Softball Opens GAC Tournament Against Harding

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – The Oklahoma Baptist softball team begins its quest for a title as the Bison will compete in the Great American Conference Softball Championship for the first time in school history this Friday.

The two-day, single elimination tournament kicks off on Friday, May 14, as OBU will take on No. 2 seed Harding in the third game of the day.

In her third season, head coach Sam Maples and her squad have elevated the Bison to their first appearance in the postseason since joining NCAA Division II with a 21-19 overall record and a 16-17 GAC mark. OBU has wins over the top four seeds in the tournament, including taking two out of three from No. 4 Arkansas Tech.

"I am so proud of this team for their resiliency throughout a very tough year still filled with COVID protocols and so much uncertainty," said Maples. "Every day we've been given to go out and compete has been a blessing and our team recognizes that."

The Bison have been led offensively by a quartet of seniors in Shelby Savage, Cheyenne Demaree, McKenna Anderson, and Kaytlyn Marsh. Savage, Demaree, and Anderson are the top three hitters on the team in average, while all four upperclassmen have been a vital piece to the team's success.

Savage leads the team with a .353 average to go with a career-high four home runs, 18 RBI, and a team-leading 21 runs scored. Savage leads the team with seven stolen bases and has an on base percentage of .405.

The power hitting Demaree is close behind her with a .333 average including a team-leading five home runs and 23 RBI. Demaree is the top hitter in OPS at .987 clip. Anderson follows with a .324 average while Marsh leads the team with nine doubles.

"I have to give credit to my upperclassmen who have been working towards this for years and refused to settle," said Maples. "My younger players now see it as our expectation and that's the kind of culture we're developing. We're excited to take this step forward, but I can tell you this team wants more."

Kylie Kawamura adds a .306 average with five doubles and 11 RBIs, while Asia Henry ties for the lead in home runs with five as well as 18 RBIs. Emily Richardson leads the team in walks with 11, while Jocee Sparks comes in with three home runs and 17 runs driven in.

In the circle, the Bison are led by a pair of right handers in Kayleigh Jones and Aspen Younce.

Jones has been the work horse for most of the season with a 13-7 record and a 2.58 ERA. Jones led the GAC in strikeouts for most of the year until a late season injury sidelined her with minimal use the final three weeks of the season. She sits fourth in the GAC in strikeouts with 127 to only 38 walks in 111.1 innings of work.

Younce has stepped in and stepped up in the last weeks of the season, dropping her ERA to 3.68 with an 8-11 record. Younce checks in with 112 strikeouts on the year to 43 walks in 116.0 innings of work.

OBU will take on the hottest team in the GAC in the Harding Bisons, who come in with a 33-11 record and are winners of 14 straight contests including a sweep of former top team in the conference Southeastern on the final weekend of the season.

Harding took two out of three from the Bison in mid-March, including a 1-0 victory to clinch the series. It is one of eight one-run victories for Harding this season. 

"We're facing a well coached and disciplined team in Harding on Friday," said Maples. "Our team played a competitive series against them earlier this year and we know how to prepare. We've got a good game plan and we have to stick to that and trust it will work."

Lily Tanski has established herself as one of the best pitchers in the GAC as she comes in with a 21-6 record and a 1.63 ERA including 132 strikeouts to 19 walks in 154.1 innings pitched. Additionally, Jessica Bridges is also a tough one in the circle, going 11-4 on the season with a 2.06 ERA.

Offensively, Chelsea Blankenship leads the Bisons with a .365 average with 12 doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 25 RBIs while Nicole Shano adds a .364 average with 11 doubles, seven home runs, and 44 RBIs.

First pitch for OBU's contest against Harding is set for 4 p.m. on Friday with the full schedule of action beginning at 11 a.m. Tickets are $10 per day and can be purchased online.

Friday, May 14 | TICKETS
G1: 11:00 AM #4 Arkansas Tech vs #5 Southern Nazarene
G2: 1:30 PM #1 Southern Arkansas vs #8 Arkansas-Monticello 
G3: 4:00 PM #2 Harding vs #7 Oklahoma Baptist
G4: 6:30 PM #3 Southeastern Oklahoma State vs #6 Ouachita

Saturday, May 15 | TICKETS
G5: 12:30 PM Winner G1 vs Winner G2
G6: 3:00 PM Winner G3 vs Winner G4
G7: 7:00 PM Winner G5 vs Winner G6