SHAWNEE – No. 19 Oklahoma Baptist will compete in its final regular-season series this weekend against the Golden Suns of Arkansas Tech at Tom Heath Field on the campus of Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond, Okla.
The ball clubs will play a single game on Saturday at 6 p.m. and a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. The senior ceremony honoring Jocee Sparks, Aspen Younce, and Mia Moddelmog will be held before Saturday's contest.
The matchups, originally scheduled to be played in Shawnee, had to be moved due to the damage caused to Bison Softball Park by last week's tornado. Due to the generosity of Oklahoma Christian Athletics, all gate and concession proceeds will go towards the rebuilding efforts on Bison Hill.
Those interested in helping the restoration effort can donate to the Disaster Relief Fund or purchase "Bison Strong" items here.
Oklahoma Baptist holds the GAC's best overall record at 40-9, including a 25-5 conference mark, coming into the weekend. With a spot in the Great American Conference tournament already clinched, the Bison look to lock up the No. 1 seed with a series victory over ATU. Furthermore, two wins could secure the program's first-ever regular-season title.
The Bison are riding a 14-game winning streak, a tie of the program's longest mark of consecutive victories, following a sweep of Henderson State. The series triumph over the Reddies pushed OBU to 40 wins, territory that hadn't been touched in the Division II era. Only two other seasons in program history – 2002 (43) and 2014 (45) - reached the mark.
OBU's success is credited to its consistency in the batter's box and the circle. Here is where the Bison stack up against the GAC in offensive categories: 2nd in batting average (.310), 2nd in RBI (233), 2nd in home runs (33), 2nd in runs scored (254), and 3rd in hits (412).
Senior shortstop Emily Adler has been nothing short of amazing. In her first season on Bison Hill, Adler has produced the GAC's best batting average (.423), most hits (64), and highest on-base percentage (.494). She adds 34 RBIs and the fourth-most stolen bags in the league (17). Remarkably, she has accumulated those numbers with only six strikeouts.
In the pitching lane, Oklahoma Baptist boasts the eighth-best ERA in the country (1.51). The Bison have racked up the nation's most strikeouts (431) and held their opponents to a staggering batting average of .209. Their dominance is due in large part to senior pitcher Kayleigh Jones.
Here is where Jones ranks nationally: 2nd in victories (28), 3rd in strikeouts (287), second in shutouts (11), third in complete games (22), and fifth in ERA (0.71). Aspen Younce, the second part of OBU's one-two punch, owns the GAC's sixth-best ERA (2.44). She adds a 9-2 record with the seventh-most strikeouts (92) in the conference.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS TECH
The Golden Suns enter the Sooner state with a 28-20 record, including a 17-12 mark in GAC play. Tech has dropped its last three games after being swept at Southeastern Oklahoma State a week ago.
Offensively, the Golden Suns are hitting .262 at the plate this season as a team. ATU has two players batting .300 or better on the year with at least 120 at-bats. Leading Tech at the plate is Jessica Williams, who owns a team-best .315 batting average. Following behind is Makenzie Goins, who is hitting .309 on the year.
In the circle, the Golden Suns have a team ERA of 2.62 and have struck out 189 hitters. Three pitchers have made at least 20 appearances, led by senior Bailey Buffington. She leads the team with 29 appearances, while Bradi Basler and Kaila Cartwright trail with 23 and 20, respectively.
Buffington pairs a 15-9 record with the team's best ERA (1.79). She heads the team in strikeouts (86) and has produced 10 shutouts. Basler is 9-8 in the circle this season with a 3.73 ERA, while Cartwright owns a 2.50 ERA and has recorded four wins.
