By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

Baylor junior Shelby Friudenberg was shown the ultimate sign of respect as a hitter at last weekend's Tucson Super Regional when she was intentionally walked twice by second-seeded Arizona.

The problem for the Wildcats was there was another Shelby -- freshman "Goose" McGlaun -- waiting in the on-deck circle.

In the seventh inning of Sunday's series finale, McGlaun launched Taylor McQuillin's 2-0 delivery over the batter's eye netting beyond the center field wall at Hillenbrand Stadium for a monster three-run home run that sent the 15th-seeded Lady Bears (47-13) to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City with a dramatic 6-5 victory.

"It's huge, because now people are watching film where they pitched around Friudenberg to get to Goose, and they don't feel like they can do that," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose team will face defending national champion Oklahoma (56-9) at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the opening round of the WCWS. "So, maybe Friudenberg will see a few better pitches."

That was the plan from the beginning, when Moore signed McGlaun as a three-time all-state pick and 2016 NFCA first-team All-American out of Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas. Rated one of, if not the best, prospects in the nation, she would just naturally slide into the No. 5 spot in the lineup as protection behind Friudenberg, a junior first baseman from nearby Bruceville-Eddy who hit 29 homers in her first two seasons at Baylor.

"It's what we had earlier in the year," Moore said of his back-to-back Shelbys in the middle of the order, "and then you go through roller-coaster rides in the middle of the season, the ups and downs and some slumps here and there. As the season progressed, we didn't get the 4-5 the way we wanted it, and we made some changes there. So, it's nice to have it back. Both of those hitters are extremely respected, so we should get some production out of them."

You can certainly make the case that the Lady Bears wouldn't be here without them.

While pitching carried them through the Waco Regional, including a pair of no-hitters by sophomore pitcher Gia Rodoni, it was a three-run homer by Friudenberg that lifted Baylor to a 4-2 win over James Madison in the pivotal Game 2.

"It felt a little jammed, almost, so I was a little bit nervous that they were going to catch it in the outfield," she said. "At Getterman, you never know if the wind's going to catch it. And it didn't catch it, thankfully."

And then, at the Super Regionals, Friudenberg earned the Wildcats' respect by going 5-for-7 (.714) with a walk, two doubles, a home run and three RBI in her first eight plate appearances. She drove in the Lady Bears' first three runs in the series-clinching 6-5 win with a two-out double in the first inning and a two-run homer in the third.

Still, Moore said it was a "big chance to take" when the Wildcats intentionally walked her again in the seventh to bring the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the form of McGlaun.

"Especially since I thought she was seeing the ball as well as anybody this weekend and had been snake-bit a little," he said. Going into Sunday's series finale, McGlaun was just 1-for-6 at the plate, but had hit a lot of balls hard.

"It's definitely frustrating, but I also understand that it's part of the game," said McGlaun, who is hitting .261 with 37 RBI and 11 home runs, which ties Friudenberg for the team lead. "Seeing those things happen means I'm hitting the ball well and I'm having a good approach. As long as I'm hitting the ball hard, you know that sometimes it's going to be right at people, and that's just how the game goes. It's definitely frustrating, but it's also learning, `OK, this pitch is here,' so it helps me with the next at-bats."

That was part of the learning curve earlier in the year for McGlaun, who was hitting just .216 with one home run through the first three weeks of the season. When Moore dropped her to the No. 7 spot in the lineup, the freshman responded by hitting .500 (7-for-14) at the Judi Garman Classic in California, with three homers, seven RBI, 17 total bases and a 1.214 slugging percentage.

"I understood what he was doing when he did that," she said. "I think moving down in the order, I would get more pitches to see, better pitches to see. That kind of boosted my confidence a little bit to get moved back up again (to No. 5), but I'll hit wherever he puts me."

Friudenberg set the program freshman record with 18 homers two years ago, but she knows it can be a "little tricky" counting on a freshman in the middle of the lineup.

"Coming in as a freshman, you know they're going to be a little bit nervous," said Friudenberg, who's hitting .353 with team highs for homers (11), RBI (50), walks (33) and slugging percentage (.582). "But, she's acted like an upperclassman all year. It's been great having her in the lineup. It takes a little stress off everyone else, because she's a power hitter and we all know what she can do."

The same can be said for Friudenberg, who was named the Waco Tribune-Herald Super Centex Player of the Year as a senior in 2014, when she hit a mind-boggling .771 with 17 home runs, 16 doubles and 61 RBI at Bruceville-Eddy High School. She was intentionally walked 47 times, including once with the bases loaded against Crawford.

"It was frustrating," she said, "but it is a sign of respect. So, I mean, there was nothing I could really be mad about."

She could never have guessed, though, that she would get a similar treatment by Arizona All-American pitcher Danielle O'Toole.

"I would say going against the No. 2 team and having them walk me is a big sign of respect," she said. "My teammates were able to step up behind me, so I wasn't really worried about it when they walked me."

After a leadoff double by Ari Hawkins and the second straight intentional walk to Friudenberg, this time by McQuillin, it set the stage for the biggest at-bat of McGlaun's young career.

"I was looking for a pitch I could hit, a pitch I could drive," she said. "And I knew she would probably give it to me in that count (2-0). As soon as it came off the bat, I had a feeling. Then, I saw the centerfielder run out of room, and I got excited."

No moment seems too big for this 19-year-old freshman, who is playing at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium for the third time. She played in a select tournament one year prior to the World Series and then played three games there during the Big 12 Championship.

"There's always going to be those nerves now that it's the big stage," she said. "I think playing there has helped me a little bit, but it's never been full like it will be this weekend."

DID YOU KNOW?
"Goose" McGlaun says she got her nickname from her parents reading her Bed Time by Mem Fox when she was a child. "Time for bed, little goose, little goose. The stars are out and on the loose," she clips out, before busting out in laughter. "Going through softball, my parents called me that, so other people heard it. And then in high school, that's what my name was. Nobody really knew me as Shelby. When I got here (to Baylor), it kind of stuck. It's on my ID card. I thought about leaving it alone, but with Shelby (Friudenberg) being here, too, it's just easier, instead of being Shelby and Shelby."