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Southern Arkansas LADY MULERIDERS (5-5, 0-0 GAC) |
at Northwestern Oklahoma RANGERS (8-2, 0-0 GAC)
Friday, February 21 @ 2 p.m. | DH
Saturday, February 22 @ Noon | DH
Alva, Okla. (Alva Rec. Complex)
Live Stats |
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GAME NOTES (PDF)
Leading Off
The Southern Arkansas softball team opens up Great American Conference play against upstart Northwestern Oklahoma. The Lady Muleriders will enter the fourgame series with a 5-5 overall record while the Rangers will enter with an 8-2 overall record.
Both teams are coming off of a full slate of nonconference games this past weekend as the Lady Muleriders took part in the Midwestern State Invitational and the Rangers took part in the Arkansas-Monticello 8-State Classic. The Lady Muleriders would leave the MSU Invitational with a 1-3 mark over four games while the Rangers left the UAM mega-invitational with a 5-1 record over six games.
The Rangers are led in hitting by Shelby Anderson. On the year, Anderson is hitting .536 (18-for-32) with three homeruns and 12 RBIs. Anderson is also the Rangers' top pitcher as she boasts a 4-1 record with a miniscule 0.27 ERA.
The Lady Muleriders are led in hitting by
Shelby Miller. On the year, Miller is hitting .459 with two homeruns and eight RBIs.
It's Miller Time
Freshman utility player
Shelby Miller has had a tremendous start to her collegiate career. A native of Brazoria, Texas, Miller currently leads the pitching staff in strikeouts (17) and is tied for the team-lead in wins (2). While Miller has been good in the circle, she has been even better in the batter's box as she leads the team with a .459 average (17-for-37). Five of those hits have
gone for extra-bases as she is second on the team in slugging percentage (.730).
Dow Powers to GAC POW
Freshman designated player
Maddie Dow powered her way being named co-Great American Conference Player of the Week as she turned in an opening weekend to remember. In her first collegiate game, a 3-1 win over Shorter University, Dow hit her first career homerun as she belted a go-ahead two-run homerun in the fifth inning. On Monday, Dow closed out the weekend in style as she set GAC and SAU records for at-bats in a game (7) and RBIs in a game (7) in SAU's wild 22-17 win over Midwestern
State. All told for the week, Dow hit .292 (7-for-24) with two doubles, two homeruns, and nine RBIs.
Power Surge
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Lady Muleriders have showed their lineup has some potent power potential as they have clubbed out 29 extrabase hits. 11 of those left the yard while 16 went for doubles and two have gone for triples.
Youth Movement
So far this season, head coach Corey Lyon has penned a familiar lineup each game and it is one that features a lot of young and talented players. Through 10 games, five underclassmen have started all games with three of those being true freshmen.
Gill returns as SAU's Ace
Having pitched just two season at SAU, junior starting pitcher
Hanna Gill has already set nine school records and is on the cusp of adding several other records to her name in 2014. Last year, Gill anchored the Lady Mulerider pitching rotation and her outstanding year in the circle landed her All- GAC First-Team honors.
