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BAYLOR
vs.
No. 20 TEXAS A&M

6:30 p.m. CST
April 2, 2003
Getterman Stadium
Waco, Texas

Radio: KRZI 1660/1580 AM
Live Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Live Stats: www.BaylorBears.com

Baylor begins a seven-game home stand Wednesday, hosting No. 20 Texas A&M for a single game at 6:30 p.m. CST. This game marks the sixth in a string of eight consecutive contests against nationally ranked opponents for the Lady Bears. Baylor (24-16, 0-5) dropped two games at fourth-ranked Oklahoma over the weekend, falling 2-0 and 3-0. Texas A&M (26-12, 4-2) split a two-game set at Missouri over the weekend, winning Saturday's contest 4-2 and losing Sunday's meeting 6-5 in 10 innings. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on KRZI 1660/1580 AM in the Waco area. Live audio and Gametracker stats 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 and Texas A&M meet for the 48th time Wednesday. This is the third most-played rivalry in Baylor softball history. The Aggies lead the series 36-10-1.
* Wednesday's game against No. 20 Texas A&M is the sixth in a stretch of eight consecutive games against nationally ranked opponents for Baylor.
* Kelly Osburn and Kim Wilmoth combine to lead the Big 12 Conference in seven of 12 offensive statistical categories.
* Osburn leads the Big 12 Conference in batting average, runs, walks, on base percentage and slugging percentage.
* Wilmoth leads the conference in hits and stolen bases. Five of the top six stolen base leaders in the conference are Lady Bears.
* Osburn, who earlier this season had a school-record 14-game hitting streak and a school-record on-base streak of 30 games, is 1-for-20 over her last eight games.
* Baylor is hitting .207 with no home runs over the last eight games, .096 over the last five games.
* 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 108-56 (.659) in three seasons at Baylor. Moore has a career record of 247-98 (.716); he posted a 22-17 mark in his first year as a collegiate head coach at William Carey in Mississippi. Moore is 225-79 (.740) at the Division I level.

BAYLOR IN TOUGHEST STRETCH OF SEASON
Baylor is in the midst of its toughest stretch of the season, playing eight consecutive games against nationally ranked opponents. That is the most consecutive games against ranked competition in school history, and the most by an Big 12 team this season. The Lady Bears have already played two games against 16th-ranked Oklahoma State, one game against fifth-ranked Texas and two games against fourth-ranked Oklahoma. After Wednesday's game against No. 20 Texas A&M, Baylor hosts No. 7 Nebraska for two games this weekend. Of Baylor's final 26 regular-season games, 14 are against teams ranked or receiving votes in one of the two national polls. It could be worse, though; top-ranked UCLA plays its final 23 games against nationally ranked opponents.

HOME, SWEET HOME
Baylor is 14-2 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 39-8 (.830) at home. In three years under head coach Glenn Moore, Baylor is 54-14 (.794) at Getterman Stadium. The Lady Bears are 68-27 (.716) 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 nine home dates, Getterman Stadium has drawn 3,909 fans for an average of 434 per date. 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.

THE TEXAS A&M SERIES
This is the 48th meeting between Baylor and Texas A&M - the third most-played series in Baylor softball history - with the Aggies holding a commanding 36-10-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Lady Bears have won five of the last eight meetings, and Baylor is 8-6-1 against A&M in the last 15 meetings. The Lady Bears swept the season series this year, winning 4-0 in Waco and 3-0 at College Station. However, the Aggies defeated Baylor twice at the Big 12 Conference Tournament, winning 5-1 in the first round and 1-0 in an elimination game. Texas A&M leads the series 14-6 in games played in Waco, but the Aggies are just 1-4 at Getterman Stadium. A&M has not won at the Lady Bears' facility since the second game of a doubleheader on Getterman Stadium's debut night April 1, 1999.

THE TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Texas A&M (26-12, 4-2) is in its seventh year under the direction of head coach Jo Evans, who holds a 240-148-2 record at College Station. Prior to taking over the Aggie program, Evans had stints at Utah (1990-1996) and at Colorado State (1986-1989). In 18 years as a collegiate head coach, Evans has amassed a career record of 553-352-2.

A&M Notes: The Aggies are ranked 22nd in this week's ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 and 20th in the latest USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll (March 26). ... Sunday's 6-5, 10-inning loss at Missouri snapped a six-game winning streak for Texas A&M that included a two-game sweep of then-No. 5 Nebraska at College Station. The Aggies have won eight of their last 10. ... A&M is 4-4 against ranked opponents this season, also defeating 11th-ranked Stanford and 12th-ranked Georgia. ... The Aggies are 12-11 away from College Station this season, 3-5 on opponents' home fields. ... Texas A&M hits .257 as a team with 32 home runs and 37 stolen bases in 44 attempts. The Aggies have committed 42 errors in 38 games for a team fielding percentage of .964. A&M pitchers boast a 1.72 staff ERA with 24 complete games, seven shutouts and 228 strikeouts in 261.0 innings. Opponents hit .189 against Aggie pitching. ... Senior C Selena Collins (.299, 9, 27) is poised to repeat as an all-Big 12 selection; she leads the team in all three triple crown categories. Junior P/1B Lindsay Wilhelmson (.238, 7, 21) and Senior SS Crystal Martin (.270, 6, 18) also provide pop at the the plate. Martin also leads the Aggies with 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts. ... The middle of A&M's infield, Martin and sophomore 2B Adrian Gregory, has committed 24 errors as opposed to five for Baylor. ... Wilhelmson (12-4, 1.78) and senior RHP Jessica Slataper (8-8, 1.91) have seen equal time in the circle this season. Wilhelmson has made 18 starts with eight complete games, two shutouts and 86 strikeouts in 110.1 innings of work; opposing batters hit .209 against her. Slataper has made 17 starts with 13 complete games, three shutouts and 126 strikeouts in 117.0 innings; opposing batters hit .161 against her. ... Freshman OF Rocky Spencer prepped at Taylor HS in Katy, Texas, the alma mater of Baylor sophomore LHP Cristin Vitek. ... Assistant coach Rich Wieligman was an assistant under former Baylor head coach Paula Young during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

LAST MEETING ... TEXAS A&M 1, BAYLOR 0 - MAY 4, 2002
Kelly Levesque was thrown out at home in the bottom of the first and that was the end of the Lady Bears' scoring chances as Texas A&M posted a 1-0 victory over Baylor in an elimination game at the Big 12 Conference Softball Tournament. The Aggies took the lead in the first inning on a pair of hits. Kelly Ferguson slapped a single through the left side to score Lisa Klam, who led off the game with an infield single. The Lady Bears looked to answer in the bottom of the inning. Levesque reached on a throwing error by Klam to lead off the inning and advanced to second on the errant throw. Two batters and one out later, Sarah Caudle singled through the right side; however, Aggie right fielder Sherah Atkins threw a strike to catcher Selena Collins to get Levesque. On the play, Caudle tried to advance to second, but Collins gunned her down to end the inning and the rally. From there, A&M starter Lindsey Wilhelmson entered cruise control, allowing just two more hits before exiting the game with one out in the seventh. That is when Baylor had its only other scoring opportunity. After Kristen Lancaster drew a one out walk, Danelle Arnold reached on a fielding error. However, Jessica Slataper entered the game and struck out the next two batters to end the game. Cristin Vitek started the game for Baylor and allowed the game's lone run on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts over 2.2 innings of work. Joni Miller pitched the final 4.1 innings, surrendering only one hit with one strikeout.

LAST TIME OUT ... No. 4 OKLAHOMA 3, BAYLOR 0
Fourth-ranked Oklahoma used a pair of late-inning home runs to power past Baylor 3-0 Sunday at Norman, giving the Sooners a sweep of the two-game series. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, OU center fielder Erin Evans broke a scoreless tie with her fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to right center. The Sooners added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. After a leadoff walk by Kelli Braitsch, Leah Gulla lifted a full-count offering over the wall in left-center. Meanwhile, OU starter Kami Keiter solved the Baylor bats for the second straight day. Keiter (20-2) allowed just three hits and a walk with six strikeouts for her conference-leading 10th shutout of the season. Baylor's Cristin Vitek pitched very effectively until the two home runs, working out of a couple of jams in early innings. She worked 5.0 innings and was touched for three runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Katie Decker tossed the final three outs perfectly. Kourtny Westerfeld had two of Baylor's three hits; Kim Wilmoth had the other, a slap single down the third-base line.

ROAD WOES
Baylor has struggled away from the friendly confines of Getterman Stadium this season. The Lady Bears are 14-2 at home and 10-14 away from Waco, including a 1-7 mark on opponents' home fields. Baylor hits .344 at home as compared to .288 in neutral games and .146 in away games. The Lady Bears' pitching staff boasts a 1.27 ERA at home and an even better 0.84 mark in neutral games. However, the team ERA balloons to 4.62 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.

BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
According to the latest Big 12 Conference statistical rankings (March 31), Baylor ranks third in hitting (.284), seventh in pitchings (1.96) and fourth in fielding (.968). The Lady Bears lead the conference in triples (10), stolen bases (88) and sacrifice hits (45). Baylor's pitching staff is tied for the conference lead with three saves.

OSBURN, WILMOTH DOMINATE BIG 12 STATS
It is difficult to find an offensive statistical category in the latest Big 12 Conference rankings (March 31) that does not have freshman OF/1B Kelly Osburn or sophomore SS/2B Kim Wilmoth listed in the top three. In fact, the two combine to lead the conference in seven of the 12 offensive statistical categories. ... Osburn is tops in the conference in batting average (.411), runs (30), on base percentage (.578) and slugging percentage (.722), and she is tied for the conference lead in walks (33). She is also eighth in hits (37), tied for sixth in home runs (7), second in stolen bases (14) and seventh in total bases (65). ... Wilmoth leads the conference lead in hits (42) and stolen bases (16). She is fourth in batting average (.355) and tied for fourth in triples (2).

OTHERS IN THE BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
According to the March 31 Big 12 Conference statistical rankings, freshman OF/SS Harmony Schwethelm (.321) and senior OF/P Sarah Caudle (.309) rank 13th and 20th, respectively, in batting average. Caudle is also tied for ninth in hits (34), tied for 12th in home runs (6), tied for third in RBI (29), tied for 10th in stolen bases (9) and tied for ninth in total bases (61). Schwethelm is tied for third in stolen bases (13). ... Junior OF Kelly Levesque is tied for the conference lead in triples (3) and tied for ninth in runs (22). Sophomore IF April Luce is tied for fourth in triples (2), and senior 2B Stacey Hundley is tied for fifth in stolen bases (9). ... Sophomore LHP Cristin Vitek (1.81, 13th), junior RHP Katie Decker (1.91, 15th) and senior RHP Joni Miller (2.38, 20th) all rank in the league's top 20 for ERA. Vitek is tied for seventh in wins (11), fourth in strikeouts (135), eighth in innings pitched (116.0), tied for third in appearances (24), tied for fourth in games started (17), tied for seventh in shutouts (3) and 10th in complete games (9). ... Vitek, Decker and Caudle are tied for fifth with one save each. Decker is tied for ninth in opponents' batting average (.199).

MILLER OUT INDEFINITELY
Senior RHP Joni Miller is out of action for an undetermined amount of time, head coach Glenn Moore announced last 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.

WALK THIS WAY
With at least 18 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 is tied for the the Big 12 Conference lead with 33 walks in just 40 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 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 .355 this year with only two errors in 122 chances (.983). She has also hit her first career home run, and she has increased her RBI total five-fold from last season (3 to 15). 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.

LADY BEARS APPROACHING HOME RUN MARK
With at least 20 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 .210 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 fourth with a .452 slugging percentage.

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.

UP NEXT ...
Baylor continues an eight-game home stand with a two-game series against No. 7 Nebraska. The Bears and the Cornhuskers play Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The teams split their series last year at Lincoln, Neb.; Baylor won the first game 1-0 and Nebraska took the second by the same score. Saturday's game will be a broadcast game on KRZI 1660/1580 AM and www.BaylorBears.com.