MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Softball is back in action on the road for one more Great American Conference series as the group drives to Shawnee, Oklahoma for a three-game battle with the reigning GAC Regular Season Champions in Oklahoma Baptist. This weekend's contests mark the final for both squads before heading to Bentonville, Arkansas for the GAC Championship Tournament (May 1-3).
 
After securing the series against Southeastern Oklahoma State last weekend, the Muleriders clinched their fifth regular-season GAC title in program history.
 
Series History
The Muleriders have quite the advantage over the Bison in the all-time series as the group leads OBU 24-8. Oklahoma Baptist has gained six of its eight triumphs over SAU in just the last four seasons, as the group has been winners of the last two series meetings against the Blue and Gold (both with 2-1 wins). The Bison were victors in the first two meetings against the Muleriders back in 2002, and next met in 2016, which saw SAU win the next 18 contests over the Bison before the group gained win number three in 2021.
 
A Glimpse at the Muleriders
Southern Arkansas enters week 13 of the season as the ninth-ranked team in the NFCA DII Coaches' Poll, while also being most recently ranked second in the NCAA DII Central Region rankings. Prior to last weekend, Team 27 boasted the NCAA's longest active winning streak at 27 games until falling in their opening game against Southeastern Oklahoma 4-0. After the Muleriders' slow start in game two of the series, SAU climbed back to defeat the Savage Storm 11-7 to set up the rubber match for last Saturday, the first rubber match of the campaign for the Muleriders. SAU prevailed in the outing 6-0 to clinch GAC series win number ten for the year.
 
Brinson Rogers earned her tenth GAC Pitcher of the Week honor after last weekend's performance in which the senior recorded 20.0 innings of work in which she fanned 30 batters with a pair of shutouts and an opposing batting average of .103 over four games. Rogers recorded a week in which she went 2-1 with her lone loss coming in game one against Southeastern Oklahoma State. That game marked the first time in 34.1 innings pitched before surrendering a run to her opponent. She made a comeback in a big way for the series as the senior was credited with her 26th victory this season in game three of the series against the Savage Storm. The Statesboro, Georgia continues to lead the Great American Conference in ten statistical categories.
 
Sophia Stoddard currently leads the group in batting average as the graduate student from Bountiful, Utah currently holds a .373 BA with a team-best 50 hits and 23 runs, eight doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 16 RBIs. On the defensive side, Stoddard has played catcher and started every game for the Muleriders at the position as the Utah native currently ranks second in the GAC for how many times she has caught runners attempting to steal with ten this campaign and ranks 36^th nationally in the category.
 
A Glimpse at the Bison
Oklahoma Baptist rode a five-game win streak before falling to in-state rival Southern Nazarene on Tuesday (Apr. 22), in which the Bison fell to the Crimson Storm 7-6 and moved on to 23-7 in the league with a 32-16 record overall. Oklahoma Baptist is just the second team in the league to clinch its seeding in the GAC Tournament behind Southern Arkansas as the group clinched the #2 seed for their trip to Bentonville, Arkansas.
 
In the circle, the bison have been led by Jaycee Shaffer with a 2.43 ERA in her 28 appearances and 26 starts while boasting an 18-3 record. Shaffer has completed 16 games this season with four shutouts and one save over the course of 158.1 innings pitched. The native of Cyril, Oklahoma has surrendered 159 hits, 55 earned runs, 47 walks, and is responsible for 147 strikeouts.
 
Leading the charge for the Bison in the batter's box has been Sammie Greene as the senior is responsible for a .412 ERA after starting in all 48 outings. Greene leads the team in runs scored with 44 and is first in the GAC for the category. She is second on her team with her 61 hits and ranks fifth in the league. The Bison have been led by Kaley Cook in terms of hitting with 63 hits. OBU also brings back the Great American Conference Player of the Year in Morgan Max, as the senior is second on the team in batting average with .403 and is fourth with her 52 hits. She is second on the roster for home runs accounted for with 12.
 
Broadcast Details
Streaming and Live Stats for Mulerider Softball's road contest against Oklahoma Baptist can be found at www.MuleriderAthletics.com/coverage.