RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — After a few days off following a stretch that saw it pick up 11 victories in eight days, the Arkansas Tech softball team will be back at it this week with six contests in three days, traveling to Washburn for a Central Region doubleheader Wednesday before heading to Northwestern Oklahoma for a four-game Great American Conference series Thursday and Friday.

The Golden Suns (25-7, 14-4 GAC) have moved into first place in the conference on the strength of two straight four-game sweeps in league play, as the team is 10-1 in their past 11 GAC games and have won 12 of their last 13 overall. Over that stretch, Tech is scoring 6.5 runs per game with its potent offense, while allowing opponents to cross the plate just twice per game, including four shutouts.

Tech pitchers have combined for a 1.77 ERA over the past 13 games, helping to lower their season mark to 3.19, the second-best in the GAC. The staff is also second in opponent batting average (.249), strikeouts (148), runs allowed (115) and extra-base hits allowed (54). On an individual basis, Kelsey Barker leads the conference with a 2.14 ERA, while Morgan Vaughan is third with a 2.55 mark and Victoria Huie eighth at 3.29. Huie is 8-3 and Vaughan 7-1, putting them fourth and eighth respectively in wins the league, while Barker is 3-1 with four saves, the top number in the country. Sydnee Clark is 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA and her .199 batting average against is second in the GAC, with Vaughan and Barker right behind her sporting .218 and .241 marks.

The Golden Suns offense continues to produce as well. They are third in the league in average, hitting .330 as a team, but still do some big damage when they connect. Their 50 home runs on the season is 14 better than second place in the GAC, with their 1.56 longballs a game good enough for third in the nation, and their .554 slugging percentage seventh in the country and well ahead of anyone else in the league. Nine Suns are hitting .300 or better, with 11 hitting at least .296. Whitney Robinson is hitting .398 to lead Tech's full-time starters, with her 43 hits fourth in the league and 30 runs scored coming in fifth. Shanna Davidson, Kambri Hill and Ashley Savage are all batting at least .337 with 25 RBIs, and all three are tied for fourth in the conference with eight home runs.

Washburn (18-13), which hosts Tech in a 2 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday, has dropped three straight after winning seven of their previous nine games. The Ichobods are one of the few teams that can match the Suns' power, with 1.42 home runs per game putting them sixth in the country. Lauren Thimmesch has 10 homers on the year and is tied for the team lead with 25 RBIs. Cassidy Merriman leads the way with a .381 average, eight home runs, 10 doubles and 24 RBIs, while Jordan Erickson adds a .364 average and seven homers. Thimmesch makes a mark in the circle as well, starting 14 of the Ichobods' 31 games with a 12-4 record and 1.94 ERA. She's tossed 12 complete games and six shutouts, striking out 67 batters over 97 2/3 innings.

After finishing with Washburn, Tech heads to Alva, Oklahoma for a 4 p.m. doubleheader Thursday and a 2 p.m. twinbill Friday against Northwestern Oklahoma (14-19, 9-13 GAC), which has lost three straight after winning a pair. Jordan Haya leads the Rangers with a .374 average, nine home runs, six doubles and 26 runs scored, while coming in second with 21 RBIs. Her nine homers puts her third in the GAC, while her .717 slugging percentage ranks sixth. Allora Miller adds a .308 average, eight home runs and a team-high 25 RBIs, and is the squad's top pitcher, with an 8-6 record and 3.26 ERA, nine complete games and 89 strikeouts over 103 innings. She leads the GAC in innings and is second in strikeouts.

Live statistics for all six games will be available at www.arkansastechsports.com.