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SWOSU (10-18, 4-14 GAC) at Southern Nazarene (8-24, 4-16 GAC) Friday, March 31, 2:00 pm (DH) Saturday, April 1, 12:00 pm (DH) Bethany, Okla. (SNU Softball Field) Live Stats

Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Softball hits the road for a second straight weekend, heading to Bethany for a four-game set against Southern Nazarene on Friday and Saturday
- The doubleheader on Friday begins at 2:00 pm in Bethany with the series concluding on Saturday beginning at noon
- Both teams are tied with four conference victories, but each team is mired in a slump with the Dawgs having lost eight straight games while SNU has suffered five straight defeats
- SWOSU and Southern Nazarene have met in three of the last four seasons as Great American Conference foes – missing the series in 2015 due to weather – and the Bulldogs hold a 7-5 advantage in that time
- Last season, SWOSU won three out of four games against the Crimson Storm in a series played in Weatherford and the Dawgs also won three-of-four in 2013 during their last visit to Bethany
 
The Opponents
Southern Nazarene (8-24, 4-16 GAC)
- In the midst of a five-game slide after suffering a four-game sweep against league-leading Harding last weekend in Bethany
- The Crimson Storm feature the league's lowest batting average, .214, and their pitching staff has the highest ERA in the league at 5.98
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kim Maher (10-18, 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)
 
Southeastern Oklahoma State: Ron Faubion (702-312, 18th season)
- Named the fourth head coach in SWOSU Softball history on June 2, 2016, bringing with her a wealth of
 
Checking the Standings
- Harding, who is on a 21-game winning streak since SWOSU defeated the Lady Bisons on February 24th, remains on top of the standings at 19-1, two games ahead of Southern Arkansas at 17-3
- SWOSU enters the weekend in 10th place in the league standings at 4-14, two games ahead of Southern Nazarene in the loss column with both teams having the same amount of league wins
 
SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU's offense has failed to score more than four runs in any game during their current eight-game slikde and the Bulldogs now rank seventh in the GAC with a team batting average of .269
- Samantha Householder is leading the way for the Dawgs offensively, batting a team-best .328 with three doubles and 10 RBI
- Five other players are hitting .300 or above for the season, including Taya Haney at .325 with a team-high eight doubles and seven RBI
- Tori Hawk leads the Bulldogs with 20 RBI and 11 stolen bases and she has the most multi-hit (nine) and multiple RBI (five) games of any player on the roster
- The Bulldogs defense has committed 51 errors this season, giving SWOSU a league-low fielding percentage of .541
- SWOSU's team ERA has risen to 4.39 and the Bulldogs now rank 10th in the conference in team pitching
- Miranda Grover is 5-0 in the circle with a 2.41 ERA in 13 appearances, including three starts as a freshman
- Taya Haney is now 3-7 for SWOSU with a 3.86 ERA and a team-leading 36 strikeouts while throwing four complete games in 14 appearances for the Dawgs
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU heads to Alva on Tuesday to face Northwestern Oklahoma State and conclude a 10-game road trip before returning home next weekend to face Oklahoma Baptist