Friday, February 25
Palm Springs, Calif.
10 PM
Baylor
vs
Oregon State
SB Heads to Palm Springs for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
2/24/2022 3:15:00 PM | Softball
Bears will face Oregon State, Loyola Marymount, UCLA and San Diego
BAYLOR (6-3) at MARY NUTTER COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
Friday, Feb. 25 • vs. Oregon State • Palm Springs, Calif. | Fenway Field • FloSoftballSaturday, Feb. 26 • at UCLA • Palm Spring, Calif. | Wrigley Field • FloSoftball
Saturday, Feb. 26 • at Loyola Marymount • Palm Spring, Calif. | Fenway Field • FloSoftball
Sunday, Feb. 27 • vs. San Diego • Palm Spring, Calif. | Des Moines Field • FloSoftball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
As much as Glenn Moore would like to just forget about Tuesday's 12-3 loss at UTA, when Baylor gave up an 11-run second inning, he also wants the Bears to "feel that pain" and let it fuel them at this weekend's Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.
"I think you want to feel that aggravation, that pain, long enough to where you prevent it from happening again," Moore said. "You've got to have somebody step up and stop the bleeding, and then try to get back in it. We weren't able to get enough offensive support to get back in it. And credit them, when we looked like we were, they took it away from us."
Moore had hoped to build on the momentum from last weekend, when the Bears shut out 12th-ranked Oregon, 3-0, in the series opener and were competitive in the other two, tied at 3-3 going into the seventh inning of the finale.
"I think in a perfect world, we would have gained some momentum going into the weekend. That would have been my plan," Moore said. "I think we proved that we could play with a very good team. That's what we're going to see (in California). I thought we would go into it probably feeling a little more confident than Tuesday made us feel. Nevertheless, it's an opportunity to gain that confidence back and get some respect back."
If there were any doubts about whether Baylor could compete against one of the nation's best teams, the Bears put those to rest with that 3-0 win over Oregon last Friday, when Fresno State transfer Dariana Orme (3-0, 1.45 ERA) tossed a complete-game four-hitter with six strikeouts and only one walk.
"That was a big win for us," said catcher/third baseman Sydney Callozos, who is hitting .458 with one homer and four RBI. "One game won't define us, but we keep getting these opportunities to keep playing against these ranked teams. And the more we keep winning, the more we're going to keep proving ourselves."
Even in Tuesday's loss at UTA, when the Bears committed three errors and allowed the first nine batters to reach base in the 2nd inning, Moore saw a team filled with players who had each other's back and never pointed fingers.
"I think that probably is something they can cling to, they're going to have each other's back," Moore said. "What you don't want to see is pouting – somebody made three errors and I'm not in the game – you don't want to see any of that stuff. That tears a team apart. And I didn't see any of that."
Third baseman/pitcher Aliyah Binford, who's gotten off to a slow start with a .259 batting average and 1-2 record with a 3.86 ERA in the circle, said all of the players "took ownership in that loss. It wasn't just one single player."
"The atmosphere on this team is amazing," Binford said. "This is the most fun I've had on the softball field. I love being around them. When I'm down, they're always there to back me up."
At this weekend's prestigious Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Baylor will face a gauntlet of teams starting with Friday's 10 p.m. CT matchup against an Oregon State team (7-3) that has won four in a row after a 3-3 start. Frankie Hammoude is hitting .538 with six homers and 11 RBI, while senior pitcher Mariah Mazon is a returning All-Pac 12 pick who tossed three no-hitters last year.
On Saturday, the Bears face Loyola Marymount (5-6) at 4:30 p.m. CT, followed by a high-profile matchup against sixth-ranked UCLA (7-3) at 7:30. The Bruins are led by fifth-year senior Kinsley Washington, who is hitting .531 with five home runs and 16 RBI, while three-time All-American Megan Fairamo is 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA.
Before coming back home, Baylor will play San Diego (6-6) at 11 a.m. Sunday to wrap up the three-day tournament. The Toreros are batting just .240 as a team with two home runs, but pitcher Courtney Rose is 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 29.2 innings.
Orme and fellow Fresno State transfer McKenzie Wilson are returning to their home state for the tournament. A Long Beach native, Wilson has started every game in center field and is hitting a team-best .483 with nine RBI and is a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen bases.
"They're certainly bright spots, the future looks bright," Moore said. "They're both exceptional players. And not only that, exceptional teammates with great leadership potential. They've shown in a very short time a lot of maturity and the ability to take a team they haven't been a part of and just win the team over, from who they are. I think that's going to be huge for us as we try to grow this team."
STORY LINES
- Baylor Softball will head to Palm Springs, California for the 2022 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, where they will compete against Oregon State, Loyola Marymount, UCLA and San Diego.
- BU has met with each of the teams they are competing against at least once and the Bears have the all advantage in the all-time records against Loyola Marymount and San Diego.
- Looking to pick up their first win in three games, the Bears will face off against USA Softball ranked No. 6 UCLA and Oregon State who are receiving votes in the poll.
- Returning to their home state of California are Fresno State transfers Dariana Orme and McKenzie Wilson. They are currently leading the Bears on the offensive and defensive ends of the team.
- This is the Bears first return to the Mary Nutter Classic since 2014 where they went 4-1 in the tournament. Baylor has competed in a Palm Springs tournament five times previously where their overall record is 14-9 in the California city.
- In the Bears midweek loss against UT Arlington, Josie Bower hit a three-run home run, her first of the season and fourth of her career.
- Every player on Baylor's roster has now played in a game this season.
SERIES RECORDS:
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
BAYLOR LEADS 2-1LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Waco: Never Met
Los Angeles, Calif.: Never Met
Neutral: Baylor leads 2-1
OREGON STATE
Waco: Never Met
Corvallis, Ore.: Oregon State leads 2-0
Neutral: Oregon State leads 3-1
UCLA
Waco: Never Met
Los Angeles, Calif.: UCLA leads 1-0
Neutral: Series tied 3-3
SAN DIEGO
Waco: Never Met
San Diego, Calif..: Never Met
Neutral: Baylor leads 2-0
Players Mentioned
P/INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballBaylor Softball: Highlights vs. Texas Tech | May 8, 2025
Thursday, May 08
back-to-back-to-back 🫢
Thursday, May 08
Round Won 👏
Thursday, May 08
Baylor Softball: Highlights vs. Kansas | May 7, 2025
Wednesday, May 07
