RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Tech softball will return to Bentonville, Ark. this weekend to compete in Arkansas-Monticello's Eight-State Classic. The Golden Suns begin play on Friday, taking on Emporia State at 11 a.m. All four of Tech's games on Friday and Saturday will be at Memorial Park.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Arkansas Tech (5-3) follows its 11 a.m. contest on Friday with a 1 p.m. game against Minnesota Duluth. On Saturday, the Golden Suns take on Minnesota State at 9 a.m. before finishing the tournament against Missouri Western at 1 p.m. Live stats for all four games are available at www.arkansastechsports.com.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN SUNS
The Golden Suns are coming off a 2-2 record in last weekend's tournament in Bentonville, highlighted by a 6-0 shutout over Northwest Missouri and a 5-4 victory over Pittsburg State. Tech dropped both games on Saturday, however, falling to 22^nd-ranked Missouri-St. Louis, 2-0, and Missouri Western, 4-1.  Arkansas Tech is currently receiving votes for the NFCA Coaches Top 25 Poll.
 
Sydnie Henson currently leads the Golden Suns offensively, batting .526 on the season. Henson has recorded at least two hits in four of eight games this season, including a 3-3 effort against Missouri Western. Jalissa Gum follows with a .462 average and a team-high nine runs batted in.
 
Morgan Vaughan has led the Suns in the circle this season, appearing in all eight games while posting a 0.74 earned-run average. Vaughan also leads Tech with three wins and two saves on the season. Gum leads the Great American Conference with 45 strikeouts in just 23.0 innings pitched.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Emporia State (5-7) has won four of its last five games after starting the season 1-6. The Golden Suns defeated Emporia State, 3-1, earlier this season in Durant, Okla. Eryn Stockman pitched a complete game for the Hornets, allowing seven hits in seven innings. Emporia State took the first lead of the contest on an RBI-single by Caitlin VanVleck, but Arkansas Tech took the lead on a two-run home run by Gum.
 
Minnesota Duluth (0-0) will open its regular season this weekend in the Eight-State Classic. The Bulldogs take on Nebraska-Kearney Friday morning, before facing the Golden Suns at 1 p.m. Last season, Minnesota Duluth posted a 36-16 record which included a trip to the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament.
 
Minnesota State (4-0) enters the weekend after winning all four games in the Kelly Laas Memorial Invite in St. Cloud, Minn. last weekend. The Mavericks won three of four games in five innings, defeating their opponents by a combined score of 35-3. Jess Meidl leads Minnesota State with nine hits, three doubles and seven runs batted in on the season, while Amber Kral leads the team with two home runs.
 
Missouri Western (6-2) went 2-2 in Bentonville last weekend, finishing the tournament with a 4-1 win over Arkansas Tech. The Griffons recorded just five hits in the game, but a three-run third inning allowed Missouri Western to take the victory. Barbara Billingsley earned the complete-game win for the Griffons, allowing just one run in seven innings. Billingsley is 3-1 on the season with a 2.96 earned-run average, while Katie Klosterman leads the offense with a .500 batting average and nine runs batted in.