RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech Golden Suns will host Southern Nazarene this Friday and Saturday, in the fourth weekend of the Great American Conference season. Tech takes on the Crimson Storm in a doubleheader set for 2 p.m. on Friday, March 17, before finishing the series with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live statistics and video for all four games are available at www.arkansastechsports.com.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Suns have won 15 of 18 all-time meetings between Arkansas Tech and Southern Nazarene, including five consecutive wins over the Storm. Tech swept SNU in a four-game series last season and later defeated the Storm, 2-0, in the opening game of the GAC Tournament.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN SUNS
Arkansas Tech (15-9, 9-3 GAC) currently sits in fourth place in the GAC standings, two games behind Harding and Southern Arkansas in first place. The Suns are coming off a series split with Henderson State last weekend, in which teams totaled 45 innings played in just four games.
 
Tech ranks seventh in the GAC with a .277 team batting average, but the Suns' 2.42 earned-run average is the third-lowest in the conference this season. The Golden Suns have limited opponents to hit just .220, and Tech leads the conference in strikeouts with 199.
 
Megan Goodnight has jumped to second on Arkansas Tech with a .365 batting average, after hitting .476 in four games against Henderson State last weekend. She also added one home run and six runs batted in, increasing her team-high totals to six homers and 23 RBI. Jalissa Gum follows with a .337 batting average, five home runs and 20 runs batted in.
 
Morgan Vaughan paces Tech's pitching staff with a 1.54 earned-run average, third lowest in the GAC. She also leads the Suns with six wins, and her four saves are tied for first in Division II and are more than any other conference team this season. Gum has posted a 2.14 ERA in 12 appearances this season, while her 132 strikeouts are second most in Division II. Cara Tolar has started five games in the circle for Arkansas Tech, maintaining a 2.63 earned-run average. Tolar also recorded her first complete game of the season last weekend against Henderson State, pitching 9.1 innings with just one earned run in the extra-inning contest.
 
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON STORM
Southern Nazarene (6-16, 3-9 GAC) is coming off a midweek doubleheader against Rogers State on Wednesday, in which the Storm won the first game, 5-4, but dropped the second, 18-11. The Storm went 1-3 against Southern Arkansas in conference place last weekend, handing the Lady Muleriders just their first GAC loss this season.
 
The Crimson Storm ranks 12^th in the GAC with a .214 team batting average this season, while ranking 11^th with a 5.38 earned-run average. Mahina Sauer leads SNU in with a .357 batting average and 15 runs batted in. She also has posted a 2-6 record at pitcher, totaling 39.0 innings with one complete game. Katelyn Brown has pitched a team-high seven complete games and boasts a 3.30 earned-run average in 76.1 innings pitched.