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15th-ranked Baylor Softball will host Texas Tech in a nationally televised game tonight at 7:00 PM (weather permitting.) [ESPN]. There will also be free teeshirts and playing cards for fans, as well as free Raising Cane's for students in attendance. The Lady Bears are 37-13 on the season, and 8-6 in conference, and takes on a struggling Texas Tech team who sits last in conference despite 50 home runs.
With Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson both staying another year, Pierre Jackson remains Baylor's only alum potentially picked in the NBA Draft. A recent CBS mock draft has Jackson going in the second round to the Atlanta Hawks. Jackson's stock rose encouragingly after several talented underclassmen point guards announced their intention to stay for further years in college. In other Baylor basketball news, the Bears may be involved in a "multi game college hoops event" hosted at the AAC in November, though many of the details are still under construction. Baylor has participated in similar events in the past, though sources indicate this could be a larger set-up, with more than two games to be played in the day.
Hayley Davis and Lauren Taylor were named to the All-Big 12 Women's Golf Team for 2013, while Taylor was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year after winning the Big 12 Tournament a few weeks ago. Taylor is the second Baylor freshman to win this award, and the first in 6 years.
Women's Tennis earned a singles and a doubles spot in the NCAA Individual Tournament, with Ema Burgic being automatically selected to the Championships as the highest ranked singles player in the Big 12. She and doubles partner Victoria Kisialeva will also compete as a 4-seed in the doubles championship, selected as the highest ranked pairing in the Big 12.
Baylor Football is completely wrapped up for the spring, and David Ubben takes a look at what questions await the regular season. The starting job is unquestionably Bryce Petty's, but he has some large shoes to fill if he wants to live up to predecessors Nick Florence and RG3. The defense will need to show that they haven't backslid from improvements of last season, and injuries are a real worry, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Finally, with Waco's historical and current economic troubles, some worry that the Baylor Stadium won't create the opportunities the university believes it will. Additional friction with surrounding neighborhoods and public safety worries also top residents' concerns.