Baylor Softball Schedule 2024: What To Know

Baylor softball didn’t win a national title last year, or even make it to the WCWS, but they probably accomplished the next best thing.

Feb 6, 2024 by Briar Napier

Baylor Softball Schedule 2024: What To Know

Baylor softball didn’t win a national title last year, or even make it to the WCWS, but they probably accomplished the next best thing.

That is, the Bears were the only team to defeat Oklahoma, the sport’s juggernaut, during the 2023 season. Even as the Sooners were strengthening their resume as likely college softball’s greatest dynasty ever, and on the way to a third consecutive national championship.

Did that famous victory translate to success for the Bears in 2023? Well, yes and no.

Baylor certainly had high-points, but some bad injury luck and inconsistencies prevented the program from become elite.

An incredible number of returning players—nearly everyone from last season’s roster, in fact—means that continuity and chemistry should not be an issue in Waco this season, and that could be particularly dangerous for anyone facing the Bears.

Here’s all you need to know about Baylor softball ahead of the 2024 season:

How Did Baylor Softball Do In 2023?

The Bears won 40 games for the first time in six years and gained an NCAA Tournament appearance after missing out in 2022. The transfer-heavy lineup, however, met their end in the Salt Lake City Regional, but they left with their heads held high.

Baylor made national headlines and stunned the sport in mid-February when it defeated No. 1 Oklahoma by a 4-3 margin, which would end up being the only loss the Sooners would suffer the entire season.

Even more impressive, for Oklahoma, at least, is that the Sooners went on to win their next 53 games to a third consecutive national title.

A mixed bag of play followed the Bears’ shocking victory, as they finished under .500 (8-10) in Big 12 Conference play, but other impressive results, including a sweep of then-No. 5 Texas and two wins over No. 4 Tennessee, were enough to punch Baylor’s ticket to the regional round of the NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, Baylor was knocked out after two losses to Ole Miss.

Sophomore Shaylon Govan was a unanimous All-Big 12 first-team selection for Baylor—the only player from a school outside powerhouses Oklahoma or Oklahoma State to be selected to the team unanimously—while coach Glenn Moore was named the Big 12’s Co-Coach of the Year with OU’s Patty Gasso.

Who Coaches Baylor Softball?

Glen Moore is the coach of the Baylor softball program. Having won his 1,000th career game during the 2023 season, Glenn Moore is Baylor softball in a lot of ways.

Entering his 24th season as the Bears’ coach, every NCAA Tournament for which Baylor has qualified (15, to be exact) has come under his watch, along with one Big 12 regular-season title in 2007.

Baylor has won at least 40 games under Moore 12 times and has broken the 50-wins mark twice.

Has Baylor Softball Ever Won The Women’s College World Series?

No, but Baylor has made the Women’s College World Series four times in program history (2007, 2011, 2014 and 2017).

The Bears’ best finishes in Oklahoma City came during the middle trips of that bunch, when they placed third in 2011 and 2014.

Notable Returning Players

Dariana Orme, P

In a scenario that’s nearly unheard of in the current age of the transfer portal dominating college athletics, 21 of Baylor’s 22 players from a season ago are back for 2024.

None of those names made more headlines than Dariana Orme, who did something no other pitcher in the country did last season—beat Oklahoma.

The Californian threw a gem against the vaunted Sooners offense that day, tossing four innings with no earned runs allowed. She picked up the win, and Aliyah Binford got the save in one of the biggest victories in program history.

Orme’s strong season continued from there. She finished the year with a 14-8 record with a 2.47 ERA, not to mention an All-Big 12 second-team nod.

Her efforts last season also included the first seven-inning perfect game in Baylor history in a win against Stephen F. Austin and a complete-game shutout against then-No. 4 Tennessee.

Shaylon Govan, INF

In addition to Orme’s performance on the mound, the win over OU wouldn’t have been possible without Shaylon Govan.

Her three-run home run over the Getterman Stadium wall was what helped get the Bears their first victory over a No. 1-ranked foe since 2009, showing with emphasis, that the Stephen F. Austin transfer was in the league to take over, not just to take part.

One of the most impactful transfers in the nation a season ago, Govan finished as Baylor’s leader in home runs (11), RBIs (54), batting average (.369), slugging percentage (.681) and a litany of other offensive statistical categories.

Also the Big 12’s leader in walks (47), Govan’s presence at the plate (as a former Southland Conference Hitter of the Year, too) is vitally important to the Bears’ offense, as she’s arguably the league’s best player not wearing a Sooners uniform.

Notable Newcomers

Leah Cran, INF

With almost the entire Baylor team back, there might not be much room for the few newcomers on the roster to make a difference on the diamond for the Bears in 2024, but Leah Cran—following a strong fall—is making Baylor’s coaching staff really consider who it starts on a daily basis this upcoming season.

With returning second baseman Presleigh Pilon and shortstop Amber Toven locking up the middle infield, Moore did experiment with Cran at third base, as Aliyah Binford (a two-way pitcher and infielder who started at third before a season-ending injury) probably will assume mostly pitching duties this season.

Cran has some chops as a hitter, as well, hitting for at least a .495 average in each season of her high school career, and if her defensive skills hold up, she may get the call to start when their season begins.

Abi Flores, UTL

Flores technically is in her second year in Waco, but her freshman campaign was taken away from her before it began. A season-ending injury saw her take a redshirt.

Like Cran and the rest of the players on the Bears’ roster who haven’t suited up for the Bears, yet, Flores has an uphill climb toward consistent playing time, as Baylor’s core, and the number of big names back, will make it hard for anyone else to break into the starting lineup.

However, Moore has praised Flores’ power and hitting abilities in the past, and for a lineup desperate for a second slugging option behind Govan, the native Texan could get some reps in the lineup, as the Bears seek some more pop and instant offense across the board.