Friday, March 22 • vs Oklahoma • Oklahoma City, Okla. • USA Hall of Fame Stadium • Watch: ESPN+ • Radio: 101.3 FM 
Saturday, March 23 • vs Oklahoma • Norman, Okla. • Love's Field • Watch: ESPN+ • Radio: 101.3 FM
Sunday, March 23 • vs Oklahoma • Norman, Okla. • Love's Field • Watch: ESPN+ • Radio: 101.3 FM

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
WACO, Texas – Not even Geno Auriemma's UConn women's basketball team can match what Patty Gasso's Oklahoma softball team has done over the past 10-plus years.
 
The top-ranked Sooners (28-1, 6-0), who host No. 19 Baylor (17-8, 1-5) in a three-game series this weekend, have won three-consecutive national championships and six in the last 10 possible NCAA Tournaments and are 204-9 over the last 3 ½ seasons.
 
This year's team, which has reeled off 10-straight wins since losing to Louisiana in extra innings, is hitting .398 and has seven everyday players at .400 or better. Alyssa Brito (.436), Tiare Jennings (.418) and Cydney Sanders (.365) have each hit more homers (10) than Baylor's team (7).
 
When asked if this looked like the same Oklahoma team that has won three-consecutive national championships and dominated the Big 12, Baylor coach Glenn Moore said, "Pretty much."
 
"Six or seven kids hitting over .400 and doing everything well," Moore said. "Lot of run-rule games (17). I think I saw they're averaging just over nine runs a game (9.14) and giving up (1.28). That's a formula for winning a lot of games, and they're getting them. We've seen this for quite a few years, so not a lot of difference."
 
While Moore said he doesn't "feel any undue pressure" in facing the machine that is Oklahoma softball, the pressure is being 1-5 in conference after getting swept on the road at Kansas. The Bears bounced back to run-rule Houston Christian, 14-4, in five innings on Tuesday.
 
"I think you can make a mistake as a coach in beating a team up that's playing pretty good ball when the percentages are close to going your way," Moore said. "I preach a lot about the forgiving nature and the redemption nature of the game because of the percentages. It's gone against us, but it went our way early in the year in these same types of ballgames.
 
"You don't want to start conference out that way, but if it's going to happen, you would rather it happen now than in postseason. We have a lot of ball left to play in the Big 12. I have every reason to believe that if we don't lose confidence, we'll turn it around in time to finish strong and get going in the right direction. I'm optimistic about that."
 
Game 1 is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, with the second two games moving to Norman, Okla., for 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
 
All three games will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
 


STORY LINES
• Baylor Softball is continuing Big 12 play this weekend as they will take on No. 1 Oklahoma on the road March 22-24. The Bears will play the Sooners Friday, March 22, at Hall of Stadium in Oklahoma City before facing OU in Norman at Love's Field Saturday and Sunday. 
• The Bears (17-8, 1-5 Big 12) are behind in the all-time record against Oklahoma 73-14 but handed the reigning National Champions their only loss of the 2023 campaign in a nonconference matchup.
• BU picked up a midweek win over Houston Christian this week, defeating the Huskies 14-4 in a five-inning run-rule. 
• Baylor is now 17-8 on the season after falling to Kansas in three-straight games last weekend. Before the series against Kansas, BU's five losses on the season all came against ranked teams. 
• The team comes back to the diamond with a veteran squad that consists of seven seniors and 17 upperclassmen.
• After ending the 2023 campaign back in the NCAA postseason, the Bears are looking to build on last year's 40-win season while returning all but one senior, Josie Bower, from the roster. 
• Baylor added three freshmen to the squad with pitcher Lexie Warncke and infielders, Paige King and Leah Cran.
• Baylor is ranked in all four national polls: No. 22 (Softball America), No. 19 (D1Softball), No. 19 (ESPN/USA Softball) and No. 22 (USA Today/NFCA). 
• The Bears have already faced six ranked teams this season: No. 2 Tennessee, No. 23 Louisiana, No. 25 Oregon, No. 19 UCLA, No. 13 Missouri and No. 7 Oklahoma State. This will mark the third-straight season the Bears have faced Oklahoma while their ranked the No. 1 team in the nation.
• The Bears are excelling in the circle this season, with a 2.08 ERA as a team. RyLee Crandall leads the way with a 7-2 record, with 14 appearances and a 1.31 ERA.
• Crandall picked up Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors for the Bears' win over No. 7 Oklahoma State, where she pitched a one-hit complete-game shutout. The sophomore was one hit away from a perfect game, effectively retiring 21 of 22 at bats.
• Aliyah Binford has a team-leading 71 strikeouts and holds a 5-5 record. She is currently ranked No. 31 in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings and is first in the Big 12 in strikeouts. 
• Sydney Collazos has been a threat behind the plate, throwing out eight runners so far this season and picking off two batters, one at first and one at third. She is ranked 18th in the country in caught stealing by records. 
• Shaylon Govan leads the Bears with a .500 average, 30 hits, four doubles and three home runs. Her batting average ties her for first in the Big 12 and ties for third nationally, while her on base percentage is ranks her first nationally. With her .639 on base percentage, Govan is ranked eighth in the country in walks per game and has been walked 23 times so far this season.
• Kaci West has three saves on the season, which is good for first in the Big 12 and ties her at 19th nationally. 
• The 2024 squad has turned 15 total double plays already this season. The Bears are ranked ninth nationally in double plays turned per game (.60) with 15 turned through 25 games. 
• Sixteen different Bears have recorded a hit so far this season, with Govan leading the way with 30, followed by Emily Hott with 23. There are 10 Bears with double-digit hits already on the season. 
• Head coach Glenn Moore hit his 1,000th career win last season, when the Bears took down UT Arlington on March 23, 2023. He is looking for his 900th win at Baylor this season and is five wins away from that milestone.