Harding (8-2, 0-0 GAC) at SWOSU (6-4, 0-0 GAC)
Friday, Feb. 24, 1:00 pm (DH)
Saturday, Feb. 25, 11:00 am (DH)
Stats | Video |
Setting the Scene
- After a week off, the SWOSU Softball team returns to action this weekend with their home-opening and Great American Conference-opening series taking place against No. 23-ranked Harding
- SWOSU enters the series on a four-game winning streak after sweeping through the MSU Round Robin on February 10-12 with wins over Midwestern State, Colorado Mines, Southwest Baptist and Missouri S&T
- The Bulldogs are 6-4 overall on the year and they will be hosting a Harding team that went 2-2 last weekend at the UAM Softball Classic in Bentonville and the Lady Bisons are 8-2 on the year
- Harding is in their fourth year as a program, but the Lady Bisons have an 11-1 overall record against the Bulldogs, with SWOSU's lone victory against HU coming last season in Searcy
The Opponent
Harding (8-2, 0-0 GAC)
- Picked to finish third in the Great American Conference this season after placing fourth last season with a 37-24 overall record and 26-18 mark in GAC contests
- The Lady Bisons have the second-best record among GAC teams currently at 8-2, which has moved them into the NFCA Top 25 at 23rd
- Harding leads the GAC in pitching with a team ERA of 1.54 while holding their opponents to a batting average of .198 and their team batting average of .305 ranks sixth in the conference
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kim Maher (6-4, 1st season)
- Named the fourth head coach in SWOSU Softball history on June 2, 2016, bringing with her a wealth of experience from the collegiate, professional and international levels of softball
- Spent eight seasons as the head coach at Purdue University, leading the Boilermakers to 240 victories and two NCAA Tournament appearances from 2006-13
- Previously coached at California-Berkeley as an assistant coach from 2000-05 following a playing career with USA Softball and the Women's Professional Softball League (WPSL)
Harding: Phil Berry (100-84, 4th season)
- Restarted the Harding Softball program in 2014 after it had been canceled after a successful five-year run in 1985
- Led the Lady Bisons to a runner-up finish at the 2016 GAC Tournament and his teams have won 30 or more games twice in his first two seasons
Checking the Standings
- #2 Southern Arkansas has the top mark in the conference with a record of 10-2 in non-conference contest, which is two wins better than #23 Harding heading into conference play
- Oklahoma Baptist and East Central have the same winning percentage of .750, with OBU having played four games compared to 12 for ECU
- SWOSU has the same record as Arkansas-Monticello and Southeastern Oklahoma State while three more teams – Arkansas Tech, Ouachita and Henderson State – are all right at .500 with a 6-6 record
SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU Freshman
Kaytlin Donaldson was named the GAC Co-Player of the Week on February 14th after hitting .500 with two home runs and four RBI at the MSU Round Robin
- Donaldson became SWOSU's fifth place to earn a GAC weekly honor in the six-year history of the conference, first since Adrienne Martinez in 2015
- SWOSU's offense is rated seventh in the conference currently with a .291 batting average, 84 hits, nine doubles and eight home runs
- The Bulldogs are 20-for-26 on stolen base attempts, giving them the second-most steals among GAC teams this season (Harding, 30-for-34)
- In the circle, SWOSU has a team ERA of 4.22 to rank 10th in the conference with opponents hitting .292 against the Bulldogs
-
Miranda Grover saw action in the circle during all four of SWOSU's games at Midwestern State and she went 3-0 with victories against Midwestern State, Colorado Mines and Southwest Baptist
- SWOSU has three players hitting better than .400 for the year in
Abigail Schade (.438),
Paige Bowler (.429) and
Miranda McDonald (.417)
Looking Ahead
- Next weekend the Bulldogs head to East Central for a four-game Great American Conference series against the Tigers, playing a 3:00 pm doubleheader on Friday and a noon set on Saturday
- SWOSU is back home the following two weekends to face Southeastern (March 10-11) and Southern Arkansas (17-18)
