SERIES INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS 22-13 (11-5 GAC)	ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO COTTON BLOSSOMS 16-14 (8-9 GAC)
Saturday, April 1 | 3 p.m. | DH Chartwells Women's Sports Complex | Russellville, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO Sunday, April 2 | Noon Chartwells Women's Sports Complex | Russellville, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - Fresh off a split mid-week nonconference doubleheader on the road against Cameron, the Arkansas Tech softball team now looks ahead to this weekend where they will host Arkansas-Monticello in a three game weekend conference series at the Chartwells Women's Sports Complex. Due to the weather outlook for the weekend, the series will now start on Saturday afternoon with doubleheader action with first pitch set for 3 p.m. tomorrow afternoon at the Chartwells Complex. Then, the series will wrap on Sunday with the final game set for a noon first pitch.  

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Tech Tidbits
The Golden Suns enter this weekends Great American Conference series with a 22-13 overall record and an 11-5 record against GAC opponents. 

Last season, the Golden Suns took the GAC series against UAM on the road 2-1 in Monticello. 

Offensively, the Golden Suns are hitting .269 at the plate this season as a team (243-for-902) with 152 runs scored, 42 doubles, 10 triples and 16 total homeruns. Entering the weekend conference series, the Golden Suns own two players hitting .300 or better on the year with at least 85 at-bats. Leading the Golden Suns at the plate is Makenzie Goins who owns the team best .352 batting average (37-for-105). Following right behind Goins is Jessica Williams who is averaging .314 at the plate this season (27-for-86).

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 29. Prewitt is next with 15 total RBI's, while Williams has 14 and both Goins and Chavers have 13. 

In the circle, the Golden Suns have a team ERA of 2.58 and have struckout 138 hitters in 230.2 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 20, while Bradi Basler has 13 starts on the year. 

Buffington is 14-5 in the circle this year with a team best 1.37 ERA. She has pitched 13 complete games so far this year and has eight total shutouts. Six of the shutouts were by herself, while two have been through a combined effort. The senior has recorded a team-high 71 strikeouts in 112.1 innings of work and currently holds opposing batters to a .239 average at the plate.

Basler is 6-5 in the circle this season with a 3.91 ERA. She has pitched six complete games with one shutout and has 48 strikeouts in 71.2 innings of work. 

In relief, Kaila Cartwright leads the Golden Suns with 15 total appearances, that includes one start, and Lexy Taylor has made five total appearances with one start. 

Cartwright was apart of both combined shutout efforts alongside Buffington and also helped to throw a combined no hitter in one of those games as well. The senior has struckout 15 total batters in 36.2 total innings pitched and has a 3.25 ERA on the season thus far as well as one save on the year.

Taylor has posted a 4.20 ERA so far this season and has struckout four opposing hitters in 10.0 innings of work. 

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Scouting the Cotton Blossoms
Entering this weekends GAC series, the Cotton Blossoms own a 16-14 overall record and currently have an 8-9 record against GAC opponents.

UAM has picked up GAC series wins against Ouachita Baptist, Harding and Southern Nazarene so far this season. 

Statistically this season, the Cotton Blossoms are hitting .307 overall at the plate as a team (249-for-810) with 175 runs scored, 51 doubles, no triples and 19 homeruns. Coming into the weekend, the Cotton Blossoms have six players averaging .300 or better at the plate on at least 50 at-bats. Leading the hitters is Kennedy Cox with a .420 batting average (37-for-88). Behind Cox is Grace Neal with a .356 average at the plate this season (31-for-87). 

In terms of power hitters, Neal leads the team in homeruns with five on the season. Behind Neal is Cox, Maddie Pfleging and Sophie Wood who have hit three homers each. In terms of RBI's, Neal leads the Cotton Blossoms with 40, while Cox follows behind with 33 RBI's. 

In the circle, the Cotton Blossoms have a team ERA of 6.59 and have 128 strikeouts in 192.2 total innings. 

Four total pitchers have made at least one appearance in the circle this season for UAM. Maguire Estill leads the team in starts with 11, while Sam Stephens has started nine games in the circle. Estill is 5-6 on the year with a 7.46 ERA and has 22 strikeouts in 50.2 innings pitched. She has also thrown one complete games, one shutout and has two saves on the year for the Cotton Blossoms. Stephens is 4-4 with a 6.15 ERA and has recorded a team-high 51 strikeouts in 60.0 innings. In terms of complete games, Stephens has thrown one alongside one shutout.

In relief, Kyann Woods leads the Cotton Blossoms with 19 total appearances and five starts. Woods is 3-1 on the year with a team-best 5.16 ERA and has struckout 41 hitters in 45.1 total innings. Opposing bats are hitting .249 when Woods is in the circle.