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Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Baseball (9-15, 5-8 GAC) will now take on Arkansas-Monticello in a three-game Great American Conference series on Friday and Saturday
- The Bulldogs have now lost five contests in a row all against ranked foes with two losses in midweek action to Oklahoma City and a three-game sweep at the hands of Southern Arkansas last weekend
- The only matchup between Monticello and SWOSU last season was at the NCAA Div. II Central Regional when the Weevils defeated the Dawgs 2-1 in 10 innings
- Since the GAC was formed and Zack Saunders took over the helm of the program, the Boll Weevils lead the overall series 10-5
 
The Opponent
Arkansas-Monticello (15-10, 11-3 GAC)
- After starting the season slow at 3-8, UAM has won 12 of its last 14 games and sit in third place in the conference standings
- The Weevils hold the third highest team batting average in the GAC with a .292 collectively
- On the mound, UAM is led by Grant Black who holds a 4-2 record and a 1.91 ERA through 47.0 innings

 The Coaches
SWOSU: Zack Saunders (143-116, 6th season)
- Two-time Great American Conference Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2013 and 2016
- Inducted into the Muskogee Athletic Hall of Fame on October 13, 2016
- Earned his 100th career victory at SWOSU against Northwestern Oklahoma State on April 24, 2015
- Previously served as an assistant at SWOSU for six seasons under former Bulldog coaches Charles Teasley and Scott Selby
- Played collegiately at Kansas State following two seasons at Connors State playing on nationally-ranked junior college teams
 
Arkansas-Monticello: John Harvey (175-135, 7th season)
- Under Harvey's leadership, the Weevils have produced two All-America honorees, six All-Region selections, 29 All-Great American Conference selections and had 30 players named to the All-GAC or All-Gulf South Conference academic honor rolls
- Harvey, the 11th head baseball coach in school history, also reached another coaching milestone in 2016, recording his 300th overall victory in an 8-2 triumph over East Central at home in mid-April


Checking the Conference Standings
- Now on an 11 game winning streak, Southern Arkansas remains atop the standings with just one conference loss at 14-1
- Arkansas Tech ranks second at 12-3, followed by Arkansas-Monticello with an 11-4 mark and Henderson State with a 10-5 slate
- Oklahoma Baptist is the only other team above .500 with a 9-6 record
- In sixth is East Central (7-8), then SWOSU (5-8) and in the final would-be 'playoff spot' is Ouachita with a 5-10 record
- Rounding out the standings: Southeastern (4-9), Northwestern (3-12) and finally Southern Nazarene (2-13)  

SWOSU Notes
- In their midweek game on Tuesday against Oklahoma City, the Bulldogs were run ruled for the third time and shut out for the second time this season
- Blake Gooden has proven to be SWOSU's best arm out of the bullpen as of late, having not allowed a run in his last five appearances after beginning his season with three-straight outings where he allowed at least one run
- Vincent Berrones finally conceded his first runs of the season on Tuesday, but still holds a team-leading 2.57 ERA through 7.0 innings and six appearances
- Both Ruben Rodriguez and Joshua Santos produced two hits against OCU, for their 11th and 8th multi-hit games respectively which ranks one and two on the team
- Rodriguez currently has a nine-game hitting streak dating back to the beginning of March
- Jason Nichols tallied one hit against the Stars, and has only gone hitless in four games this season to lead team in batting average at .333

Looking Ahead
- SWOSU (9-15, 5-8 GAC) will play a home mid-week game against Oklahoma Christian on Tuesday, March 28
- That weekend, the Dawgs will host Southern Nazarene in a three-game conference series that will conclude their eight-game home stand