---

Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Softball (17-27, 11-23 GAC) looks to make up ground in the conference standings and give a final push towards qualifying for the postseason tournament with eight league games remaining in the regular season
- The Bulldogs travel to Arkadelphia, Ark. to take on Ouachita Baptist in another four-game set, with altered dates due to rain across the state
- As of now, the series will be played on Sunday at 1 and 3 pm and conclude on Monday at 12 and 2 pm
 
The Opponent
Ouachita Baptist (18-30, 12-24 GAC)
- The Tigers also are fighting for postseason contention and in need of wins to claim a spot in the GAC Tournament
- OUA split its midweek rivalry contest against Henderson State on Tuesday after winning only one out of four against Northwestern last weekend
- League wide, Ouachita ranks 10th in team offense with a .259 batting average and seventh in team pitching with a 3.60 collective ERA
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kim Maher (17-27, 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)
 
Ouachita Baptist: Mike McGhee (290-381, 13th season)
- One of the longest tenured coaches in the GAC, now in his 13th season at Ouachita where he was led the Tigers to two 30-win seasons
 
Checking the Standings
- Four teams – Harding, Southern Arkansas, Arkansas-Monticello and Arkansas Tech – have clinched a spot in the GAC Tournament while seven teams remain in play for the other three positions
- SWOSU is currently tied with Oklahoma Baptist for tenth in the standings, three wins out of the eighth position while Ouachita is only one game out of the final postseason behind Henderson State
 
SWOSU Notes
- The Bulldogs are coming off of a rivalry split with Northwestern on Tuesday, taking game one 6-4 but dropping the nightcap 7-5
- Taya Haney had a productive day at the plate, driving in all six runs in the game-one win with two three-run homeruns and finished the day with seven RBI on only three hits
- Sidney Kirk led all Dawgs on the afternoon with four hits (4-for-6) including her first homerun of the season
- Samantha Householder belted her second homerun of the season in game two against the Rangers, which at the time was a go-ahead three RBI hit in the fifth inning
- Abigail Scahde ranks ninth in the GAC in batting average (.368) between players with a minimum of 20 games played  
- With an 18-for-19 slate this year, Tori Hawk ranks second in the league in stolen bases
- SWOSU has proven that out-hitting opponents on the scoreboard pays off, holding a 15-2 record when collecting more hits in the game than the opponent
 
Looking Ahead
- The regular season ends in Russellville, Ark. the following weekend (April 28-29) against Arkansas Tech in the final four-game series of 2017