SHAWNEE – Excitement is in the air again for Oklahoma Baptist softball. Sixth-year head coach
Sam Maples announced her 2024 schedule this week, a slate that features 18 home games.
"We are looking forward to a great season showcasing an experienced group of athletes paired with our young talent," Maples said. "We are facing multiple Top-25 opponents throughout the year beginning in preseason. This will be both challenging and beneficial for us. This team has never shed away from a challenge. These athletes have big dreams for this year and our team, as they should. We are so excited to watch them earn what they've worked so hard for."
The 2024 season begins Feb. 1 with the Mardi Gras Invitational in Lafayette, Louisiana which will go through the 3rd. The Bison will face Augustana, Central Oklahoma, Mississippi College, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and Union during the three-day event. A season ago, OBU participated in the same event and got off to a 5-0 start.
OBU will then travel to the Oklahoma Christian/Central Oklahoma Invitational on Feb. 9-10. This tournament features showdowns with Pittsburg State, Central Oklahoma, Rogers State, and Oklahoma Christian.
The final early-season invitational concludes Feb. 15-17 with the Central Oklahoma/Southern Nazarene Invitational. OBU will face the following: Fort Hays State, Washburn, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Rogers State, Missouri Southern, and Central Missouri.
Great American Conference competition follows for OBU. It will host Harding for a three-game series starting on Feb. 23 followed by a doubleheader on the 24th.
The following weekend, OBU will move into the month of March by playing at Northwestern Oklahoma State on the 1st and 2nd in Alva. They will then battle against Southeastern Oklahoma State on the 8th and 9th in Shawnee.
OBU's next GAC contest comes against Southern Nazarene on March 12 before hosting a three-game series with Arkansas-Monticello on March 15-16.
The Bison's next five games will come on the road. That includes a non-conference doubleheader at UT Tyler on March 20 followed by a three-game series with GAC school Southern Arkansas on March 22-23.
After that small road stretch, Oklahoma Baptist will have its next two home games against Cameron on March 26. Then during Easter weekend, the Bison will host East Central on the 28th and 29th.
The Bison will spend a lot of April on the road. In fact, 11 of the 14 games come away from Shawnee. First, the green and gold visit Weatherford to face Southwestern Oklahoma State on April 5-6. A few days later, OBU will visit nearby Southern Nazarene for two games on the 9th. The long road swing continues April 12-13 at Ouachita.
OBU will then return to Bison Hill to face off against Henderson State on the 19th and 20th. The regular season will then close with a three-game series at Arkansas Tech on the 26th and 27th.
The Great American Conference Tournament will follow the week after, ahead of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
