SERIES INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS 9-6 (0-0 GAC)	SOUTHERN NAZARENE CRIMSON STORM 8-5 (0-0 GAC)
Friday, February 24 | 2 p.m. | DH Chartwells Women's Sports Complex | Russellville, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO Saturday, February 25 | Noon Chartwells Women's Sports Complex | Russellville, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech softball team has wrapped up their three weekends of nonconference play and now set their focus on the 2023 Great American Conference schedule. To begin their slate of weekend conference series, the Golden Suns will host Southern Nazarene. The series will open on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. with doubleheader action at Chartwells Women's Sports Complex. Then, the series will conclude on Saturday at noon with game three at Chartwells. 

Scouting the Crimson Storm
Entering this weekends conference series, Southern Nazarene holds an 8-5 overall record. They earned this record in their stretch of non-conference games where they picked up wins against teams like No. 22 Washburn and the No. 1 overall team in the country in Rogers State on a walk-off.

Statistically this season, the Crimson Storm are hitting .298 overall at the plate as a team (106-for-356) with 63 runs scored, 22 doubles, one triple and eight homeruns. Coming into this weekend, the Crimson Storm have six players averaging .300 or better at the plate on at least 20 at-bats. Leading the hitters is Hailey Evans with a .400 batting average (16-for-40). Behind Evans is Natalie Jones with a .349 average at the plate this season (15-for-43). 

In terms of power hitters, Evans leads the team in total homeruns on the season so far with three, while Jones has hit two bombs on the year. Brooklyn Sullivan, Macy Stewart and Emma Swearingen make up the rest of the list of homerun hitters for Southern Nazarene, each with one on the season. Evans also leads the team in RBI's with 14, while Jones follows right behind with eight. 

In the circle, the Crimson Storm have a team ERA of 3.34 and have 86 strikeouts in 88.0 total innings. 

Four total pitchers have made at least one appearance in the circle this season for Southern Nazarene. Maddie Southerland leads the team in starts with five, while Olivia Hernandez has started four games in the circle. Southerland is 1-1 on the year with a 4.20 ERA and has 12 strikeouts in 21.2 innings pitched. Hernandez is 4-1 with a team-best 1.30 ERA and has recorded a team-high 51 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. 

In relief, Katelyn Woodard leads the Crimson Storm with seven total appearances and a 2-0 record. Woodard has also logged a save on the season as well. In the circle, Woodard hold a 2.40 ERA and has struckout 23 hitters in 23.1 total innings pitched. 



Tech Tidbits
The Golden Suns enter their first weekend of GAC play with a 9-6 overall record hot off  their opening weekends of nonconference play and picked up great wins against No. 18 Angelo State, Oklahoma Christian (rv), Drury (rv) and No. 22 Washburn in that stretch of weekends. 

The last time the Golden Suns and Crimson Storm met was in the semifinal round of the 2022 Great American Conference Tournament where the Golden Suns picked up the hard fought 2-0 eight-inning win to send them to the final round of the GAC Tournament. The Golden Suns also won the season series last year 2-1 that included a hot offensive outing where they put up 24 runs in a five-inning run rule against the Crimson Storm on their own home field in Bethany. 

Offensively, the Golden Suns are hitting .270 at the plate this season as a team (105-for-389) with 64 runs scored, 19 doubles, six triples and 13 total homeruns. Entering the weekend, the Golden Suns own three players hitting .300 or better on the year with at least 30 at-bats. Leading the Golden Suns at the plate is Brooke Prewitt who owns the team best .364 batting average (16-for-44). Following right behind Prewitt is Makenzie Goins with a .362 batting average (17-for-47), while Jessica Williams is hitting .324 at the plate this season (11-for-34).

In terms of power numbers, the Golden Suns boast five total players who have notched at least one total homerun on the 2023 season so far. Leading the charge in homeruns this season for the Golden Suns is Makenzie Addis with five long bombs, while both Prewitt and Goins follow her with three homers each. Rounding out the list of homerun hitters for the Golden Suns is Williams and Shelby Chavers who have each hit one on the year. Leading the team in RBI's is Addis with 16. Prewitt comes in behind Addis with eight RBI's this season.

In the circle, the Golden Suns have a team ERA of 2.90 and have struckout 63 hitters in 99.0 total innings pitched.

Four total pitchers have made at least once appearance in the circle so far this season for Arkansas Tech. Bailey Buffington leads the team in starts with 8, while Bradi Basler has five starts on the year. 

Buffington is 6-2 in the circle this year with a team best 1.11 ERA. She has pitched six complete games so far this year and has four total shutouts. Three of the shutouts were by herself, while one was through a combined effort. The senior has recorded a team-high 28 strikeouts in 50.2 innings of work and currently holds opposing batters to a .203 average at the plate.

Basler is 3-2 in the circle this season with a 3.82 ERA. She has pitched three complete games and has 24 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work. 

In relief, Kaila Cartwright leads the Golden Suns with six total appearances, that includes one start. Cartwright was apart of the combined shutout effort alongside Buffington and also helped to throw a combined no hitter in that very same game. The senior has struckout 11 total batters in 17.1 total innings pitched and has a 5.25 ERA on the season thus far.