The East Central University softball team will play its final regular-season Great American Conference road series this weekend when they travel to Weatherford, Okla., to face Southwestern Oklahoma State.  The teams have double-headers scheduled for both days, with Friday, April 11 starting at 2 p.m. and Saturday, April 12 at noon.

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 Southwestern
The Bulldogs are 11-29 overall and 7-21 in the GAC after splitting their rivalry series with Northwestern earlier this week and losing all four against Harding last weekend.

SWOSU has a .286 team hitting average and is allowing a .298 mark from the opposition.  They are also trailing their opponents 143 to 218 in the runs column and 311 to 327 in hits.

Adrienne Martinez is the top producer for the Bulldogs with a .414 average, 20 runs, 53 hits and 31 RBIs.

SWOSU has used a total of three pitchers this season but one has thrown 128.1 innings, with the next highest total being 77.  Julianne Martinez has a 6-14 record, with 143 hits and 96 runs allowed and 83 strikeouts to her credit.

Against the Bulldogs
Last season the Lady Tigers went 3-1 against SWOSU in Weatherford.

Sophomore Leah Tigert led the team with a .636 average.  Tigert tallied seven hits, one run and six RBIs.  Sophomore Lacey Paulk earned a win in the circle, with four hits and two runs allowed and five Ks.

Kendal Smith is the top returner for the Bulldogs, with two hits and two RBIs.  Julianne Martinez went 1-2 in the circle, allowing 14 hits, 10 runs and striking out five.

Scouting Rogers State
The Hillcats are 11-25 overall and 4-11 in the Heartland splitting a double-header with Pittsburg State Tuesday.  RSU will face Newman in a three-game conference series this weekend before making the trip to Ada.

The Hillcats are hitting .270 as a team, but allowing a .312 batting average by their opponents.  RSU is being out-hit 297 to 255 and out-scored 199 to 125.

Candace Monigold is the top producer at the plate for the Hillcats, with a .336 average.  She has tallied 36 hits, 26 runs and 21 RBIs.

RSU has used three pitchers this season, with one seeing just 4.1 innings of work.  Yolanda Rios leads the team with 142.2 innings, with an 8-16 record.  Rios has allowed 167 hits, 113 runs and struck out 132.  Brooklyne Harbert adds a 3-9 record in 81.0 innings of action.  She has allowed 120 hits, 79 runs and struck out 24.
 
Dow Pitcher of the Week
Redshirt freshman Sydney Dow picked up her first award with the Lady Tigers as she was named the GAC Pitcher of the Week for April 1.

Dow doubled her win total for the season as she posted a 3-0 record last week. In 18.0 innings of work, the El Reno, Okla., native allowed only 11 hits and struck out 21. She also limited the opposition to a .169 batting average.  Against Arkansas-Monticello she set the ECU single-season high with 12 strikeouts. Dow then came back with a complete-game victory in the series finale.

Suydam Player of the Week
Sophomore Autumn Suydam was named the GAC Player of the Week for March 25.

Suydam helped the Lady Tigers take three of four from Southern Nazarene. She collected a pair of three-hit games on Friday. In the opener, she notched a pair of doubles and two RBIs.  On Saturday, she stole three bases. For the series, she hit .538 with three doubles and four stolen bases. She scored five runs and drove in four runs.

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.  

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.

Up Next
The Lady Tigers will return home for the final two weeks of the 2014 regular season to face Northwestern Oklahoma State (April 18-19) and Ouachita Baptist (April 25-26).