SERIES INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS 16-11 (6-4 GAC)	NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE RANGERS 6-20 (3-8 GAC)
Friday, March 17 | 2 p.m. | DH Alva Recreation Complex | Alva, Okla. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO Saturday, March 18 | 11 a.m. Alva Recreation Complex | Alva, Okla. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech softball team looks to bounce back this weekend as they travel to Alva, Okla. to face Northwestern Oklahoma State in a three game weekend GAC series. This weekend's conference series will begin on Friday with doubleheader action against the Rangers with first pitch set for 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. The second game of the doubleheader on Friday will throw first pitch shortly after conclusion of the first game, which should be around 4 p.m. tomorrow. Finally, the weekend will wrap with a single game on Saturday set for an 11 a.m. first pitch in Alva. 

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Tech Tidbits
The Golden Suns enter this weekends conference series against Northwestern Oklahoma State with a 16-11 overall record and a 6-4 record against Great American Conference opponents. The team is coming off a tough mid-week conference doubleheader loss on the road at No. 13 Harding on Tuesday. 

Last season against Northwestern Oklahoma State, the Golden Suns hosted and swept the season series 3-0 taking all three games against the Rangers. Two of the three games played last season, the Golden Suns shutout the Rangers winning 4-0 and 5-0. 

Offensively, the Golden Suns are hitting .273 at the plate this season as a team (188-for-689) with 115 runs scored, 30 doubles, nine triples and 16 total homeruns. Entering the doubleheader, the Golden Suns own three players hitting .300 or better on the year with at least 60 at-bats. Leading the Golden Suns at the plate is Makenzie Goins who owns the team best .341 batting average (28-for-82). Following right behind Goins is Jessica Williams who is averaging .333 at the plate this season (21-for-63). Kaylyn Aguirre rounds out the leading batting averages on the team with a .303 average at the plate (20-for-66). 

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 seven long bombs. Behind Addis in total homeruns on the season is both Goins and Brooke Prewitt with three homers each. Rounding out the list of homerun hitters for Tech is Williams with two bombs on the year, while Shelby Chavers has hit one. Leading the team in RBI's is Addis with 23. Prewitt is next with 13 total RBI's, while Goins has 11. 

In the circle, the Golden Suns have a team ERA of 2.76 and have struckout 109 hitters in 175.0 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 15, while Bradi Basler has ten starts on the year. 

Buffington is 10-4 in the circle this year with a team best 1.58 ERA. She has pitched ten complete games so far this year and has six total shutouts. Five of the shutouts were by herself, while one was through a combined effort. The senior has recorded a team-high 52 strikeouts in 84.1 innings of work and currently holds opposing batters to a .235 average at the plate.

Basler is 4-5 in the circle this season with a 4.04 ERA. She has pitched four complete games and has 42 strikeouts in 53.2 innings of work. 

In relief, Kaila Cartwright leads the Golden Suns with 12 total appearances, that includes one start, and Lexy Taylor has made four total appearances with 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 12 total batters in 29.1 total innings pitched and has a 3.58 ERA on the season thus far.

Taylor has posted a 3.65 ERA so far this season and has struckout three opposing hitters in 7.2 innings of work. 

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Scouting the Rangers
Entering this weekends conference series, Northwestern Oklahoma State holds a 6-20 overall record with a 3-8 record in GAC play. In their last outing, they swept Southwestern Oklahoma State on the road in Weatherford in a mid-week GAC doubleheader. With that doubleheader sweep against the Bulldogs, the Rangers officially earned their first GAC series win of the season. 

Statistically this season, the Rangers are hitting .236 overall at the plate as a team (161-for-682) with 81 runs scored, 24 doubles, three triples and 15 homeruns. Coming into the weekend, the Rangers have two players averaging .300 or better at the plate on at least 70 at-bats. Leading the hitters is Abby DeTar with a .338 batting average (24-for-71). Behind DeTar is Hannah Howell with a .333 average at the plate this season (27-for-81). 

In terms of power hitters, both DeTar and Howell lead the team in total homeruns on the season so far with four each. Behind the leading pair of bomb hitters for Northwestern Oklahoma State is Madeline Pack with two homers. Closing out the list of homerun hitters for the Rangers is Macy Spearman, Mackenzie Adams, Laney Anderson, Lindsey McElory and Avery Clark all who have hit one homerun on the year.  In terms of RBI's, Howell leads the Rangers with 17, while DeTar follows closely behind with 14 RBI's. 

In the circle, the Rangers have a team ERA of 5.01 and have 82 strikeouts in 165.0 total innings. 

Six total pitchers have made at least one appearance in the circle this season for Northwestern Oklahoma State. Ireland Caro leads the team in starts with 15, while Howell has started four games in the circle. Caro is 5-8 on the year with a 4.79 ERA and has a team-high 35 strikeouts in 76.0 innings pitched. She has also thrown five complete games and one shutout for the Rangers. Howell is 1-5 with a 5.44 ERA and has recorded 34 strikeouts in 54.0 innings. In terms of complete games, Howell has thrown two. 

In relief, Allie Hufford leads the Rangers with nine total appearances and has logged one save in those appearances. Hufford is 0-1 on the year with a 2.90 ERA and has struckout six hitters in 19.1 total innings. Opposing bats are hitting .256 against Hufford when she is in the circle.