SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist softball team will wrap up their 2022 tournament schedule at the Edmond Regional Festival on Friday and Monday.
OBU will face Northeastern State at 12:45 p.m. and No. 16 Central Oklahoma at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 18. On Monday, Feb. 21, the Bison will take on Fort Hays State at 2:15 p.m. and No. 15 Oklahoma Christian at 4:45 p.m.
Friday's games will be played at Gerry Pinkston Stadium on the campus of UCO, while Monday's contest will be at Tom Heath field on the campus of OC.
The Bison enter Friday on a three-game winning streak, fresh off their three-day stint in Lubbock, Texas. Oklahoma Baptist lost their first two games to Lubbock Christian and Colorado Christian, but battled backed to win the next three.
OBU took down Colorado School of Mines 4-2, Fort Lewis College 12-2, and ended Saturday with a 2-0 victory over the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Led by pitcher Kayleigh Jones, the Bison surrendered zero hits to post their first no-hitter since 2013 and the first of the Division II era.
In the circle, Jones showed resiliency as she bounced back from a rough showing against LCU to win her next two games. She pitched two complete games against the Mines and UCCS, racking up 17 total strikeouts. Twelve strikeouts came against the Orediggers as she allowed two runs in 7.0 innings of action. Jones collected the first no-hitter of her career versus the Mountain Lions, striking out five of the 22 batters she faced. This season, she ranks No. 7 in the nation for total strikeouts (48) and is one of nine pitchers in Division II to register a no-hitter.
Several Bison are off to exceptional starts this season, including freshman Sammie Greene who leads OBU in batting average (.409). Green ranks No. 1 in hits (9), RBIs (5), and is tied at the top with one home run. Reagan Ford backs her up, hitting .333 with three RBIs. The duo also leads the team with a stolen base apiece.
Scouting the Riverhawks
Northeastern State enters the weekend with a 5-3 record and riding a two-game winning streak. Last weekend, the Riverhawks went 2-2 at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic, claiming two victories over Southern Arkansas and Upper Iowa.
NSU is led in the batter's box by Alyssia Crick, who bats .444 with a .667 slugging percentage. Senior Sydney Balderrama is second, batting .375, while Addy Wolfe rounds out the Riverhawks above .300 at .304. Gail Young has logged the most time in the circle for NSU, collecting a team-high 24 strikeouts with a 2.82 ERA.
Scouting the Bronchos
The tournament's host, Central Oklahoma, appeared at No. 16 in the NFCA Division II poll on Tuesday. The Bronchos are 7-2 this season, having swept their competition 5-0 at the UCO festival last week. Their only losses have come by No. 1 UT Tyler and St. Mary's.
Six Bronchos are hitting above .300, led by Jacee Minter and Shayleigh Odom. Minter is slugging .897 with RBIs, while Odom is at .762 with a matching RBI total. The duo has also collected two home runs apiece.
Scouting the Tigers
This season, Fort Hays State holds a 2-6 overall record after going 1-4 at the UCO/OC Festival last weekend. FHSU's lone victory came against Midwestern State by a 5-4 tally.
Loren Beggs leads the Tigers with a .304 batting average and totals a team-best seven hits this season. Madison Pierce is the squad's home run (2) and RBI (5) leader, while Sara Breckbill is slugging a team-best .478.
Scouting the Eagles
No. 15 in the country, Oklahoma Christian, is 7-2 on the season. They've won two straight, including triumphs over Southern Nazarene and Missouri Southern last weekend.
Sophomore Rian Gamble is one of six Eagles hitting over .300, as she leads the pack at .450. Hannah Pate ranks No. 1 with 10 hits, while Aaliyah Brown paces the team with 11 RBIs.
