Baseball Bisons Meet Northwestern Oklahoma in Weekend Series

Courtesy Harding University Athletics Department

ALVA, Okla. – Harding baseball returns to Great American Conference road action this weekend with a three-game series against Northwestern Oklahoma State. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 3 p.m. and conclude the series Saturday at 1 p.m.

Harding (16-11, 8-7) is battling for its first-ever berth in the GAC Tournament. The Bisons are currently in sixth place, one game behind Southwestern Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoma, who are tied for fourth. The top six teams qualify for the GAC Tournament that begins May 4 in Enid, Okla.

Northwestern Oklahoma State (16-14, 5-10) is a provisional member of the GAC and is not eligible for the conference tournament.

Harding enters the weekend sixth in the GAC with a .294 team batting average and seventh with 5.59 runs scored per game. The Bisons’ pitching staff is fourth with a 4.18 ERA, and the defense ranks fifth at 5.7 runs allowed per game.

Northwestern Oklahoma is third in the conference with a .308 team batting average and second with 7.23 runs per game. The Rangers’ pitching staff is 10th in the conference with a 5.49 ERA, and the defense ranks ninth with 6.6 runs allowed per game.

Players to Watch: Harding senior right-handed pitcher Hayden Shirley (leads the GAC with a .185 opponents’ batting average) and Northwestern Oklahoma starting pitcher Jason Martyn (leads the GAC with 51 strikeouts).