SHAWNEE – With a little over three weeks remaining in the regular season, teams are still jockeying for position for the GAC Tournament which is set for May 7-10 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
For Oklahoma Baptist, which sits in a tie for sixth with Arkansas Tech, a prime opportunity awaits against Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Bison (16-15, 11-10 GAC) are a remarkable 17-1 against the Rangers since March 19, 2016.
OBU is coming off a competitive three-game series at Southeastern Oklahoma State, the second-place squad in the GAC. The green and gold won the opener, 13-1, before falling by close 13-9 and 9-8 scores in the doubleheader.
As it has done consistently throughout the year, OBU's offensive attack continued to deliver. Against SE, the team racked up 15 home runs, 30 RBI and an .827 slugging percentage.
Here's where the Bison check in on the NCAA statistical rankings as of April 7:
· National leader with 74 home runs
· 2nd in slugging (.599)
· 17th in scoring (9.3)
· 22nd in runs (288)
· T32nd in hits (337)
Among the numerous players that are leading the offense,
Dan Pruitt has made his mark. The Dallas Baptist transfer is second nationally in homers (16), tied for third in runs scored (47) and fifth in slugging (.931). He's also second with 108 total bases.
Here's the rest of the Bison lineup that's made life difficult for opposing pitchers:
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Alex Schroeder: GAC leader and 9th nationally with 46 RBI; t6th in homers (14)
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Isiah Lissade: 2nd in the GAC in hits (48) and t4th in home runs (11)
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Kade Self: 2nd in the GAC in slugging (.920), 3rd in batting (.432) and 8th in doubles (11) and homers (10)
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Walker Keller: 10 stolen bases are 6th in the GAC while his 11 doubles are 8th
On the mound,
Bo Dallas has been the Bison's leader. Over his last three appearances, he has notched an impressive 1.69 ERA, fanned 17 batters and limited opponents to a .232 average. Those totals have him second in the GAC in earned run average (2.80) and sixth in strikeouts (51).
As a staff, OBU is second in the GAC with 280 strikeouts, and it ranks 35th in DII in strikeouts per nine innings (10.0). Here are the other arms the Bison have relied on this season:
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Brek Galbreath: 8th with 15 strikeouts looking; 2nd on OBU with 46 Ks
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Sam Gamboa: In 26.1 innings pitched, has 39 strikeouts to just nine walks
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Garrett Kellogg-Clarke: Has two saves, two wins and 31 strikeouts in 23 IP
In the other dugout, the Rangers have lost four of five and given up double-digit run totals in three of those losses.
Northwestern's offense has been powered by Yugo Hamakawa. He ranks in the top ten in numerous GAC stats: 1st in hits (49); 2nd in batting average (.438) and on-base percentage (.543) and ninth in slugging (.688).
Here are a few others to keep an eye on:
· Brandon Holdren: GAC leader with 15 doubles
· Shaughn Kelly: Tied for GAC lead with three triples; 4th with 37 runs scored
· Blake Hoffman: Fifth in hits (46) and tenth in RBI (36)
NWOSU's pitching has been an issue throughout the season. Coming into the weekend, the Rangers are in the bottom third of the GAC in runs allowed (277), walks allowed (176), earned run average (7.76) and opposing batting average (.299).
Ethan Swanson has been the lone bright spot on the mound for the Rangers. He is third in the GAC in strikeouts looking (23), ninth in opposing batting average (.241) and 11th in total strikeouts (47).
Additionally, Emilio Lovato is second on the team with 45 strikeouts while Edwin Colon has five wins on the mound and a pair of saves.
