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SAU SOFTBALL NEWS AND NOTES

No. 10 SAU Softball heads into their final weekend of in-region, non-conference play with a 6-0 record overall. It is the third-straight season that the Lady Muleriders have won at least their first five games of the season. Under fourth-year head coach Jason Anderson, the Lady Muleriders own a neutral site record of 35-20, which includes a 26-9 mark dating back to the start of the 2016 season, heading into this weekend's Emporia State 6-State Classic in Kansas. Three of SAU's four games will be neutral site affairs with the final contest on Sunday being the team's first true away game of the season against host-Emporia State. 

Through six games, the Southern Arkansas bats are producing just over seven runs per game and are hitting .355 as a team with power numbers to prove as the squad has collectively recorded nine doubles and a dozen home runs with a team slugging percentage of .651. Six players are hitting .315 or better with four owning batting averages north of .400.

Sophomore Faith Otts is leading the team at the plate with a .500 average and owns team-leading marks in hits (9), doubles (2), and total bases (17). Four of senior Monica Islava's eight hits have went for extra bases and she owns a slash of .471/.526/.941. Senior Brooke Goad leads the team in home runs (3) and RBI (11) and is one of two players with a slugging percentage of 1.000. Rookie Sarah Pitre, who is coming off of a weekend performance in which she claimed league Freshman of the Week honors, is hitting .429 and slugging 1.000, while owning a team-best on-base percentage of .556.

In the circle, the Lady Muleriders own a 2.03 team-ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5-to-1. Opponents are hitting just .207 against Southern Arkansas and of the 30 hits allowed (five per game) by the SAU staff, just seven have went for extra bases.

GAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (Click Graphic for Story)

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OPPONENT NOTABLES

PITTSBURG STATE (5-7) | TEAM STATS
 

• Entering the season, PSU returned six position starters from last year's team that went 42-19 overall, while earning the program's first NCAA Division II National Tournament appearance since 1995.
• Pittsburg State comes into the weekend with 11 of their 12 games in 2018 having been decided by two runs or less, including four one-run losses and four two-run wins. Two of the single-run victories came against the GAC's East Central (W, 6-5) and Southeastern Oklahoma (W, 2-1).
• The Gorillas own a .228 team-batting average and the PSU pitching staff's ERA currently sits at 3.17.

**MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE (3-3) | TEAM STATS**
 

• Five of Missouri Southern's six games have been decided by three runs or less and the Lions have scored four or fewer runs in all but one game this season. MSSU has played against three of the Lady Muleriders' future opponents in East Central (L, 2-4), Oklahoma Baptist (W, 4-2) and Southeastern Oklahoma State (L, 5-1).
• The Lion pitching staff owns a 1.75 team-ERA in 40.0 innings pitched in 2018. MSSU has allowed just under four runs per game, while opponents are hitting .232 against the staff.
• It will be the second meeting between Missouri Southern and Southern Arkansas in Lady Mulerider head coach Jason Anderson's tenure. MSSU topped SAU 6-5 last season at the UAM 8-State Classic in Bentonville.

**CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL (Season-Opening Weekend) | SEASON PREVIEW**
 

• This weekend's action will be the first for the Golden Bears this season. Last season, CSP finished with a 16-35 record overall and an 8-22 mark in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play to place 13th of 16 in the final league standings.
• It will be the first meeting all-time between the Golden Bears and the Lady Muleriders.
• Concordia-St. Paul returns ten players from last year's squad including the top four spots in 2017's batting order.

**EMPORIA STATE (5-4) | TEAM STATS**
 

• Emporia State enters the weekend having won three-straight games including two against Great American Conference opponents: No. 12 Harding (W, 6-4) and Arkansas-Monticello (W, 5-3).
• Through nine games this season, the Hornets are hitting .337 as a team, averaging over six runs per game and have recorded 19 doubles, three triples and four home runs.
• ESU boasts a good bit of team speed as the Hornets are 25-of-30 in stolen bases this season.