Sports Briefs

Improvements Planned

Construction on two athletic facilities was approved in February by Baylor’s regents and will begin in May. The Baylor softball team will soon have a place to work out even when the weather isn't cooperating. The new indoor practice facility will be funded by a gift from alumni Ted '49, JD '51, and Sue Holt Getterman '50 of Waco, who also helped fund the team’s home park, Getterman Stadium.

The new practice facility will be adjacent to the stadium and will feature retractable batting cages and pitching areas. "Because of the generosity of Ted and Sue Getterman, the top softball facility in the nation is getting better," Baylor coach Glenn Moore said.

The Baylor Tennis Center building project will include major renovations to the men's and women's locker rooms and lounges, the visitor's locker room, and the video room, as well as other renovations to coaches' offices and the building's foyer.

Riders Gallop to Top Spot

In just four short years, the Baylor equestrian program is already on top. Baylor took over the number-one ranking in the Women's Collegiate Equestrian National Coaches Poll in late February, after winning each of their first five 2009 events. That designation marked only the third BU athletic program that has reached number one in a national poll, joining men's tennis (2004, 2005) and women's basketball (2005). Fourth-ranked Auburn ended the winning streak, but junior Allison Orosz earned her sixth straight win in Western riding. In mid-March, the team was 11-3 and 5-1 in the Big 12.

For the third straight year, the Lady Bears will serve as the hosts for the Varsity Equestrian National Championships at the Heart O'Texas Coliseum on April 16-18.

Bears Beef up Line with Recruits

Baylor football coach Art Briles believes football games are typically won up front on the lines, which is why the coach is so excited about this year's recruiting class. The Bears signed twenty-eight players on National Signing Day, including seven offensive linemen. The jewel of the class may be offensive guard Ivory Wade, an all-America high school standout from Dickinson who was ranked as the ninth-best guard in the nation by Rivals.com.