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#5 SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
LADY MULERIDERS
38-4 (27-3 GAC) |
HARDING
LADY BISONS
27-13 (19-11, GAC) |
vs. Harding
Saturday, April 14 | 4 p.m. | DH
Dawson Field at the Mulerider Softball Complex - Magnolia, Ark.
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
vs. Harding
Sunday, April 15 | 1 p.m. | DH
Dawson Field at the Mulerider Softball Complex - Magnolia, Ark.
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
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GAME NOTES (PDF)
LEADING OFF
The No. 5- ranked Southern Arkansas (38-4) is set to play its last GAC 4-game series at home this weekend against Harding starting with a twin-bill on Saturday at 4 p.m. followed by a doubleheader on Sunday slated for a 1 p.m. first-pitch.
The Lady Muleriders went 26-2 in both months of March and April combined and currently find themselves in first place in the conference standings in the final month of regular season action.
For the tenth-straight week, the Lady Mulerider softball team has been one of the top-15 nationally ranked teams in the NFCA DII coaches poll, and has been tabbed in the top-10 for the last five weeks as they currently rank fifth in the nation for the second-consecutive week.
Powering the hot start to the season for the Lady Muleriders is an offense that leads the GAC in on-base percentage (.424) and slugging percentage (.610), which also ranks fourth in the nation, and second-best mark in batting average (.340). Additionally, the SAU bats own top five marks in seven other offensive categories including runs scored, hits, RBI, walks, and home runs. The team's 78 dingers leads the league and its per game home run average of 1.97 is the second-most in the nation.
In the circle, the Lady Muleriders own the league's lowest team-ERA at 1.63 and opponent batting average at .218 As a staff, SAU has struck out 248 batters, ranking them first in the league in that category, and has allowed the fewest runs, earned runs, hits, and walks in the GAC.
Harding heads into the weekend with a 19-11 record in GAC play that currently ranks them fourth in the league standings. The Lady Bisons own a team slash of .268/.388/.356, and own the most stolen bases in the league with 55.
The HU pitching staff, through 40 games, holds the second-best team-ERA in the GAC at 2.67 with 131 strikeouts and has allowed the second-fewest runs (128) runs, earned runs (105), walks (76), and the fewest home runs (9) in 275.1 innings pitched. In that, the Lady Bisons hold opponents to the top-5 lowest batting average in the league at .287.
