MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The journey to Frost Stadium at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee, begins right here in Columbia County as the two-seeded Muleriders are set to host their first NCAA DII Central Regional since 2018 inside the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex from May 8-10.
 
As mentioned, the Blue and Gold are the second-seeded team in the region, only behind (1) Central Oklahoma, who is hosting its own half of the regional in Edmond, Oklahoma, this same weekend. Joining Southern Arkansas on Dawson Field this weekend are (3) Augustana, (6) Missouri Southern, and (7) Harding.
 
A Glance at the (2) Muleriders (42-8 | 28-4)
SAU is coming fresh off its first GAC Tournament title since the 2016 season, in which the Muleriders made their way to the NCAA DII Women's College World Series. After last weekend's endeavors, Southern Arkansas enters the postseason as the league's outright Regular Season and Tournament Champions.
 
Leading the way in the circle for the Muleriders has been senior leader Brinson Rogers. The native of Statesboro, Georgia, leads both her team and the conference in nearly every pitching category, such as complete games (26), ERA (0.88), innings pitched (214.0), and strikeouts (285). The senior also leads the nation, not just NCAA DII, in shutouts with 18. Just previously before the start of the GAC Tournament, the Peach State native was named the GAC's Pitcher of the Year and was also named to the conference's All-Tournament team.
 
The Muleriders' lead-hitter in the lineup has been the team's catcher, Sophia Stoddard. The Bountiful, Utah native has led the team in batting average for many weeks now as she is currently averaging .356 and leads the squad in hits with 53. The catcher has started at the position for all 50 games for the Muleriders this season as Rogers' season-long battery partner. Right along Stoddard in batting has been Regan Dillon. The junior, and All-GAC First Team member, has been a force for the Muleriders in the one hole as she leads the team in runs scored (42), home runs (12), total bases (98), slugging (.681), walks drawn (39), and on-base percentage (.503).
 
Southern Arkansas' first game of the double elimination bracket will be at 5:30 PM on Thursday, May 8, against (7) Harding.
 
 
A Glance at the (3) Vikings (46-9 | 25-3)
Augustana was the team to make it through the Central Region gauntlet last spring after the group maneuvered its way from Pittsburg, Kansas, to Claremore, Oklahoma, and then finally to Orlando, Florida. The Vikings and the Muleriders have met once this year already, with Southern Arkansas winning the outing by a final of 4-1.
 
The Vikings have one of the best pitching staffs in NCAA DII, as the group currently ranks third in the division for earned run average and allows just an average of 1.23 earned runs per game. For shutouts, Augustana ranks fifth in the nation with 17 this season. The team also boasts the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio with a 4.58, while also recording the eighth-most strikeouts per seven innings with 7.40.
 
The Vikings' ace has been graduate student Grace Glanzer, who is currently boasting a 1.14 ERA with 30 appearances and starts, a 24-6 record, 23 complete games, nine shutouts, and 189.2 innings pitched. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota native has recorded an opposing batting average of .187 and has accounted for 211 strikeouts.
 
The top batter for the group has been Desi Cuevas with an average of .389 and a team-high 12 home runs. Andrea Cain is the team's leader in hits as the junior has accounted for 60 this season and is second on the team for home runs with 11.
 
Augustana's first game of the double elimination bracket will be at 3:00 PM on Thursday, May 8, against (6) Missouri Southern.
 
A Glance at the (6) Lions (37-17 | 16-8)
Much like Augustana, Southern Arkansas has met Missouri Southern once already this campaign, with the Muleriders shutting out the Lions 1-0. MSSU most recently faced against the top-seed in the regional during the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament in Central Oklahoma after defeating Central Missouri 9-5 in the quarterfinals. The Lions fell to the eventual tournament champions, UCO, 4-0.
 
The Lions have been a top team in terms of stolen bases this season, as the group is ranked third nationally for the category with 139 stolen bases. The number is also the highest in the MIAA.
 
Defensively, Missouri Southern has been fairly dominant, as the unit ranks 12^th in Division II for its total shutouts this season with 14, which is second in the MIAA. The group's ERA also ranks second in its conference, as they average 2.14 earned runs given up per game. The average is also 18th in DII.
 
The team's leader in the circle has been Kiki Pickens, as the sophomore has appeared in 29 outings and started in 26 of those. She is currently recording a 1.72 ERA and is 18-5 overall. Pickens has also recorded 13 complete games and has pitched in 150.1 innings. She has been a handful for batters thus far as she is allowing a batting average of just .178.
 
Bailey Dillon leads the group in terms of hitting this campaign. The freshman has started in all 54 games for the Lions and is batting a .417 average with a team-best 68 hits and 55 runs, and has also stolen 39 bases throughout her 43 attempts this season. Second on average on the team is Katie Gray, as the junior is accounting for a .381 average with 59 hits and leads the team in home runs with 15.
 
Missouri Southern's first game of the double elimination bracket will be at 3:00 PM on Thursday, May 8, against (3) Augustana.
 
A Glance at the (7) Lady Bisons (39-16 | 21-12)
No unfamiliarity between these two Great American Conference foes, as the Muleriders and Lady Bisons have already met four times this season, with the Blue and Gold claiming victory in all four matchups. Most recently, the groups faced in the GAC Semifinals, which saw Jenna Huey blast a solo home run to tie the game for SAU and was shortly followed by an America Rubio RBI to claim the one-run lead and the final score, 2-1. This will be the fifth meeting between the in-state foes and the fourth meeting on Dawson Field.
 
Up to this point, Harding has accumulated the second-best ERA in the GAC with a 2.02. The mark is also ranked 12^th in DII. In the league, the Lady Bisons rank second for their total stolen bases with 112 up to now and are 19^th in DII for the same spot. For the GAC, Harding has been the most efficient batting squad with their 471 hits this season (26^th DII). The group's batting average is also the league's best at .317.
 
Leading the team in the circle has been pitcher/batter hybrid, Brooklyn Gobble. The redshirt-freshman, while not boasting the top ERA on the team, has the most wins for the staff with a 17-7 record. Gobble has appeared in 39 contests and started in 26 of those. She has also recorded 14 complete games thus far. In her 162.1 innings pitched, Gobble has recorded an ERA of 2.11. The team's leader in ERA has been senior Riley Price with a 1.58. Price has appeared in 26 contests and has started 14 games. She is second on the staff with five games completed.
 
The top-batting team in the league is led by the two best batters in the league, with Kaya Lee and Zoey Neal taking the top two spots for both batting average and total hits. Lee's currently leads the GAC in average and hits with an average of .432 and her 80 hits (14^th DII). Neal sits just behind Lee in the rankings with a .408 batting average and 71 total hits.
 
Southern Arkansas' first game of the double elimination bracket will be at 5:30 PM on Thursday, May 8, against (7) Harding.
 
 
Tournament Details
All tournament information, such as broadcasting, live stats, ticketing, etc., can be found by using the link at the top labeled "Tournament Central".