Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Baseball wraps up their regular season road trips this weekend against Ouachita in Arkadelphia, Arkansas on Friday and Saturday (April 20-21)
- The Dawgs have six games remaining on the regular season schedule – all in conference – and are currently in a battle to qualify for the Great American Conference Postseason Tournament
- Coming into the new weekend, SWOSU sits in sixth place in the conference standings and in the final potential postseason spot
- One game ahead of SWOSU sits Oklahoma Baptist in fifth, while Harding is on the heels of the Dawgs just two games back
- Dating back to 2012, the Dawgs are 14-5 against Ouachita and they took 2-of-3 from the Tigers last season at home in Weatherford
  
The Opponent
Ouachita Baptist (11-32, 6-20 GAC)
- The Tigers have struggled this season as a unit and currently sit outside any playoff considerations with just six conference wins and in 11th in the league standings
- Ouachita most recently snapped a 15-game losing streak during their midweek contest on Tuesday (April 17) and will bring momentum into the weekend
- On the mound, John Franklin Matros (3.79 ERA, 71.1 IP) gives the Tigers a chance to win every game he starts with his ninth-best earned run average in the conference
- At the plate, OUA is hitting .246 as a team and are being led by Tyler Riebock with a .306 average and 14 extra-base hits
 
The Coaches
Zack Saunders (174-147, 14th 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
 
OUA: Kyle Hope (43-100, 3rd season)
- Named head coach at OUA after four years as an assistant baseball coach, serving as the Tiger pitching coach, recruiting coordinator and camp director
- Hope has thirty-two years of baseball experience on the high school and collegiate levels including a state championship in 1998 at Highland Park High School
- He has coached three MLB draft picks in his time at Ouachita Baptist

SWOSU Notes
- Rogelio Sanchez got a start at first base in SWOSU's midweek against Oklahoma Christian on Tuesday and extended his hitting streak to a team leading five games when he belted his third home run of the season in the second inning
- Alex Pimentel also extended his streak of consecutive games reaching base safely to 10 against OC, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 at the dish with a pair of home runs and doubles and six RBIs
- Pimentel now leads the GAC in batting average with an impressive .410 average (64-for-156)
- Bryan Miranda and Pimentel continue to be a dynamic duo in the batter's box, ranking tied for first in the conference in hits with 64 apiece   
- Brady Burtner continues to be a solid hitter for the Dawgs, holding a .361 average which ranks him third on the team behind Pimentel and Miranda
- On the mound over the past week, the Dawgs have seen eight arms throw with all eight of them allowing at least three runs total  
- Jose Laboy did produce a solid start for SWOSU against Oklahoma Christian, pitching 4.0 innings and striking out eight while allowing two runs
- Brendan Peitsmeyer (W, 3-1) picked up the lone win last week against Henderson State when he pitched all 7.0 innings in a 19-9 run-rule of the Reddies
 
Looking Ahead
- The Bulldogs conclude the regular season next weekend at home against rival Northwestern for Senior Weekend (April 27-28)