Pitcher Perfect

Sophomore pitcher Cristin Vitek is doing her best to shatter every stereotype in the book. The blond hurler from Katy, Texas, is showing she can compete with the best, both on the field and in the classroom.
"Cristin is a perfectionist," said softball head coach Glenn Moore. "She gets the most out of her potential."
As a freshman, Vitek set six school records, including marks for ERA (0.89) and strikeouts (187). This came on the heels of a prep career at Katy Taylor High School, where she was named Greater Houston Player of the Year as a senior while leading her team to the state championship game.
"I came in and set my goals really high," Vitek said of her freshman year at Baylor. "The step up (from high school) was really difficult. I worked as hard as I could, and the team helped me do as well as I did."
The addition of Vitek and junior transfer Katie Decker and the team's returning ace Joni Miller gave the Lady Bears one of the best pitching staffs in the nation in 2002. Baylor finished sixth nationally in ERA, and Vitek, Decker and Miller each ranked among the country's top 35 pitchers in that category.
"Cristin's a potential All-America candidate this year," Moore said. "She should definitely reach that status before she leaves Baylor."
Vitek's abilities in the classroom match her talents on the field. A premed/accounting double major, she has spent plenty of time planning her future. "I came in just premed; I wanted to be a radiologist," Vitek said. "But if I don't get into med school, I want to be a chiropractor, like my dad."
Recognizing that she would need to know business to open her own practice, Vitek decided to add the accounting major. "If the chiropractor business doesn't work out, then I'd like to be a CPA. I'll just see whatever interests me when I get there."
Although most students would have their hands full with either one of those majors, Vitek has accepted the challenge along with the demanding schedule of a student-athlete. "It's definitely hard. You practice two to three hours a day, lift weights, run," she said. "You've got to really manage your time."