vs./at Delta State LADY STATESMEN (18-20)
Friday, April 11 @ 2 p.m. | DH | Magnolia, Ark. (Lady Mulerider Field)
Leading Off
The Southern Arkansas softball team is taking a brief break from Great American Conference play as their next six games will be non-conference affiars. The first four of those games on tap will be a home-and-home four-game series with former conference foe, Delta State.
Entering play this weekend, the Lady Muleriders are 24-18 overall. In their most recent action, the Lady Muleriders split a conference doubleheader with rivals Arkansas-Monticello. The first
of those games featured a dominant pitching performance by Hanna Gill and the second game was tough extra-innings loss. The Lady Statesmen will enter play this weekend with an 18-20
overall record. In their most recent action, the Lady Statemen took two of three from Lee University.
Statistically, the Lady Muleriders are led by a duo of outstanding Freshmen. Shelby Miller currently leads the team in average at .443 (62-of-140) while Maddie Dow leads the team in RBIs with
40. Upperclassmen Sarah Higginbotham and Audrey Farfan have been contributors offensively as well as both are hitting over .300. 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 (8), innings pitched (141.0), and strikeouts (96).
For the Lady Statesmen, they are led offensively by Mariah Alvarez. On the year, Alvarez is hitting .370 (34-for-92). Kaitlin Moore is their leading run-producer with 34 RBIs. In terms of pitching, DSU is paced by Taylor Tucker and Macie Wilde. Tucker leads the club with 9 wins while Wilde is 5-7 with a 4.88 ERA.
Slugging it Out
Through 42 games of the season, the Lady Muleriders have showed their lineup has some potent power potential as they have clubbed out 101 extra-base hits. 47 of those left the yard while 52 have gone for doubles and two have gone for triples. As a team, the Lady Muleriders have a .471 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 42 games, three true freshmen and three sophomores have seen regular action.
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 (96), wins (8), and has a single-season record seven 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 .443 average (62-for-140). 19 of
those hits have gone for extra-bases as she is second on the team in slugging% (.714).
Powered by Goad
Freshman outfielder Brooke Goad was the Lady Muleriders' leadoff hitter in all 36 games she played in this this season. A recent knee injury has sidelined Goad for the remainder of the year, but when she was in the lineup she was one of the top power threats in the GAC. In her time this season, Goad had belted a SAU single-season record 15 homeruns, ranking her first in the
GAC and seventh in NCAA Division II. Goad's 15 bombs is just one homerun shy of tying the GAC single-season record.
Runs, Runs, Runs
Through 42 games this season, it has been evident that when the Lady Muleriders score more than two runsin a game, they have a great chance of winning. So far, in games in which they have two or fewer runs, they are 1-10. When they have scored three or more runs in a game, they are 23-8, 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.
|
