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<a name="_Hlk490052374"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – </span></b></a><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Jan.
24, 2024</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Baylor Softball’s Orme Named to Top 50 Watch List for POTY
</span></b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
</span></i><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">For more information contact: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Katy Gilmore, 254-252-2182, </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="mailto:katy_gilmore@baylor.edu" title="mailto:katy_gilmore@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1">katy_gilmore@baylor.edu</span></a></span><u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;mso-ligatures:none"> </span></u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;mso-ligatures:none"> </span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;mso-ligatures:none">OKLAHOMA CITY –
</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;mso-ligatures:none">Baylor softball senior pitcher Dariana Orme was named to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the
Year, announced Wednesday by the national organization.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, enters its 23rd season presenting the USA Softball Collegiate Player
of the Year award, recognizing outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players across the country.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Orme led the Bears in the circle last season with 149.2 innings pitched, totaling 126 strikeouts, and led the Big 12 conference in batters stuck
out looking (34). She pitched the first seven-inning perfect game in Baylor history against SFA, in the same week she threw a no-hitter against then-No. 21 Maryland, where she also recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts.
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">The right-handed starter was the only pitcher with a win over No. 1 Oklahoma last season, as the Bears gave the Sooners their only loss of the
2023 campaign, with Orme pitching 4.0 innings and not allowing an earned run. Combined with the perfect game against SFA, her win over Oklahoma gave Orme NFCA National Pitcher of the Week honors, as well as a Big 12 Pitcher of the Week award. She picked up
three conference pitcher of the week awards during the 2023 season. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">As an NFCA All-Region first-team member, Orme picked up seven wins last season over teams ranking in the top-25. In her performance at No. 4 Tennessee,
where the Bears swept the Lady Vols in a two-game series, Orme posted a 0.00 ERA through 9.0 innings pitched, struck out seven and pitched a seven-inning shutout in game one.
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Missing the 2023 postseason with an injury, Orme returns to the diamond for her senior season in 2024.
</span><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">The Top 25 Finalists for the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced on May 1. While an athlete does not have to
be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 Finalists will be revealed May 15 with the Top 3 being released May 20. The 2024 USA Softball Collegiate
Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS)</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Season and single-game tickets are on sale now and you can get your tickets on BaylorBears.com/tickets or by calling 254-710-1000.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Keep up with the team all season long by following Baylor Softball on the team's official Twitter (@BaylorSoftball), Facebook (Baylor Softball), and Instagram (@BaylorSoftball).</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;background:white">-BaylorBears.com-</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">__________________________________</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#154734;mso-ligatures:none">Katy Gilmore</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> | Associate Director
of Athletic Communications</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">O: 254-710-2743 | C: 254-252-2182</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DA4EE6.BC333C90" alt="cidimage002.png@01D79F3C.9D2300D0"></span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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