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Oklahoma Baptist (14-20, 6-18 GAC) at SWOSU (12-22, 6-18 GAC) Friday, April 7, 2:00 pm (DH) Saturday, April 8, 1:00 pm (DH) Weatherford, Okla. (SWOSU Athletic Complex) Stats | Video

Setting the Scene
- After playing their last 10 games away from home, the SWOSU Softball team opens a 10-game home stand this weekend with a four-game series against Oklahoma Baptist
- The series will begin with a doubleheader on Friday afternoon beginning at 2:00 pm and the teams will reconvene at the Athletic Complex at 1:00 pm on Saturday to conclude the series
- Oklahoma Baptist leads the all-time series against SWOSU 13-10, but the teams split their series last year in OBU's first season as a member of the Great American Conference
- SWOSU went 2-8 on their 10-game road trip, capping it off with a 14-6 run-rule victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Wednesday in Alva
- This weekend's series will have significant implications on the GAC standings as both teams are currently tied for 11th place with conference records of 6-18
 
The Opponent
Oklahoma Baptist (14-20, 6-18 GAC)
- OBU has won six of their last ten games after picking up a doubleheader split against Southern Nazarene on Wednesday in Bethany
- The Lady Bison feature the eighth-best offensive attack in the GAC with a .263 team batting average, 31 doubles, three triples and 20 home runs
- The Oklahoma Baptist pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.91 and 169 runs allowed in 202.1 innings of work, which ranks them 10th in the conference
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kim Maher (12-22, 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)
 
Oklahoma Baptist: Pam Fink (615-604, 24th season)
- Holds the all-time wins record for Oklahoma Baptist women's athletics with better than 600 wins in her coaching career
- Was named the head coach at OBU in 1993 and she has led the Lady Bison to five regional tournaments and three NAIA National Tournament appearances
 
Checking the Standings
- Harding remains atop the standings, opening up a three-game lead on Southern Arkansas at 25-1 on the heels of a 27-game winning streak
- SWOSU and Oklahoma Baptist are both tied for 11th place in the standings at 6-18, which is three games behind Southeastern Oklahoma State for the eighth and final position in the GAC Tournament
 
SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU scored a season-high 14 runs in a 14-6 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Wednesday, earning their first run-rule win of the season in the process
- Prior to that contest, the Bulldogs had only scored five or more runs three times in the previous 13 contests dating back to March 17th
- Tori Hawk leads the Bulldogs with 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts this season and her 36 career stolen bases ranks fourth in school history, one behind Ashley Dunigan (2014-15) and Keri Glidewell (2006-08) for second place on that list
- Samantha Householder belted a grand slam in a 10-run fifth inning during SWOSU's 14-6 win over Northwestern and she's ranked third on the team with a .329 batting average and 15 RBI
- Taylor Eaves tossed her second complete game of the season in the Bulldog victory, improving to 2-6 on the year with a 5.13 ERA
- Taya Haney enters the weekend on a three-game hitting streak and she has a team-best 11-game hit streak to her credit from earlier this season
- SWOSU has 15 different players who have recorded a multi-hit game this season and eight players who have posted three hits in a single game, led by Abigail Schade and Paige Bowler with three occurrences each
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU's home stand continues next weekend with a four-game conference series against Henderson State on April 14-15 at the Athletic Complex