEARING SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS
At 32-7, Baylor is just six wins shy of tying the school record for wins in a season, established last season and in 1997. Furthermore, the Lady Bears are off to the best 39-game start in the program's history. The 2002 squad has already amassed at least as many wins as 14 previous teams in the 20-year history of Baylor softball. The Lady Bears opened the season at 7-0, matching the 1997 team for the most consecutive victories to start a season in school history. Baylor also has enjoyed a 13-game winning streak this season, the longest in school history. In two seasons under head coach Glenn Moore, the Lady Bears own a February record of 42-6.
BAYLOR MATCH BEST BIG 12 START EVER
With three straight wins to open Big 12 Conference play, the Lady Bears have matched their best start in conference play since the league's inception in 1997. The 1999 squad also started 3-0 before losing its next five. Baylor started 0-7 in 1997 and in 1998, 1-7 in 2000 and 2-3 last season. The Lady Bears tallied seven conference wins last season and in 2000, the most Big 12 wins in the program's history.
HOME, SWEET HOME
With a 4-3 victory last Wednesday night against Texas-Arlington, Baylor is 17-0 at home this season. The Lady Bears have won a school-record 24 straight games at Getterman Stadium, dating back to last season. Baylor is hitting .351 at home this season, as opposed to .239 in games played away from Getterman Stadium. Likewise, the Lady Bear pitchers have been simply dominant at home with a 0.57 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 111 innings. On the road, Baylor's staff ERA is 1.11 with 137 strikeouts in 151 innings. Baylor is 15-7 this season away from Getterman Stadium.
GETTERMAN ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO GROW
Getterman Stadium saw a crowd of 651 fans March 12 when Baylor defeated then-No. 21 Texas A&M 4-0. That is the second-largest attendance in the stadium's history behind only the crowd of 780 that watched the Lady Bears defeat Oklahoma State 1-0 in 14 innings March 31, 2001. Since Getterman Stadium opened May 1, 1999, there have been 12 dates of 400 or more fans, Baylor is 17-2 on those dates, splitting two doubleheaders and sweeping five others.
BAYLOR RECEIVES VOTES IN NFCA TOP 25
For the fourth straight week, Baylor received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top 25, ranking second among teams also receiving votes in this week's poll. The Lady Bears gained 39 total points, two less than Texas and 11 less than No. 25 Wisconsin. Baylor spent seven weeks in the Top 25 last season, reaching as high as No. 19.
FIRST-INNING SUCCESS
Through the first 39 games, Baylor has scored 29 first-inning runs this season. The Lady Bears are 13-0 this season when scoring in the first inning.
WHO'S HOT ... WHO'S NOT
HOT: Freshman LHP Cristin Vitek is 12-2 with a 0.31 ERA in her last 20 appearances, including 11 starts. In that span, she has tallied 97 strikeouts in 91 innings of work with only 12 walks. Opponents are hitting .145 off Vitek in that span, during which she is allowing less than one hit per two innings. ... Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque is hitting .419 (13-for-31) with eight runs, six walks and a .500 on base percentage over the last 10 games. ... Freshman SS Kim Wilmoth, who is hitting .237 on the season, is hitting .294 (5-for-17) over her last nine games with four runs scored and three stolen bases.
NOT: Baylor is hitting just .242 (63-for-260) with just two home runs in its last 10 games. ... Six regular starters are hitting .250 or lower during that span. ... Junior 2B Stacey Hundley is hitting .115 (3-for-26) in her last nine games.
MILLER CLAIMS CAREER SAVES RECORD
Junior RHP Joni Miller picked up her ninth career save Wednesday in the Lady Bears' second game at Texas Tech. With that save, her fourth of the 2002 season, Miller eclipsed Stacey Allison's school record for saves in a career.
VITEK'S SURGE GIVES BAYLOR A PAIR OF ACES
Freshman left-hander Cristin Vitek established herself as one of the nation's top freshman pitchers two weeks ago when she out-dueled Fresno State's Jamie Southern 2-1. Vitek, a product of Taylor High School in Katy, Texas, held the 10th-ranked Bulldogs to one unearned run on two hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts, defeating the reigning national player of the week Southern. Two days later, Vitek solidified her all-tournament status at the Hallowell Classic with an eight-inning, 12-strikeout, three-hit shutout of Boston. Then, she tossed six and one-third scoreless innings en route to the victory as Baylor shutout then-No. 21 Texas A&M 4-0 last Tuesday in the Big 12 Conference opener. ... In 26 appearances this season, Vitek has allowed a run just six times and more than one run just twice.
FOUR LADY BEARS ALREADY IN STEALS TOP 10
Head coach Glenn Moore focused on increasing team speed with his 2001 signing class, and through 39 games that emphasis is apparent. Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque, who transferred to Baylor from Louisiana State, leads the team with 15 stolen bases, that figure already ranks as the fourth-best season total in school history. Meanwhile, freshman SS Kim Wilmoth is tied for sixth all-time with 13 swipes, and junior 2B Stacey Hundley and freshman OF Carrie Leerberg are tied for eighth with 11 each. As a team, the Lady Bears have swiped 75 bases this season, third in school history and just 19 shy of the school record established in 1996.
MORE THIEVERY
Five of the top 11 stolen base threats in Baylor history are currently wearing the Green and Gold. Junior 2B Stacey Hundley is tied for third in school history with 32 career stolen bases, while junior OF Sarah Caudle is fifth with 26. Meanwhile, three players have cracked the top 10 in their first seasons at Baylor. Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque is sixth all-time with 15 thefts, freshman SS Kim Wilmoth is tied for seventh with 13, and freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is tied for ninth with 11.
CAUDLE TIES BOTH TRIPLES MARKS
With four triples on the season, junior OF Sarah Caudle is tied with Lyn Hill (1996-1999) for first all-time at Baylor with seven career triples. Furthermore, Caudle has already tied the school mark for three-baggers in a season, matching Kristin Barton's 1996 total. Caudle currently ranks in the top 10 on 11 career offensive lists at Baylor.
LADY BEARS GO NO-NO CRAZY
Entering the 2002 season, there had been just four no-hitters thrown by Baylor pitchers in the program's history. The Lady Bears have now thrown four in their last 16 games. Katie Decker got things started with a complete-game no-hitter Feb. 15 against Stephen F. Austin. One week later, Joni Miller combined with Cristin Vitek and Decker to no-hit SFA in a five-inning 8-0 victory. The next day, Baylor tossed a pair of no-hitters. Miller pulled the feat in a seven-inning, 3-0 win over Creighton, Vitek and Decker then combined to no-hit SFA again, this time 10-0 in five innings. Baylor pushed its streak of consecutive innings without allowing a hit to 22 innings before Joni Miller surrendered a leadoff home run in the fourth inning of the Feb. 23 Akron game.
BIG 12 COACHES TAB BAYLOR SIXTH
Baylor was picked to finished sixth in the Big 12 Conference this season, according to the preseason coaches' poll. The Lady Bears were 38-22 overall last season, finishing sixth in the Big 12 with a 7-9 league mark. Defending champion Nebraska was the overwhelming favorite in the preseason poll, garnering 78 total points and seven of 10 first-place votes. Oklahoma, which claimed the Big 12 Tournament title last year, was picked second with 72 total points and two first-place nods. Texas was third with 65 points and the final first-place selection. Kansas (52 points) was picked fourth, followed by Texas A&M (49), Baylor (42), Oklahoma State (32), Texas Tech (28), Missouri (23) and Iowa State (9).
TRANSFERS FIND HOME AT BAYLOR
Four members of the 2002 Lady Bears' squad transferred to Baylor from other schools, three coming in this season and all three from four-year schools. Last season, Kourtny Westerfeld joined the Baylor program after spending one season at nearby McLennan Community College. This season, the Lady Bears welcome sophomores Danelle Arnold and Katie Decker from fellow Big 12 Conference institution Nebraska, and sophomore Kelly Levesque from Southeastern Conference power Louisiana State.
Player Prev. School StatusDanelle Arnold Nebraska sophomore CKatie Decker Nebraska sophomore RHPKelly Levesque Louisiana State sophomore SSKourtny Westerfeld McLennan CC junior 1B
BAYLOR ADDS 3 EARLY SIGNEES
Head coach Glenn Moore signed four players to National Letters of Intent last fall during the early signing period. Joining the Lady Bears' program next year will be 3B/C Amber Daniel, SS Kelly Osburn and SS/OF Harmony Schwethelm. Daniel, a 1999 graduate of Vanguard High School in Waco, Texas, will come to Baylor from Temple (Texas) College. Osburn preps at Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas, and Schwethelm attends Smithson Valley High School in San Antonio, Texas.
GOBAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.GoBaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the FANSonly Network. FANSonly currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including eight Big 12 schools.
OVER THE AIR
Selected Baylor softball games can be heard live on KRZI-AM (1660/1580) in Waco this season. John Morris, "Voice of the Bears" and a veteran broadcaster of all sports, will handle play-by-play duties, while Baylor assistant director of media relations Larry Little, a veteran broadcaster of baseball, softball, basketball and soccer, will provide color analysis. Baylor's broadcast schedule for the 2002 season is as follows:
Date Day Opponent TimeMarch 20 Wed. at Texas Tech (DH) 2:00 p.m.March 27 Wed. TEXAS 6:30 p.m.April 6 Sat. at Missouri 7:00 p.m.April 14 Sun. IOWA STATE NoonApril 20 Sat. at Oklahoma State 2:00 p.m.May 1-3 Wed.-Fri. at Big 12 Tournament TBAMay 16-20 Thurs.-Mon. at NCAA Regionals TBA
BAYLOR GAMES ON THE NET
Live stats for all Baylor home games can be accessed by visiting www.GoBaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor athletics.
INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and the region. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Net Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays, and it airs at 1 p.m. Wednesdays on FSN Southwest.
UP NEXT...
Baylor continues a four-game homestand with a pair of midweek games. The Lady Bears host New Mexico State for a non-conference game Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Baylor returns to Big 12 play Wednesday, hosting Texas for a single game at 6:30 p.m.
