Southeastern Returns Home to Host Harding

DURANT, Okla. – After spending the last two weekends on the road, Southeastern returns home to host Harding in a three-game series on March 19 and 20. The Savage Storm and Lady Bisons open with a doubleheader on Friday, March 19, at 1 p.m. and will close out the series with a single game at noon on Saturday.
 
SERIES NOTES

• SE and HU met four times last season, and the Lady Bisons got the upper hand in three of those games, including a win in the first round of the GAC Tournament. Harding has had the blue and gold's number as of late, as the Storm are just 2-8 in the last ten meetings and will be looking for their first series win since 2023.

 
STORM REPORT
Southeastern suffered its first GAC series loss this season on its trip to Russellville, as Arkansas Tech took all three games. The trio of defeats dropped the blue and gold to 6-6 in the conference standings and 12-16 overall. SE returns home, where they have been at their best with five wins to three defeats, compared to a 2-4 record away from the Southeastern Softball Field.
 
The bats were led by Iliana Olivares at ATU last weekend, recording two multiple-hit games to finish the weekend 4-for-11. The senior first baseman is one of three players with five or more doubles this season for SE, and she leads the side with eight while batting .394 with 37 total hits. Continuing to pace the Southeastern lineup, Susan Edwards added a pair of hits over the weekend, bringing her to 42 on the year, and she has five doubles and 22 runs scored.
 
As a team, the Storm sit fifth in the GAC in batting with a .291 clip and are averaging 4.3 runs per game. Helping provide the runs has been Emily Simmons, who leads the blue and gold with 21 RBIs, and has five doubles and four home runs across 21 hits this season. India McMurray has also been one of SE's top hitters with runners on base, recording 19 RBIs. Additionally, McMurray's efforts have helped SE produce the third-most home runs in the GAC this season, with nine, which is tied for the second-most.
 
The SE pitching staff is led by a trio of arms with 50 or more innings pitched, and Alyson Malone and E. Simmons have both tossed a team-high 59.0 frames. Malone carries a 2.25 ERA with a 4-3 record and leads the blue and gold with 54 strikeouts, while E. Simmons has 37 punchouts and a 4.15 ERA. Southeastern ranks ninth as a pitching staff with a 4.09 earned run average, and opposing batters are hitting .274 against the blue and gold.
 
SCOUTING HARDING
Harding has swept its last two GAC series to hold a 9-3 mark in conference play and is 14-12 overall. All three of the Lady Bisons GAC defeats came on the road at Ouachita Baptist, as the Lady Bisons were outscored 14-4 over the three games. HU's trip to Durant will be another test for the black and gold, with a 0-3 record away from home, compared to a 9-0 home mark.
 
Statistically, Harding ranks in the top five across the GAC in both hitting (3^rd) and pitching (5^th). The Lady Bisons are batting .300 as a team, led by Tori Turner with 35 hits on a .427 average with two triples and 12 stolen bases. Zoey Neal paces the sides in runs batted in with 17 and doubles (6), while ranking second for HU with 30 hits. Avery Booker and Brooklyn Gobble carry the duties in the circle as the pair have combined for 14 wins in 20 appearances each.