COVERAGE LINKS
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – In the final road regular season series of the year, Henderson State heads to the Sooner State one last time to face GAC-leading (RV) Oklahoma Baptist on Apr. 19-20 from the Bison Softball Park. HSU opens the series on Friday with a doubleheader, beginning at 4 p.m.
REDDIES REPORT
Henderson (20-25, 11-16 GAC) won its fourth conference series this past weekend, taking two of three games from the visiting Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene. SNU opened the series with a 5-4 victory, but the Reddies outscored the Crimson Storm 14-1 in the final two games to win the series.
Dominant pitching in the final two games by
Brooke Johnson and
Presley Applegate locked up one of the league's best offenses. Johnson pitched her first complete game shutout in a 5-0 win in game two, striking out five batters, while Applegate went the distance in the rubber match, allowing only one run. The pair have combined for 66 strikeouts this season and have given up just 38 runs over 102.1 innings.
Macy Hoskins provided the fireworks in the rubber match against Southern Nazarene, recording HSU's first grand slam of the season and finishing the game with six RBIs. As a freshman, Hoskins leads the team with four home runs on the year and ranks second with 17 runs driven in.
Hilary Akers went 6-12 at the plate over the week with four RBIs and is now batting .330 and tied for the third most hits (31).
With two GAC series remaining, Henderson sits alone in eighth after winning the series at home against SNU. HSU holds a two-game advantage over ninth-place East Central (9-18) and has the tiebreaker with a 2-1 series win earlier this year. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season advance to the GAC Tournament as the Reddies look to make their first appearance since 2017.
HSU will look to snap an eight-game losing streak to Oklahoma Baptist in this weekend's series. Heading into the 30
th meeting on Friday, the Bison have a one-game edge in conference play, with a 15-14 record since joining the GAC in 2016. When visiting the Bison Softball Park, Henderson is 7-8 while holding a 6-10 road record this season.
SCOUTING (RV) OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
(RV) Oklahoma Baptist is one of four teams to clinch a spot at the GAC Tournament this season and leads the league with a 24-3 conference record and a 34-11 overall record. The Bison are now on a five-game win streak, having defeated Northeastern State in a midweek doubleheader after sweeping Ouachita Baptist at the weekend.
OBU features one of the best arms in the circle across all Division II in ace Kayleigh Jones. The reigning D2CAA and GAC Pitcher of the Year leads the league with 212 strikeouts and ranks tenth in DII with 9.7 punchouts per seven innings. Jones owns a 1.86 ERA, which is third best in the GAC and helps lead a Bison team that ranks 17th in the nation with a combined team ERA of 2.00.
Providing a one-two punch in the circle with Jones this season is freshman Maggie Place, who holds a 14-6 record with 71 strikeouts in 103.0 innings. At the plate, one of the Bison's most dangerous hitters this season is Ally Ryan with a conference-high 16 home runs and a team-best 42 RBIs. Ryan is one of four players with 40 hits, led by Morgan Max with 48 knocks on a .393 batting average.
HOW TO WATCH
For fans planning to watch online, be advised that Oklahoma Baptist Athletics charges a $10 fee plus tax to watch its live streams on HudlTV.
In order to purchase a $10 day pass, users are required to create a free Hudl account, choose "Purchase Access," select "Access Pass: Oklahoma Baptist Bison Day Pass," and input their debit or credit card information.
