vs. East Central LADY TIGERS (20-15, 12-10 GAC)
Friday, April 4 @ 1 p.m. | DH
Saturday, April 5 @ 11 a.m. | DH
Magnolia, Ark. (Lady Mulerider Field)
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Leading Off
The Southern Arkansas softball team is fresh off of going toe-to-toe with the top team in the Great American Conference in their most recent action. In that series, Southern Arkansas and Southeastern Oklahoma would trade wins in the series as the four-game set ended with each team picking up two wins. A major reason for SAU's two wins was the bat of freshman
utility player Shelby Miller. In that series alone, Miller hit a mind-blowing .769 as she went 10-for-13 with a double, four homeruns and 11 RBIs against the Savage Storm. That remarkable offensive performance helped Miller earn NFCA National Player of the Week and Co-GAC Player of the week honors.
Statistically, the Lady Muleriders are led by a trio of outstanding Freshmen. Shelby Miller currently leads the team in average at .451 (55-of-122) while Brooke Goad leads the team in HRs with
15 and Maddie Dow leads the team in RBIs with 32. 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 (7), innings
pitched (118.0), and strikeouts (80).
For the Lady Tigers, they are led offensively by Autumn Suydam. On the year, Suydam is hitting .485 (47-for-97). In terms of pitching, ECU is paced by Lacey Paulk and Brianna Nunley. Nunley
leads the club with 7 wins while Paulk is 5-3 with a 2.64 ERA.
Slugging it Out
Through 36 games of the season, the Lady Muleriders have showed their lineup has some potent power potential as they have clubbed out 93 extra-base hits. 43 of those left the yard while 48 have gone for doubles and two have gone for triples. As a team, the Lady Muleriders have a .481 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 36 games, three true freshmen have started every game. Additionally, 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 (80), wins (7), and has a single-season record six 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 .451 average (55-for-122). 18 of those
hits have gone for extra-bases as she is second on the team in slugging% (.738).
Powered by Goad
Freshman outfielder Brooke Goad has hit in the leadoff spot in all 32 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 a SAU single-season record 15 homeruns, ranking her first in the GAC and fourth in NCAA Division II. Goad is now just one homeruns shy of tying the GAC single-season
record.
Runs, Runs, Runs
Through 36 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 1-8. When they have scored three or more runs in a game, they are 19-8, 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.
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