No. 15 Softball Treks North To Kansas
4/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2011
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No. 15 Baylor (32-8, 5-3) at Kansas (28-15, 1-11) | |||
SATURDAY, APRIL 16| 2 P.M.  Gametracker |  Listen | SUNDAY, APRIL 17 | NOON Gametracker | Listen | ||
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Scouting Kansas
Kansas enters the weekend fresh off winning its first conference game of the season, splitting a doubleheader at No. 25 Texas Tech. The Jayhawks have dropped seven of their last eight games and 12 of their last 14. KU is led by Brittany Hile's .359 average, 13 home runs and 35 RBI, while Liz Kocon is hitting .33 with 11 homers and 32 RBI. In the circle, Kristin Martinez leads the way with 12-8 mark, 2.69 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 114.2 innings.
Series
Kansas leads the all-time series 23-16, but the series is tied 6-6 in Lawrence. The last time Baylor visited KU, the two teams split a weekend series as the two teams combined for eight home runs in the two games.
RPI
Baylor comes into the series with an RPI of 10, while Kansas is 48th.
5 And Under
Baylor is 32-4 when holding its opponents to five runs or less, including a 28-1 mark when allowing two runs or less. On the flip side, BU is 0-6 when allowing six or more runs.
Score First, Score A Win
The Lady Bears are 11-1 this season when scoring in the first inning and 26-2 when scoring first. When leading after four innings, Baylor is 26-2, and when having a lead after six, it is 24-1. The lone loss came on a walk-off, two-run homer at Texas A&M on March 27.
Top 25 Terrorizers
The Lady Bears enter this weekend's contests with a 12-5 mark against ranked opponents, including 8-3 away from Getterman Stadium.
One's Enough
Baylor has yet to drop back-to-back games so far this season.
Road Warriors
Baylor will wrap up its eight-straight games away from home this weekend and will have travled over 2,800 miles in a 12-day span. BU is 4-2 thus far on the road swing.
Vs. Ranked Opponents
After going 2-14 against ranked opponents in 2010, Baylor is 12-5 against ranked foes in 2011.
Best Start Since 2005
The 32-8 start is the second-best mark through 40 games in Baylor history. Only the 2005 squad was better, with a 35-5 record.
All Acquaintance Be Forgot
It's a new year, and nothing makes that more clear than looking at the Lady Bears' record. After going 28-25 in 2010, they already have 32 wins entering this weekend. The difference? Pitching. At this time last season, BU had a 2.26 ERA, while it enters the weekend with a 1.43 ERA. After losing six, one-run games in 2010, one run can make the difference.
Armed And Ready
The Baylor pitching staff has been nothing short of stellar, entering the weekend with a 1.43 ERA, third in the Big 12 Conference and eighth nationally. Canion's 0.96 ERA is good for sixth in the country and second in the league, while Liz Paul (1.49) is sixth and Courtney Repka is 13th with a 2.39 mark.
Look Out For Leal
Senior Dani Leal, has been stellar in her second year in green and gold, leading the team in batting average (.378), home runs (11), RBI (27) and slugging percentage (.786). She is hitting .450 in conference games, good for fourth. Her 11 home runs put her in a tie for ninth on the single-season home run mark and tie her for seventh on the career home run list with 21. The shortstop from Mexico City, Mexico, set a new Getterman Classic for home runs in the tournament, smashing quatro.
Canion Grand In Circle
Canion has been outstanding in the circle for BU, with a 16-4 record and 0.85 ERA, while her 9.03 strikeouts per seven innings is good for fifth in the league.
Shelton's Speed
Kathy Shelton was a perfect 37-for-37 on the base paths in her career, including a team-leading 20-for-20 this seasoon until she was thrown out for the first time in her career at Texas Tech on April 6. She is now 37-38 in her career and 23-24 this season. As a team, Baylor leads the Big 12 with 84 stolen bases on the year.
Canion Climbing The Charts
Canion now sits second all-time in career strikeouts at Baylor with 689. Just a redshirt sophomore, she needs 70 to tie Cristin Vitek's career record 759.
