SE Opens GAC Play at Home Against Henderson State

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern returns home for the first time this season on February 20 and 21 to host Henderson State in its GAC opener. The Savage Storm and Reddies are slated for a Friday day double-header starting at 1 p.m. and will play the series finale on Saturday at 11 a.m.  
 
SERIES NOTES

• SE was swept in last year's series in Arkadelphia, as the Storm were outscored 16-to-9 across the weekend. Despite last season's slip, the blue and gold lead the all-time series 38-24 and have won the last five series in Durant, all by sweeps. The Storm boasts a 20-3 all-time record at the Southeastern Softball Field against HSU.

 
STORM REPORT
Southeastern (5-9, 0-0 GAC) wrapped up an in-state trip to Tahlequah, Okla., to compete in the Cherokee Nation D2 Festival, where they finished 1-3. SE lost two games to top-20 teams by a combined three runs, falling to then-No. 7 Central Oklahoma 10-8 and then-No. 17 Missouri Southern 6-5. The Storm did pick up a 9-6 win over Northeastern State during the weekend. Through the early goings this season, SE has had six games decided by one or two runs and is 2-4 in those games.
 
The top of the lineup for SE has delivered in the first three weeks of the season, as leadoff hitter Susan Edwards paces the team in hits (26) and runs scored (14). Edwards is batting .481 on the year and ranks second in the GAC and third in Division II in total hits. The sophomore from Celina, Texas, has eight games with multiple hits, including a high of four against Central Missouri, and has scored multiple runs in five contests.
 
India McMurray and Iliana Olivares have provided the power in the Storm lineup, as McMurray ranks second in the conference in home runs with eight, and Olivares leads the team with five doubles. Olivares joins Edwards with 20 hits through the first 14 games, with 21 on a .438 batting average, while driving in 10 runs. McMurray is tied for a team-high 16 RBIs with Emily Simmons, who has three doubles and three home runs across 16 hits.
 
While the bats have been off to a strong start, the Storm will be looking to get the pitching going against HSU. SE ranks 12^th in the conference with a team ERA of 5.89 and has surrendered the most runs this season (128). The blue and gold are led by a trio of arms in Alyson Malone, E. Simmons and Trinity Oden. Malone paces the team with 26 strikeouts and a 4.32 ERA, while Oden carries a 2-3 record in seven appearances.
 
SCOUTING HENDERSON STATE
Henderson State enters the first weekend of GAC play 6-3 overall after a series win over Spring Hill College, most recently. Ahead of the season, the Reddies were selected to finish seventh in the GAC Preseason Poll, following their first 30-win season in six years under first-year head coach Joel Worthington in 2024.
 
HSU has got the bats going to begin the season, as they lead the league with a .338 average as a team with 90 hits. Josie Copeland is batting .500 with 15 hits in 30 at-bats with a team-high six doubles. Hilary Akers has batted in the most runs for the Reddies with 11 and leads the sides with two triples. In the circle, Presley Applegate has been the standout arm for HSU with a 0.54 ERA across 26.0 frames. Applegate is 4-1 in five starts and has two shutouts and three complete games.