We're going around the country profiling all the teams you need to know about in Softball this season. If you missed it, check out yesterday's profiles on Kansas & Syracuse. This series will continue through April 13th as we preview 32 of the top teams in the country!
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| The Bears go as Courtney Repka goes. via Fan Base |
You'll find many parallels between this Baylor Bears team and the one in last year's CWS. They don't score a lot, and don't hammer the ball deep. What they do do, and they do very well, is pitch. And pitching is what's gotten them to where they're at. They've had two single game wins over Wichita State & North Texas so far. They've also swept series at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and in Waco against Northwestern State and Louisiana Tech. They participated in the Getterman Classic going 3-1 defeating Iowa, Belmont, and UT-Arlington while losing to Arkansas. They also competed in the Fairfield Inn North Texas Shootout going 2-3 beating Oregon and North Carolina while dropping games to UCLA, Illinois State, and Syracuse. They hosted two Spring Break Round Robins where they've gone 5-1, defeating North Dakota State, UTSA, North Texas, Buffalo, and Liberty. The lone loss was against Buffalo
PITCHING:
Courtney Repka (Jr.; East Bernard, TX) 9-2 in 11 starts, 0.91 ERA
Whitney Canion (RS Jr.; Aledo, TX) 5-1 in 7 app. 0.35 ERA
BATS:
Kathy Shelton - CF (Jr.; McKinney, TX) .421 in 76 AB. 11 RBI, 1 HR
Holly Holl - 1B (RS So.; Katy, TX) .297 in 74 AB. 11 RBI, 0 HR
Megan Turk - 3B (Sr.; Bulverde, TX) .288 in 80 AB. 11 RBI, 1 HR
Kayce Walker - RF (Sr.; Franklin, TX) .284 in 74 AB. 6 RBI, 0 HR
Delaney Guy - 2B (Fr.; Klein, TX) .174 in 69 AB. 6 RBI, 0 HR
As you can see here, there's not a lot of firepower in the batting order down in Waco. They are in the thick of teams, in a five team battle for the top of the Big XII with Texas, OU, Mizzou, and A&M. This team is eyeing a return to the CWS this season, and have an amazing shot based on their superior pitching staff. We didn't even mention Liz Paul, a sophomore who's appeared in 15 games, gone 6-2 with 2 saves. Oh, her ERA? 1.53.
#16 UCLA Bruins (20-6, 0-0 PAC-12)
The early struggle that UCLA has had is against similar competition. They beat Kentucky, Syracuse, and Baylor, but they have struggled vs. the rest of the Top 25. They've played a tough schedule, and the grueling PAC-12 season is about to come along. Maybe this schedule helps. They started off with the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament going 4-0 against Kentucky & Pacific. They also went 5-0 in the Campbell/Cartier Classic against UC-Davis, Boise State, UCF, USCB, & SDSU. They went 1-4 in the Cathedral City classic defeating Syracuse, but losing to Georgia, Fresno State, Texas, & Missouri. The Citrus Classic left the Bruins 3-2 beating Fordham, Baylor, & Hofstra but losing to Michigan and Auburn. The Long Beach Invitational was far more friendly where they went 5-0 against Eastern Kentucky, LBSU, Charleston Southern, Pitt, & Utah State. The Bruins also won single games against Loyola Marymount and Michigan State.
PITCHING:
Ally Carda (Fr.; Elk Grove, CA) 9-2 in 12 starts. 2.84 ERA
Jessica Hall (So.; Chino Hills, CA) 9-3 in 12 starts. 2.00 ERA
BATTING:
Katie Schroeder - CF (RS Sr.; Yorba Lind, CA) .452 in 84 AB. 13 RBI, 2 HR
Samantha Carmuso - DH (RS Jr.; Redding, CA) .444 in 72 AB. 26 RBI, 6 HR
Stephany LaRosa - 3B (Fr.; Diamond Bar, CA) .407 in 86 AB. 26 RBI, 6 HR
B.B. Bates - LF (Jr.; Victorville, CA) .378 in 82 AB. 21 RBI, 5 HR
Andrea Harrison - 1B (Sr.; Garden Grove, CA) .375 in 88 AB. 21 RBI, 6 HR
As you can see, the strength here is in the bats. These ladies hit the ball and get on base. They are very good at what they do. They need Freshman Ally Carda to really settle in and play well if they want to contend for a PAC-12 title. They are one of 6 teams who look like viable title contenders, but there is a clear gap between Cal, Washington, & ASU and the rest of the PAC-12.
#16 UCLA Bruins (20-6, 0-0 PAC-12)
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| Samantha Carmuso |
PITCHING:
Ally Carda (Fr.; Elk Grove, CA) 9-2 in 12 starts. 2.84 ERA
Jessica Hall (So.; Chino Hills, CA) 9-3 in 12 starts. 2.00 ERA
BATTING:
Katie Schroeder - CF (RS Sr.; Yorba Lind, CA) .452 in 84 AB. 13 RBI, 2 HR
Samantha Carmuso - DH (RS Jr.; Redding, CA) .444 in 72 AB. 26 RBI, 6 HR
Stephany LaRosa - 3B (Fr.; Diamond Bar, CA) .407 in 86 AB. 26 RBI, 6 HR
B.B. Bates - LF (Jr.; Victorville, CA) .378 in 82 AB. 21 RBI, 5 HR
Andrea Harrison - 1B (Sr.; Garden Grove, CA) .375 in 88 AB. 21 RBI, 6 HR
As you can see, the strength here is in the bats. These ladies hit the ball and get on base. They are very good at what they do. They need Freshman Ally Carda to really settle in and play well if they want to contend for a PAC-12 title. They are one of 6 teams who look like viable title contenders, but there is a clear gap between Cal, Washington, & ASU and the rest of the PAC-12.
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