---

Harding (12-20, 6-10 GAC) at SWOSU (5-23, 1-15 GAC) Weatherford, Okla. (Athletic Complex) Friday, April 3, 1 pm (DH) Saturday, April 4, 12 pm (DH) Live Stats SWOSU Weekly Notes

Setting the Scene
- The Bulldogs return home for the first time since March 14 for a four-game series against Harding on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 1 pm
- SWOSU ended a 12-game losing streak last week in their first game against Northwestern Oklahoma State. However, they will enter the series with Harding riding a five-game winless skid
- The Lady Bisons swept the Bulldogs last year in Searcy, Ark.

The Coaches
SWOSU: Barbara Burnett (5-23, 1st season)
- Burnett returns to her alma mater to lead the Bulldog softball program for the first time this spring
- She has spent the last four seasons among the junior college ranks at Independence Community College in Independnce, Kan. where she left as the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 112 wins
- While at Independence she led the Lady Pirates to back-to-back regional runners-up finishes while breaking numerous program records and ranking nationally in the Top Five in offensive production
- She has coached two National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Americans, two National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Americans, 16 NJCAA All-Region selections and 13 All-Conference selections

Harding: Phil Berry (32-26, 2nd season)
- Berry is responsible for reviving the dormant Lady Bisons softball program in 2014 after the program folded after the 1985 season
- His first team placed three players on the All-GAC team without fielding a single senior and only six non-freshman players
- Led the team to a 32-26 record, including a 22-19 conference record, to place fourth in the GAC in their first year of competition
- Prior to reviving the Harding program, Berry served as a head coach, advisor and chairman for the Atlanta Vipers Fastpitch Club. He also helped revive the North Cobb (Ga.) Christian School softball program

The Opponent
Harding (12-20, 6-10 GAC)
- Harding comes into the season having won their last GAC series against Northwestern 3-1, including a series-clinching 15-1 run-rule victory. The Lady Bisons have won four of their last six games, but most recently lost to Lyon College 9-2 on Tuesday afternoon
- HU sits in the middle of the conference with a .311 batting average. The team is led by Kimmy Hendricks, who is seventh in the league with a .410 average with a team-high .627 slugging percentage
- Mackenzie Jones has hit a team-high nine doubles this season, and is tied for the fourth-most in the GAC. The Lady Bisons lead the league in the category
- Harding leads the league in strikeouts with 150
- Aggressive baserunning is a hallmark of Harding's this season. They lead the GAC with 68 stolen bases
- Harding has the third-lowest ERA at 3.80. Amber Rollins boasts a 2.84 ERA to lead the team 
- Harding has committed 44 errors this season, led by Amanda Berdon with 12

Last Time Out
- SWOSU faced six road games last season, and went 1-5. With their win against NWOSU in Alva, Okla., the Bulldogs picked up their first road win of the season. SWOSU was swept by Arkansas Tech on the weekend in a four-game series
- Samantha Perry lead the team at the plate with a .357 batting average, collecting five hits that included two doubles.
- The Bulldogs tallied four home runs over six games, including two in one game by Tori Hawk. Hawk led the team with four RBI
- SWOSU featured six different pitchers in the circle, with Maci Brown and Kaity Rash making their first appearances for the season from the rubber. Laura Wilson collected SWOSU's only win and went 1-2 with eight strikeouts and a 12.54 ERA
- Rileigh Ricken had a team-high nine strikeouts

Checking the Standings
- SWOSU (5-23, 1-15 GAC) remains at the bottom of the league, but earned their first conference victory last Tuesday against NWOSU
- ATU (25-7, 14-4 GAC) sits atop of the standings and are riding a GAC-best six-game winning streak
- Henderson State (24-8, 15-5 GAC) are currently second on the leaderboard, but Southeastern Oklahoma State (15-16, 11-5 GAC) is within striking distance in third place

Bulldog Facts
- SWOSU is currently .299 at the plate this season with a .446 slugging percentage, both of which are good for seventh in the GAC. Brown leads the conference with a .448 batting average. Adrienne Martinez leads the team with a .654 slugging percentage
- Ricken leads the Bulldogs in the circle with a 5.88 ERA after pitching 75.0 innings this season, the ninth most in the league
- With 27 strikeouts to her credit, Ricken leads the team in the category. Wilson is not far behind with 21 batters struck out
- Ashley Dunigan is a perfect 6-6 on stolen base attempts this season to lead the team
- The Bulldogs have struckout 134 times this season, the third most in the GAC
- Southwestern has faced the second-most attempted steals in the league at 52, but leads the GAC with 15 runners caught stealing. Ashley Filer is second in the conference, catching nine runners stealing, while Taylor Eaves is third after throwing out six 
- The Bulldogs have turned seven double plays this season
- SWOSU is just 1-11 in home games this year, and the team's last home win came seven weeks ago against Eastern New Mexico as part of the SWOSU Round Robin

Looking Ahead
- SWOSU welcomes NWOSU to Weatherford on Tuesday, April 7 at 1 pm for a conference doubleheader
- The Bulldogs then head to Ada, Okla., to face the Tigers of East Central in a four-game series on Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11. Friday's doubleheader is slated for a 2 pm start time