2025 ticket info to be announced soon
SHAWNEE – With a new season on the horizon, Oklahoma Baptist and Head Coach
Jace Brewer are aiming once again to keep the Bison at the top of the Great American Conference and compete again in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
There's plenty of work that needs to be done, namely finding a pitching staff to replace the school's greatest pitcher,
Kayleigh Jones. She left campus with the most strikeouts (1,013), seven no-hitters, 86 victories and 31 shutouts. Furthermore, OBU will have to replace last season's GAC Freshman of the Year
Maggie Place, who hit the transfer portal to Grand Canyon University (D1).
Plus, Sam Maples, who hired Brewer, stepped away over the summer after guiding the program to five straight winning seasons, 170 total wins and back-to-back GAC Regular Season Championships with two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Also of note, the Bison will have to replace the likes of talented batters
Adi Reese,
Emily Adler,
Shelby Warden and others.
OBU's 2025 roster includes four pitchers. They are
Jaycee Shaffer,
Morgan Max and newcomers
Haley Hacker and
Jorja Barrett. For Shaffer and Max, they are the Bison's most experienced returners in the circle. Shaffer has made 14 appearances the last two seasons, earned three wins and tossed 40.0 innings with 37 strikeouts. The Cyril, Okla., native has also limited opponents to a .226 batting average.
For Max, the 2024 GAC Player of the Year and NFCA Second Team All-American, she's made 18 career appearances, notched three saves, a win and struck out 53 over 48.0 innings. Expect Max to see more time in the circle this spring.
As for the other pitchers, Barrett is a transfer from Utah Valley University. She earned five wins over two seasons and tossed more than 70 innings in 32 appearances. Hacker comes to Bison Hill from North Rock Creek High School. She finished her career with 655 strikeouts and was a Middle East All-State honoree at one point.
In the batter's box, the Bison return several talented offensive players.
Ally Ryan, an All-GAC First Team member last year, broke the school's single-season home-run record with 18. She also hit .309 with 50 RBI and tallied 106 total bases.
Max connected with a team-best .370 average in 2024 with 54 hits, 42 RBI, eight homers and a .623 slugging mark. The Moore, Okla., native also struck out just five times in 146 at-bats. Plus, Max ranked top-five in the GAC in batting average, doubles and RBI.
The Bison have also counted heavily upon outfielder
Sammie Greene. A two-time All-GAC selection, the Clovis, Calif., native hit .322 last year with 11 doubles, four triples and four homers. She also stole 22 bases, a top-five conference mark and scored 42 runs, third-most in the league.
OBU also has veteran returners in catcher
Abby Laskowski,
Meghan Roberts and
Hailey Stanford that could provide help on the offensive end.
As for other newcomers, junior transfer
Greenlee Wells, who came to OBU from Eastern Oklahoma State College, is a player to keep an eye on. Last season, she batted .444 with 26 homers, 79 RBI and was named an NJCAA D1 All-American.
Competition starts for the Bison on Jan. 31 in Branson, Missouri when the team plays Emporia State and Maryville.
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