SERIES INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS 11-6 (2-0 GAC)	HENDERSON STATE REDDIES 8-9 (2-1 GAC)
Friday, March 3 | 5 p.m. Dee White Field | Arkadelphia, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO Saturday, March 4 | Noon | DH Dee White Field | Arkadelphia, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech softball team enters their second weekend of GAC play with a perfect 2-0 record after taking their first home series of the year 2-0 against Southern Nazarene. Now, the Golden Suns look ahead to this weekends GAC series on the road at Henderson State. The series will begin on Friday in Arkadelphia with game one set for a 5 p.m. first pitch. The weekend series will wrap up with a doubleheader on Saturday with first pitch set for noon. 

Tech Tidbits
The Golden Suns enter their second weekend of GAC play with an 11-6 overall record and a perfect 2-0 record in GAC play. The team is coming off a series win against Southern Nazarene in their GAC opener.  

Last season against Henderson State, the Golden Suns swept the season series 3-0 at home that included two run-rule wins over the Reddies. 

Offensively, the Golden Suns are hitting .240 at the plate this season as a team (119-for-430) with 78 runs scored, 21 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 Makenzie Goins who owns the team best .360 batting average (18-for-50). Following right behind Goins is Brooke Prewitt with a .354 batting average (17-for-48), while Jessica Williams is hitting .316 at the plate this season (12-for-38).

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 17. Prewitt comes in behind Addis with nine RBI's this season.

In the circle, the Golden Suns have a team ERA of 2.71 and have struckout 65 hitters in 111.0 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 9, while Brady Basler has six starts on the year. 

Buffington is 7-2 in the circle this year with a team best 1.01 ERA. She has pitched seven complete games so far this year and has five total shutouts. Four of the shutouts were by herself, while one was through a combined effort. The senior has recorded a team-high 29 strikeouts in 55.2 innings of work and currently holds opposing batters to a .200 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 25 strikeouts in 33.0 innings of work. 

In relief, Kaila Cartwright leads the Golden Suns with seven 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 20.2 total innings pitched and has a 4.40 ERA on the season thus far.

Scouting the Reddies
Entering this weekends conference series, Henderson State holds an 8-9 overall record with a 2-1 record in GAC play. The Reddies picked up the 2-1 series win at home against Northwestern Oklahoma State to take their first conference series of the season. 

Statistically this season, the Reddies are hitting .256 overall at the plate as a team (112-for-437) with 69 runs scored, 24 doubles, one triple and 11 homeruns. Coming into this weekend, the Reddies have four players averaging .300 or better at the plate on at least 30 at-bats. Leading the hitters is Josie Copeland with a .367 batting average (11-for-30). Behind Copeland is Katelyn McMahan with a .353 average at the plate this season (12-for-34). 

In terms of power hitters, Abbie Moore leads the team in total homeruns on the season so far with four, while Copeland, McMahan and Brooke Johnson have hit two bombs each on the year. Miyah Jackson makes up the rest of the list of homerun hitters for Henderson State, with one on the season. Moore also leads the team in RBI's with 14, while McMahan follows right behind with 11. 

In the circle, the Reddies have a team ERA of 4.20 and have 97 strikeouts in 109.1 total innings. 

Eight total pitchers have made at least one appearance in the circle this season for Henderson State. McMahan and Meagen Allen lead the team in starts with four, while Johnson has started three games in the circle. McMahan is 1-1 on the year with a team-best 2.28 ERA and has 11 strikeouts in 23.2 innings pitched. Allen is 2-4 with a 3.81 ERA and has recorded a team-high 27 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. Johnson is 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA and has 15 total strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched.

In relief, Presley Applegate leads the Reddies with three total appearances on two starts and holds a 1-1 record. In the circle, Applegate holds a 3.86 ERA and has struckout 13 hitters in 14.0 total innings pitched.