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No. 24 BAYLOR
vs.
TAMU-CORPUS CHRISTI
APRIL 4, 2002
5:00 P.M. CST (DH)
GETTERMAN STADIUM
WACO, TEXAS
No. 24 Baylor returns to action Thursday, hosting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CST at Getterman Stadium. The Lady Bears (37-10) are coming off a doubleheader sweep Tuedsay at home against NAIA power Oklahoma City, defeating the Stars 8-1 and 5-1. TAMUCC (26-19) has won 12 straight, including a doubleheader sweep of New Mexico State at home last Saturday. Live stats for both games will be available 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 214-74 (.743), 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 214-74 (.743) in his career, holds a 192-57 record (.771) at the Division I level.
THE TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI SERIES
Baylor and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi meet for the fourth and fifth times Thursday. The Lady Bears have won each of the previous three meetings, all coming last season. Baylor defeated the Islanders 8-0 in the 2001 season opener and 4-0 two days later, both at the Southwest Texas State/Chuck Nash Invitational. The Lady Bears also posted a 9-6 triumph over the Islanders Feb. 24, 2001 at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, N.M.
MOORE vs. TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
Baylor head coach Glenn Moore is 3-0 in his career against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Last season's three Lady Bear wins were Moore's first games against the Islanders.
THE TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI ISLANDERS
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (26-19) is in its third year under the direction of head coach Natasha Dumoski. She has a career record of 65-95-1, all coming at TAMUCC.
TAMUCC Notes: The Islanders have won 12 consecutive games, dating back to a March 9 5-0 win over Wichita State. In that span, TAMUCC has out-scored its opponents 63-10 with six shutouts. ... The Islanders tote a team batting average of .253 with 25 home rurns, 55 doubles, 11 triples and 152 runs scored in 45 games. ... Sophomore UT Katie Evans leads the team with a .363 average to go along with six homers, 12 doubles, two triples, 20 RBI and a team-best 27 runs scored. ... Junior C Eden Goss leads the Islanders with eight homers, 14 doubles and 35 RBI while hitting at a .346 clip. ... The Islanders carry a staff ERA of 1.89 with 13 shutouts, opponents are hitting .217 against TAMUCC. ... Freshman RHP Sarah Pauly is the ace of the Islanders' staff, she is 19-7 this season with a 1.22 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 149.1 innings of work.
LAST MEETING ... BAYLOR 9, TAMUCC 6 - FEBRUARY 2001
Baylor scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to narrowly pull out its 10th straight win with a 9-6 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Troy Cox Classic. The Lady Bears trailed 6-4 going to the bottom of the sixth inning. Kristen Lancaster led off with a pinch-hit walk and advanced to second as Brittany Baker reached on an error by the TAMU-CC second baseman. Naomi Fitzgerald followed with an infield hit, loading the bases. Sarah Caudle popped to second, invoking the infield fly rule, but when the second baseman dropped the ball, Lancaster scored and the other two runners moved up. Ryan Stukel followed with a sacrifice fly that tied the game and moved Fitzgerald to third. Koral King then hit a two-run homer to put Baylor up 8-6, and Holly Fields followed with her second home run of the game for an insurance run. Fields finished the day 3-for-4 with two home runs and 3 RBI. Fitzgerald and Stukel each had two hits for the Lady Bears. TAMUCC out hit Baylor, 16-11, but the Islanders also made five errors on the evening. Caudle started the game on the mound for the Lady Bears, allowing six runs in three innings. Jill Smith relieved Caudle in the fourth and shut out the Islanders for 2.2 innings before Joni Miller came in for the final 1.1 innings.
BAYLOR CRACKS USA TODAY/NFCA TOP 25
After sitting just out of the Top 25 for five straight weeks, Baylor finally cracked the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 this week. The Lady Bears landed at No. 24 in the weekly poll of 27 coaches throughout the nation. Including No. 4 Nebraska and No. 9 Oklahoma, five Big 12 teams were ranked this week. Texas moved up three spots to No. 20, and Texas A&M climbed from 22nd to a tie with Florida State at No. 21. Baylor spent seven weeks in the Top 25 last season, reaching as high as a program-best No. 19.
LADY BEARS ONE WIN SHY OF SCHOOL RECORD
At 37-10, Baylor is just one win shy of tying the school record for victories in a season, established last season and in 1997. Furthermore, the Lady Bears are off to the best 47-game start in the program's history. 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.
BAYLOR OFF TO BEST BIG 12 START EVER
With a 5-3 record in Big 12 play, Baylor is off to its best eight-game start in the league's six-year history. The Lady Bears 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. Baylor is just three conference wins shy of the school record for Big 12 wins in a season, the Lady Bears were 7-11 in 2000 and 7-9 in 2001.
LAST TIME OUT ... BAYLOR 8-5, OKLAHOMA CITY 1-1
After managing just two hits in its last 21 innings, Baylor exploded for 20 hits in a doubleheader sweep of two-time NAIA defending national champion Oklahoma City. The Lady Bears took the first game 8-1 and the nightcap 5-1. Nan Wilkins was the star for Baylor in both games. In the opener, she was 3-for-3 with two runs and a pair of RBI. All three hits were doubles, a Baylor record for two-baggers in a game. In the second contest, Wilkins blasted her second home run of the season, a two-run shot that easily cleared the left-field wall. The Lady Bears took an early lead in the first game with two runs on two hits and an OKC error in the bottom of the second. Danelle Arnold led off with a triple to right center and then scored on Wilkins' first double of the night. Wilkins later scored on a Stars' throwing error. Oklahoma City scratched for a run in the top of the fourth, but Baylor answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and four more in the bottom of the fifth. Kristen Lancaster had the big hit in the fifth, a two-run homer that gives her a team-best seven on the season. Joni Miller picked up the win for Baylor, she allowed one run on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts in five innings of work. Cristin Vitek pitched the final two innings, allowing a pair of hits and striking out four. Sarah Caudle was also 3-for-3 at the plate for Baylor. In the nightcap, Baylor scored a run in the second and two more in the third. That set the stage for Wilkins' two-run homer in the fifth. OKC rallied for a run on two hits in the top of the seventh, but the Stars could get no closer. Katie Decker went the distance for Baylor. She allowed a run on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
VITEK ON PACE FOR STRIKEOUT RECORD
Freshman LHP Cristin Vitek moved into third place on Baylor's single-season strikeout chart Tuesday with four strikeouts in the first game against Oklahoma City. She now has 149 whiffs on the season, one more than Joni Miller had last season. Next on the list for Vitek to overcome is Stacey Allison's 152 total from 1998. Vitek is on pace to break the school mark of 183, established by Allison in her freshman campaign of 1996.
HOME, SWEET HOME
Baylor is 21-2 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. Still intact, though, is Baylor's 22-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents. In two seasons under head coach Glenn Moore, Baylor is 36-8 at Getterman Stadium. The Lady Bears are 50-21 in the stadium's four-year existence.
GETTERMAN ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO GROW
Through 17 home dates, Getterman Stadium has drawn 6,403 fans this season. That is a Getterman record, eclipsing last year's total of 5,556. Getterman saw a crowd of 690 fans last Wednesday 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. Since Getterman Stadium opened May 1, 1999, there have been 15 dates of 400 or more fans, Baylor is 18-4 on those dates.
WHO'S HOT ... WHO'S NOT
HOT: Baylor pitchers are 7-3 with a 0.51 ERA over the last 10 games. In that time, the Lady Bears have held opponents to a .192 batting average with five shutouts. ... Junior OF Sarah Caudle is hitting .357 (10-for-28) in her last 10 games with three doubles, five runs and five RBI. ... Junior OF Nan Wilkins is hitting .462 (6-for-13) with four doubles, a homer and five RBI in her last six games. ... Sophomore RHP Katie Decker is 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA in her last four appearances. She has allowed just one run in her last 19.2 innings of work. ... Junior RHP Joni Miller is 3-1 with a 0.34 ERA in her last seven appearances. She has allowed just one earned run in her last 20.2 innings of work.
NOT: Freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is hitting .160 (4-for-25) over her last 10 games. ... Sophomore 2B Stacey Hundley is hitting .103 (3-for-29) over her last 10 games.
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 1 rankings, Baylor leads the conference with a 0.81 team ERA. Furthermore, the Lady Bears have allowed only three earned runs in eight Big 12 games (55.0 innings) and only five runs, period. Through eight Big 12 games, Baylor has tossed five shutouts, 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 1 Big 12 statistical rankings, freshman LHP Cristin Vitek is ranked in the top 10 of 10 categories, including ERA (2nd, 0.69), wins (t2nd, 15), innings pitched (3rd, 132.0), strikeouts (4th, 145), games started (7th, 17), shutouts (t9th, 3) and opponents' batting average (5th, .156). She is also tied for the Big 12 lead in saves (4) and appearances (31). In conference action, Vitek is sixth in ERA (0.64), second in wins (3), first in innings pitched (33.0), third in strikeouts (36), tied for first in appearances (7), tied for third in saves (1), first in games started (5) and eighth in opponents' batting average (.188).
MILLER NOT TOO SHABBY EITHER
Not to be out-done, junior RHP Joni Miller is in the top 10 of nine categories, according to the April 1 Big 12 rankings. The Edmond, Okla., native is fifth in ERA (0.92), eighth in wins (13), eighth in innings pitched (106.1), ninth in strikeouts (89), tied for third in appearances (27), tied for first in saves (4), tied for fifth in games started (18) and tied for 10th in shutouts (3). In conference action, Miller is tied for first in ERA (0.00), tied for third in appearances (6), tied for first in saves (2) and tied for seventh in games started (3).
LEVESQUE, CAUDLE PEPPER BIG 12 OFFENSIVE STATS
Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque appears in the top 10 of five offensive categories, according to the April 1 Big 12 rankings. Along with leading the conference in walks (23), Levesque is tied for seventh fifth in hits (41), tied for seventh in runs (24), tied for fifth in stolen bases (16) and fifth in on base percentage (.451). Meanwhile, junior OF Sarah Caudle is tied with Levesque for seventh in hits (41), tied for second in triples (4) and 10th in RBI (22). ... Sophomore C Danelle Arnold is tied for the conference lead in Big 12 play with three doubles. ... Freshman SS Kim Wilmoth is tied with Levesque for fourth in steals (16), while junior 2B Stacey Hundley is 10th with 12 swipes.
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.
FOUR LADY BEARS ALREADY IN STEALS TOP 10
Head coach Glenn Moore focused on increasing team speed with his 2001 signing class, and through 47 games that emphasis is apparent. Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque, who transferred to Baylor from Louisiana State, and freshman SS Kim Wilmoth share the team lead with 16 stolen bases, that figure already ranks as the fourth-best season totals in school history. Meanwhile, freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is tied for seventh with 13, and junior 2B Stacey Hundley is ninth all-time with 12 steals. As a team, the Lady Bears have swiped 87 bases this season, second in school history and just seven 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 third in school history with 33 career stolen bases, while junior OF Sarah Caudle is fifth with 29. Meanwhile, three players have cracked the top 10 in their first seasons at Baylor. Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque and freshman SS Kim Wilmoth are tied for sixth all-time with 16 thefts, freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is tied for eighth with 13.
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. 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 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 travels to Columbia, Mo., for a two-game weekend series at Missouri. The Lady Bears and the Tigers play Saturday at 7 p.m. CST and Sunday at 1 p.m. CST. Baylor swept last season's series, winning 3-1 and 6-0 in Waco.
