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NO. 24 BAYLOR
AT
MISSOURI
APRIL 6 * 7 P.M. CST
APRIL 7 * 1 P.M. CDT
UNIVERSITY FIELD
COLUMBIA, MO.
No. 24 Baylor returns to action this weekend, traveling to Columbia, Mo., for a two-game set against Missouri. The Lady Bears and the Tigers play Saturday at 7 p.m. CST and Sunday at 1 p.m. CDT. Baylor (38-11, 5-3) is coming off a doubleheader split Thursday night at home against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, winning the first game 2-1 in nine innings and losing the nightcap 3-2 in eight innings. Missouri (23-23, 1-6) swept Southeast Missouri State 12-0 and 10-2 at home Wednesday. Live stats for both games will be available at www.MUTigers.com, the official website of Missouri Athletics and a member of the Official College Sports Network. Saturday's game will be aired live on KRZI 1660/1580 AM in the Waco area.
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 215-75 (.741), 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 215-75 (.741) in his career, holds a 193-58 record (.769) at the Division I level.
THE MISSOURI SERIES
Baylor and Missouri meet for the 20th and 21st times this weekend with the Tigers holding a 13-6 advantage in the all-time series. The teams first met in 1980, splitting a doubleheader in Waco. Last season, Baylor swept a two-game set in Waco, winning the first game 3-1 and the second game 6-0 in the final weekend of Big 12 Conference play. The Lady Bears have won three of the last four meetings, prior to that, the Tigers won eight consecutive meetings. Baylor is 1-3 all-time in Columbia, splitting a two-game set there in 2000.
MOORE vs. MISSOURI
Baylor head coach Glenn Moore is 3-0 in his career against Missouri. Along with last season's two wins while at Baylor, Moore was 1-0 against the Tigers while at Louisiana State.
THE MISSOURI TIGERS
Missouri (23-23, 1-6) is in its 15th year under the direction of head coach Jay Miller. He has a career record of 701-405 in 20 years as a collegiate head coach. While at Mizzou, Miller is 550-299.
MU Notes: The Tigers are 10-6 at home this season. ... Missouri has a team batting average of .292, second in the Big 12 Conference according to the April 1 rankings. ... Rachel McGinnis leads the Tigers with a .427 average, six home runs, 38 RBI, 28 runs, eight doubles, five triples, a .702 slugging percentage and a .503 on base percentage. ... Missouri has tallied 17 triples this season, coming from eight different players. ... The Tiger pitching staff carries a 1.91 staff ERA, seventh in the conference according to the April 1 rankings. ... Erin Kalka and Ingrid Werner have seen the majority of the work. Kalka is 10-9 with a 1.18 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 119.0 innings of work. Werner has thrown 118.2 innings with an 8-8 record, a 2.30 ERA and 39 strikeouts. ... Opponents are hitting .248 against Tiger hurlers.
LAST MEETING ... BAYLOR 6, MISSOURI 0 - APRIL 2001
Joni Miller tossed a four-hit shutout and Lady Bear batters pounded out 12 hits to give Baylor its first-ever sweep of Missouri with a 6-0 victory in the series finale. Baylor tagged Missouri starter Stephanie Falk for seven hits and five runs, two of which were earned, and reliever Ingrid Werner surrendered five hits and a run in two innings of work. Baylor's three seniors, Naomi Fizgerald, Meredith Miller and Jennifer Polk, each hit safely in the game. On the day, Ryan Stukel was 4-for-4 and Stacey Hundley was 3-for-3 with two RBI. The Lady Bears put two runs on the board in the third inning when Hundley singled through the right side, Stukel singled to right and Koral King tripled down the rightfield line. Baylor added three more runs in the fourth inning and an insurance run in the fifth.
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 TIE SCHOOL RECORD FOR VICTORIES
Baylor's 2-1 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at home Thursday night gave the Lady Bears 38 victories on the season, tying the school record for wins in a season established last season and in 1997. Furthermore, the Lady Bears are off to the best 49-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.
VITEK ON PACE FOR STRIKEOUT RECORD
Freshman LHP Cristin Vitek moved into second place on Baylor's single-season strikeout chart Thursday with five strikeouts in the first game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. She now has 154 whiffs on the season. Next on the list for Vitek to overcome is Stacey Allison's school mark of 183, established in her freshman campaign of 1996.
LAST TIME OUT ... BAYLOR 2-2, TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI 1-3
Kelly Levesque stole third and then raced home when Texas A&M-Corpus Christi catcher Eden Goss' throw sailed into left field as No. 24 Baylor defeated the visiting Islanders 2-1 in nine innings in the first game of a doubleheader. However, TAMUCC scored two runs in the top of the eighth in the nightcap and held on for a 3-2 victory. The Lady Bears staked a 1-0 lead in the opener with a run on three hits in the first inning. Levesque led off the inning with a double and moved to third on the first of Stacey Hundley's school-record three sacrifice bunts. Sarah Caudle then bounced a single through the left side to plate Levesque. That lead stood until one out in the top of the seventh when TAMUCC designated player Kesty Meitner took an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left-center, eventually forcing extra innings. Levesque doubled to left-center with two outs in the ninth, setting the stage for her steal of third and game winning run. Katie Decker (9-1) picked up the victory in relief for Baylor. She tossed one and two-thirds innings of one-hit ball with four strikeouts. Starter Cristin Vitek allowed one run on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts in seven and one-third innings of work. In the nightcap, Baylor again marred the scoreboard in the first with a run on two hits. Levesque led off with a triple to right-center and scored two batters later on a Caudle single back up the middle. The Islanders were quick to tie the game, though, as Goss atoned for her first-game error with a leadoff homer to left field in the top of the second. The score stood at 1-1 until the top of the eighth when TAMUCC got two runs on two hits. After Kelly Amos reached on an infield single to lead off the inning, Katie Evans scored Amos with a double down the leftfield line. An out and two walks later, Decker, who relieved starter Joni Miller, hit Rachel Mendez on a 2-2 pitch to score another run. That run proved to be the difference as Nan Wilkins led off the bottom of the eighth with her third homer of the season and second in the last three games. However, that was all the offense the Lady Bears could produce, save a two-out Stephanie Pomes walk. Miller (14-5) was touched for three runs on five hits with three walks and nine strikeouts in seven and one-third innings of work. Sarah Pauly (21-8), who was saddled with the loss for TAMUCC in the first game, was the winner in the nightcap, she pitched the complete game, surrendering two runs on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts.
FIRST INNING SUCCESS
Through 49 games, Baylor has scored 31 first-inning runs this season. The Lady Bears are 14-1 this year when crossing the plate in the first frame. Thursday's game-two loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi marked the first time this season Baylor has scored in the first inning and lost.
OTHER INNING FACTS AND FIGURES
Baylor has scored more runs in the third inning (45) this season than in any other inning. ... The Lady Bears have outscored their opponents 34-1 during the fifth inning. Wisconsin scored the lone fifth-inning run against BU this season, that coming March 1. ... Opponents have scored 12 first-inning runs against Baylor this season, the most of any frame. ... The Lady Bears have crossed the plate just 19 times in sixth and seventh innings combined, fewer than they have scored in any of the first five innings.
HOME, SWEET HOME
Baylor is 22-3 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. Thursday's loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi snapped Baylor's 23-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents. In two seasons under head coach Glenn Moore, Baylor is 37-9 at Getterman Stadium. The Lady Bears are 51-22 in the stadium's four-year existence.
GETTERMAN ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO GROW
Through 18 home dates, Getterman Stadium has drawn 6,786 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: Junior OF Sarah Caudle is hitting .400 (12-for-30) over her last 10 games with four runs, five doubles, three RBI, a .567 slugging percentage, a .455 on base percentage and four stolen bases. ... Sophomore OF Kelly Levesque is hitting .308 (8-for-26) with five runs, two doubles, a triple, a .462 slugging percentage, a .486 on base percentage and two stolen bases. ... Junior RHP Katie Decker is 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA over the last games, spanning five appearances. In that time, opponents are hitting just .152 off Decker. ... Freshman SS Kim Wilmoth has not been caught stealing since Feb. 9 (her only caught stealing this season), spanning 11 attempts.
NOT: Freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is hitting .160 (4-for-25) over her last 10 games. ... Sophomore 2B Stacey Hundley is hitting .074 (2-for-27) 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 49 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 17 stolen bases, that figure is tied for third-best in school history. Meanwhile, freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is seventh with 14, and junior 2B Stacey Hundley is ninth all-time with 12 steals. As a team, the Lady Bears have swiped 91 bases this season, second in school history and just three 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 30. 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 17 thefts, freshman OF Carrie Leerberg is eighth with 14.
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 Austin, Texas, for a single game next Wednesday against No. 20 Texas. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CDT at Red and Charline McCombs Field. Texas defeated Baylor 2-0 earlier March 27 at Getterman Stadium.
