Baylor women’s tennis will compete in the USTA/ITA Regional Championship beginning on Friday at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco.

The winner of the Regional Championship, which will be awarded on Tuesday, will gain a bid to the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championship in New York, N.Y. in November.

A five-run first inning gave the National Professional Fastpitch All Star team a winning start over the Baylor softball team Tuesday at Getterman Stadium. Despite the Lady Bears’ efforts, the game ultimately resulted in a score of 8-0.

West Virginia: 12 of 15, 80 percent

TCU: 14 of 19, 73.68 percent

Big 12 Conference: 26 of 34, 76 percent

So far in Big 12 Conference games the Baylor defense has allowed its opponents to convert on third downs more than 76 percent of the time (26 of 34).

On Tuesday, Baylor Athletics and Baylor University Director of Athletics Ian McCaw debuted a new strategic five-year plan that details goals for the entire department.

Primarily, the new strategic plan has five central focuses: student-athlete experience; athletic excellence; culture of integrity; resource development and stewardship; and branding and engagement.

Brittney Griner watched the Olympics and wished she was there. Thanks to the WNBA draft lottery, she might know where she’s going.

Before Rio in 2016, or even getting started in the pros next summer, there is still the senior season with the Lady Bears for the fun-loving All-American who can dunk and broke her right wrist in a longboarding accident this summer. Baylor is coming off the NCAA’s first 40-win season and returns every starter from its undefeated national championship team.

Moonlight Madness was a success last Friday night. The campus will soon be buzzing with basketball on the horizon, and the teams will look to hang banners in April.

Fans flooded the Ferrell Center for a taste of what they will get when the season starts next month.

“There was a lot of energy, man,” freshman forward Rico Gathers said. “I didn’t expect it to be this live…I can’t wait until the season starts.”

Before Baylor enters the tunnel to run out onto the field at Floyd Casey Stadium, the team hits a sign above the doorway that says “Finish Strong.”

“We aren’t going to put our heads down and throw in the towel,” senior quarterback Nick Florence said. “We still have seven more games left. There is still a lot of football to be played. When it comes to bowls, you are defined by how you finish. We’re going to keep fighting until the end.”

Baylor football fans are feeling a sense of panic this week after the Bears lost 49-21 to TCU on Saturday. I wish I could offer some words of encouragement and tell you that everything will be okay this football season, but some numbers just don’t lie.

Baylor’s defense is one of the worst in all of college football. Of the 124 FBS Division I teams, the Bears defense is ranked 121st in points allowed.