Softball Set to Open GAC Tourney Play

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern is set to open play at the 2024 Great American Conference Tournament on May 2 at 1 p.m. when it squares off against Arkansas-Monticello in the first round in Bentonville, Ark.
 
The Savage Storm come into the tournament with a 25-27 record overall on the year and a 17-16 record in league play after closing the 2024 regular season by taking two-out-of-three from Southern Arkansas.
 
SE has not squared off against UAM since the opening weekend of conference play, making the long road trip to Monticello, Ark., on Feb. 23-24 and dropping two-of-three in the series.
 
UAM would take game one 3-2, but the Storm would answer with a 3-2 win of its own in game two before the Cotton Blossoms took the rubber match 6-3.
 
Southeastern will be looking for big offensive outings at the top of the lineup where Gracie Ore, Kady Fryrear, and Sage Harlow are each hitting .326 or better.
 
Ore has a team-best .370 average, while Harlow has a trio of home runs and a team-high 30 RBI.
 
In the circle, Emily Simmons has put together an 8-8 record with a 3.19 ERA on the year and a team-best 93 strikeouts, while Amberlyn Walsworth is next in line with a 7-7 mark and a 3.73 ERA.
 
UAM comes into the tournament off a 23-28 season with a 15-18 mark in league play and led by Kennedy Cox on offense with a .405 average and 50 RBI, while Grace Neal has a team-high eight homers and matches the team lead in RBI with 50.
 
The Blossoms are led in the circle by Maquire Estill who is 9-9 on the year with a 5.55 ERA, while Sam Stephens boasts a team-high 64 strikeouts.
 
A win in the opener would earn the Storm a matchup with Harding at 6 p.m. May 2 in the second round, where the winner would advance to the semifinals to face Southern Nazarene on May 3 at 2:30 p.m.
 
The finals of the tournament are set for noon on May 4.