SERIES INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS 14-8 (4-1 GAC)	OUACHITA BAPTIST TIGERS 8-13 (2-4 GAC)
Friday, March 10 | 4 p.m. | DH Chartwells Women's Sports Complex | Russellville, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO Saturday, March 11 | Noon Chartwells Women's Sports Complex | Russellville, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - Hot off their win on the road against No. 1 Rogers State in their nonconference mid-week doubleheader on Tuesday, the Arkansas Tech softball team returns to Great American Conference play this weekend as they host the Tigers of Ouachita Baptist for a weekend conference series at the Chartwells Women's Sports Complex. Due to the weather outlook for the weekend, the GAC series will now begin with doubleheader action on Friday afternoon with first pitch set for 4 p.m. at Chartwells. The second game of the doubleheader on Friday will throw first pitch shortly following the conclusion of the first game. Then, the weekend series is planned to wrap up with a single game on Saturday with first pitch set to go at noon at Chartwells.  

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Tech Tidbits
The Golden Suns enter their third weekend of GAC play with a 14-8 overall record and a 4-1 record in GAC play. The team is coming off a 2-1 GAC series win on the road at Henderson State as well as a big win on the road at No. 1 Rogers State where they split a mid-week nonconference doubleheader with the best team in the country at the Division II level. The Golden Suns gave the Hillcats their first home loss of the season on Tuesday during the doubleheader. 

Last season against Ouachita Baptist, the Golden Suns swept the season series 3-0 on the road in Arkadelphia.

Offensively, the Golden Suns are hitting .271 at the plate this season as a team (152-for-561) with 94 runs scored, 25 doubles, eight triples and 15 total homeruns. Entering the weekend, the Golden Suns own two players hitting .300 or better on the year with at least 50 at-bats. Leading the Golden Suns at the plate is Jessica Williams who owns the team best .373 batting average (19-for-51). Following right behind Williams is Makenzie Goins who is averaging .338 at the plate this season (23-for-68).

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 six long bombs. After hitting her sixth homerun of the season on Tuesday that powered the Golden Suns to their win against No. 1 Rogers State, Addis now holds the program record for all-time career homeruns with 37 for the Golden Suns.

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 20. Like homeruns, both Goins and Prewitt slot in right behind Addis with 10 total RBI's each on the year.

In the circle, the Golden Suns have a team ERA of 2.72 and have struckout 86 hitters in 144.0 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 12, while Bradi Basler has eight starts on the year. 

Buffington is 9-2 in the circle this year with a team best 1.14 ERA. She has pitched nine 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 42 strikeouts in 73.2 innings of work and currently holds opposing batters to a .208 average at the plate.

Basler is 3-4 in the circle this season with a 4.07 ERA. She has pitched four complete games and has 32 strikeouts in 44.2 innings of work. 

In relief, Kaila Cartwright leads the Golden Suns with nine 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 12 total batters in 24.0 total innings pitched and has a 4.08 ERA on the season thus far.

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Scouting the Tigers
Entering this weekends conference series, Ouachita Baptist holds an 8-13 overall record with a 2-4 record in GAC play. The Tigers opened up their season of conference play collecting a 2-1 series win at home against Southwestern Oklahoma. In their most recent conference series, the Tigers were swept at home 0-3 by Arkansas-Monticello. Prior to facing the Golden Suns this weekend, the Tigers hosted Union (TN.) for a nonconference mid-week doubleheader where they dropped both games to the Bulldogs.

Statistically this season, the Tigers are hitting .276 overall at the plate as a team (148-for-536) with 95 runs scored, 21 doubles, one triple and 14 homeruns. Coming into this weekend, the Tigers have three players averaging .300 or better at the plate on at least 45 at-bats. Leading the hitters is Callie Jourdan with a .396 batting average (19-for-48). Behind Jourdan is Erin Williams with a .343 average at the plate this season (23-for-67). 

In terms of power hitters, Williams leads the team in total homeruns on the season so far with four, while Maggi Huddleston and Lacy Ornelas have hit three bombs each on the year. Jourdan, Lauren Lester, Heather Brown and Madyson Shoebottom make up the rest of the list of homerun hitters for Ouachita Baptist, with one each on the season. In terms of RBI's, Huddleston leads the Tigers with 20, while Ornelas has 11 and Williams has 10.

In the circle, the Tigers have a team ERA of 7.13 and have 82 strikeouts in 135.0 total innings. 

Five total pitchers have made at least one appearance in the circle this season for Ouachita Baptist. Tuesday Melton leads the team in starts with 11, while Huddleston has started eight games in the circle. Melton is 5-5 on the year and has logged a save with a team-best 6.36 ERA and has a team-high 43 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. She has also thrown seven complete games alongside one shutout game so far this season for Ouachita. Huddleston has picked up one save and is 1-5 with a 6.70 ERA and has recorded 21 strikeouts in 43.0 innings.

In relief, Kodee Batchelor and Hannah Hunter lead the Tigers with seven total appearances each. In the circle, Batchelor is 1-0 holding a 6.94 ERA and has struckout nine hitters in 11.2 total innings pitched. Among Hunter's seven total appearances, she has also started two games in the circle as well. She is 0-3 on the year holding an 11.25 ERA and has logged nine strikeouts across 16.0 total innings.