March 21, 2006
The 15th-ranked Texas A&M softball team (20-9) will travel to Getterman Stadium in Waco for the Big 12 Conference opener against the 17th-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (18-11), Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
| GAME INFO |
| Wednesday, March 22, 6:30 p.m. (CST) Getterman Stadium (1,230), Waco, Texas Tickets: call 254-710-1000 or 1-800-BAYLOR-U for info. |
| RECORDS |
| Texas A&M: 20-9, 0-0 Big 12 Baylor: 18-12, 0-0 Big 12 |
| RANKINGS |
| A&M is ranked 15th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and 16th in the latest USA Today/NFCA poll. Baylor is rated 19th by ESPN.com/USA Softball and 21st by the NFCA. |
| RADIO |
| Matt Simon, play-by-play Clint Netherland, commentary (available inside Getterman Stadium on low end of FM dial) |
| INTERNET |
| Live Stats: (baylorbears.com) Live Audio: (aggieathletics.com-subscription service) |
| SERIES |
| A&M leads, 38-13-1 Last Meeting: (5/12/05) Last Time in Waco: (3/23/05) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M hosts Kansas Saturday, March 25, 2 p.m. (CST) Sunday, March 26, 12 p.m. (CST) Aggie Softball Complex, College Station, Texas Tickets: 1-888-99-AGGIE |
Fans can access live stats by logging on to AggieAthletics.com and can listen to the game locally on Sports Radio 1150 The Zone and inside Getterman Stadium on the low end of the FM dial. Broadcast time will begin at 6:15 p.m. (CST).
"Baylor has a great ball club and they will be tough to beat at home," commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. "They are aggressive at the plate and have great speed on the base paths. It should prove to be a great match-up."
The Aggies are coming off an impressive showing at the Judi Garman Classic held in Fullerton, Calif., this past week. A&M went 5-1 in the tournament, knocking off ranked opponents in No. 1 Arizona, No. 14 Washington and No. 15 Oklahoma before falling to No. 4 Texas, 1-0, in the championship game.
"Our team gained a lot of confidence over the past week, competing against the best teams in the nation and playing very well," noted Evans. "We are playing solid defense, our pitchers are throwing strikes and our hitters are starting to drive the ball."
Sophomore, Megan Gibson leads the Aggies at the plate with a .329 batting average. Gibson has hit four doubles and eight homeruns for 20 RBI this season. She's also toting a team best .729 slugging percentage. In the circle, Gibson has a 2.51 ERA, having thrown 78 innings allowing 35 runs, 28 earned. Gibson has struckout 55 of the 305 batters she's faced.
The leading hitter for Baylor is freshman Brette Reagan. Reagan is batting .446 with seven homeruns and has driven in 28 runs. Lisa Ferguson (9-5) is the Lady Bears' dominant force in the circle. Ferguson has a 1.61 ERA in 82.2 innings of work.
The Aggies won two of the three match-ups against the Lady Bears in 2005. A&M won both regular season games, 7-1 before losing to Baylor, 4-11, in the second game of the Big 12 Championships in Oklahoma City. A&M leads the all-time series with a mark of 38-13-1.