SERIES INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS 28-17 (17-9 GAC)	SOUTHEASTERN SAVAGE STORM 26-21 (20-7 GAC)
Friday, April 21 | 3 p.m. Southeastern Softball Field | Durant, Okla. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO Saturday, April 22 | 1 p.m. | DH Southeastern Softball Field | Durant, Okla. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech softball team returns to action this weekend as the regular season enters its finally stretch. The Golden Suns will head over to Durant, Okla. to take on Southeastern in a weekend GAC series. This weekends action will begin on Friday with first pitch set for 3 p.m., while the series will wrap on Saturday with doubleheader action which is set to begin at 1 p.m. that afternoon in Durant. 

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Tech Tidbits
The Golden Suns enter this weekends Great American Conference series with a 28-17 overall record and a 17-9 record against GAC opponents. 

Offensively, the Golden Suns are hitting .266 at the plate this season as a team (306-for-1151) with 190 runs scored, 49 doubles, 12 triples and 21 total homeruns. Entering the weekend conference series, the Golden Suns own two players hitting .300 or better on the year with at least 100 at-bats. Leading the Golden Suns at the plate is Makenzie Goins who owns a .313 batting average (41-for-131). At the same mark as Goins is Jessica Williams who is also averaging .313 at the plate this season (36-for-115).

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 nine long bombs. Behind Addis in total homeruns on the season is Goins with five, while Brooke Prewitt and Williams have three homers each. Rounding out the list of homerun hitters for Tech is Shelby Chavers who has hit one. Leading the team in RBI's is Addis with 39. Goins and Prewitt are next with 18, while Williams has 17 RBI's on the year. 

In the circle, the Golden Suns have a team ERA of 2.54 and have struckout 177 hitters in 297.2 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 26, while Bradi Basler has 17 starts on the year. 

Buffington is 15-7 in the circle this year with a team best 1.65 ERA. She has pitched 14 complete games so far this year and has ten total shutouts. Seven of the shutouts were by herself, while three have been through a combined effort. The senior has recorded a team-high 81 strikeouts in 139.2 innings of work and currently holds opposing batters to a .243 average at the plate.

Basler is 9-7 in the circle this season with a 3.67 ERA. She has pitched eight complete games with three shutouts and has 63 strikeouts in 95.1 innings of work. 

In relief, Kaila Cartwright leads the Golden Suns with 22 total appearances, that includes one start, and Lexy Taylor has made five total appearances with one start. 

Cartwright was apart of all three combined shutout efforts alongside Buffington. The senior has struckout 29 total batters in 52.2 total innings pitched and has a 2.53 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 Savage Storm
Entering this weekends GAC series, the Savage Storm own an 26-21 overall record and currently have a 20-7 record against GAC opponents.

SE has picked up GAC series wins against Arkansas-Monticello, Southwestern Oklahoma, Oklahoma Baptist, Henderson State, Ouachita Baptist, Northwestern Oklahoma, Southern Nazarene, East Central and Harding. The Savage Storm have won every GAC series they have played so far this season. 

Statistically this season, the Savage Storm are hitting .260 overall at the plate as a team (316-for-1215) with 167 runs scored, 66 doubles, nine triples and 10 homeruns. Coming into the weekend, the Savage Storm have three players averaging .300 or better at the plate on at least 95 at-bats. Leading the hitters is Sabetha Sands with a .360 batting average (40-for-111). Behind Sands is Gracie Ore with a .323 average at the plate this season (32-for-99). 

In terms of power hitters, Cheyenne Mahy leads the team in homeruns with six on the season. Behind Mahy is Sands, Kady Fryrear, Marilyn Alvarado and India McMurray each with one homer on the year to round out the list.  In terms of RBI's, Mahy also leads the Savage Storm with 22, while Illiana Olivares has 19 RBI's. 

In the circle, the Savage Storm have a team ERA of 4.18 and have 246 strikeouts in 310.1 total innings. 

Four total pitchers have made at least one appearance in the circle this season for Southeastern. Amberlyn Walsworth leads the team in starts with 18, while Taylor Reese has started 17 games in the circle. Walsworth is 12-10 on the year with a 4.08 ERA and has a team-high 136 strikeouts in 136.2 innings pitched. Reese is 9-7 with a 3.58 ERA and has recorded 74 strikeouts in 110.2 innings.