MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Riding high is the Southern Arkansas Mulerider Softball Team as the group is set for their final regular season series that will be taking place in Durant, Oklahoma. The Muleriders are currently carrying a 7-game winning streak as they prepare for the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma State (23-26 | 15-15 GAC). Southern Arkansas claimed win number 20 in the Great American Conference and are well on their way to Bentonville, Arkansas for this year's league tournament. Team 26 is currently three games ahead of Arkansas Tech (17-13 GAC) and require one win to secure a top-four spot and a bye in the tournament bracket. The Muleriders can enter the tournament as high as the three seed.
Notable Players
*
Sydney Ward enters the final week of the regular season as the newest Mulerider pitcher to claim GAC Pitcher of the Week as the senior did not allow any runs in her three appearances, two complete games, and 14.0 innings pitched. Ward surrendered just six hits and four walks while being responsible for 16 strikeouts and a 2-0 record.
*Southern Arkansas' most previous league Pitcher of the Week,
Brinson Rogers, travels into Durant, Oklahoma having also gone 2-0 with one complete game and 12.0 innings pitched with an ERA of 0.75. The junior from Georgia allowed just six hits with two runs and six walks while also striking out 25 batters. Each of Coach
Jason Anderson's pitchers ended up with opposing batting averages less than .150 (Ward: .125 | Rogers: .143).
*Mulerider batters were electric over the last week as
Regan Dillon,
Kamryn Moctezuma, and
Haley Nillen all posted seven hits and multiple runs scored and RBI. Dillon and Moctezuma each scored six runs while the sophomore (Dillon) batted in five. Nillen was responsible for six runs batted in over the week. All three accounted of at least seven total bases with Dillon and Nillen recording eight each. Dillon ended her weekend with a batting average of .583 as the lone batter with a .500 average or better.
*The other six starting batters all recorded multiple hits and runs. This included:
- Bella Angelo – .444, 4 hits, 2 runs, 4 RBI, 4 total bases
- Morgan McAlexander – .385, 5 hits (1 triple), 3 runs, 4 RBI, 7 total bases
- Jenna Huey – .357, 5 hits (1 double), 2 runs, 5 RBI, 6 total bases
- Ariana Rolle – .333, 5 hits, 5 runs, 5 total bases
- Gracie King – .273, 3 hits (1 double), 2 runs, 5 RBI, 4 total bases
- Savannah Clausen - .267, 4 hits (2 doubles), 3 runs, 4 RBI, 6 total bases
History, vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State
*The Muleriders and the Savage Storm have been playing since before the forming of the Great American Conference as the two teams first met in competition back in 1999 when SEOSU swept Southern Arkansas. The two programs are tied in the all-time series at 33-33 and SAU is leading the series since the formation of the GAC at 29-19.
*The Muleriders have won the last six regular season matchups against Southeastern Oklahoma, but the Savage Storm won the last meeting in the 2023 Great American Conference tournament by final score of 2-3.
Southeastern Oklahoma State
*The Savage Storm are coming off being swept my Arkansas Tech and their seventh loss in a row. The Golden Suns managed to control the SEOSU batting as they did not allow more than three runs in a game.
*Southeastern Oklahoma State's top pitcher this season has been Emily Simmons as the freshman has an ERA of 3.27 and started 12 of her 24 appearances. Simmons has pitched in 107.0 innings and 11 complete games while allowing 116 hits, 27 extra base hits (7 home runs), 57 runs (50 earned), and 36 walks. The freshman is also responsible for 80 strikeouts this season.
*Amberlyn Walsworth (3.70 ERA) and Reese Taylor (4.00 ERA) have been the Savage Storm's other pitchers to receive much playing time as Walsworth has started in 15 of her 16 appearances and Taylor has started in 16 of her 21 appearances. Taylor is second in the staff for innings pitched with 103.1 while Walsworth has been in the circle for 75.2 innings this campaign.
*The Savage Storm has had much rotation in the lineup, but of those that are more consistently starting, four batters have accounted for a batting average of .300 or better. Kady Fryrear has been SEOSU's top batter as the senior is averaging .367 at the plate with 47 hits on 128 t-bats. Fryrear has also recorded 24 runs, 14 extra base hits (2 home runs), 21 RBI, and 66 total bases. The Storm's batter is slugging at .516 with an on-base percentage of .497. She has also been walked 18 times and struck out on just 13 occasions.
The final regular season series has been moved up to Thursday-Friday due to inclement weather in the Durant area. The doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 PM on Thursday (April 25) with the series finale set for first pitch at 1:00 PM on Friday (April 26).
