GIDEON-LIKE MENTALITY

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – There had to be times this season when Baylor softball coach Glenn Moore felt like he was being tested like Job, losing his No. 1 pitcher, starting shortstop and centerfielder and a freshman utility player that could fill in at second, short or third base.

But the Bears' 24^th-year head coach chose to look at it more like Gideon, who beat the great Midian army with less than 10% of its original size of 32,000 so that everyone knew the victory was God's.

"That's kind of the philosophy that we've taken with it," said Moore, whose underdog Baylor team (35-21) will take on fourth-seeded Florida (49-12) in a best-of-three Super Regional that begins with a game at 11 a.m. CT Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville.

"It's not about us, it's about God doing something special with a team that wants to honor him in all that we do. It makes you proud of them in the way they persevered through all the adversity. You take away the No. 1 pitcher, their starting shortstop and centerfielder . . . they're a whole different team. It says a lot about those that have been willing to stand in the gap."

The Bears have certainly embraced the underdog role. Not even supposed to get through the Lafayette Regional last week, they bounced back from a humiliating 13-0 loss to beat the host Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, 4-3, in the winner-takes-all region final.

"Nothing is more fun than being the underdog," said fifth-year senior leftfielder Emily Hott, a second-team All-Big 12 pick who is hitting .333 with 10 homers and 28 RBIs, "because you have no pressure on you. You can go out there and just play so free and just do it all for the Lord. I love being the underdog. I absolutely love it. . . . We just know that it's softball, anything can change, no matter how good a team is hitting-wise."

That's probably the right approach in facing a dangerously explosive Florida team that has won 11 in a row. The Gators rank fifth in the nation in batting average (.342) and slugging percentage (.604), sixth in home runs (88) and 12^th in stolen bases (105).

Reagan Walsh is hitting .373 with a team-high 16 homers, while All-American shortstop Skylar Wallace is batting .412 with 34 stolen bases in 36 attempts.

"They're very similar to Louisiana in their aggressiveness," Moore said. "But you squelch that by throwing one out early. In this day and age, with video review of leaving early, that's a pretty phenomenal number. (100 stolen bases) was our benchmark for years when we played more of a short game. So, it wasn't unusual back then. But it's getting more unusual, especially with a team that has 80-plus home runs. They've got an aggressive mentality, for sure."

Baylor fifth-year senior catcher Sydney Collazos set the tone in the Lafayette Regional when she threw out Louisiana's Mihyia Davis in the first inning of the Bears' first game against the Ragin' Cajuns after a leadoff single.

Collazos is also the one that keeps things light and loose, even when the Bears were losing players left and right and started out 1-8 in Big 12 play.

"She's amazing, she really is," Moore said of Collazos, who has thrown out 11 baserunners and picked off two others. "I guess you might say she's a wolf in sheep's clothing. She really is a great leader; the kids love her. She keeps everything light and is smart enough to know when not to go down that path. She's a get-it-done player. I hate the thought of not having her on this team, because she's truly the glue of this team."

That's one loss that this team couldn't afford when other players were falling out around her.

"We could be going through the hardest times," Hott said, "and (Collazos) will say something so out of line, she just has everybody cracking up. . . . (When the team was struggling early), Sydney kept it light and goofy. I even had the umpire come up to me and tell me she was the favorite catcher he's ever been behind. She's just respectful, and she just always has a great time when she's on the field."

Friday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Saturday's Game 2 is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT, while Sunday's if-necessary game has not been set.

"I don't really think there's a mentality change," said senior centerfielder Taylor Strain, who made two big defensive plays in the regional with a home run-robbing catch in the opener against Ole Miss and throwing home to cut down the potential tying run in the last game against Louisiana.

"I think it's more like we know we belong. And just keep the mindset of, just have fun, play free and play for each other."

GIDEON-LIKE MENTALITY

Players Mentioned

Sydney Collazos

Emily Hott

Taylor Strain

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