No. 22 Softball Hosts No. 12 Oklahoma

Softball 4/26/2002 12:00:00 AM

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No. 22 BAYLOR
vs.
No. 12 OKLAHOMA

APRIL 27 * 2 P.M. CDT
APRIL 28 * 1 P.M. CDT
GETTERMAN STADIUM
WACO, TEXAS

No. 22 Baylor returns to action this weekend, hosting No. 12 Oklahoma for a two-game series that concludes the regular season for both teams. The Lady Bears and the Sooners play Saturday at 2 p.m. CDT and Sunday at 1 p.m. Baylor (45-14, 10-6) did not play a midweek game this week; the Lady Bears are coming off a 2-1 12-inning loss at Oklahoma State last Sunday after taking the first game at OSU 7-0 last Saturday. Oklahoma (39-12, 12-2) defeated Oklahoma State 5-4 in 10 innings Wednesday at Norman. Live stats for both games will be available online at www.GoBaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the Official College Sports 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 222-78 (.740); 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 222-78 (.740) in his career, holds a 200-61 record (.766) at the Division I level.

THE OKLAHOMA SERIES
Baylor and Oklahoma meet for the 23rd and 24th times this weekend with the Sooners holding a commanding 20-2 advantage in the all-time series. Oklahoma has won 17 straight against Baylor, dating back to the 1997 season. The Lady Bears' last victory over the Sooners was in 1988, the final year of the orginal Baylor program. Oklahoma is 4-0 all-time in Waco with all four games coming since the inception of the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners won both games of a two-game series last season at Norman; OU also posted a 2-1 victory over the Bears at the Hillenbrand Invitational at Tucson, Ariz.

MOORE vs. OKLAHOMA
Baylor head coach Glenn Moore is 2-4 in his career against Oklahoma. Moore is 0-3 against the Sooners while at Baylor after posting a 2-1 mark against them while at Louisiana State.

THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Oklahoma (39-12, 12-2) is in its eighth year under the direction of Patty Gasso, who is 398-124 while at Norman. Gasso served as head coach at Long Beach City College from 1990 to 1995 and has a career record of 560-183.

OU Notes: The Sooners are ranked 12th in this week's USA Today/NFCA Top 25. ... OU has won three straight after a brief four-game losing streak that included a pair of losses to Texas and losses to Fresno State and Arizona. Prior to that, the Sooners enjoyed a 12-game winning streak; OU also opened the season with 11 straight victories. ... Oklahoma leads the Big 12 Conference in team batting average at .284. The Sooners are also tops in the league in on base percentage (.365), slugging percentage (.465), runs (281), doubles (67, tied with Baylor), home runs (53), RBI (255) and walks (167). ... The Sooners are led at the plate by freshman C Christina Enea, whose .370 batting average ranks fourth in the Big 12; she also leads OU with 18 doubles and 50 RBI (tops in the Big 12) to go along with seven home runs. ... Junior OF Leah Gulla leads the team and the conference with 13 home runs. ... Oklahoma ranks fourth in the Big 12 with a staff ERA of 1.39. ... Senior LHP Jennifer Stewart anchors the staff with a 16-5 record and a 1.83 ERA. She has 103 strikeouts in 141.2 innings of work and opponents are hitting just .188 against her. ... Freshman LHP Kami Keiter, who also plays 1B, is 11-6 with a 0.76 ERA (second in the Big 12).

LAST MEETING ... OKLAHOMA 7, BAYLOR 1 - APRIL 2001
Oklahoma rolled to a 7-1 win over Baylor as the Sooners completed a weekend sweep of the Lady Bears. Baylor continued to have offensive trouble against the Oklahoma hurlers. The Lady Bears managed just one run in two games, and that lone run came in the sixth inning of the second game. Joni Miller gave up just one hit in the first two innings before Oklahoma's offense opened up the game with a six-run third inning. Four hits, two walks and a hit batsman gave the Sooners all the runs they would need. OU scored once more in the fifth for a 7-0 lead. Baylor's run came in the sixth. After two away, Stacey Hundley, Naomi Fitzgerald and Ryan Stukel bunched together three hits, with Stukel driving in Hundley from second. The run ended a 25-inning scoreless streak by OU pitcher Jennifer Stewart.

BAYLOR FOURTH IN MIDWEST REGIONAL RANKINGS
Baylor is ranked fourth in the biweekly Midwest Regional rankings, released Thursday by the NCAA. The top four spots in the Midwest Regional rankings reflect the top four spots in the Big 12 standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Texas is ranked first, followed by Oklahoma, Nebraska and Baylor. Texas A&M follows at No. 5, then Louisiana-Lafayette, Oklahoma State, Florida International, Illinois State and Kansas.

LADY BEARS REACH 40 WINS FOR FIRST TIME EVER
Baylor's 5-4 victory two weeks ago at Missouri gave the Lady Bears 39 wins on the season, breaking the previous school record for wins in a season (38) established last season and in 1997. The following day, Baylor reached the 40-win plateau for the first time in the program's history with a 4-1 victory over Mizzou. Furthermore, the Lady Bears are on track to have the highest winning percentage At .763, the 2002 squad is well ahead of .633 clip turned in by the 1997 and 2001 teams.

BAYLOR ECLIPSES SCHOOL BIG 12 WIN MARK
With an 10-6 record in Big 12 play, Baylor has won more conference games in a season than any team in school history. Baylor posted seven Big 12 wins during the 1999 and 2001 seasons. This season's squad matched the 1999 squad with a 3-0 start; but just like that team, this year's squad lost its fourth game. However, the 1999 Lady Bears dropped five straight after starting 3-0.

OTHER RECORD RECORDS
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.

LAST TIME OUT ... OKLAHOMA STATE 2, No. 23 BAYLOR 1 (12 innings)
No. 23 Baylor and Oklahoma State went nose-to-nose for three hours, 25 minutes last Sunday. But in the end, a dropped ball at home plate gave the Cowgirls a 2-1 12-inning victory over the Lady Bears. With runners at first and third and two out in the bottom of the 12th, Baylor catcher Danelle Arnold caught Jade Lindly halfway down the third-base line. Arnold chased Lindly back toward third, tossed to third baseman Kristen Lancaster, who then threw back to Arnold, who tagged Lindly. However, Arnold dropped the ball before applying the tag and Lindly was called safe. Baylor and Oklahoma State remained scoreless for the first 10 innings of play. Then, Arnold lifted a sacrifice fly into left-center with one out in the 11th that scored Sarah Caudle, who started the inning at second in accordance with the international tie-breaker rule. But OSU answered in the bottom of the inning thanks to another Baylor fielding miscue. With a runner at third and one out, Stephanie Hodges bounced one to short that Kim Wilmoth fielded with ease. The freshman shortstop looked the runner back to third and set herself, but her throw to first was in the dirt and skipped away. An alert Jenny Kipp scooted home from third. Still, Joni Miller worked out of the jam by getting the next two batters. In fact, Miller, Cristin Vitek and starter Katie Decker turned in one of the most dominating pitching performances in school history. That trio combined to strikeout a school-record 17 batters. Decker had a career-high nine whiffs in five and two-thirds innings of work. Miller had seven in the same length of time, and Vitek struckout one of the two batters she faced in the 12th. Baylor managed six hits on the day, including two each by Lancaster and Kelly Levesque. Caudle and Wilmoth provided the other two hits. Levesque reached safely in five of six plate appearances as she also drew two walks and was hit once.

BAYLOR CLIMBS ONE SPOT IN TOP 25
Baylor climbed one spot in this week's USA Today/NFCA Top 25, landing at No. 22 after going 4-1 last week. The Lady Bears join four other Big 12 school's in this week's rankings; Nebraska is No. 4, Oklahoma is down one spot to No. 12, Texas jumped two spots to No. 14 and Texas A&M stayed at No. 24. Three other 2002 Baylor opponent's are ranked this week: No. 7 Stanford, No. 13 Fresno State and No. 20 Ohio State. Baylor is 4-4 against Top 25 teams this season, including two wins against Top 10 teams.

WHO'S HOT ... WHO'S NOT
HOT: Junior OF Nan Wilkins is hitting .350 (14-for-40) over the last 14 games with two home runs, nine RBI, seven runs, four doubles, a triple, a .650 slugging percentage and a .366 on base percentage. ... Junior OF Sarah Caudle is hitting .348 (16-for-46) over the last 14 games with nine runs, five doubles, five RBI, a .457 slugging percentage, a .400 on base percentage and seven stolen bases. ... Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque is hitting .395 (17-for-43) with 11 runs, four doubles, two triples, a home run, four RBI, a .651 slugging percentage and a .509 on base percentage over the last 14 games. Levesque has also reached base safely in 13 of those 14 games, reaching on an error in the other game. ... Junior RHP Katie Decker is 4-1 with a 0.68 ERA, two completed games and one save over the last 14 games, spanning nine appearances and four starts. ... Freshman OF Carrie Leerberg has been successful on eight consecutive stolen base attempts.

NOT: Sophomore C Danelle Arnold is hitting .083 (2-for-24) with no extra base hits over the last 10 games. ... Junior 1B Kourtny Westerfeld is hitting .136 (3-for-22) over the last 10 contests. ... Freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is hitting .160 (4-for-25) with four errors in her last 10 games.

LADY BEARS BREAK SCHOOL RECORD FOR STEALS
Junior OF Sarah Caudle provided Baylor with its 95th stolen base of the season in the first game of the April 18 doubleheader against Sam Houston State. With that swipe, Baylor established a school record for steals in a season, eclipsing the total of 94 established by the 1996 squad. Baylor is second in the Big 12 with 102 stolen bases in 129 attempts this season.

MORE THIEVERY
Freshman SS Kim Wilmoth leads the team and ranks tied for fourth in the Big 12 with 20 stolen bases on the season; that ranks as third-best season total in school history. Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque is second on the squad with 18 stolen bases, fourth-all-time at Baylor. Meanwhile, freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is sixth all-time at BU with 16, junior OF Sarah Caudle is tied for seventh all-time with 15 and junior 2B Stacey Hundley is 10th all-time with 12. This marks the first time in school history that six Lady Bears have reached double figures in steals.

VITEK ON PACE FOR STRIKEOUT RECORD
Freshman LHP Cristin Vitek is quickly closing in on the school record for strikeouts in a season. She has now whiffed 177 batters on the season, just six shy of Stacey Allison's 1996 school record of 183 established in her freshman season.

BAYLOR PITCHING STAFF FOURTH NATIONALLY
According to the April 23 NCAA statistical rankings, Baylor's team ERA is fourth nationally at 0.88. UCLA leads the nation at 0.66, followed by Stetson (0.75) and Villanova (0.78). Individually, freshman LHP Cristin Vitek is 11th (0.72), sophomore RHP Katie Decker is 20th (0.88) and junior RHP Joni Miller is 42nd (1.06).

ELSEWHERE IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKS
Baylor's .763 winning percentage (45-14) ranks 19th nationally, according to the April 23 NCAA statistical rankings. ... Junior RHP Joni Miller is tied for seventh nationally with five saves, while freshman LHP Cristin Vitek is tied for 16th nationally with four.

HOME, SWEET HOME
Baylor is 25-4 at home this season, already eclipsing the previous school record for home wins in a season. Earlier this season, the Lady Bears enjoyed a school-record 24-game home winning streak that dated back to last season. In two seasons under head coach Glenn Moore, Baylor is 40-10 (.800) at Getterman Stadium. The Lady Bears are 54-23 (.701) in the stadium's four-year existence.

GETTERMAN ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO GROW
Through 21 home dates, Getterman Stadium has drawn 8,100 fans this season. That is a Getterman record, eclipsing last year's total of 5,556. Getterman saw a crowd of 690 fans March 27 for Baylor's game against No. 23 Texas. 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. In fact, five of the seven largest crowds and seven of the 10 largest crowds in the stadium's four-year history have come this season.

FIRST INNING SUCCESS
Through 59 games, Baylor has scored 34 first-inning runs this season. The Lady Bears are 16-1 this year when crossing the plate in the first frame. The April 4 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi marked the only time this season Baylor has scored in the first inning and lost.

SUDDENLY, IT'S THE SIXTH
After scoring just 12 sixth-inning runs in the first 53 games of the season, Baylor has erupted 18 sixth-inning runs in the last six games. The Lady Bears used a five-run sixth to rally and defeat Iowa State 6-4 Sunday. Then, Baylor plated all three runs in its 3-0 victory Wednesday at No. 24 Texas A&M in the sixth frame. The run continued in both games of Thursday's doubleheader against Sam Houston State. The Lady Bears scored four runs in the sixth inning of the first game and one run in the sixth of the nightcap. Finally, Baylor exploded for six runs in the sixth inning of last Saturday's game at Oklahoma State en route to a 7-0 victory.

OTHER INNING FACTS AND FIGURES
Baylor has scored more runs in the third inning (47) this season than in any other inning. ... The Lady Bears have outscored their opponents 42-4 during the fifth inning. ... Baylor has outscored its opponents 118-33 in the first three innings. ... Opponents have scored 15 first-inning runs against Baylor this season, tied with the sixth inning for the most of any frame.

BAYLOR PITCHING STAFF TOPS IN BIG 12
The three-arm pitching staff of junior RHP Joni Miller, sophomore RHP Katie Decker and freshman LHP Cristin Vitek is making a strong case for the best staff in the Big 12 Conference. According to the April 26 rankings, Baylor leads the conference with a 0.88 team ERA and a 0.73 ERA in conference games. The Lady Bears have tossed a league-best seven shutouts in Big 12 play; prior to this season, Baylor had never thrown more than two conference shutouts in the same year.

VITEK MAKING HER MARK ON BIG 12
According to the April 26 Big 12 statistical rankings, freshman LHP Cristin Vitek is ranked in the top 10 of nine categories, including wins (t5th, 17), innings pitched (5th, 166.0), strikeouts (4th, 177), saves (t3rd, 4), games started (t8th, 22), shutouts (t9th, 4) and opponents' batting average (6th, .160). She also leads the Big 12 in ERA (0.72) and appearances (41). In conference action, Vitek is fifth in ERA (0.81), tied for fifth in wins (4), seventh in innings pitched (51.2), fifth in strikeouts (53), tied for second in appearances (14), tied for fifth in saves (1), tied for fifth in games started (8) and sixth in opponents' batting average (.190).

MILLER NOT TOO SHABBY EITHER
Not to be out-done, junior RHP Joni Miller is in the top 10 of seven categories, according to the April 26 Big 12 rankings. The Edmond, Okla., native is seventh in ERA (1.06), tied for fifth in wins (17), ninth in innings pitched (145.0), 10th in strikeouts (122), fifth in appearances (36), tied for first in saves (5) and tied for sixth in games started (23). In conference action, Miller is third in ERA (0.69), tied for fifth in wins (4), tied for 10th in strikeouts (31), tied for fourth in appearances (13), tied for first in saves (3) and 8th in lowest opponents' batting average (.207).

LEVESQUE, CAUDLE PEPPER BIG 12 OFFENSIVE STATS
Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque appears in the top 10 of eight offensive categories, according to the April 26 Big 12 rankings. Along with being tied for the conference lead in walks (28), Levesque is seventh in batting average (.347), fourth in hits (58), fourth in runs (35), tied for ninth in doubles (10), tied for seventh in triples (3), eighth in stolen bases (18), and third in on base percentage (.466). Meanwhile, junior OF Sarah Caudle is 12th in batting average (.333), tied for fifth in hits (57), tied for fifth in doubles (11) and tied for third in triples (4).

OTHERS IN BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Senior 3B Kristen Lancaster is tied for sixth with nine home runs. ... Sophomore C Danelle Arnold is tied for seventh with three triples. ... Freshman SS Kim Wilmoth is tied for fourth in steals (20), while freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is tied for ninth with 16 swipes. ... Sophomore RHP Katie Decker is fourth in ERA (0.88), tied for seventh with two saves and eighth in lowest opponents' batting average (.175). Decker also leads in ERA in conference games at 0.63.

BAYLOR BREAKING RECORDS LEFT AND RIGHT
The 2002 Lady Bears are on a torrid pace when it comes to eclipsing school records. Here is a look at all the marks Baylor has established this season (* denotes tied record):

SEASON - MISCELLANEOUS
* Wins (45)
* Big 12 Wins (10)
* Consecutive Wins (13)
* Home Wins (25)
* Total Home Attendance (8,100)

SEASON - BATTING, TEAM
* Runs Batted In (202)
* Triples (15)
* Bases on Balls (143)
* Stolen Bases (102)
* Extra Base Hits (105)
* Hit by Pitch (30)
* Sacrifice Flies (12)

SEASON - PITCHING, TEAM
* Shutouts (22)
* Strikeouts (379)

GAME - BATTING, TEAM
* RBI (21 vs. Southern) *
* Doubles (5 vs. Southern) *
* Triples (2 vs. Southern and Louisiana-Monroe) *
* Home Runs (3 vs. Southern) *
* Stolen Bases (6 vs. Stephen F. Austin) *
* Total Bases (38 vs. Southern)
* Extra Base Hits (10 vs. Southern)
* Sacrifice Flies (2 vs. Southern) *

GAME - PITCHING, TEAM
* Strikeouts (17 at Oklahoma State)

SEASON - BATTING, INDIVIDUAL
* Triples (4, Sarah Caudle) *
* Hit by Pitch (10, Kelly Levesque)
* Sacrifice Flies (2, Danelle Arnold, Sarah Caudle, Stacey Hundley and Kristen Lancaster) *

GAME - BATTING, INDIVIDUAL
* Runs (4, April Luce vs. Southern) *
* Hits (4, Carrie Leerberg vs. Southern and April Luce vs. Southern) *
* Doubles (3, Nan Wilkins vs. Oklahoma City)
* Triples (1, 14 times) *
* Extra Base Hits (3, Nan Wilkins vs. Oklahoma City) *
* Hit by Pitch (2, Kelly Levesque vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) *
* Sacrifice Hits (3, Stacey Hundley vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) *
* Sacrifice Flies (1, 10 times) *

GAME - PITCHING, INDIVIDUAL
* Strikeouts (15, Joni Miller vs. Stephen F. Austin)

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).

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.

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

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. Larry Little, a veteran broadcaster of baseball, softball, basketball and soccer, will handle play-by-play duties for road games, while John Morris, "The Voice of the Bears," will handle play-by-play duties for home games. Former Baylor head coach Paula Young 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 2-5 Thurs.-Sun. at Big 12 Tournament        TBAMay 16-19   Thurs.-Sun. 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 travels to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the Big 12 Conference tournament. The Lady Bears will be either the third seed or the fourth seed and will play their first game Friday, May 3 at 11 a.m. CDT either way.

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