Bison Baseball hosts Southwestern Oklahoma for a Tuesday evening midweek battle

SHAWNEE – OBU Baseball will make their way to Bison Hill for a Tuesday night meeting with a 5 p.m. first pitch. 

Oklahoma Baptist Baseball will host the Bulldogs from Southwestern Oklahoma State University for some midweek action.

Bison Notes

• OBU Baseball ended the series with the Reddies with a Sunday afternoon win, 8-7. Henderson State took the first two games of the series, shutting out the Bison, 9-0, in Game 1 and taking Game 2 with a 6-3 final. 
• Following the series with the Reddies, OBU is 16-8 overall and 9-6 in conference play, reaching double digits wins at home with a 10-3 home record after the Sunday afternoon win over HSU. 
• Lucas Schaefer and Braden Smith are tied for the team lead in homers with six-a-piece. DJ Van Atten leads the Bison in doubles (11), hits (35), RBI (27), BA (.407), on-base percentage (.518) and slugging percentage (.709). Van Atten leads the league in doubles and ranks 10^th nationally. Van Atten is also second in the GAC in total bases and 62^nd in the nation.
• In the past two weeks of action, a pair of Bison received the GAC Player of the Week honors. Braden Smith was the first in green and gold to claim the title and DJ Van Atten followed, receiving the GAC Player of the Week award for the next week. 
• Oklahoma Baptist leads the GAC and ranks eighth in the nation in home runs with 38 on the season so far also ranking first in the league in homers per game and ninth in the nation. The Bison are second in the league in doubles and top 20 in the nation at 19^th. The green and gold have the second best on-base percentage at .429, ranking 28^th nationally.  OBU is first in the GAC in runs and 21^st in the nation at 206. The Bison lead the league in scoring and slugging percentage, ranking 24^th in scoring nationally and 17^th nationally in SLG %. 

 
Bulldog Notes

• Coming into the midweek battle, the Bulldogs are 7-7 in conference play and 15-8 overall after a pair of wins over UAM. SWOSU dropped the opening game of the DH against UAM with a 5-3 final for Arkansas-Monticello. Game 2 saw the Bulldogs on top with a 3-2 final and the rubber match went to the home team as SWOSU record a 9-2 win. 
• In the previous meeting with SWOSU, OBU took the series, 2-1 in Weatherford. The Bulldogs have also suffered losses to Arkansas Tech and Harding in conference play. 
• Bodi Wallar is the standout guy offensively, leading the Bulldogs with a .377 BA, four homers, 42 total bases, a .469 on-base percentage and a .609 slugging percentage. Wallar has tallied 16 RBI, nine runs, 26 hits and four doubles this season. In the weekend action, Wallar finished 4-11 at the plate with one RBI. 
• Gage Gaunt also pulls some weight for the Bulldogs as the team leader in RBI (21). Gaunt has 41 total bases, three homer, five doubles, one triple, 16 runs, 25 hits in 76 at bats, a .329 BA and a .539 slugging percentage. 
• Drew Fifer is a key member of the SWOSU staff with a 5.12 ERA over 31.2 innings on the mound. Fifer is 3-2 on the season with a 1.58 WHIP, giving up 19 runs (18 earned) on 33 hits, seven doubles, one triple, one homer, and walking 17 batters. With 46 strikeouts on the season, Fifer holds opponents to a .275 batting average. Fifer is ranked 23^rd in the country in strikeouts, placing third in the GAC.