RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech Golden Suns softball team will conclude the 2018 regular season this Friday and Saturday with a four-game series at Southwestern Oklahoma. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m., and Saturday's doubleheader begins at noon. 

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live audio, video, and statistics for all four games are available at www.arkansastechsports.com. Saturday's games will be carried live on KARV (610-AM, 101.3 FM) in Russellville. 

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Golden Suns hold a 19-4 all-time advantage in the series dating back ot the 2004 season. Arkansas Tech has won 11 straight games against the Bulldogs.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN SUNS
Arkansas Tech (36-16, 27-13 Great American Conference) moved up one spot in the Central Region rankings to No. 5 after going 4-4 last week. After a sweep of UAM on Monday, the Golden Suns split with Harding and held on in the series finale with then-No. 4 Southern Arkansas to even the slate for the week. Ashton Sangster continues to pace the Golden Suns offense with her .362 batting average and is a perfect 25-for-25 in stolen bases this year. Megan Goodnight continues to provide a two-way threat, hitting .341 on the year with eight homers and 35 RBIs, while also going 13-4 in the circle with a 1.56 ERA. She leads Division II with nine saves. Senior Janie Knowles (eight homers) and freshman Makenzie Addis (nine homers) have also provided punch in the Tech batting order. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Southwestern Oklahoma (12-35, 12-25) got off to a slow start to open the season, dropping its first 19 games of the season before finally moving into the win column with a 5-4 win in the series finale against Southeastern Oklahoma. SWOSU then dropped its next six, a conference series against Southern Arkansas and a mid-week doubleheader with Cameron, but the tide turned for SWOSU during its series with UAM. SWOSU's four-game sweep of the Cotton Blossoms started the Bulldogs on a stretch where they have gone 11-10 since. Alyson Gafford (.370) is the offensive leader for Southwestern, while Sidney Kirk (.366, 9 HR, 32 RBIs) has been the Bulldogs' offensive leader. Rileigh Ricken (5-15, 6.05 ERA) and Miranda Grover (5-7, 6.49 ERA) have seen the majority of the innings in the circle for SWOSU. 

RECORDS CHASE
Junior Sydnie Henson enters the series ranked third all-time at Arkansas Tech with her .345 batting average, trailing only Whitney Robinson (.406, 2013-15) and Sarah Pratt (.363, 2007-09). Knowles is 13 games away from tying the all-time career games played record, held by Jalissa Gum (2014-17), and is ten hits away from tying Shanda Jimeson (2008-11) for sixth all-time at Arkansas Tech. Knowles currently holds Tech's all-time sacrifice flies record with six. 

Goodnight's nine saves put her within one of tying Morgan Vaughan (2015-17) for the all-time Tech lead, while Sangster is one stolen base away from tying Molly Schweigert (2005-05) for second all-time at Tech with 41 steals. She will continue to chase the stolen bases record held by Terrise Williams (2003-06), who swiped 61 bases over the course of her career. Sangster currently holds the single-season record, and is 11 runs away from tying the Golden Suns' single-season mark of 55, set by Robinson during the 2015 season. 

Another of Robinson's records is in jeopardy - the single-season doubles mark of 18, set during the 2014 season. Goodnight (16), Paty Loredo (15), Paige Mendoza (13) and Sangster (13) are all within reach of the record.