MAGNOLIA, Ark. – One. More. Series. With all the eyes of the Great American Conference set on the action about to take place on Dawson Field inside the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex this weekend, as the eighth-ranked Muleriders prepare to take on the Oklahoma Baptist Bison in a series that could decide the GAC regular-season champion.
 
Start Times
The series is set to begin on Saturday with the series doubleheader taking place at 2:00 PM, with the series finale being scheduled for a 1:00 PM start on Sunday.
 
Broadcast Information
This weekend's contests will be broadcast live on the Southern Arkansas University Hudl Fan Page, with Jeff Harrington calling all of the action.

Series History
SAU vs. OBU | May 2-3
36^th, 37^th, and 38^th Meeting: SAU leads series 25-10
First Meeting: 3/16/2002 – OBU won 3-2 (Magnolia, Ark.)
Last Meeting: 5/3/2025 – SAU won 4-1 (Bentonville, Ark. | GAC Championship)
 
SAU Notables
>>> The last time the Muleriders and the Bison faced one another was for the GAC Tournament Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA DII Central Regional. Southern Arkansas came out on top in the bout, as the Blue and Gold defeated Oklahoma Baptist 4-1 and claimed its first tournament title since 2016.
 
>>> The Mulerider pitching has been one of the best this campaign in the GAC, as the group ranks first for earned run average (2.01 | 12^th DII), hits allowed per seven innings (5.47 | 9^th DII), shutouts (12 | 10^th DII), and WHIP (1.10 | 11^th DII). Leading the way for not just SAU, but the GAC, in nearly every metric is Emma Duncan. The 2025-26 Dr. Margaret Downing Female Athlete of the Year leads the league in numerous categories such as complete games (17), earned run average (1.39 | 9^th DII), games started (29 | 3^rd DII), hits allowed per seven innings (4.05 | 4^th DII), innings pitched (181.1 | 6^th DII), shutouts (8 | 5^th DII), strikeouts (188 | 9^th DII), WHIP (0.89 | 6^th DII), and victories (25 | 2^nd DII).
 
>>> Team 28's bats have been some of, if not, the best this season in the GAC, with the unit leading the GAC in batting average (.355 | 8^th DII), doubles (82), doubles per game (1.74), hits (455 | 18^th DII), on-base percentage (.450 | 3^rd DII), runs batted in (316 | 6^th DII), RBIs per game (6.72 | 5^th DII), scoring (7.17 | 8^th DII), slugging percentage (.549 | 7^th DII), total runs (337 | 10^th DII), triples (11), and triples per game (0.23). The top batter in the lineup for SAU and the conference has been Maddie Leal, as the grad student is currently accounting for a .451 batting average and also leads the league in hits (65).
 
OBU Notables
>>> Oklahoma Baptist is currently tied for second place in the GAC with Arkansas Tech (24-6) after the group dropped its series opener against in-state rival Southern Nazarene. Last season, the Bison ended up being the only team to take a series away from the Muleriders, before the two met again in the GAC Tournament Championship, where SAU got its get back.
 
>>> Pitching for the Bison ranks inside the top half of the Great American Conference, as the unit sits in fifth for the league in earned run average (3.59). OBU is also fifth in the league for hits allowed per seven innings with an average of 7.34. The Bison have two arms with 100+ innings pitched this season, as Jaycee Shaffer leads the staff with 160.0 IP, while Jaycee Kelln has recorded 126.0 IP. Shaffer, being the typical game one starter for the Bison, leads the group in appearances (31), starts (24), and complete games (14), while also having 159 strikeouts to her credit. Shaffer's 3.11 ERA is second on the staff, behind Kelln's 2.72.
 
>>> In terms of batting average, Oklahoma Baptist sits at second in the league with its .309 average. While not leading in hits, the unit leads the GAC in the long ball, as the group has recorded 64 home runs this season and ranks fifth nationally. The Bison are also the league leaders in stolen bags, sitting at 102 (30^th DII). One of the GAC's top batters this season has been Greenlee Wells, as she leads the GAC in home runs and is second nationally with her 19 dingers. Her on-base percentage also leads the league, as her percentage of .632 ranks second nationally.
 
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