By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Closing out the road-heavy portion of their nonconference schedule, Baylor softball looks to bounce back against Kansas in a three-game series at Getterman Stadium.
The Bears (10-11) have scored just one run in their last two games, falling to Cal Baptist 2-1 in the Baylor Invitational championship game Sunday and to No. 1 Texas 4-0 on Wednesday.
“That really excites us after we’ve kind of been punched in the mouth a little bit preseason,” senior first baseman Shaylon Govan said. “Playing good teams, it always motivates us … we’re just trying to get back on a roll.”
Head coach Glenn Moore and his team view the conference schedule as a fresh start rather than the second half of the season. The Bears aim to leave the past behind and focus on finding success against Big 12 opponents, despite their current losing record.
“The slate is clean,” senior third baseman Turiya Coleman said. “Everybody is 0-0 right now, so all of our bad averages, our ERAs, they’re wiped clean. I think that’ll give us a brand-new start for this part of our season.”
After a strong start to the year, the offense has struggled over the last two weeks, including being held to one hit in each of its last two games.
“Offensively, we’ve been a Jekyll and Hyde here and there,” Moore said. “You face weak pitching and think you’re great, [then] great pitching and think you’re terrible.”
Throughout the season, the Bears have faced a range of pitching, so Moore said the team will need to utilize its different approaches to find consistency at the plate.
“We’ve seen some of both, so we’re somewhere in the middle right now,” Moore said. “We just have to find out how to utilize it.”
While the Baylor pitching staff is starting to find a groove and get more longevity out of its starters,there is still an emphasis on consistency. Freshman right-handed pitcher Lexie Warncke has emerged as a force in the circle, posting a 4-2 record, and senior left-hander Lillie Walker has settled in as a key arm out of the bullpen. Moore said the start of the conference schedule will help solidify roles within the staff.
“Our biggest focus has been on getting our pitching staff going in the right direction,” Moore said. “Figure it out like a well-oiled machine, how we can use this pitcher and plug her in, and how far this one can go in pushing that limit a little bit.”
In the game against No. 1 Texas on Wednesday, Coleman returned to the diamond after sustaining an injury against Nevada in the Mary Nutter Classic on Feb. 20. She was the only Bear to record a hit against the Longhorns sophomore right-hander Teagan Kavan during her complete-game performance.
“I’m glad that I had one game to really let the nerves settle before we really get into conference,” Coleman said. “[I] had to have a few conversations with God and [figure out] what I need to be doing during that time I was sitting out, and I think it was good for me.”
Last season, Kansas swept the favored Bears in their three-game series in Lawrence. The Baylor lineup struggled against the Jayhawks’ pitching staff, scoring only two runs in the first game and getting shut out in the final two.
“You can never really tell what teams are going to show up with,” Moore said. “They’re a well-coached team that are not real flashy but does a lot of things really well and are not going to beat themselves.”
The Bears begin the three-game weekend series against Kansas at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Getterman Stadium.
