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BAYLOR
vs.
No. 16 OKLAHOMA STATE

MARCH 22 * 2:00 p.m. CST
MARCH 23 * 1:00 p.m. CST
GETTERMAN STADIUM * WACO, TEXAS

Baylor opens Big 12 Conference play this weekend, hosting No. 16 Oklahoma State for a two-game series at Getterman Stadium. This begins the toughest stretch of the 2003 schedule for the Lady Bears with eight consecutive games against teams ranked nationally. Baylor (24-11, 0-0) enters with a five-game winning streak after defeating Oklahoma City 6-2 at home Wednesday night. OSU (22-6, 2-0) enters as one of the nation's hottest teams; the Cowgirls have won eight straight and 16 of their last 19, including a doubleheader sweep Monday at home against No. 24 Kansas. Live stats for both 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 did not receive votes in either national poll this week for the first time since last year's preseason poll. The Lady Bears were ranked 25th for two weeks earlier this season.
* Baylor and Oklahoma State meet for the 26th and 27th times this weekend. OSU leads the all-time series 17-8, but the Lady Bears have won six of the last eight.
* Kim Wilmoth is currently riding a career-best 10-game hitting streak, and she has also reached base safely in 12 consecutive contests.
* Kelly Osburn leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks second nationally with 32 walks. She has already established a Baylor single-season record and needs just 10 free passes to break the Big 12 mark.
* Osburn, who earlier this season had a school-record 14-game hitting streak, has reached base safely in a school-record 28 consecutive games and in 34 of 35 games this season.
* Kourtny Westerfeld has three career hits in six games against Oklahoma State. Two of the three were game-winning hits and the third was a three-run homer.
* Baylor is 45-1 over the past two seasons when scoring at least four runs.
* Baylor is 33-3 over the past two seasons when collecting at least eight hits.
* Baylor is 57-6 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 108-51 (.679) in three seasons at Baylor. Moore has a career record of 247-93 (.726); he posted a 22-17 mark in his first year as a collegiate head coach at William Carey in Mississippi. Moore is 225-74 (.753) at the Division I level.

TOUGH STRETCH AHEAD FOR BAYLOR
Baylor begins its toughest stretch of the season this weekend, playing eight consecutive games against teams ranked nationally. After two games against No. 16 Oklahoma State, Baylor plays one game at No. 7 Texas, two games at No. 4 Oklahoma, one game at home against No. 22 Texas A&M and two games at home against No. 5 Nebraska. Of Baylor's remaining 25 regular-season games, 14 are against teams ranked or receiving votes in one of the two national polls.

HOME, SWEET HOME
Baylor is 14-0 at Getterman Stadium this season, a far contrast from the 10-11 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. Since the beginning of the 2002 season, the Lady Bears are 39-6 (.867) at home. In three years under head coach Glenn Moore, Baylor is 54-12 (.818) at Getterman Stadium. The Lady Bears are 68-25 (.731) 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 seven home dates, Getterman Stadium has drawn 3,119 fans for an average of 445 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 five-year history came last season. The Feb. 1 session of the 2003 Getterman Classic drew 683 fans, the third-largest attendance in the stadium's history. 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 14-0 at home and 10-11 away from Waco, including a 1-4 mark on opponents' home fields. Baylor hits .378 at home as compared to .288 in neutral games and .167 in away games. The Lady Bears' pitching staff boasts a 1.00 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. While the Lady Bears hit for a higher average at home, 15 of Baylor's 22 home runs have come away from Getterman Stadium.

THE OKLAHOMA STATE SERIES
Baylor and Oklahoma State meet for the 26th and 27th times this weekend with the Cowgirls leading the all-time series 17-8. Baylor has won four of the last six meetings, and the two teams split four games last year. OSU handed the Lady Bears their first loss of the 2002 season at the UTA College Classic, and then the teams split a two-game conference series at Stillwater in late April. Baylor defeated Oklahoma State 4-0 in an elimination game at the Big 12 Tournament. Baylor is 3-1 against OSU in Waco. Two years ago, the Lady Bears posted a pair of 1-0 victories over the Cowgirls at Getterman Stadium, winning in 14 innings the first day and in eight innings the second day.

THE OKLAHOMA STATE COWGIRLS
Oklahoma State (22-6, 2-0) is coached by Margaret Rebenar, who is in her second season as head coach at OSU after spending nine seasons as the Cowgirls' associate head coach. Rebenar is in her 24th season with the OSU program, and she has a 51-29 record as head coach.

OSU Notes: The Cowgirls are tied with Florida State for 16th in this week's ESPN/USA Softball Top 25. OSU is ranked 22nd in this week's USA Today/NFCA Top 25. ... Oklahoma State has won eight consecutive games and 16 of their last 19. Two weeks ago, the Cowgirls won the Speedline Invitational, one of the nation's top tournaments, at Tampa, Fla. ... OSU hits .289 as a team with 25 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 32 attempts. The Cowgirls have committed just 19 errors in 28 games for a team fielding percentage of .975. Oklahoma State has a staff ERA of 1.01 with 14 complete games and 10 shutouts. ... After dominating Big 12 batters for the past three seasons, senior LHP/OF Lauren Bay has added a strong bat to her repertoire. Not only is she 11-3 with a 0.53 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 106.2 innings of work, Bay leads OSU with a .382 batting average. She also has hit two home runs and has driven 10 runs. Bay has twice been named Big 12 pitcher of the week. ... In all, 10 Cowgirls have hit at least one home run, led by sophomore OF Megan Carey (.316, 4, 19), sophomore SS Stephanie Nicholson (.274, 4, 16) and senior 3B Afton Burris (.190, 4, 10). ... Freshman RHP Sarah Seagraves (9-0, 1.07) has seen the most action in the circle after Bay. Seagraves has made 13 starts with four complete games, three shutouts and 65 strikeouts in 71.2 innings. ... Seagraves is a product of Memorial HS in Edmond, Okla., the same high school that produced Baylor senior RHP Joni Miller. Sophomore OF Erika Ennis is also from Edmond, Okla., but she prepped at Edmond North HS. Nicholson prepped at Flowing Wells HS in Tucson, Ariz., the school where Baylor assistant coach Mark Lumley served as head coach for 12 seasons from 1987 to 1998.

LAST MEETING ... BAYLOR 4, OKLAHOMA ST. 0 - MAY 3, 2002
Joni Miller tossed a one-hit shutout as 23rd-ranked Baylor defeated Oklahoma State 4-0 in an elimination game at the 2002 Big 12 Conference Tournament. A first-team all-conference selection, Miller posted six strikeouts against only one walk as Baylor shutout Oklahoma State for the second time in four meetings this season. She used just 76 pitches in the gem, using fewer than nine pitches in three different innings. Meanwhile, Baylor improved to 16-1 on the season when scoring in the first inning after plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. With one out and Stacey Hundley on first, Sarah Caudle laced a double off the fence in right to score Hundley. Kristen Lancaster then singled to left, scoring Caudle and giving the Lady Bears a 2-0 edge. Baylor tacked on two more runs in the sixth. Danelle Arnold and Carrie Leerberg started the inning with back-to-back singles and then advanced on a double steal. OSU pitcher Lauren Bay then uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Arnold to race home. Nan Wilkins followed with a sacrifice fly, capping the scoring at 4-0. Miller hurled her fourth complete-game shutout of the season and the 23rd of the year for Baylor. Cami Carter started for the Cowgirls and took the loss; she did not escape the first inning, giving way to Bay after Lancaster's RBI single.

LAST TIME OUT ... BAYLOR 6, OKLAHOMA CITY 2
Danelle Arnold's two-run double capped a four-run fifth inning as Baylor softball defeated NAIA top-ranked Oklahoma City University 6-2 Wednesday night at Getterman Stadium. The Lady Bears moved to 14-0 at home this season with the victory. Baylor had to rally twice for the victory. After Paula Garman's third-inning solo home run, the Lady Bears scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Stars recaptured the lead in the top of the fifth, though, again thanks to Garman. With two outs and runners at second and third, Garman singled through the left side to score Tiffany Burris from third. However, right fielder Harmony Schwethelm threw out Kate Beasley at home. Kelly Levesque led off the fifth with a bunt single, followed by a Kim Wilmoth single to deep short and a Kelly Osburn bunt single. Nan Wilkins followed with a sacrifice fly to deep center, breaking the 2-2 tie. Stephanie Pomes then scored Wilmoth on a suicide squeeze. After a Schwethelm walk, Arnold blasted her fifth double of the season to clear the bases. Sarah Caudle tossed her third complete game of the season. The senior right-hander was touched for two runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Wilmoth, who tripled in her final at bat in Tuesday's first game against Stephen F. Austin and then went 3-for-3 in the night cap, went 4-for-4 against Oklahoma City. Her eight consecutive hits is a school record, easily surpassing the five consecutive hits off the bat of Naomi Fitzgerald in 2000. Wilmoth also becomes the 14th player in Baylor history to collect four hits in a game. Wilkins finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Arnold went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Schwethelm scored twice.

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.

AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING
Sophomore SS/2B Kim Wilmoth has established a school record with eight consecutive hits. The run started in her final at bat of Tuesday's first game against Stephen F. Austin, a two-run triple to left-center. Wilmoth then went 3-for-3 with three singles in the night cap against SFA, and 4-for-4 with four singles Wednesday night against Oklahoma City. Naomi Fitzgerald previously held the Baylor record for consecutive hits with five during the 2000 season. ... Wilmoth is riding a career-long 10-game hitting streak. Her average has risen from .293 to a career-best .374 during that time.

WALK THIS WAY
With at least 24 games remaining in the Lady Bears' schedule, freshman OF/1B Kelly Osburn has already broken Baylor's single-season walks record. The Missouri City, Texas, native leads the Big 12 Conference with 32 walks in just 35 games. Osburn claimed the record in her 34th game of the season. Bri Chambliss previously owned the record; she walked 31 times in 52 games during the 1997 season. Osburn is already tied for eighth in Big 12 history, just nine walks shy of Casey Dickson's (Oklahoma, 1997) record of 41.

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 .374 this year with only two errors in 109 chances (.982). She has also hit her first career home run and more than quadrupled her RBI total from last season (3 to 14). Wilmoth managed only three extra-base hits last year, all doubles. This season, she has seven extra-base knocks with four doubles, two triple and one home run.

PUT SOMEONE ON BASE, PLEASE
In stark contrast to last season, Baylor is hitting better with runners on base than with the bases empty in 2003. The Lady Bears are hitting .321 with runners on base, 23 points better than with the bases empty (.298). Skeptics would say this is because there are typically many more at bats with the bases empty, but this is not the case. Baylor batters have come to the plate 457 times with the bases empty and 417 times with runners on base. ... In 27 at bats with the bases loaded, Baylor is hitting .333 with four home runs. The Lady Bears lead the nation in grand slams; no other team has hit more than two.

IN SCORING POSITION IS EVEN BETTER
Baylor is hitting .322 as a team with runners in scoring position. Six Lady Bears with at least 20 at bats with runners in scoring position are hitting above .300 in such situations. Freshman OF/1B Kelly Osburn leads the way at .417 (10-for-24), followed by freshman SS/OF Harmony Schwethelm (.406, 13-for-32), sophomore IF April Luce (.355, 11-for-31), senior OF/P Sarah Caudle (.341, 14-41), sophomore SS/2B Kim Wilmoth (.346, 9-for-26) and junior OF Kelly Levesque (.318, 7-for-22). ... Meanwhile, opposing batters are hitting just .207 with runners in scoring position.

LADY BEARS APPROACHING HOME RUN MARK
With at least 24 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 35 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 .245 on the season, but she packs a lot of power into her hits. The Slidell, La., native has 13 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 .528 slugging percentage.

VITEK FINDS HER GROOVE
Sophomore LHP Cristin Vitek has been on fire of late, striking out 52 batters in her last 36.2 innings of work. Vitek now has 117 whiffs on the season, and she is on pace to eclipse her school-record mark of 187 from last season. Her 11-5 record is somewhat deceiving, though. In three of her five losses, Vitek has surrendered fewer than two earned runs.

SENIOR CLASS MAKES MARK
With 135 career victories, the Class of 2003 ranks second 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.

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.

UP NEXT ...
Baylor travels to Austin, Texas, next Wednesday, March 26, for a 6:30 p.m. game at No. 7 Texas. The Longhorns, who won the Big 12 Conference with a 19-1 record, swept the 2002 season series from Baylor, winning 2-0 both in Waco and at Austin.