Jayhawks Host Lady Bears In Big 12 Home Opener

March 29, 2007

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

First Pitch
After a 10-game road swing, Kansas softball opens a string of five consecutive home contests with a Big 12 weekend series against No. 12/16 Baylor. The Jayhawks (25-9-1, 2-0 Big 12), winners of eight of their last nine games, host the Bears (32-9, 2-0) Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon at Arrocha Ballpark. Fan promotions include a free adidas water bottle on Saturday and a foam noodle giveaway on Sunday. Live Gametracker will be available for both contests.

The Jayhawks return 10 letterwinners from last year’s Big 12 postseason championship team, including senior All-Big 12 pitcher Kassie Humphreys (12-3). Sophomore shortstop Stevie Crisosto paces the offense with a .364 batting average in 2007. Head coach Tracy Bunge is in her 11th season at KU with a 343-280-2 record.

Jayhawks Host Lady Bears In Big 12 Home Opener
The Jayhawks host No. 12/16 Baylor in their Big 12 Conference home opener Saturday and Sunday at Arrocha Ballpark. Both teams sit at the top of the league standings with 2-0 Big 12 records and both have win streaks at stake — KU at four and BU at six games.

Although Kansas leads the all-time series against Baylor 20-11, the Lady Bears have claimed six of the last eight meetings. KU defeated BU 5-1 in the 2006 Big 12 Championship en route to its first-ever postseason title and split the regular-season series in Waco on April 8-9, 2006.

About Baylor
No. 12/16 Baylor closed out a six-game home stand with a doubleheader sweep of UTSA Wednesday and will begin a string of six consecutive Big 12 Conference contests Saturday at Kansas. The Lady Bears enter the KU series riding a six-game winning streak after sweeping the Roadrunners and a pair of games against Nebraska for the first time in school history.

The Lady Bears rank second in the league with a .325 team batting average and sixth in earned run average (1.86), just behind the Jayhawks (1.73).

Senior infielder/pitcher Ashley Monceaux continues to lead the way for the Lady Bears, pacing the team with a .412 batting average, 10 home runs and 42 RBI. After picking up both wins in the circle against Nebraska, senior righty Lisa Ferguson enters the series with a 14-4 record and 1.61 ERA. Ferguson, who earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors for her performance against the Huskers, has struck out 111 batters in 113.1 innings of work and recently picked up her 70th career victory.

Oklahoma State/Missouri State Leftovers
Kansas opened Big 12 play last weekend with a series sweep of Oklahoma State in Stillwater and swept a twin bill at Missouri State Wednesday to improve its record to 25-9-1 overall and 2-0 in league action. The Jayhawks have won eight of their last nine games, all on the road, and 12 of their last 13 contests. Sophomore Val George (8-2) has pitched KU to victory in her last eight starts and senior Kassie Humphreys (12-3) leads the Big 12 with four saves and has 129 strikeouts on the season. Sophomore shortstop Stevie Crisosto boasts a 13-game hitting streak and is leading the KU offense with a .364 batting average.

Up Next: KU Hosts Lady `Backs, Huskers
The Jayhawks continue their five game home stand with a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday against Arkansas (2 p.m.) and a Big 12 battle against Nebraska Wednesday (3 p.m.). KU has won its last eight meetings with the Lady `Backs and is close to tying up the all-time series with the Huskers, who lead 48-43.

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