SHAWNEE – Top seed Oklahoma Baptist prepares to make its third-straight trip to the GAC Softball Championships tomorrow, where they'll face No. 8 seed Southern Nazarene for the second consecutive season in the quarterfinals.
The clubs will meet at 12:30 p.m. at Tiger Athletic Complex in Bentonville, Ark.
Fans can listen to the play-by-play commentary of Todd Miller on the OBU YouTube page and watch the contest on the GAC Sports Network.
Oklahoma Baptist and the Crimson Storm will battle for the 120th time in program history. The Bison lead the all-time series 62-57 and have won three straight over SNU after sweeping the 2023 regular-season series.
When the two met for the season finale in April, OBU won 7-6 and surpassed its previous-best mark for wins in the Division II era. Meanwhile, pitcher Kayleigh Jones broke the school single-season record for wins.
The Bison waltz into the conference tournament as one of the hottest teams in the country, riding a 17-game winning streak. Their 28-5 record in conference play is a program best and garnered the highest seeding in school history, as OBU finished two games ahead of second-place Harding.
With three more wins, Oklahoma Baptist would attain the most victories in program history, eclipsing the current-best mark of 45 wins set in 2014.
OBU closed its regular season with the fifth-best ERA (1.45) and the seventh-most shutouts (18) in the nation. Here is where the Bison stack up the conference: 2nd in batting average (.308), 2nd in on-base percentage (.381), 2nd in RBI (242), 2nd in runs scored (263), 2nd in home runs (34), and 3rd in total bases (605).
Since its April 14-15 series against Ouachita Baptist, Oklahoma Baptist has outscored their opponents 48-6. Stretching back to the start of the 17-game winning streak on March 25, OBU has outscored their opponents 98-25. During the span, the Bison hit .315 and blasted 14 home runs.
Their proficiency in the circle and at the plate is led by Kayleigh Jones, Emily Adler, and Kennedy Clark.
On Sunday, Jones became the first pitcher in GAC history to record 30 wins and 300 strikeouts in a season. This year, she ranked in the top five of every major pitching statistical category in DII. Here they are: 2nd in victories (30), 2nd in shutouts (13), 2nd in strikeouts (302), and 4th in ERA (0.66).
During the team's hot streak, Jones picked up 12 wins while maintaining a 0.73 ERA and limiting opponents to a .161 batting average. In two appearances against Southern Nazarene, Jones has not given up an earned run and fanned 23 batters.
Emily Adler has become the GAC's premier slugger. This season, Adler led the conference in batting average (.423), hits (66), and on-base percentage (.492). She adds the 10th-most RBI (35) and the fourth-most stolen bases (17).
Clark, a freshman, owns the fifth-best batting average (.387) and the fourth-best on-base percentage (.447) in the GAC. She leads all freshmen in those categories as well. Clark adds the most doubles (11), third-most hits (48), and fourth-most RBI for OBU.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON STORM
Southern Nazarene enters the postseason with a 24-27 overall record, including a 13-19 mark in the GAC. SNU has dropped four straight games, most recently falling to Harding at home over the weekend.
Despite their recent woes, the Crimson Storm pairs the league's fifth-best batting average (.284) with the fourth-most hits (392). However, in the pitching lane, SNU has not fared as well with its 3.79 earned run average.
The bat of sophomore Liana Heshiki leads the club with the third-best batting average (.401) and fourth-most hits (61) in the conference. Meanwhile, the Storm's power has come from Hailey Evans, who tops the GAC in home runs (13), RBI (52), and total bases (106).
Time in the circle has been split between four pitchers, led by freshman Olivia Hernandez. In 30 appearances, she owns a 9-7 record and has struck out 135 batters to go along with a 3.64 ERA. The others trail with earned run averages over 3.00, including Katelyn Woodard's mark of 3.03.
With a win, Oklahoma Baptist will play the winner of Thursday's No. 4 and No. 5 seed matchup on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
