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BAYLOR
vs.
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
5:00 p.m. CST (DH)
March 18, 2003
Getterman Stadium
Waco, Texas

BAYLOR
vs.
OKLAHOMA CITY
6:00 p.m. CST
March 19, 2003
Getterman Stadium
Waco, Texas

After nearly a month on the road, Baylor enjoys a five-game homestand this week. The stand begins with three midweek games - a doubleheader against Stephen F. Austin at 5 p.m. Tuesday and a 6 p.m. single game Wednesday against Oklahoma City University. Baylor (21-11) enters with a modest two-game winning streak and listed as the sixth team among those also receiving votes for the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 (March 12). SFA (17-15) lost two of three over the weekend at home to Texas-San Antonio, but the Ladyjacks are 8-4 in their last 12 games. OKCU is currently ranked No. 1 nationally in the NAIA Top 25. Live stats for all three games will be available online at www.BaylorBears.com, the official website of Baylor Athletics and a member of the Official College Sports Network.

QUICK NOTES
* Baylor is the sixth team out of the latest (March 12) USA Today/NFCA Top 25 after spending two weeks at No. 25. The Lady Bears are not ranked in the latest (March 11) ESPN/USA Softball Top 25.
* Baylor is 21-17 all-time against Stephen F. Austin. This is the third-most-played series in Baylor softball history behind only Texas-Arlington (69 meetings) and Texas A&M (47 meetings).
* Kelly Osburn has drawn a team-best 29 walks this season, the vast majority of Baylor's 80 walks as a team and first in the Big 12 Conference. Osburn is already just two free passes shy Baylor's all-time single-season walks record.
* Osburn also leads the Big 12 in batting average (.493), runs (26), hits (36) and on base percentage (.638), and she is tied with Kim Wilmoth for the conference lead in stolen bases (13). ... Osburn has reached base safely in a school-record 25 consecutive games and in 31 of 32 games this season.
* Baylor failed to steal a base in its March 7 game at Hawai'i. That snapped a streak of 13 consecutive games with at least one stolen base.
* Baylor is 42-1 over the past two seasons when scoring at least four runs.
* Baylor is 31-3 over the past two seasons when collecting at least eight hits.
* Baylor is 55-6 over the past two seasons when out-hitting its opponent.

HEAD COACH GLENN MOORE
Glenn Moore is in his third 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. Last season, he guided the Lady Bears to even greater successes with more than 50 team and individual, single-game and single-season school records. Baylor finished 46-18 overall and 10-8 in the Big 12 Conference, establishing school marks for victories in a season, conference victories in a season and highest conference finish (fourth). Moore also led Baylor to a national ranking for the second straight season and two wins over top 10 teams, as many top-10 victories as the Lady Bears had amassed in the previous 16 seasons of the program's existence. Earlier this season, Moore claimed his 100th victory as Baylor's head coach with the Lady Bears 3-0 triumph against Texas Tech. He is now 105-51 (.673) in three seasons at Baylor. Moore has a career record of 244-93 (.724); he posted a 22-17 mark in his first year as a collegiate head coach at William Carey in Mississippi. Moore is 222-74 (.750) at the Division I level.

MILLER OUT INDEFINITELY
Senior RHP Joni Miller is out of action for an undetermined amount of time, head coach Glenn Moore announced Monday. Miller, a two-time all-Big 12 Conference selection, has been battling nerve damage in her right (throwing) elbow since last August. The injury forced the Edmond, Okla., native to miss the entire fall practice season, and she has struggled to regain pre-injury form. In 13 appearances and 10 starts this season, Miller is 6-3 with a 2.38 ERA, more than double her ERA from 2002. Miller has four complete games and two shutouts with 38 strikeouts in 50.0 innings.

BAYLOR FALLS FROM NFCA TOP 25
After a 3-3 week, Baylor dropped out of the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 in the latest rankings (March 12). The Lady Bears held the 25th spot each of the previous two weeks after being listed among teams also receiving votes in the preseason poll and in the first regular-season poll. Baylor has returned to such status in the latest poll, the sixth team out of the Top 25. ... The Lady Bears did not receive consideration for the latest ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 (March 11). Baylor was the fifth team out of the Top 25 in each of this season's first two polls.

HOME, SWEET HOME
Baylor is 11-0 at Getterman Stadium this season, a far contrast from the 3-7 mark the Lady Bears have posted in games away from Waco. Last season, Baylor was 25-6 at home and established a school record for home wins in a season. The Lady Bears also enjoyed a school-record 24-game home winning streak that dated back to 2001 season. In three years under head coach Glenn Moore, Baylor is 51-12 (.810) at Getterman Stadium. The Lady Bears are 65-25 (.722) in the stadium's five-year existence.

WHO'S GOT GETTERMAN FEVER?
After shattering the school record for attendance last season, Baylor appears to be well on course to do the same again this season. Through five home dates, Getterman Stadium has drawn 2,585 fans for an average of 517 per date. In 23 home dates last year, Getterman Stadium attracted 9,248 fans for an average of 402. Six of the eight largest crowds and eight of the 12 largest crowds in the stadium's four-year history came last season. Baylor finished 13th nationally in total attendance for 2002 and 20th nationally in per-game attendance.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Without a doubt, Baylor plays much better in the friendly confines of Getterman Stadium. This season, the Lady Bears are 11-0 at home and 10-11 away from Waco, including a 1-4 mark on opponents' home fields. Baylor hits .375 at home as compared to .288 in neutral games and .167 in away games. The Lady Bears' pitching staff boasts a 0.88 ERA at home and an even better 0.84 mark in neutral games. However, the team ERA balloons to 5.07 on opponents' home fields. However, 15 of Baylor's 22 home runs have come away from Getterman Stadium.

THE STEPHEN F. AUSTIN SERIES
Baylor and Stephen F. Austin meet for the 39th and 40th times Tuesday; the Lady Bears hold a 21-17 advantage in the series. This is the third-most-played series for Baylor behind only Texas-Arlington (69 meetings) and Texas A&M (47 meetings). The Lady Bears have won seven of the last eight meetings; the teams split a pair of meetings earlier this season at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge, La. Baylor leads the series 10-9 in Waco and 4-1 at neutral sites. The series is tied 7-7 at Nacadoges. The teams first met April 19, 1980 with the Lady Bears taking a 7-6 decision at College Station, Texas. ... Glenn Moore is 6-1 in his career against SFA, all coming while at Baylor.

THE STEPHEN F. AUSTIN LADYJACKS
Stephen F. Austin (17-15) is coached by former Baylor assistant coach Jennifer Poulson, who is in her second season at SFA. Poulson spent the 1996 and 1997 seasons on Paula Young's Baylor staff. She is 26-66 while with the Lady Jacks.

SFA Notes: The Ladyjacks are 8-4 in their last 12 games, but they dropped two of three last weekend at home to Texas-San Antonio. SFA has nearly doubled its win total from 2001 (9-51). ... Stephen F. Austin hits .231 as a team with seven home runs and 40 stolen bases in 61 attempts. The Ladyjacks sport a .945 fielding percentage with 49 errors in 32 games. SFA has a staff ERA of 2.31 with 11 complete games, six shutouts, 194 strikeouts; opponents hit .231 against SFA pitching. ... Freshman OF Carrie Woydziak (.337, 1, 6) leads the Ladyjacks in batting average and stolen bases (12-of-16). Freshman C/OF Lee Lara (.294, 2, 14) leads the team in RBI and shares the team lead in home runs with junior IF Brooke Chandler (.198, 2, 9). ... Junior RHP Crissy Autry (7-9, 2.01), a transfer from Galveston College, has started exactly half the Ladyjacks games in the circle. She has recorded 107 strikeouts in 90.2 innings of work, yielding a .185 opponents' batting average. Senior RHP Devin Cobb (4-1, 1.76) leads the staff in ERA, logging 43.2 innings. ... Although 17 of the 22 players on SFA's roster hail from Texas, none prepped with Baylor players. SFA has just two seniors and eight freshmen.

LAST MEETING ... BAYLOR 8, SFA 0 (5) - FEB. 9, 2003
Moments after watching Stephen F. Austin knock off seventh-ranked Louisiana State 1-0, Baylor exploded for 12 hits in an 8-0 five-inning victory over SFA in the final game of the Tiger Classic. Kelly Levesque, Baylor's lone all-tournament selection, and Kim Wilmoth both went 3-for-3, while Kelly Osburn went 2-for-2 with five RBI. Cristin Vitek allowed two fourth-inning hits, walked two and struck out three for the complete-game shutout. Baylor scratched for its first run of the day when Levesque led off the third with a single through the right side of the infield. She then stole second, moved to third on a Stacey Hundley sacrifice bunt, and scored on an Osburn single up the middle. The Lady Bears got things started in the fourth with singles by Carrie Leerberg, Levesque and Hundley. Osburn then lifted the first pitch she saw from Nicole Carter over the fence in left for her second career home run and the second grand slam by a Baylor batter this season. Danelle Arnold was then hit by a pitch and moved to second on a Wilmoth single. Stephanie Pomes followed with a line-drive double off the wall in left and scored on a throwing error.

THE OKLAHOMA CITY SERIES
Baylor and Oklahoma City meet for the 20th time Wednesday with Baylor holding a 12-7 advantage in the all-time series. The Lady Bears have won five straight against the Stars, taking both ends of last season's doubleheader (8-1 and 5-1); the series dates back to the 1983 season. Baylor is 8-4 against Oklahoma City in games played in Waco, 5-1 at Getterman Stadium. ... Head coach Glenn Moore is 4-0 against OKCU with all four games coming while at Baylor.

LAST MEETING ... BAYLOR 8-5, OKCU 1-1 - APRIL 2, 2002
After managing just two hits in its previous 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. OKCU 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.

LAST TIME OUT ... No. 25 BAYLOR 8, KENT STATE 2
Baylor matched its season high with 14 hits, six of the extra-base variety, en route to an 8-2 victory over Kent State in the Lady Bears' final game at the Malahini Tournament hosted by the University of Hawai'i. Danelle Arnold led the offensive barrage for Baylor (21-11), going 3-for-4 with a run, two RBI and her first home run of the season. Kelly Osburn also homered for the third time in as many games. Kelly Levesque, Harmony Schwethelm and Kim Wilmoth had two hits each, and Nan Wilkins had two RBI. Meanwhile, Cristin Vitek started and went 6.0 innings, allowing only a pair of unearned runs on three hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts. Vitek has now recorded 42 strikeouts in her last four starts, including three double-digit strikeout performances. Katie Decker pitched the final inning, allowing a walk and a hit but no runs. Baylor jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to Osburn's home run and never looked back. Arnold's two-run shot in the third, coupled with a Wilkins' RBI single in the fourth pushed the score to 4-0.

OSBURN EARNS MALAHINI MVP, BIG 12 HONOR
Freshman OF/1B Kelly Osburn added to her already bulging cabinet of hardwood last week. The Missouri City, Texas, native was named most valuable player at the Malahini Tournament after hitting .471 with three home runs. Osburn was also named Big 12 Conference player of the week (March 11). She currently leads the conference in batting average, hits, runs, walks and on base percentage. Earlier this season, Osburn enjoyed a school-record 14-game hitting streak. She has homered in three straight games, the first Lady Bear to ever accomplish the feat.

CAUDLE CLAIMS BAYLOR TRIPLES RECORD
One week after claiming Baylor's career doubles record, senior OF/P Sarah Caudle emerged as the school's career triples leader, as well. Caudle, who tied Lyn Hill (1996-199) atop the triples chart with her seventh career three-bagger more than a year ago, legged triple No. 8 against Boston College at the Malahini Tournament. ... In other record watches, Caudle is 11 RBI and 12 total bases shy of breaking school career records in those categories.

OSBURN NEARING WALKS RECORD ... ALREADY
With less than half the season gone, freshman OF/1B Kelly Osburn is already nearing the school record for walks in a season. The Missouri City, Texas, native has drawn 29 free passes in 32 games. Bri Chambliss established the current record of 31 in 1997. It took Chambliss 52 games to reach that total.

NEW SEASON, NEW STORY FOR WILMOTH
No Lady Bear has made more of a turnaround from last season than sophomore SS/2B Kim Wilmoth. After hitting just .216 with 25 errors last spring, Wilmoth is hitting .330 this year with only two errors in 95 chances (.979). She has also hit her first career home run and quadrupled her RBI total from last season (3 to 12). Wilmoth managed only three extra-base hits last year, all doubles. This season, she has six extra-base knocks with four doubles, a triple and a homer.

LADY BEARS APPROACHING HOME RUN MARK
With at least 27 games remaining, Baylor stands just two home runs shy of matching the school record for home runs in a season. The Lady Bears smashed 24 home runs in 2001 in 60 games; this year's team has 22 homers in 32 games. Last season's total of 23 home runs ranks second in school history.

EXTRA-BASE POMES
Sophomore 3B/C Stephanie Pomes may be hitting .229 on the season, but she packs a lot of power into her hits. The Slidell, La., native has 11 hits this season and eight of them have been of the extra-base variety. Pomes has four doubles, one triple, and ranks third on the team with three home runs. She is also third on the team with 15 RBI and a .542 slugging percentage.

VITEK FINDS HER GROOVE
Sophomore LHP Cristin Vitek has been on fire of late, striking out 49 batters in her last 29.2 innings of work. Vitek now has 114 whiffs on the season, and she is on pace to eclipse her school-record mark of 187 from last season. Her 10-5 record is somewhat deceiving, though. In three of her five losses, Vitek has surrendered fewer than two earned runs.

SENIOR CLASS MAKES MARK
With 132 career victories, the Class of 2003 ranks third in school history. Seniors Sarah Caudle, Stacey Hundley, Joni Miller and Nan Wilkins are in their fourth seasons with the Lady Bears, while Kourtny Westerfeld, who transferred to Baylor after one season at McLennan CC, is in her third year at Baylor. The Class of 2002 (Holly Fields and Kristen Lancaster) graduated as the winningest class with 141 victories. This season's senior class needs one victory to match the second-place total of 133 set by the Class of 1985.

LADY BEARS TABBED FOURTH BY BIG 12 COACHES
Along with receiving one first-place vote Baylor was tabbed, along with Texas A&M, to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference preseason coaches' poll. The Lady Bears and the Aggies, who did not receive a first-place nod, both received 54 total points. Nebraska was the coaches' preseason favorite; the Huskers received five of nine first-place votes and 77 total points. Texas and Oklahoma received two first-place votes each. The Longhorns were picked to finish second with 70 points, while the Sooners were tabbed third with 67 points. Oklahoma State (44 points), Kansas (32), Iowa State (21), Missouri (19) and Texas Tech (12) rounded out the 10-team poll.

BAYLOR ADDS 4 EARLY SIGNEES
Head coach Glenn Moore signed four high school athletes and one junior college transfer to National Letters of Intent here Wednesday, the first day of the 2002 fall signing period. Kylie Conroy (Carrollton-Creekview [Texas] HS), Lisa Ferguson (Fort Worth-Pascal [Texas] HS), Chelsi Lake (Keller [Texas] HS), Melissa Maler (Temple College/West [Texas] HS) and Erin Sheek (Deer Park [Texas] HS) will join the Lady Bears next fall.

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. In 2001, Kourtny Westerfeld joined the Baylor program after spending one season at nearby McLennan Community College. Last year, 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. This season, Amber Daniel joins the Baylor program after two all-America seasons at Temple [Texas] College.

BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BAYLORBEARS.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the Official College Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including eight Big 12 schools.

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.

BAYLOR SOFTBALL RADIO NETWORK
The Baylor radio crew will again this season provide live play-by-play broadcast for selected Baylor softball games. John Morris handles play-by-play duties for home games, while Larry Little, Baylor's media relations contact for softball, handles play-by-play duties for road games. Former Baylor softball standout Kristen Lancaster joins the softball radio crew this season and will provide color analysis for all games. All Baylor games can be heard on flagship station KRZI-AM 1660/1580AM in Waco. Every Baylor game is also available worldwide on the internet at www.BaylorBears.com and Yahoo!Broadcast.com.

2003 Radio ScheduleMarch  26   at Texas              6:30 p.m.March  29   at Oklahoma                NoonApril   2   Texas A&M             6:30 p.m.April   5   Nebraska              2:00 p.m.April  16   Texas                 6:30 p.m.April  24   at Texas A&M          6:30 p.m.May   1-4   Big 12 Tournament           TBAMay 14-18   NCAA Regionals              TBAMay 21-26   College World Series        TBA

UP NEXT...
Baylor opens Big 12 Conference play at home this weekend, hosting Oklahoma State for a two-game set at Getterman Stadium. The Cowgirls are ranked 21st nationally in the latest ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 (March 11) and 23rd nationally in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 (March 12). Baylor and Oklahoma State split four games last season. OSU won a singular meeting at the UTA College Classic and a 12-inning Sunday affair during the Lady Bears' conference weekend at Stillwater, Okla. Baylor defeated OSU 4-0 in an elimination game at the Big 12 Tournament.