April 17, 2004

Currently 19-21 on the season, the Missouri softball team will take on No. 21 Baylor in a two-game series opening Saturday, April 17, at 2 p.m., followed with game two on Sunday, April 18, at 1 p.m., at University Field.

Playing against the nationally ranked Bears, this will be Missouri's 12th top-25 opponent of the 2004 season. The Tigers most recent top-ranked opponent was No. 14/17 Oklahoma. Missouri dropped both games (5-0, 1-0) on Saturday, April 10, in Norman.

The Tigers put a perfect 8-0 home record on the line as they take on Baylor. Tied for the longest home winning streak at University Field, the last time Missouri was 8-0 at home came during the 2000 season in their second year of play at their new stadium. (University Field was opened in 1999).

6-2 in the Big 12 Conference, the Tigers are third in the league with a .750 winning percentage, followed closely by Baylor (7-3, .700). Nebraska continues to dominate the Conference with an 8-0 record, six wins coming by shutout.

Missouri enters the weekend with a six game lead in the all-time series (15-9). Exactly one year ago on April 18, Missouri took its first 2003 season victory over the Bears (5-2), finding win number two on April 19, 4-1. MU pitcher Erin Kalka earned both wins for the Tigers combining for nine strikeouts.

In Missouri's last game (Wednesday, April 14), the Tigers closed out the Kansas Border War series with their second shutout over the Jayhawks on the season. Game one resulted in a 7-0 score with game two finishing at 3-0. Both wins combined to give the Tigers three points towards the Border War Series.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Tigers will host Pittsburgh State in their last non-conference game of the season, Wednesday, April 21 at 6 p.m.