RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Tech softball will host Arkansas-Monticello this weekend in a four-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, April 14, a 3 p.m. The Golden Suns will then take on the Cotton Blossoms in a doubleheader set for noon on Saturday. Saturday will also be Tech's third annual "Pack the Berm" event, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
 
PACK THE BERM
Saturday's Pack the Berm festivities will include free t-shirts to the first 100 fans, free food, a dunk tank and inflatables. Fans are also encouraged to bring cereal to donate to River Valley Food 4 Kids. Admission to both Pack the Berm and the softball games are free and open to the public.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live video and statistics for the four-game series are available at www.arkansastechsports.com. The games will also be carried live on 101.3-FM (KARV) in Russellville.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Arkansas-Monticello holds a 26-22 edge on the all-time series, but the Golden Suns have won the previous five meetings. Tech swept the Blossoms in a four-game series last season.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN SUNS
Arkansas Tech (27-15, 21-9 GAC) enters the weekend after taking three of four games from Southeastern Oklahoma in Durant last weekend. Tech dropped the first game, 4-3, but outscored the Savage Storm, 23-2, over the final three games to win the series. The Suns currently sit in fourth in the Great American Conference standings, two games behind third-place UAM.
 
Tech ranks fourth in the GAC with a .280 batting average, while the Golden Suns have held opponents to hit just .203, second lowest opponent average in the conference. Over the last 10 games, Janie Knowles has led Arkansas Tech with a .361 batting average. Megan Goodnight has hit .353 during that span, including two home runs and six runs batted in. Jalissa Gum leads the Suns with seven RBI in the last 10 games.
 
Arkansas Tech is currently the only team in the GAC with three players ranked in the top seven in earned-run average. Morgan Vaughan leads the Suns with a 1.44 ERA, and she also ranks second in Division II with five saves. Gum has posted a 1.73 earned-run average in 141.1 innings, and she leads the GAC in strikeouts and opponent batting average. Gum's 241 strikeouts this season ranks second in Division II, and she is 26 away from breaking Tech's single-season record, which she set in 2016. Cara Tolar has pitched 60 innings this season and kept a 1.75 earned-run average. Tolar has not allowed an earned-run in 26.1 innings.
 
SCOUTING THE COTTON BLOSSOMS
Arkansas-Monticello (28-12, 21-7 GAC) sits just one game ahead of Arkansas Tech in the GAC standings after winning three of four games against Ouachita last weekend. The Blossoms won 10 straight games to jump into third place, but UAM is just 3-2 in its last five contests.
 
McKenzie Rice leads UAM with a .362 batting average and 37 runs scored in 40 games this season. Kendra Coleman has hit a team-high 11 home runs, and Maranda Clendenin is tied with Tech's Goodnight for seventh in the GAC with 33 runs batted in. Coleman also leads UAM's pitching staff in earned-run average, wins, complete games, innings and strikeouts. Coleman's 1.12 ERA is the lowest in the conference and ranks 14^th in Division II. Kaylee Freeman has a 2.29 ERA in 79.1 innings.