SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist, after three weeks of competition on the road, will get to play in the confines of Bobby Box Field at Ford Park on Sunday and Monday against Ouachita.
The three-game GAC series starts on Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. with a single game against the Tigers before a doubleheader at noon on the 28th.
This series has been heavily in favor of the green and gold since play started in 2016. In 18 previous contests, the Bison have won 15. Plus, OBU is 10-2 at home against Ouachita.
OBU owns a 4-6 record and 0-3 conference mark after falling at undefeated and No. 10-ranked Henderson last week. What has been evident so far is the Bison's strong ability on the offensive end.
To date, they rank fifth in the country with 15 home runs while first baseman
Dan Pruitt leads the way individually with five. That total is tied for 10th in DII.
Ramon Gomez's 16 hits slot him in third in the GAC while sophomore shortstop
Isiah Lissade checks in at No. 8 with 14 hits.
Furthermore, Gomez, Pruitt and
Alex Schroeder all rank in the top eight of the GAC with at least 12 runs driven in. Collectively, this Bison group has done a good job with two out. They are hitting .352 this year when there's two away and out of 70 runs driven in, 38 of those have come with a pair of outs.
On the mound, the green and gold know that they can improve. The team's 5.61 ERA is eighth in the conference. Even with that, the Bison have gotten some good moments from its staff and lead the GAC with 107 strikeouts.
Leading the way in the strikeout department is
Tyler Frank. He has 23, a top-25 mark in the nation. In 8.2 innings pitched,
Devin Crawford has allowed just one earned run while posting a 1.04 ERA and
Bo Dallas has a 2.45 earned run average and 11 Ks. Furthermore,
Brek Galbreath has struck out 15.
In the other dugout is Ouachita. The Tigers are 6-4 and 3-0 in the league after sweeping Southern Nazarene last weekend.
Through 10 games, Ouachita's strengths include the third-best staff ERA in the GAC (3.83) and its base-running ability. The Tigers' 22 stolen bags are tops in the conference and 16th nationally.
In the batter's box, Isaac Nowell is second in the GAC with five doubles and is second on Ouachita with a .325 average. Jud Arrington's .355 average leads the team. Collectively, though, the Tigers' team average of .243 is tenth in the GAC.
Pitching-wise, the Tigers have been solid. Beau Burson is fourth in the conference with 20 strikeouts, eight of which have come looking. That latter total is second-best. Additionally, Caleb Donoho, Jaxon Rees, Garret Hermes, Hunter Gautreaux and Carter Wade have made at least three appearances and each have an ERA no greater than 3.00.
Ouachita's 92 total strikeouts are in a tie for third in the GAC as well.
