SHAWNEE – The 24th-ranked and undefeated (10-0) Oklahoma Baptist softball team has several big games, all against Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association schools, coming up on Thursday and Friday in Tahlequah.
On Feb. 12, the Bison take on No. 12 Rogers State and seventh-ranked Central Oklahoma, led by former OBU coach Sam Maples. Then on Friday the 13th, the team plays Washburn and Northeastern State.
Here are quick hits and notes about the Bison and their opponents.
For the Bison:
OBU is 10-0 for the first time ever. The previous best start was 8-0 during the 1993 season.
There are only 13 undefeated teams in D2 so far through two weeks.
The Bison are the GAC leader and rank second nationally with 14 homers. They are also sixth in stolen bases (29) and 13th in slugging percentage (.578).
Individually, there are Bison littered all over the NCAA database. At the top,
Jaycee Shaffer is the nationally leader with seven wins. She's also second in strikeouts (47).
Kaley Cook is fourth with 10 stolen bases as well as seventh with a pair of triples.
Shortstop
Greenlee Wells is the GAC leader and No. 6 in Division II with 32 total bases and 18 RBI. She's also sixth with four homers.
Also of note,
Haley Hacker has the eighth-best on-base percentage (.739) in the country and 17th-best batting average (.647).
Rogers State:
The Hillcats are 7-2 to start. Their pitching has been fantastic, ranking 12th in D2 in ERA (1.49) and ninth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.14). Erica Ross and Kinsley Hill each have ERAs no greater than 0.82. Raylin Morgan leads the team with a .435 batting average while tying for the team lead with Mariah Belzer in doubles (4). Of note, RSU has not yet hit a home run.
Central Oklahoma:
UCO has won five in a row and are 8-2. The Bronchos currently average 2.60 doubles per game, the fifth-best mark in the country. They are also 14th in scoring (8.10) and 27th in batting average (.350). Haley Gallo and Jenna Jobe are tied for seventh nationally with five doubles apiece. Also, Rylee Lemos checks in at No. 19 with 1.75 RBIs per game. In the circle, UCO has a team ERA of 3.50. Carleigh Kinnaird has five wins, a top-15 national mark, as well as 41 strikeouts. That is slotted within the top ten.
Washburn:
The Ichabods are 8-2 with three of those wins by run-rule. Their two losses have come to GAC schools: Southern Nazarene and Southeastern. Washburn is excellent on defense, touting a .980 fielding percentage, the 15th-best mark in D2. They also rank 15th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.87). Dalaney Anderson is second nationally with 17 RBI and tied for sixth with four homers. Makenzie Sais is the national leader with 19 stolen bags.
Northeastern State:
The RiverHawks are 6-2 which includes a win over previously 8
th-ranked North Georgia. Like UCO, Northeastern State has solid offensive marks. They are 29th in batting (.346) and fourth in doubles per game (2.75). Korynn Tindel is No. 9 in the country with seven doubles and ranks 20th in hits (15). Five different players have at least three stolen bags for NSU. The RiverHawks' staff has generated a 4.77 ERA and allowed opponents to hit .346. They have given up 28 extra-base hits including 22 doubles.
