GAME NOTES (PDF)
Leading Off
The No. 8-ranked Southern Arkansas softball team is set to play in their third NCAA Central Region Tournament in the last four years, and second to host in the last three years, as SAU has been chosen as one of two host sites for the Central Region Tournament as it was announced by the NCAA on Monday morning.
SAU's site of the Central Region Tournament features No. 3-seed Augustana, No. 6-seed Washburn and No. 7-seed Minnesota State-Mankato. All four of the teams in this site regional have won 33 or more games with SAU and Augustana over the 40-win mark.
SAU won a regular season program record 49 games and finished its 56-game slate leading the Great American Conference in eight offensive categories and ten pitching categories, while ranking second in six additional categories. Six of those league-leading statistical marks rank in the top seven of the country.
The Lady Muleriders have hit a GAC-record and nation-leading 101 home runs which includes Division II's second-highest home runs per game average at 1.66. Additionally, the SAU offense owns the seventh-best slugging percentage in the country at .560.
In the circle, the Lady Muleriders combat opposing bats with one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. The staff ERA of 1.71 is the seventh-lowest in Division II and even more impressive is the group's 4.53 strikeout-to-walk ratio which is the third-highest mark nationally.
To say it has been a collective effort at the plate for Southern Arkansas this season would be an understatement. As a team, the Lady Muleriders are slashing .328/.421/.560, while just under 33% of their total hits this season have went for extra bases.
Seven players have hit eight or more home runs with five players having collected at least seven doubles. All nine every day starters have recorded 35 or more hits with six having picked up 58 or more hits this season. Six players have registered 36 or more RBI with four players having scored 44 or more runs this season.
Awaiting SAU in their Central Region Tournament opener is seventh-seeded Minnesota State-Mankato (33-17), who went two and out in their NSIC tournament. The Lady Mavericks enter with a .354 batting average in the tournament with an impressive 91-of-108 stolen base attempts on the year. In terms of pitching, Minnesota State-Mankato's staff holds a 3.17 ERA, while opponents hit .284.
