Baylor – The Bears got off to an extremely hot start in the 2011 season, winning 24 of their first 27 games, including wins over Illinois, UCLA, Fresno State, San Diego State and two wins over Arizona.  This just prepared Baylor for the grueling Big 12 season, one which would see them face eight NCAA teams from their conference alone.  They compiled a 11-5 record against those conference foes, and a 19-10 record against all NCAA Tournament opponents.

Dani Leal leads the team in the three biggest offensive categories, with a .364 average, 14 home runs and 38 RBI.  Her 38 RBI are actually 18 more than Clare Hosack, who is second on the team with 20 RBI and also second in homers with six.  While the Bears may not be the most powerful team around, they do have some impressive speed.  They have combined to steal 105 bases and have four players who have double digit swipes, led by Kathy Shelton’s 30 thefts.

Baylor is led by pitcher Whitney Canion.  Canion has compiled a 23-9 record, while giving up only 1.29 earned runs per game.  She has struck out 255 batters, while only walking 75.

East Carolina – East Carolina captured its second-straight Conference USA Championship title Saturday morning and became the first team to capture back-to-back C-USA crowns since DePaul in 2004-05. East Carolina is also the lowest seed (No. 5) to claim the title and the first host team to win the championship since Tulsa in 2006.  With the tournament title, East Carolina receives Conference USA’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It is ECU’s fourth berth in the post-season tournament and third in the last four seasons.

The Pirates have six players hitting above .269, including three who are over ,300.  Jill Jelnick and Kristi Oshiro lead the team with a .309 average.  Oshiro leads the team with 54 hits.  Suzanne Riggs leads the team with four home runs and 35 RBI.  Oshiro, Riggs and Jordan Lewis each have a team-high eight doubles.

Toni Paisley is the team’s ace.  She has a 30-11 record and is barely giving up an earned run per game (1.08).  Like other pitchers who are relied heavily upon, Paisley has a high strikeout total, an impressive 365.  She has only walked 51.

Lehigh – Lehigh won its sixth Patriot League Tournament in the last eight years, with a 14-0 defeat of Colgate.  The win gives Lehigh its 11th tournament title and returns the team to the NCAA Tournament after missing it last year.

The Mountain Hawks boast six players hitting over .300, including Liz Lucas, who leads the team in every offensive category, except hits and runs.  Lucas, who is hitting .377, also has 20 doubles, 10 home runs, 48 RBI, a slugging percentage of .692 and an on-base percentage of .451, all team highs.  Julie Fernandez is second in all those categories and leads the team in hits with 64.  Audra Wood leads the team in runs with 43 and is tied for the team lead in steals with Rosie Roessel, with 12.

Lehigh uses a three woman rotation, anchored by Rebecca Bliss and Ashley Quigley.  Bliss leads the team with a 16-6 record and 2.76 ERA, while Quigley boasts a 13-11 record and 4.00 ERA.  Quigley does, however, lead the team in strikeouts with 77.  The third member of the rotation is Kelsey Lee, who has a 4-4 record and 2.96 ERA.

Maryland –  This is the first time in program history the Terrapins have made back-to-back NCAA Regionals appearances. Maryland’s first Regionals bid was in 1999 and the second was in 2010. Last year, the Terps hosted Regionals for the first time in school history.  They have faced one of their Regional opponents already this year.  The Terps took two of three games from East Carolina.  They faced 10 opponents that qualified for the Tournament and went 7-9 against them.

Vangie Galindo leads the team with a .420 average.  Her 37 runs, 74 hits and 20 stolen bases are all team highs.  Bree Hanafin leads the squad with eight long balls and 34 RBI.  Marisha Branson and Kerry Hickey each have 30 runs batted in.  Branson leads the squad with 12 doubles, while Hickey is tied with Hanafin with 10.  Lexi Carroll has knocked seven balls out of the yard.

Hickey is also the team’s top pitcher, sporting an 18-9 record with a 1.74 ERA.  She has struck out 235 batters throughout the season, walking only 73.