Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Baseball heads to Edmond, Okla., this weekend to compete at the Edmond First Pitch Classic, a three-day event hosted by Central Oklahoma, to start the 2019 season
- The Bulldogs open the tournament on Friday night against Missouri Southern before returning on Saturday evening for another late game, this time against Pittsburg State
- SWOSU will finish the weekend on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm against Emporia State
- The Bulldogs finished the 2018 season with a record of 24-24, while going 17-14 in conference play and winning 1-of-3 games in the GAC Tournament
 
The Opponent
Missouri Southern (0-0)
- The Lions finished the 2018 season with a record of 27-23 and will return four honorable mention All-MIAA players to a team led by head coach Bryce Darnell, who enters his 12th season at Missouri Southern
 
Pittsburg State (0-0)
-  After getting beaten out at the NCAA Division II Central Regional last May, Pittsburg State ended the season with the record 33-21 and then hired first-year head coach Bob Fornelli in the offseason
 
Emporia State (0-0)
- The Hornets went 1-2 in the NCAA Central Regional Tournament last year to finish the season at 34-24, then underwent a coaching change that led to Seth Wheeler taking over the program
  
The Coach
SWOSU: Zack Saunders (178-153, 8th 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

2019 GAC Coaches Poll
#. Team, Points (1st-Place Votes)
1. Southern Arkansas, 114 (7)
2. Oklahoma Baptist, 108 (3)
3. Arkansas-Monticello, 99 (2)
4. Arkansas Tech, 90
5. Henderson State, 85
6. SWOSU, 73
7. Harding, 66
8. Southeastern Okla., 52
9. Northwestern Okla., 42
10. Ouachita, 29
11. Southern Nazarene, 21
12. East Central, 13

SWOSU Notes
- The Bulldogs return 14 players from last season who will combine with 22 new faces to form the 2019 SWOSU Baseball team
- Senior shortstop Alex Pimentel led the Great American Conference in batting average (.411) and hits (78) last season, which earned him Preseason All-American recognition from the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
- Pimentel, SWOSU's reigning Male Athlete of the Year, enters his senior year after a decorated junior campaign which included two All-American honors, a First Team All-GAC Selection, the GAC Newcomer of the Year Award and selection to the All-GAC Tournament Team
- Brady Burtner, Robert Perea, and Chase Duncan are all key returners to SWOSU's lineup who combined to make 117 starts for the Dawgs last season
 -Burtner earned a Second Team All-GAC selection at second base after batting .365 with 47 hits while keeping a fielding percentage of .942
- Perea made 37 starts behind the plate and finished with 27 hits – including three doubles, one triple and one home run – which was good for a batting average of .227
- Duncan ended the 2018 season hitting .274 with 43 hits and 32 RBI while also stealing 10 bases in 11 attempts to rank second on the team
-  Top pitchers returning for SWOSU include Jose Laboy, Cooper Cantwell and Tyler Tuck
- Laboy was 2-2 last year with a 5.26 ERA in 39.1 innings of work while Cantwell made 13 starts and carried a 5.42 ERA and 5-5 record
- Tuck made 15 appearances on the mound last season, including seven starts, and tossed two complete games, finishing the year 2-6 with a 6.31 ERA

Looking Ahead
- The Dawgs will welcome William Jewell to the Athletic Complex for a three-game series next weekend, with one single game on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
- SWOSU will then travel back to Edmond on Wednesday, February 13th for an evening contest against Central Oklahoma beginning at 5:00 pm