SHAWNEE – Another chance to earn another Great American Conference series win is in store for Oklahoma Baptist this weekend when Arkansas-Monticello comes to town.
The teams will play on Friday at 3 p.m. before a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. at Bobby Cox Field at Ford Park. OBU is 7-1 at home this season.
This series has favored UAM who has an 11-9 all-time record against OBU. In fact, the last three series have gone the Boll Weevils way. The Bison's last series win came during the 2018 season when the green and gold won two of three in Monticello.
Heading into this weekend, the momentum favors OBU. They are on a six-game winning streak and possess a 13-8 overall and 7-5 record in the GAC. For UAM, it has lost seven of nine and sit at 12-10 and 6-6 in league play.
For the Bison, they are coming off an 8-3 win at East Central. Over the course of this six-game unbeaten streak, OBU has had plenty of contributors.
Kade Self has registered team-highs in batting average (.545) and RBI (17) while
Dan Pruitt has tallied a trio of homers. Plus,
Isiah Lissade has scored 11 runs. Here are OBU's leaders in the GAC heading into the weekend:
| Batting Average |
Self; 6th; .405 |
| Slugging |
Pruitt; 4th; .718 |
| RBI |
Self; 3rd; 30 |
| Home Runs |
Pruitt; 2nd; 8 – Alex Schroeder; T4th; 7 |
On the pitching front, the Bison will have their work cut out for them as UAM possesses the second-best attack in the conference. Currently the Weevils are second in batting (.315). That said, the OBU staff has been sensational the last six games. They have posted an ERA of 2.81 and struck out 59 batters in 48.0 innings pitched. Plus, the Bison defense has turned four double plays. A handful of pitchers check in on the GAC stat page:
| Opposing BA |
Jake Hamilton; 5th; .208 |
| Innings Pitched |
Brek Galbreath; 4th; 35.0 |
| Strikeouts |
Hamilton; 3rd; 43 |
| Strikeouts Looking |
Hamilton; 3rd; 14 – Galbreath; 5th; 11 |
Also of note, OBU is the only school in the GAC with two relievers with one save. They are
Logan Kimbro and
Will Duncan.
As mentioned, UAM has a potent offense. It is led by Kirk Woolf. He is third in the GAC in batting (.439), second in slugging (.768) and fifth in hits (36) and runs scored (30). Plus, Chaz Poppy is slotted in the top-ten in batting average (.446), slugging (.677) and OPS (1.128).
On the mound, the Weevils have a few good options. Mason Philley is slotted top-ten in several categories: ERA (3.31), opposing batting average (.215), strikeouts (50), wins (4). Connor Irvine has also held own ranking fifth in ERA (3.00) and sixth in strikeouts (39). Closer River Hunt has also notched three saves, two off the GAC lead.
