The East Central University softball team will hit the road for a Great American Conference series with Harding, March 8-9 at Harding Softball Field.  There are double-headers scheduled for each day, starting at noon, both days.

Game Notes

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats, live video (if available) on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the softball schedule page.

Scouting Harding
The Bisons are in their first season of softball after cutting the program back in 1985.  Harding is 11-8 overall and 4-4 in the league standings after going 1-3 at Southeastern last weekend.

The Bisons have tallied 171 hits to 159 by their opponents this season, but trail 102 to 116 in runs scored.

Kinsey Beck is the leader at the plate, with a .408 batting average.  Beck has tallied 20 hits, scored 11 times and has 10 RBIs.  Brookelynn Moon has a .396 average, with 13 runs scored, 21 hits and 16 RBIs.

Amber Rollins and Danielle Hubbard are the top pitchers for Harding.  Rollins has a 2.79 ERA, 5-3 record, 60 hits allowed, 37 runs scored and a .258 opponent batting average.  Hubbard adds 74 hits and 50 runs allowed, with a .352 opponent average.

Against the Lady Bisons
This will be the first meeting between Harding and East Central as members of the Great American Conference.

Tigert Player of the Week
Sophomore Leah Tigert had a strong first GAC weekend for the Lady Tigers and was named the GAC Player of the Week for her efforts.

Tigert notched a pair of four-hit games in the Lady Tigers' four-game series against the Lady Reddies. She hit .688 with a 1.125 slugging percentage.

The Hennepin, Okla., native collected a home run, a triple and two doubles. She scored three runs and drove in five runs. During her current six-game hitting streak, she has recorded five multiple-hit games.

Reeves Stepping Up
Sophomore Lauren Reeves came up big for ECU in the opening GAC series against Henderson State.  The Tulsa, Okla., native tallied a .467 average, seven hits, five runs scored and seven RBIs.  The biggest hits she had in the weekend came in day one.  In the opening game, Reeves hit a game-winning double that scored three of the seven runs the Lady Tigers tallied in the top of the seventh to rally and win.  Reeves also added a game-winning grand slam in game two of the day.

Nunley GAC Pitcher of Week
Junior Brianna Nunley was been named the Great American Conference Pitcher of the Week for Feb. 11.

The Moore, Okla., native earned two wins against No. 17 Angelo State at the Rambelles' George McCorkle Classic. On Saturday, she recorded her third career shutout as she held Angelo State to just five hits. On Sunday, she entered the game with the score tied at four and threw two scoreless innings as the Lady Tigers rallied for a win.

Solid Suydam
Sophomore Autumn Suydam had a strong weekend at the George McCorkle Classic, hitting .538.  Suydam led ECU with seven hits, added four runs and two RBIs.  After her performance over the weekend she is now ranked in the top-10 in eight categories in the GAC statistics.

VanPelt Belting Some Out
Sophomore Jordynn VanPelt had a big day for the Lady Tigers in the opening day of the ASU Tournament.  VanPelt hit two game-winning home runs.  In the first game, against Texas A&M International, she hit a three-run shot over the scoreboard in center field.  In the second game of the day she sent home the only two runs of the game, with a shot to left field against Angelo State.

GAC Preseason Poll
The success from a year ago and the retention of the majority of the 2013 squad has not gone unnoticed by the GAC coaches, as ECU was picked to finish second (87 points/2 first-place votes) in the 2014 GAC Preseason Poll.

Southeastern Oklahoma State was picked to finish first, with 97 points and seven first-place votes.  Arkansas-Monticello was picked third (75 points/2 first-place votes), Arkansas Tech fourth (70 points), Southern Arkansas fifth (60 points), Henderson State sixth (59), Ouachita Baptist and Southern Nazarene seventh (36 points), Northwestern Oklahoma State ninth (33), Southwestern Oklahoma State 10th (27) and Harding 11th (25).

Up Next
The Lady Tigers will have a week off of GAC action, as they host Minnesota Duluth, a regional opponent, Sunday, March 16 at 1 p.m. for a double-header.