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The unseeded Baylor softball team comes to town this weekend to face the No. 4 national seed Gators in the Gainesville Super Regional that starts at noon Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Bears coach Glenn Moore joined Steve Russell on Sports Scene on Wednesday to preview the matchup with Florida (49-12).
Gainesville Super Regional
(4) @GatorsSB 🆚 @BaylorSoftball #RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/Zm3a81IAv4— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 20, 2024
The Bears (35-21) fought this entire season to make it to where they now find themselves, Moore said.
Regional Comeback
The No. 13 national seed Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns hosted Baylor in the Lafayette Regional last weekend. After upsetting the Cajuns 8-0 in the second round, the Bears fell 13-0 to the home team, forcing a winner-take-all game last Sunday.
Baylor took an early 1-0 lead when senior Emily Hott hit a home run in the first inning. Louisiana did not let this lead last long, as it responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Senior catcher Sydney Collazos tied the game with a solo shot the next inning.
The back-and-forth matchup was put away when the Bears scored two runs in the top of the fifth. Baylor defeated the Cajuns 4-3 to propel to the next round in Gainesville.
SIC ‘EM TO SUPERS 🐻@BaylorSoftball takes out (13) Louisiana, 4-3, in the winner-take-all game to win the Lafayette Regional.#RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/DAi8Km2vVi
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 19, 2024
Limited Pitching
The Bears started their season with six available pitchers. However, after a challenging season, Baylor has three arms left to use.
Moore says the two pitchers he will throw in the circle are sophomore RyLee Crandall and junior Aliyah Binford.
While the Bears are limited in the bullpen, Moore says his team is strongest on defense and playing small ball.
Fighting Mentality
The Bears had to step up after losing many members of their original starting lineup, giving them a determined mindset throughout the season, Moore said.
After facing a lot of adversity this season, the Bears are two wins away from making it to the Women’s College World Series that starts May 30 in Oklahoma City for the first time since 2017.
First pitch of the Gainesville Super Regional is at noon Friday. ESPN2 and ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF will provide media coverage.
