After winning their series opener against McNeese State in shaky fashion, No. 21 Baylor softball looks to get back on track at home, where it will be hosting the 15th-annual Getterman Classic at Getterman Stadium.
“I have to give credit to a good McNeese State team. Every inning they were threatening to score. If we punched them, they punched back,” said head coach Glenn Moore.
“They didn’t just play good, they are a good team. We are good team that did not play well all weekend.”
“I am not happy with a lot of what I saw this weekend, but at the same time, I know what kind of team we are capable of being. We came out here with a series win, so I feel fortunate there, because honestly, it could have been 0-3 with the way we played.”
The Lady Bears kick off play in four-tournament draw against Northwestern State at 3 p.m. today at Getterman Stadium followed by a matchup against Liberty at 5:30 p.m.
Senior pitcher Heather Stearns is embracing the opportunity to host another home tournament in her final season as a Bear.
“We are ready to turn it around this weekend,” said senior pitcher Heather Stearns.
“I love playing at home, but I know my games here are limited as a senior, but I’m excited for this tournament. I have always enjoyed it.”
Round robin play will end for the Lady Bears 12:30 p.m. Saturday against North Texas, and the team will play later that afternoon at either 3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. depending on their seed thus far through the tournament.
“If you look back at last weekend, kind of every aspect of our game was off. So that being said, we have taken an approach of relaxing. I think we’ve just been so tense, kind off too excited to play, so just relaxing and playing our game,” Stearns said.
The losers of the two Saturday pool play matchups will face off at 9:30 a.m., but with hopes of winning the tournament, the Lady Bears have their eyes set on the championship game at noon Sunday.
“It’s going to be a quick turnaround, but I think that’s going to be good for us,” Stearns said.
Stearns said the Lady Demons (6-1) have been on a roll this year and will present a similar threat to the Lady Bears as the one the faced last weekend against McNeese State.
“We’ve talked a little bit about them. They started off very strong and are predicted to finish first in the Southland Conference. They are going to be strong just like McNeese,” Stearns said. “We are really just looking at what we need to do this weekend not so much Northwestern.”
With the Lady Bears winning the Getterman Classic 10 times, including the last two years, the Lady Bears aim to take the title again.
