Softball Set to Host No. 17 Texas
5/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 2, 2007
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#7 BAYLOR (43-12, 12-3) HOSTS #17
MAY 3, 2007 - 6:30 PM
GETTERMAN STADIUM
THE SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 3
No. 17
LIVE COVERAGE
Radio: ESPN Radio 1660 AM
Live Video: www.BaylorBears.com
Live Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Live Stats: www.BaylorBears.com
Television: CSTV (
Grande (Cable) -
Time Warner (Cable) -
Direct TV (Satellite) -
Dish Network (Satellite) -
Carter Blackburn - Play-by-play
Ann Schatz - Color
THE SERIES
Baylor vs.
Neutral: Baylor leads 1-0
The No. 8 Baylor softball team looks to keep its Big 12 Conference title hopes alive as the Lady Bears return to action this week as they host No. 17 Texas (33-16, 8-9) for a nationally televised (CSTV) contest on Thursday, May 3, at 6:30 p.m.
The Lady Bears (43-12, 12-3) enter the contest two wins away from clinching at least a share of the regular season Big 12 Conference title; however, a loss to the Longhorns; or, to Texas A&M on Saturday, will eliminate Baylor from the regular-season title race.
Baylor enters the contest after splitting a pair of games against Big 12 co-leader
Freshman Kirsten Shortridge will likely get the start in the circle for the Lady Bears as the freshman enters the contest with a 15-3 record and 1.86 ERA on the year.
Only a limited number of general admission tickets remain for the contests with the Longhorns. For tickets, contact the Baylor Ticket Office at 1-800-BAYLOR-U or 254-710-1000 or purchase tickets online at www.baylorbears.com.
SCOUTING
No. 17 Texas enters the week in sixth-place in the Big 12 Conference standings after sweeping a pair of games from
On offense,
QUICK NOTES
• Baylor is No. 10 in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and No. 7 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.
• Baylor's appearance in both polls marks the 54th consecutive week the Lady Bears have appeared in the NFCA Top 25 and the 53rd consecutive week the team has appeared in the USA Softball Top 25.
• Baylor is 179-11 over the past six seasons when scoring at least four runs.
• Baylor is 149-19 over the past five seasons when collecting at least eight hits.
• Baylor is 213-20 over the past five seasons when out-hitting its opponent.
• Baylor is 97-20 over the past four seasons at Getterman Stadium, including a 26-2 mark at home this season.
• For the first time in school history, Baylor swept the national player of the week honors after taking two-of-three from No. 2 Arizona. Alex Colyer was named USA Softball National Player of the Week while Lisa Ferguson was named Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week. Both earned Big 12 Conference player of the week honors as well.
• Ashley Monceaux was selected as one of the top 25 finalists for USA Softball National Player of the Year. Baylor's
• With
• For the first time in history, live, streaming audio will be available for every Baylor softball game. Sign-up for audio is free and fans can listen to every Baylor softball game by visiting www.baylorbears.com.
LISA
With a win against
With the victory against the Bobcats,
The senior has been a force in the circle this year, posting a 20-7 record and 2.00 ERA on the year. In all but four innings this season, the right-hander has been in complete control. In games (32-of-36 appearances) in which she did not allow an inning of four or more runs, she has posted a 20-4 record and 1.20 ERA.
THE BAYLOR JETS
Over the last few seasons, Baylor has always been known for its speed. This year is no different as the Lady Bears head into the contest with the Tigers leading the Big 12 Conference with 128 stolen bases in 148 attempts.
This season, Baylor speed and conditioning coach Brandon Marcello and the Lady Bears coaching staff have created a club called "The Baylor Jets" to honor the speedsters in the Baylor line-up.
Starting this year; while recognizing speedsters from the past, "The Baylor Jets' is an elite club for the fastest players to come through the Baylor softball program. Starting in 2007, each time a player "earns their wings," the player will get a sticker of a jet to go on the back of their batting helmet.
In order to "earn their wings," a player must meet the following criteria: post a time of 2.78 second from home-to-first, record a combination of at least 25 stolen bases and infield singles throughout the year and have a shuttle time average of 62 seconds or less with one time less than 60 seconds.
With the above criteria in mind,
BAYLOR STREAKING
Baylor enters the game with the Longhorns as winners of 17-of-20 contests dating back to the team's trip to the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational. During the hot streak, which included a 13-game winning streak, the Baylor offense has hit at an impressive .316 clip while the pitching staff has been dominant in the circle, posting a 17-3 record and 1.90 ERA while holding opponents to a .209 average.
In the circle, Lisa Ferguson and Shortridge have combined for a 15-3 record as the duo has combined to strike out 86 batters while holding opponents to a .205 batting average.
With a home run at the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational,
The career milestone is just one of a number of Baylor marks
Ashley Monceaux AND BAYLOR CONTINUE TO PRODUCE
Over the past few years, the Baylor offense has had tremendous success at the plate and this year has been no different. So far this season, Baylor has posted a .322 batting average on the year and currently ranks second in the league and ninth in the country in the category. In addition, the Lady Bears have hit 51 home runs on the season and have posted an impressive .481 slugging percentage.
Leading the way for Baylor has been senior Ashley Monceaux. Monceaux leads the Lady Bears with a .401 batting average, 15 home runs and 55 RBI. The senior first baseman has posted an almost unbelievable .777 slugging percentage and 122 total bases as she ranks among the top ten in the conference in eight different categories.
As a team, Baylor currently features six players batting over .300 on the season, including freshman Kirsten Shortridge (.364),
GETTERMAN STADIUM KIND TO LADY BEARS
Since the stadium opened, Getterman Stadium has been kind to the Lady Bears as Baylor owns a 164-53 mark all-time at the stadium since it opened in 1999. So far this season, Baylor is an impressive 26-2 at home as last year Baylor went 21-8 in the friendly confines of Getterman Stadium. Since the stadium opened, no Lady Bears team has lost more than 10 games at home in a single season.
Baylor's best mark at home came during the 2004 campaign when the Lady Bears enjoyed a 26-4 record at home, including a 24-2 mark during the regular season.
In the stadium's six years of existence, attendance has steadily risen as Baylor set a pair of attendance records last season. Last season, Baylor set a single-game attendance record when 1,455 fans attended the BU-Texas game to close out the home portion of the schedule.
BAYLOR SOFTBALL IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
The Baylor softball team is currently ranked No. 7 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll. In addition, Baylor earned a No. 10 ranking in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25.
Baylor is one of five Big 12 Conference school ranked in both polls as Texas A&M (No. 6, No. 6),
Baylor's appearance in both polls marks the 54th consecutive week the Lady Bears have appeared in the NFCA Top 25 and the 53rd consecutive week the team has appeared in the USA Softball Top 25. The last time Baylor failed to appear in either poll was March 16, 2004. Within the Big 12 Conference, only Texas A&M and
BAYLOR LADY BEARS IN THE CAREER CHARTS
Several Lady Bears are aiming to continue making their way up the career charts in 2007. Below is a list of Lady Bears who currently rank in the top ten in one of the career categories:
BATTING RECORDS
RUNS:
HITS:
MULTIPLE-HIT GAMES:
DOUBLES:
TRIPLES:
HOME RUNS:
TOTAL BASES:
SACRIFICE FLIES:
PITCHING RECORDS
APPEARANCES: Lisa Ferguson (t-2nd, 164); Ashley Monceaux (10th, 29)
GAMES STARTED: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 113); Kirsten Shortridge (8th, 19)
RELIEF APPEARANCES: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 52)
WINS: Lisa Ferguson (1st, 76); Kirsten Shortridge (t-8th, 15)
LOSSES: Lisa Ferguson (5th, 35); Brittany Turner (t-8th, 5)
DECISIONS: Lisa Ferguson (t-2nd, 112)
COMPLETE GAMES: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 59)
SHUTOUTS: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 27)
SAVES: Lisa Ferguson (1st, 19)
INNINGS PITCHED: Lisa Ferguson (2nd, 751.0); Kirsten Shortridge (8th, 127.1); Ashley Monceaux (10th, 103.1)
STRIKEOUTS: Lisa Ferguson (3rd, 571); Ashley Monceaux (10th, 76); Kirsten Shortridge (9th, 105)
UP NEXT...
Baylor concludes the regular season as the Lady Bears host No. 6 Texas A&M on Saturday, May 5, at 4:00 p.m.
