MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Head Coach Jason Anderson's Muleriders (3-2 | 0-0) are back in action, and for the first time this campaign, they are in the Natural State for the Alvy Early Memorial Classic in Bentonville, Arkansas. At the invitational, Southern Arkansas is set to face competition out of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For the weekend, SAU is taking on Drury University (0-4 | 0-0 GLVC), Central Missouri (0-0 | 0-0 MIAA), Northeastern State (1-4 | 0-0 MIAA), #1 UT-Tyler (5-0 | 0-0 LSC), Missouri Southern State (5-1 | 0-0 MIAA), and Emporia State (4-2 | 0-0 MIAA).
 
SAU at a Glance
Last weekend, Team 27 of Mulerider Softball traveled to Youngsville, Louisiana, for the Mardi Gras Invitational against competition such as Miles College (W, 4-3), #7 Augustana (W, 4-1), #12 Mississippi College (L, 4-6), Alabama-Huntsville (L, 4-5), and Washburn (W, 11-3/5).
 
Anderson displayed his deep pitching staff as the coach in his 11^th season for SAU and showed off four of his pitchers in the Bayou State, including the 2024 GAC Newcomer of the Year Brinson Rogers (1-1), Jaycie Hall (0-0), Corie Byrd (1-0), and Kassie Rhodes (1-1).
 
Over the weekend, accounting for the best ERA was Rhodes, who saw action in both the Miles College and Mississippi College games. Rhodes recorded a 0.00 ERA against 27 at-bats over 7.0 innings. The Quitman, Arkansas native allowed just five hits (one double) and two runs (both unearned)
 
Leading the way in the batter's box was senior Cassidy Lear, who accounted for a .643 batting average with nine hits on 14 at-bats. Lear led the weekend for the Muleriders in scoring as the Greenbrier, Arkansas native accounted for five runs but also was responsible for five RBI. Lear was struck out just twice out of all five contests, which happened only against 7^th-ranked Augustana (SD). Over the weekend, Lear notched a slugging percentage of 1.000.
 
Sophia Stoddard and Jocelyn Ulrich both showed out during their first weekend in the Blue and Gold. Stoddard, a graduate transfer hailing from Bountiful, Utah, notched a batting average of .400 as she accounted for six hits on 15 at-bats with three runs and one RBI. Stoddard also showed tremendous poise at the plate as she drew five walks over the weekend and was struckout just once. Ulrich, a senior transfer, accounted for a .353 average with six hits on 17 at-bats and five runs for the weekend. She was also responsible for five RBI.
 
A Glance at Drury | Feb. 7, 2025 | 11:00 AM
The Panthers are coming off a 0-4 start to the 2025 campaign with losses to Arkansas Tech (4-8), 20^th-ranked Southern Nazarene (0-5), Oklahoma Baptist (1-5), and East Central (3-11).
 
In the circle for Drury, playing in the most innings was Jordyn Foley, who saw 9.0 innings played and recorded a 7.78 ERA with 14 hits, 10 runs (all earned), six doubles, and one home run allowed. Foley also recorded the most strikeouts of the staff with seven.
 
The Panthers' top batter was Landry Cochran, who recorded a .333 batting average with four hits on 12 at-bats, as she scored a pair of runs.
 
A Glance at Central Missouri | Feb. 7, 2025 | 1:30 PM
The Jennies are set to begin their 2025 campaign as they will open up the new season against Illinois-Springfield at 11:00 AM on Friday, followed by the contest with the Muleriders at 1:30 PM.
 
In 2024, Central Missouri finished the season at 23-27 with a 12-14 record in the MIAA. Southern Arkansas and the Jennies were scheduled for a meeting at the Raising Cane's Softball Festival located in central Oklahoma, but it was canceled due to weather.
 
The Jennies' best pitcher from a year ago, Brooke Weimer, returns to the circle for her sophomore season. In 2024, Weimer accounted for a 1.95 ERA in 122.0 innings with 112 strikeouts. Weimer allowed 114 hits, 14 doubles, 49 runs (34 earned), 59 walks, and four home runs.
 
Making her back to the batter's box is UCM's top batter from 2024, Taylor Thompson. The Noblesville, Indiana, native recorded a batting average of .301 with 44 hits on 146 at-bats. She also tacked on 26 runs with 10 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, and 34 RBI.
 
A Glance at Northeastern State | Feb. 8, 2025 | 11:00 AM
The Riverhawks finished the McGhee-Hawkins Invitational 1-3 with losses to Henderson State (3-4), Christian Brothers (0-8/5), and Ouachita Baptist (4-6). NSU claimed its first victory of the season with a win over Missouri S&T (10-6).
 
Northeastern State's top pitcher from a week ago was Braedyn Sheofee. The redshirt freshman played in 5.1 innings in which she accounted for a 5.25 ERA with seven hits, four runs (all earned), two walks, two doubles, two home runs, and five walks against 22 at-bats.
 
The Riverhawks' Madison Nance had herself a nice weekend with a .667 batting average after recording six hits on nine at-bats with a pair of doubles and three RBI.
 
A Glance at #1 UT-Tyler | Feb. 8, 2025 | 1:30 PM
The Pats had about as impressive an opening weekend as you could have, as the reigning national champions started their campaign 5-0 with wins against Southeastern Oklahoma (7-0), Regis (8-0), #21 Colorado Mesa (3-0), Colorado Mines (8-3), and Missouri Western State (8-0).
 
Primrose Aholelei will be in the circle for UT-Tyler as the defending Wilson/NFCA D2 Pitcher of the Week looks to continue her dominance from last week, in which she recorded a perfect ERA and allowed just 11 hits and two walks against 77 at-bats. Aholelei also recorded 28 strikeouts with three complete games under her belt after week one.
 
Sam Schott was the Patriots' top batter as the senior notched eight hits, five runs, a double, two triples, and eight RBI in just 13 at-bats.
 
A Glance at Missouri Southern State | Feb. 9, 2025 | 11:00 AM
The Lions enter week two after having started 5-1, with all five of their wins coming against Great American Conference competition. MSSU's solo loss came against Maryville by a final score of 0-2.
 
Kiki Pickens had herself a solid beginning to the new campaign as the sophomore from Beebe, Arkansas, recorded an ERA of 1.24 and notched two complete games. Pickens allowed just 10 hits against 59 at-bats while also having surrendered just four runs (three earned), five walks, and three doubles for the week. She logged 13 strikeouts to begin the new year.
 
Katie Gray had a very impressive start swinging the bat for the Lions as she recorded an average of .611 with four runs, 11 hits, two doubles, two home runs, and 11 RBI on 18 at-bats.
 
A Glance at Emporia State | Feb. 9, 2025 | 1:30 PM
The Hornets got off to a fairly good start to the new campaign as the group finished 4-2 after their trip to Branson, where their two losses came against two GAC opponents in SWOSU (3-7) and Arkansas Tech (2-3).
 
Both Jordan Harrison and Gracie Rabe had outstanding performances to begin the new year as Harrison notched a 0.89 ERA in 15.2 innings and Rabe recorded a 1.31 ERA in 16.0 innings.
 
ESU's best batter from a week ago was Kennedy Topping as the sophomore from Wichita, Kansas, accounted for a batting average of .455 and recorded five hits, a double, and a triple on 11 at-bats. Leading the team in runs scored was Taryn Burkhardt, who recorded five runs and had six hits. Burkhardt also drew six walks on 17 at-bats.