Setting the Scene
- Due to the poor forecast on Friday and Saturday in Weatherford, SWOSU Softball will faceoff with Ouachita on Sunday (April 22) and Monday (April 23) in the usual four-game GAC slate
- With two weekends remaining on the regular season schedule and eight conference games remaining, the Bulldogs sit five games out of the eighth and final postseason spot
- The uphill climb for a playoff spot begins this weekend against Ouachita, who currently sits in the eighth spot and exactly five games above SWOSU in the standings
- Last season, the Dawgs went 1-3 against OUA on the road in Arkadelphia, Arkansas     
 
The Opponent
Ouachita (15-21, 19-24 GAC)
- The Tigers sit tied for seventh in the conference standings coming into the series and currently hold one of the final postseason spots
- OUA has won six of their last ten games, but is coming off being swept at the hands of rival Henderson State in a midweek conference doubleheader
- Last weekend against Northwestern, Pitcher Marissa Butler threw a perfect game and a no-hitter and is 9-9 on the season with a 2.92 earned run average
- Offensively, OUA has five hitters in the everyday lineup hitting above the .300 mark including Sarah Johnson (.362) with a team leading 10 home runs and doubles and 44 runs batted in
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kim Maher (28-66, 2nd season)
- Enters year two of her time at the helm of SWOSU Softball looking to continue the rebuilding process of the program
- 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: Mike McGhee (295-385, 14th season)
- One of the longest tenured coaches in the GAC, now in his 14th season at Ouachita where he has led the Tigers to two 30-win seasons
 
SWOSU Notes
- The Dawgs are 4-3 in the last seven games and 9-8 dating back to the Arkansas-Monticello series back which began back on March 23
- SWOSU is coming off of a midweek split at Northwestern on Tuesday (April 17) and another split on the road against Henderson State last weekend
- In the last seven games where the Dawgs are 4-3, the offense is hitting .323 collectively – a mark that would rank third in the conference
- During that span, Sidney Kirk and Amanda Moreno have both collected 11 hits apiece and have driven in 13 runs between the duo
- Allyson Gafford is next on the list in hits over the last seven games, tallying nine total including four doubles
- Hannah Morris has struggled with just a 5-for-24 showing at the dish, but has still found a way to tie the team lead in runs scored by crossing home plate eight times
- In the circle, SWOSU's arms have buckled down to hold a 3.97 ERA over the last 42.1 innings – a mark that would rank them seventh around the GAC
- Rileigh Ricken (2-1), Kaytlin Donaldson (1-2) and Miranda Grover (1-0) have all collected wins in the last seven games, including Grover who is coming off of a complete game shutout against Northwestern on Tuesday

Looking Ahead
- SWOSU finishes the regular season next weekend (April 27-28) at home against Arkansas Tech
- Lone Bulldog senior Rileigh Ricken will be honored prior to Saturday's games