MAGNOLIA. Ark. – Mulerider Softball (7-3 | 0-0) is set for its trip to the Sooner State as Southern Arkansas will compete in the Raisin Canes GAC/MIAA Invitational for the third consecutive season. Originally, the Muleriders were scheduled for six contests on the weekend, but due to inclement weather in the area, Southern Arkansas will compete against Missouri Southern (6-5 | 0-0) at 11:00 AM and Fort Hays State (2-2 | 0-0) at 1:15 PM all on Friday.
 
SAU at a Glance
The Blue and Gold are coming off another winning weekend this season as the unit finished 4-1 at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic and only fell to the likes of the top-ranked team in Division II, UT-Tyler (9-0 | 0-0).
 
For the majority of the trip, the Mulerider defense played lights out as the group finished all four of their wins in a shutout.
 
Leading the way in those shutouts was Brinson Rogers, which led the Statesboro, Georiga native to claim the titles of Great American Conference (GAC) and Wilson/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) DII Pitcher of the Week. With last weekend under her belt, Rogers leads the conference in strikeouts with 39 and is ranked seventh in DII for Ks on the campaign.
 
Southern Arkansas' offense had its moments in the Alvy Early as America Rubio had herself a solid day one as the redshirt junior recorded four hits in her six at-bats along with two runs and two RBI.
 
On day three, the final day of the invitational, the Muleriders saw a standout performance from Regan Dillon as the junior out of Bryant, Arkansas accounted for two hits on three at-bats and produced three RBI.
 
MSSU at a Glance | Feb. 14, 2025 | 11:00 AM
After a 6-5 start for the Lions following a 1-4 weekend at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic, Missouri Southern looks to bounce back in a big way as they take on the Muleriders in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The two were originally scheduled to play on Saturday, and before that in Bentonville, but the weather and rescheduling have placed the two Central Region foes as one of the first contests of the day at the GAC/MIAA Invitational.
 
The Lions have turned toward multiple arms through 11 games as Avery Tallman (2.69 ERA) leads the staff in innings pitched with 26.0 but is 1-3 on the season and has started in all six of her appearances. Kiki Pickens (3.32 ERA) has been MSSU's winningest pitcher thus far as the sophomore from the Natural State is 4-0 through 25.1 innings pitched.
 
In the box, Katie Gray (.438 BA) has been a top producer for the Lions' offense as the junior has recorded 14 hits in her 32 trips to bat and is accounting for an .813 slugging percentage. Gray has scored eight times this season and is responsible for the team-lead 14 RBI (2^nd MIAA | 11^th DII). She is also the team and MIAA leader in home runs with three (9^th DII)
 
FHSU at a Glance | Feb. 14, 2025 | 1:15 PM
The Tigers began their 2025 season last weekend in Wichita Falls, Texas for the Mustang Round-Up hosted by Midwestern State. Fort Hays State finished off its opening weekend with a split record falling to Cameron (1-9/6) and Southwestern Oklahoma State (2-3). FHSU defeated Northwestern Oklahoma State 3-2 to start the campaign and concluded the weekend with a run-rule victory over Southwest Baptist (9-0/5).
 
Seeing 14.0 innings in the circle last weekend and making two starts (two complete games) was Morgan Schmidt as the senior from Gilbert, Arizona recorded a 2.00 ERA in the opening weekend and was 1-1 at the tournament. Schmidt allowed 11 hits against 54 batters and recorded 14 Ks and just five runs.
 
The Tigers saw some solid production from Madison Pierce in the batters' box as the senior notched a .500 batting average with five hits on ten at-bats for two runs and a home run. The native of Murrieta, California was also responsible for a .900 slugging percentage.
 
Coverage Links:
Fans can keep up with the Mulerider Softball this weekend with the links provided at www.MuleriderAthletics.com/coverage.
 
Next Up:
The Muleriders are back in action inside the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex next weekend for the unit's home/GAC opener against Southern Nazarene.