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Southern Arkansas LADY MULERIDERS (17-13, 12-8 GAC) |
at Arkansas-Monticello COTTON BLOSSOMS (10-12, 3-9 GAC)
Tuesday, March 25 @ 1 p.m. | DH
Monticello, Ark. (Blossoms Field)
Live Stats (Game 1)
Live Stats (Game 2) |
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Series Notes (PDF)
Leading Off
In a refreshing change from the conference schedule norm, softball teams in the Great American Conference will play their closest rivals in a pair of home-and-home doubleheaders rather than the typical four-game set at one location. For the Southern
Arkansas softball team, this means they will swap home doubleheaders with Arkansas-Monticello. The first of these will be played on Tuesday afternoon in Monticello.
The Lady Muleriders will enter this doubleheader on a two-game winning streak after they took the final two games from Arkansas Tech. On the other side, the Cotton Blossoms salveged a game in their series with Harding as they won the finale. 7-1.
Statistically, the Lady Muleriders are led by a trio of outstanding Freshmen.
Shelby Miller currently leads the team in average at .408 (42-of-103) while
Brooke Goad leads the team in HRs with 12 and
Maddie Dow leads the team in RBIs with 26. Upperclassmen
Sarah Higginbotham and
Audrey Farfan have been contributors offensively as well as both are hitting over .325.
In terms of pitching, the Lady Muleriders are likely to use a three-pitcher rotation with Miller,
Hanna Gill, and
Miranda Cuff all seeing time in the circle. Miller leads the staff in wins (7), innings pitched (102.2), and strikeouts (68).
For the Cotton Blossoms, they are led offensively by Beth Johnson and Kali Piha. Both are hitting over .400 with at least six homeruns and 25 RBI. In pitching, UAM is paced by Katie Slaughter and Courtney Wilson. The two have logged all but 12.1 innings this season and have combined for 96 Ks.
Slugging it Out
Through 30 games of the season, the Lady Muleriders have showed their lineup has some potent power potential as they have clubbed out 75 extra-base hits. 32 of those left the yard while 41 went for doubles and two have gone for triples. As a team, the Lady Muleriders have a .467 slugging percentage.
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 30 games, three true freshmen have started every game.
Gill returns as SAU's Ace
Having pitched just two seasons 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.
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 (68), wins (7), and has a single-season record five saves. While Miller has been good in the circle, she has been even better in the batter's box as she is first on the team with a .408 average (42-for-103). 11 of those hits have gone for extra-bases as she is second on the team in slugging% (.602).
Powered by Goad
Freshman outfielder
Brooke Goad has hit in the leadoff spot in all 30 games this season, but that does not mean that Goad is not one of the top power threats in the GAC. So far this season, Goad has belted 12 homeruns, ranking her first in the GAC and fifth in NCAA Division II. Goad is now just one homerun shy of settin the SAU single-season record.
Runs, Runs, Runs
Through 30 games this season, it has been evident that when the Lady Muleriders score more than two runs in a game, they have a great chance of winning. So far, in games in which they have two or fewer runs, they are 1-6. When they have scored three or more runs in a game, they are 16-7, When they score 10 or more runs, they are 5-0.
Milestone Win #350
The Lady Muleriders' 4-1 win over Ouachita Baptist in the series finale on March 1 not only gave SAU a series win, but it also gave the program their 350th win. The program started at SAU in 1999.
