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Mulerider Softball's Jade Miller named D2CCA All-American

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/5/26/mulerider-softballs-jade-miller-named-d2cca-all-american.aspx

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Southern Arkansas University Softball's Jade Miller was named a Second Team All-American by the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) for her play during the 2022 campaign. Miller's honor marks the 11th time a Mulerider softball player has been named a D2CAA All-American, as it was last done in 2018 by Victoria Taylor, Brooke Goad, Faith Otts, and Jill Roye. Miller becomes the third second team selection. The Plano, Texas native's bat was on fire all season long, as she led the team in multiple categories including batting average (.405), OPS (1.094), at bats (195), runs (50), hits (79), home runs (11), total bases (127), slugging percentage (.651), and stolen bases (5). Miller finished the year with 27 multi-hit games and led the team in two-hit games (19), three-hit games (6), and four-hit games (2). Miller's best game of the year came against Delta State when she went 3-4 at the plate with two home runs and four RBI. The Utah Valley graduate transfer was the only SAU player to have a .400+ batting average, the only player to finish with double-digit home runs, and the only player with 100+ total bases. Miller's 79 hits were 21 more than the next closest player on the team, while her .405 batting average and her 79 hits both ranked second in the Great American Conference. In addition to receiving All-American honors, the first year SAU player was also named a Central Region First Team outfielder by the NFCA and D2CAA. Miller was also named to the All-GAC First Team, and received the GAC Player of the Week award on March 15th. This All-American honor marks the second career All-American honor for Miller in her career, as she was tabbed as USCAA Softball First Team All-American after her true freshman season in 2017 at DIII University of Dallas. The D2CCA All-America and All-Region softball teams, which are selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) members from schools playing Division II softball, were first established in 2007. This year represents the seventh year in which the Division II Conference Commissioners Association solely sponsored the program. The Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.

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SAU Softball’s Jade Miller named consensus All-Central Region First Team selection

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/5/12/sau-softballs-jade-miller-named-consensus-all-central-region-first-team-selection.aspx

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – First year Mulerider Jade Miller, a graduate transfer from Utah Valley, has been named a consensus first team All-Central Region selection after the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) each tabbed the Plano, Texas native as one of the region's top outfielders with each organization's respective all-region announcements on Wednesday. Miller is in the midst of a hot-hitting campaign for Jason Anderson's Muleriders as she is leading the team in average (.410), hits (77), run scored (49), home runs (11), total bases (125), slugging percentage (.665), OPS (1.114) and stolen bases (5). Defensively, she has recorded 55 putouts and an assist in 59 chances to post a fielding percentage just below 95% with all 53 of her starts coming in left field. She enters NCAA postseason play with 26 multi-hit games with the team-lead in two-hit games (18), three-hit games (6) and four-hit games (2), while her 11 multi-RBI games are tied with two other teammates for the team lead. Miller's average ranks third in the GAC entering Thursday's opening round regional contest and is the 16th highest average among Central Region players. Her 77 hits are a top three mark in the Central Region, her total bases rank inside the region's top 10 and her slugging percentage is among the top 25 players across the GAC, MIAA and NSIC. Miller adds Wednesday's recognitions to an All-GAC First Team designation and a one-time league player of the week honor (3/15) and joins teammate and fellow outfielder Alese Casper, a 2021 D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team honoree, as current Mulerider all-region selections. Miller now joins first-team members from each of the other seven regions on the ballot for the D2CAA All-America Team. The teams are voted on by the members of the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors Association. As a first team all-region selection from the NFCA, she is also eligible for selection to the 2022 NFCA Division II All-America squads which are voted on by Division II member head coaches.

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Muleriders set for sixth straight NCAA Regional Tournament Appearance

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/5/11/softball-muleriders-set-for-sixth-straight-ncaa-regional-tournament-appearance.aspx

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – It's May in Magnolia and that can only mean one thing for head coach Jason Anderson's Southern Arkansas University softball team….NCAA Regional Tournament time. For the seventh time in program history, and for the sixth straight season, Anderson's squad will be competing in the NCAA DII Central Regional Tournament, which is set to start tomorrow afternoon as the No. 7 seeded Muleriders will be taking on the host school and No. 2 seed in the University of Central Oklahoma at 1:00 on the campus of UCO in Edmond, Okla. SAU comes into the weekend with a 37-16. The Muleriders won the Great American Conference regular season Championship, and finished second in the GAC tournament last weekend in Bentonville as they earned a bid to the Championship game but fell late to Arkansas Tech. The Muleriders come into the Regional with a .309 team batting average. SAU has outhit their opponents 453-309 on the year while outscoring those 303-143. SAU will continue to rely on All-GAC First Teamer and Central Region First Teamer Jade Miller as they have all season. Miller who holds a team high .410 batting average continues to lead the team in many categories including hits (77), runs (49), and home runs (11), to go along with her 37 RBI which ranks second on the team. Alese Casper is second on the team with 56 hits, followed by Jaxynn Dyson with 54 hits. Dyson leads the team with 45 RBI, followed by Tiare Lee who has drove in 38 runs. Lee's 43 hits ranks fourth on the squad while Madison Miller (42 hits) rounds out the Mulerider players with 40+ base knocks. M. Miller ranks fourth on the team in RBI as well with 34. Lee and Gracie Kings are tied for third on the team with eight home runs apiece. Sydney Ward and Kiana Pogroszewski both come into the regional with 133.2 innings pitched. Ward leads the team with a 16-3 record, while KP has earned 15 wins in the circle to go along with six losses. Ward leads the staff in strikeouts with 141, to go up against 104 hits given up. Ward has allowed 51 runs (44 earned). Pogroszewski has allowed 49 runs (34 earned) on 114 hits to go along with 129 strikeouts. The Bracket Augustana University and Arkansas Tech University will be the other two schools competing in the three-day event that spans from Thursday to Saturday. AUGIE comes into the tournament as the No. 3 seed, while ATU enters as the No. 6 seed. The winner of SAU's first round matchup against UCO will take on the winner of AUGIE and ATU on Friday at 1:00 p.m., while the loser of the first-round matchup will play an elimination game on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Scouting the Opponents - UCO SAU's first round opponent in UCO comes into the regional as the No. 5 team in the nation with a 45-10 record. The Bronchos have been ranked inside the NFCA DII top-25 all year long. UCO finished as the runner up in the MIAA regular season, and then went 1-2 in their conference tournament. The Bronchos are batting .333 as a team and they have outhit their opponents 489-317, while outscoring them 397-144. UCO is led by Jacee Minter, as she led the team in batting avg (.422), runs (55), hits (73), RBI (68) and home runs (12). Shayla Harper comes in as the Bronchos second leading hitter as she collected 62 base knocks and 48 RBI on the season. Kylee Lynch has been the top performer in the circle for UCO as she holds a 24-3 record to go along with a 1.87 ERA. She has struck out 95 batters in 186.2 innings pitched, while allowing 59 runs (50 earned) on 149 hits. Isie Cox comes into tomorrow's matchup with a 10-4 record in the circle as she has seen 73.3 innings of action.   AUGIE Augustana enters post-season play with a 47-8 record to go along with an NSIC Regular Season Championship as well as an NSIC Tournament Championship. The nation's ninth ranked Vikings enter the post-season red hot as they have won 28 of their last 29 games. AUGIE has outhit their opponents 506-274 as they carry a .334 team average, and they have outscored their opponents 383-121. The Vikings are led by Kendall Cornick who leads the team in avg (.453), hits (78), and runs (65), while also picking up 46 RBI. Torri Chute is second on the team with a .410 avg and 71 hits, while leading the team in RBI with 66. Mary Pardo leads the team with 20 home runs. The Vikings have two players with 20+ wins in the circle as Ashley Mickschl leads the team with a 27-5 record in 191.1 innings of work. She has allowed 133 hits and 59 runs (50 earned), while striking out 141. Amber Elliot is second on the team with a 21-2 record in 141.1 innings in the circle. She has allowed 52 runs (46 earned) on 119 hits while sitting down 136 batters on strikes. ATU The Golden Suns come into the weekend with a GAC Conference Tournament Championship under their belts as they took down SAU Sunday evening in the Championship game, to go along with a share of the GAC regular season title as well. ATU enters the Regional Tournament with a 39-17 overall record and a team batting average of .279. ATU has outhit its competition 410-289, while outscoring those 302-126. The Golden Suns are led by GAC Player of the Year Tymber Riley who led the team in avg (.443), runs (60), hits (78), RBI (54), and home runs (16). Caitlyn Wells finished second on the team with a .402 avg, as she was also seconds in hits (68), RBI (44), and home runs (11). Shannon Lacey leads the Golden Suns in the circle as she holds a 1.28 ERA and an 18-7 record. Lacey has pitched 158.1 innings and has allowed 38 runs (29 earned), on 103 hits while striking out 144. Bailey Buffington comes in with a 13-6 record in 109.0 innings of action. SAU comes into the tournament having seen three of the four teams already this season. SAU and AUGIE matched up back on Feb. 5th in the SAU's second game of the season as AUGIE won 7-5. The Muleriders took on UCO two days later and lost a close one 3-2. The Golden Suns and Muleriders matched up in the regular season and ATU took the series 2-1, followed by one more win over SAU last weekend in the GAC tournament title game.

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Muleriders finish as GAC Tournament runner-up

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/5/8/softball-muleriders-finish-as-gac-tournament-runner-up.aspx

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – A five run fifth inning was too much to overcome for the Southern Arkansas University softball team, as they took on Arkansas Tech in the Great American Conference Title game on Sunday evening at the Bentonville Tiger Athletic Complex. The Muleriders fell 7-4 to finish as the runner up in the GAC Conference Championship Tournament. SAU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning to draw first blood in the contest. Taylor Murphy singled up the middle, followed by a Mariah Hamilton double to left center field to push Murphy to third. Alyssa Miller was able to pick up an RBI as she singled to right field to score Murphy. The Muleriders were able to push two more runs across in the bottom of the third inning, as Jaxynn Dyson led the inning off with a solo blast to go up 2-0, followed by a deep double from Murphy that banged off the top of the fence to plate Alese Casper who reached on a single earlier in the inning. ATU was able to cut the lead to one as they posted two runs in the top of the fourth inning on a sac fly and a doubled to make it 3-2. SAU's final run of the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning as Viviana Zarzoza came around to score on a wild pitch after entering the game as a pinch runner for Murphy who drew a walk. The Muleriders led 4-2 as they entered the top of the sixth inning, but the Golden Suns were able to plate four runs on five hits to take a 7-4 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. ATU was able to get out of a jam with a double play in the bottom of the sixth followed by three final outs without allowing a score in the seventh to earn the GAC Conference Tournament Title. Jade Miller, Dyson, and Murphy all finished with two hits apiece in the ballgame. Dyson, Murphy, and A. Miller all had one RBI. Sydney Ward got the start in the circle and went 4.0 innings while allowing four hits, two runs and striking out five. Kiana Pogroszewski took the loss as she pitched 2.0 innings and allowed four hits and five runs (0 earned). SAU will now await its seeding for the upcoming NCAA DII Central Region Tournament. The two four team regionals will be announced on Monday morning.

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Muleriders advance to GAC Tournament Championship game

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/5/8/softball-muleriders-advance-to-gac-tournament-championship-game.aspx

Box Score BENTONVILLE, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas University softball team used a six run top of the fourth inning along with one more run in the fifth to take down Harding University in the semifinals of the Great American Conference Championship tournament 7-4 to advance to the championship game tonight at 6:00 p.m. The Muleriders will be taking on the No. 1 seeded team in the tournament in Arkansas Tech University. Quiet through the first three innings for both teams, SAU was able to explode for six runs in the top of the fourth inning, which was highlighted by a three-run shot from Mariah Hamilton. Alese Casper got the inning started with a single to shortstop and hustled down the line to beat the throw and give SAU a runner on base. Casper was able to move to second base on a Gracie King sac bunt, and then reached third base after Taylor Murphy singled to right center to put two runners on. Hamilton got the Muleriders on the board with a three-run home run that banged off the top of the left field foul-poll to put SAU out in front 3-0. Alyssa Miller singled to shortstop and beat out the throw and then advanced to second on a groundout. Jade Miller was able to knock in A. Miller with a single to center to lead 4-0. Jaxynn Dyson kept the inning going with a single through the left side, followed by a Madison Miller single to center to score J. Miller, while Dyson scored on a fielding error to make it 6-0. The Muleriders were able to get one more run on the board in the top of the fifth inning, as Gracie King connected on a solo shot to right center field to take a 7-0 lead. Harding was able to post four runs in the bottom half of the inning, but these would be the only Lady Bisons runs of the game as Sydney Ward was able to hold HU's bats quiet the next three innings. J. Miller and Casper both collected two hits in the game, while Tiare Lee, Dyson, M. Miller, King, Murphy, Hamilton, and A. Miller all had one hit apiece. Hamilton led SAU with three RBI, while J. Miller, M. Miller, and King all collected one RBI. Kiana Pogroszewski picked up her second win of the tournament as the freshman went 4.0 innings, while allowing six hits on two runs and striking out four. Baylie Thornhill saw .2 innings of action in the circle and struck out two. Sydney Ward picked up her first career save as she went 2.1 innings and allowed two hits, while striking out three.

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Pogroszewski's relief outing sends Muleriders to GAC Championship semifinals

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/5/7/softball-pogroszewskis-relief-outing-sends-muleriders-to-gac-championship-semifinals.aspx

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Taking on Ouachita Baptist University in the first round of the Great American Conference Tournament, head coach Jason Anderson and the Southern Arkansas University Mulerider softball team saw a great relief outing from GAC Newcomer of the Year Kiana Pogroszewski, as they took down the Tiers 5-1 to advance to the semifinals. SAU will take on the winner of Harding and Southeastern Oklahoma tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. SAU drew first blood as they were able to jump out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Tiare Lee reached on a fielding error by the pitcher to start the game and was able to advance to second on a groundout. Jaxynn Dyson picked up her first of two hits on the afternoon as she singled into left center to score Lee and put SAU on top early. After a quiet second inning from both teams, OBU was able to push a run across in the top of the third on a sac fly to tie the game at 1-1, which would be the only Tiger run of the game. The Muleriders responded with two runs in the bottom half to take a 3-1 lead. Jade Miller reached on a fielding error by the second basemen, followed by Dyson's second single of the afternoon to put two runners on. Madison Miller followed Dyson up with a single of her own up the middle which would score J. Miller and put Dyson on third. Dyson was able to come around to score on a Casper groundout to make it 3-1 SAU. SAU would respond with two more runs in the fourth inning. Taylor Murphy led the inning off with a walk and was pinch ran for by Viviana Zarzoza. Mariah Hamilton reached on a fielding error to put two on, followed by an Alyssa Miller bunt single to load the bases. Zarzoza came around to score on a wild pitch, followed by a Lee sac fly to score Hamilton to bring the game to its final score of 5-1. SAU finished with six hits in the contest, as Dyson and A. Miller botch collected two base knocks. M. Miller and Hamilton were the two other Muleriders that collected hits. Lee, J. Miller, Dyson, Zarzoza, and Hamilton all scored for SAU. Sydney Ward got the start in the circle and went 2.0 innings, as she allowed three hits on one run to go along with three strikeouts. Pogroszewski entered in the third inning and dominated from the start, as she retired 11 straight batters from the moment she got in to midway through the sixth inning. KP held the Tigers to just two hits over five innings, while walking none and striking out five batters to pick up her 14th win of the year and send SAU to the semifinals.

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Pogroszewski earns GAC Newcomer of the Year; Muleriders place seven on All-GAC teams

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/5/4/softball-pogroszewski-earns-gac-newcomer-of-the-year-muleriders-place-seven-on-all-gac-teams.aspx

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – With the Great American conference tournament set to begin tomorrow afternoon, the GAC announced its 2022 All-Conference teams and superlative award winners on Wednesday evening at the GAC softball banquet. The Southern Arkansas University softball team finds themselves with seven players spread across the three teams and one superlative award winner. Sydney Ward and Jade Miller found themselves earning All-GAC First team honors, while Kiana Pogroszewski, Jaxynn Dyson, and Alese Casper were named to the All-GAC Second team. Tiare Lee and Madison Miller both were named to the All-GAC Honorable Mention Team. Pogroszewski headlines the superlative awards for the Muleriders as she earned GAC Newcomer of the Year. In her first year in a Mulerider uniform after transferring from Bossier Parrish Community College, the Utah Native in Kiana Pogroszewski put together quite the season during her first year in Magnolia as she was named the GAC Newcomer of the Year. KP led the team with a 1.83 ERA which was good for second best in the GAC. She finished with a 13-5 record in 27 appearances, 15 of those being starts in 122.2 innings of work. The GAC Newcomer of the year led the team with nine complete games and four shutouts. Pogroszewski allowed 42 runs (32 earned) and finished second on the team with 120 strikeouts, to go up against 102 hits allowed as she held the opposition to a .225 batting average. KP's best start came against SWOSU as she went 7.0 innings, allowed no hits and struck out 10. In addition to being named GAC Newcomer of the Year, KP was also named an All-GAC Second team pitcher. This is the third time a Mulerider softball player has been awarded the newcomer of the year award. Jill Roye took home the honors in 2017 a designated player, and Kimmy Beasley earned the award as a pitcher in 2016. KP was not the only Mulerider starting pitcher to take home an award, as Crowder College transfer Sydney Ward was named to the All-GAC First Team. The Natural State Native finished her first year in Magnolia with the team lead in wins with 16 as she finished 16-3 in the regular season. Ward also led the team with 130 strikeouts and in innings pitched with 125.1. Ward allowed 48 runs (41 earned) on 95 hits allowed and held opponent batting averages to just .205. She finished with eight complete games, three shutouts, and one no-hitter. Ward collected a season high 12 strikeouts against Oklahoma Baptist. Joining Ward on the first team is Graduate Transfer Jade Miller who landed on the list as an outfielder. The Utah Valley transfer was on fire with the bat in her hand all season as she finished with the team lead in hits (73), batting average (.410), runs (47), home runs (11), at bats (178), total bases (121) and stolen bases (5). J. Miller's 73 hits led the GAC, while her average was the third best in the league, followed by her 11 home runs which is tied for the third most. She finished third on the team with 36 RBI. The Grad Transfer had two four hit games, and two games with four RBI, had a two home run game against Delta State, and finished with 24 multi-hit games. J. Miller is one of two players to start and play in all 50 games this season. For the second time in her career, Alese Casper was named to an All-GAC team, as the senior was named to the All-GAC Second Team as an outfielder after patrolling CF for the Muleriders this season. The Grantsville, Utah, native was the only other Mulerider to start and play in all 50 games this season along with her outfielder counterpart J. Miller. Casper finished second on the team in both hits (53) and runs (40). The two time all-conference award winner had a .329 batting average on the year, and finished with 19 RBI and one home run. Casper collected 11 doubles and also ranked first on the team with three triples. Casper's best game of the season came against SOSU collected four hits, four RBI, and scored three runs against SOSU. After earning honorable mention honors last year as a freshman, Jaxynn Dyson was named to the All-GAC Second Team this season as a shortstop. The Normal, Illinois, product led the team in RBI with 43, while finishing third on the team in the hit column with 49. Dyson finished with 28 runs and was tied for second on the team with eight home runs, and also tied for second with 13 doubles. The former Illinois State transfer finished with a .312 batting average, and slugging percentage of .561. Dyson finished with 14 multi-hit games. Tiare Lee took her opportunity and ran with it, as the A&M Corpus Christi transfer found herself on the All-GAC Honorable Mention Team as the designated player after her first year in a Mulerider uniform. Starting in 33 games and playing in 35, Lee finished second on the team with a .382 batting average, first in OPS with a 1.167 and first in slugging percentage (.682). Lee collected 42 base knocks in 110 at bats. The former DI player finished second on the team in RBI with 37 and tied for second on the team with eight home runs, while also scoring 28 runs. Lee blasted two home runs and collected five RBI in her first game as a Mulerider against Maryville University. Lee had 15 multi-hit games. Having never caught a game behind the plate in her softball career, the University of Texas at Arlington transfer Madison Miller was named to the All-GAC Honorable Mention Team as a utility player after starting the year in right field, before taking over catching duties mid-year due to injury. M. Miller finishes the regular season with a .320 batting average, 40 hits, and 32 RBI. The versatile Miller scored 23 runs, led the team with 15 two baggers, and also hit seven home runs. She finished with a slugging percentage of .608 and an OPS of 1.029. M. Miller's best game of the season came last weekend against NOWSU as she finished with three hits (two home runs), five RBI and three runs scored. She only finished with one error on the season to finish with a .995 fielding percentage. The Muleriders had four players earn the GAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete award that honors them for their academic achievements. To be elgible, a player must have completed 70 or more college credit hours, have a 3.70 cumulative GPA or higher and have to be a present participant at the GAC tournament. Sarah Evans (3.90 GPA), Mariah Hamilton (3.95 GPA), Natalie Phillips (3.84 GPA and Pogroszewski (3.90 GPA) were all named to this list. SAU will open up the GAC Tournament tomorrow afternoon as they enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Muleriders will take on the No. 7 seed Ouachita Baptist in their first round matchup at 4:00 p.m.

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Muleriders set for GAC Tournament; Open with Ouachita Baptist

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/5/4/softball-muleriders-set-for-gac-tournament-open-with-ouachita-baptist.aspx

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Fresh off of their fourth straight regular season Great American Conference Championship, head coach Jason Anderson and the Southern Arkansas University softball team will now turn their focus towards the GAC Championship tournament this weekend in Bentonville. The Muleriders finished the regular season with a 35-15 (26-7 GAC) record and enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed. The three-day tournament will be played at Bentonville High School and will take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with the championship game on Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. SAU will be taking on Ouachita Baptist University 18-28 (14-19 GAC) in their round one matchup, as they enter the tournament as the No. 7 seed. The round one matchup is set for Thursday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. The Muleriders swept the Tigers in the regular season as they won 11-1, 10-1, and 11-4. The winner of the first-round matchup will take on the winner of Harding and Southeastern Oklahoma on Friday at 11:00 a.m. The Muleriders finished the regular season with a team batting average of .309. SAU outscored its opponents 287-131, while they outhit them 427-284. Six players on the 2022 GAC Championship squad finished with a .300 average or higher, as Jade Miller led the team with a .410 batting average. Tiare Lee finished with a .382 clip, while Gracie King posted a .347. Alese Casper (.329), Madison Miller (.320) and Jaxyyn Dyson (.312) round out the .300+ hitters for SAU. In addition to holding the highest average on the team, J. Miller also led the team in hits with 74, and in runs with 47. Casper finished second on the team in both hits (53) and runs (40). Dyson collected 49 hits to finish third on the team, while Lee finished with 42 hits, followed by Madison Miller with 40. Mariah Hamilton (35), Gracie King (33), and Taylor Murphy (33) all finished with 30+ hits for SAU. Dyson finished with the team lead in RBI with 43, followed by Lee with 37 RBI. J. Miller finished with 36 RBI followed by M. Miller with 32, and King with 24. J. Miller hit 11 home runs on the season to lead the squad, followed by Dyson and Lee who both hit eight blasts. M. Miller and King both finished the regular season with seven home runs, followed by Sarah Evans with six. M. Miller led the team with 15 doubles, followed by Dyson (13) and J. Miller and Casper who both finished with 11 two baggers. Sydney Ward led the team in wins with 16, and also led the pitching staff in strikeouts with 130 and in innings pitched with 125.1. Ward finished with a 2.29 ERA as she allowed 48 runs (41 earned) on 95 hits. Kiana Pogroszewski finished with the team lead in ERA as she posted a 1.83 to go along with 13 wins and 120 strikeouts in 122.2 innings of work. The Utah native allowed 42 runs (32 earned) on 102 hits. Baylie Thornhill finished with a 4-3 record with a 1.92 ERA in 47.1 innings of work. Thornhill allowed 16 runs (13 earned) on 49 hits. Macie Welch picked up two wins in the circle in 38.2 innings. The Tigers come into the tournament with a .261 team batting average. They have been outscored 258-174, and outhit 387-321. Hope Waid was OBU's top hitter as she led the team in hits with 46, and batting average (.371). Heather Brown finished with 40 hits, while Callie Jourdan collected 37. Brown holds the team lead in RBI with 23 followed by Jourdan with 22. Jillian Jones and Lacy Ornelas with three home runs. Madison Miller of Ouachita led the team with a 9-11 record, 141.0 innings pitched, and 119 strikeouts. She allowed 90 runs (60 earned) on 147 hits. Nikki Schneider finished with a 6-11 record as she pitched 89.0 innings and allowed 101 runs (79 earned) on 138 hits.

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Muleriders finish regular season 35-15 (26-7 GAC); Clinch share of regular season GAC Title

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/4/30/softball-muleriders-finish-regular-season-35-15-26-7-gac-clinch-share-of-regular-season-gac-title.aspx

ALVA, Okla. – Despite dropping the final game of the regular season this afternoon, the Southern Arkansas University softball team is still guaranteed at least a share of the Great American Conference Championship, and could win the title outright if Arkansas Tech falls to Southeastern Oklahoma this afternoon. The Muleriders finish the regular season with a 35-15 (26-7 GAC) record after falling 8-7 to Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Rangers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning as they plated a run on a single. SAU responded with four runs in the top of the second inning as Tiare Lee doubled through the right side to score Alyssa Miller who reached on a fielder's choice and Mariah Hamilton who scored after reaching on a walk. Jaxynn Dyson would answer Lee with a double of her own that scored Lee and Jade Miller who reached on an error by the SS to lead 4-1. NWOSU responded with three runs on three hits to tie the game at four apiece. After two scoreless innings by both teams, SAU posted two runs in top of the fifth inning. Gracie King and Taylor Murphy both singled to start the inning, followed by a third single in a row from Hamilton that scored King to put SAU up by one. The Muleriders took a 6-4 lead on a Lee groundout that scored Viviana Zarzoza. The lead did not last long as NWOSU put up three runs in the bottom of the inning on three hits to lead 7-6. SAU would score one run in the sixth inning on a Madison Miller double that scored Dyson, but the Rangers would score a run of their own to keep the one run lead at 8-7, followed by a scoreless top of the seventh from SAU. Lee led the Muleriders with three RBI on two hits. Murphy finished with three hits, while M. Miller and Hamilton both finished with two hits and one RBI apiece. Dyson finished with two RBI. The Muleriders used three different pitchers in the contest as they all went 2.0 innings. Sydney Ward got the start and allowed four hits and four runs. Baylie Thornhill relieved ward and allowed two runs on three hits. Kiana Pogroszewski took the loss as she allowed two runs on three hits while striking out four. SAU will now turn their attention to the GAC tournament which is set to be played next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Bentonville. SAU has the potential to be the No. 1 seed if Arkansas Tech loses to Southeastern Oklahoma today. If ATU wins, SAU will be the No. 2 seed and SAU and ATU will be GAC Co-Champs.

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Muleriders clobber Rangers in a doubleheader sweep; Combine for 31 runs and 36 hits

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/4/29/softball-muleriders-clobber-rangers-in-a-doubleheader-sweep-combine-for-31-runs-and-36-hits.aspx

ALVA, Okla. – The bats were hot and the cleats were laced up tight on Friday afternoon for the Southern Arkansas University softball team who spent a lot of time running around the base path's, as they combined for 31 runs and 36 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Northwestern Oklahoma State University. SAU took game one 9-4 and then exploded for 22 runs in a 22-5 victory to take the series from NWOSU and move to 35-14 (26-6 GAC) on the season. The two teams will close out the series tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. The Muleriders had a trio of players finish with 6 RBI on the day as Tiare Lee led the squad with seven hits and six RBI, followed by Mariah Hamilton who finished with two home runs, five hits and six RBI. Madison Miller also had two home runs, as she finished with four hits and six RBI. Alyssa Miller finished with five hits in the sweep. Game one saw SAU jump out to an early 6-0 lead as they posted two runs in each of the first three innings. M. Miller collected her first of six RBI on the day in the top of the first inning as she doubled into right field to score Jade Miller who reached on an error. Jaxynn Dyson hit a single and then came around to score on a passed ball to put SAU up 2-0. Lee got her big afternoon started in the top of the second as she homered to score her and Hamilton, which would be her first of seven hits and six RBI on the day. The Muleriders picked up two more runs in the third as Taylor Murphy picked up an RBI on a groundout that scored Alese Casper, followed by Gracie King coming around to score on a Mariah Hamilton single to take a 6-0 lead. After a scoreless fourth inning by both teams, SAU put up two more runs in the top of the fifth inning as A. Miller singled to left to score King. Lee pushed the lead to 8-0 as she singled down the right field line to score Ava Dunn. NWOSU was able to push across one run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning, followed by three more in the sixth to make it 8-4. King was the final run of the game after reaching on a single and coming around to score on a Hamilton Sac fly. Lee led SAU with three hits and three RBI. A. Miller and King both collected two hits, while Hamilton finished with two RBI. King led the team with three runs. Sydney Ward picked up her 16th win of the season as she went 5.2 innings and allowed four hits on four runs. Ward struck out seven Rangers in the win. Baylie Thornhill pitched the final 1.1 inning and allowed no runs on four hits. The second game of the DH saw SAU explode for a season high 22 runs and 24 hits as they took down the Rangers 22-5. The Muleriders posted two runs in the first, two in the second, six in the third, and then exploded for 12 in the fourth inning. NWOSU had one big inning as they posted five runs in the third inning. Eight Muleriders had two or more hits in the game, while five had three or more RBI. Lee and Hamilton both had four hits in the game with Hamilton having two home runs. Hamilton collected four RBI while lee finished with three. M. Miller finished with three hits, two of which left the yard and five RBI. J. Miller posted four hits and three RBI, while A. Miller finished with three hits and one RBI. Dyson, Casper, and Murphy all had two hits apiece, while Dyson also finished with two RBI. Kiana Pogroszewski got the start in the circle and went 2.1 innings as she gave up five hits and five runs. Thornhill picked up the win after coming on in relief and tossing 1.2 innings. She allowed one hit while striking out three batters. Macie Welch came on to pitch the final frame and struck out one while allowing no hits.

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Muleriders set to return to Oklahoma to close out regular season

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/4/28/softball-muleriders-set-to-return-to-oklahoma-to-close-out-regular-season.aspx

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – With one series remaining in the regular season, the Southern Arkansas University softball team 33-14 (24-6 GAC) will head back to Oklahoma for the second weekend in a row to take on Northwestern Oklahoma State University 13-31-1 (7-23 GAC) in a three game Great American Conference series in Alva. This will be the final series before the GAC conference tournament next weekend. The Muleriders come into this final weekend tied for 1st place in the GAC standings along with Arkansas Tech. SAU and ATU both sit at 24-6 in league play, with the Golden Suns are set to take on Southeastern Oklahoma State University this weekend. The Rangers of NWOSU come into this final series losers of their last 11 and are 1-15-1 in their last 17 games. NWOSU has only won two GAC series over East Central University and Southwestern Oklahoma State University, while SAU has won every series except for the series against ATU. SAU has won 10 of their last 11 games after taking last weekends series 2-1 over SNU. The Mulerider bats continue to stay hot, as SAU collected 30 hits in the three-game series against SNU, to take their team batting average to .297 on the season. Jade Miller's average continues to keep her average above .400 as the grad transfer is batting .416 on the year. J. Miller has also done a very nice job of getting base hits as she has 69 on the year to lead the GAC and team. Miller's 69 hits ranks 10th among NCAA DII players. The Utah Valley transfer also leads the team in runs with 43, which ranks second in the GAC, and ranks first on the team with 11 home runs, which has her tied for third in the conference. Jason Anderson's squad has four other players with a .300 batting average or higher, with three of them being over .330. Tiare Lee is second on the team with a .344, followed by Alese Casper (.338), Gracie King (.337) and Jaxynn Dyson with a .306. Casper ranks second on the team in runs scored (38) and hits (50), followed by Dyson with 45 hits and 25 runs scored, both of which are third best on the team. Madison Miller (34) hits and Lee (33) hits both have 30+ hits for SAU. Dyson holds the team lead in RBI with 38, followed by J. Miller with 32. Lee (28) RBI, M. Miller (25) RBI, and King (24) RBI all have 20+ RBI for SAU. Dyson is second on the team with eight home runs, followed by Lee and King who both have six. Taylor Murphy leads the team with 21 walks, and also has been the hardest to strikeout as she only has 8 strikeouts on the season. Three of SAU's pitchers have an ERA of 2.00 or less. Kiana Pogroszewski leads the team with a 1.48 ERA, followed by Baylie Thornhill with a 1.82 ERA and Sydney Ward who carries a 1.96 ERA. Macie Welch also has a respectable ERA with a 2.60. SAU's staff ERA is a 1.84 and opponents are only hitting .223 off of SAU's four arms. Ward leads the staff with a 15-3 record, and also leads the team in strikeouts with 123. The Crowder College transfer has held opponents to a .201 batting average which leads the team. Ward as allowed 40 runs (33 earned) on 87 hits in 117.2 innings of work, which is the second most on the team behind KP who has tossed 118.1 innings. Pogroszewski holds a 13-4 record and ranks second on the squad with 114 strikeouts. KP has allowed 35 runs (25 earned) on 94 hits. The Utah native is holding opponent batting averages to .218. Thornhill has picked up three wins in the circle as she sits at 3-3 through 42.1 innings of work. The Division I transfer has allowed 14 runs (11 earned) on 41 hits to go along with 47 strikeouts. Welch has won two games on the season and has struck out 39 batters to go up against 38 hits allowed. The Natural State product has allowed 25 runs (14 earned). The Rangers come into the weekend batting .266 as a team and they have been outscored 305-210 this season. Abby DeTar has been the top hitter for NWOSU, as she leads the team in hits (55), runs (36), batting average (.367) and is tied for the team lead in RBI with Mackenzie Adams with 35. Adams leads the team in home runs with 10, followed by DeTar with seven. Hannah Howell ranks second on the team with 37 hits. Allison Zanca carries the second-best average for the Rangers as she is batting .346 to go along with 36 hits. NWOSU's pitching staff has a combined ERA of 7.82 and opponents are hitting .338 off of them. Howell has been the best arm in the circle for NWOSU, as she leads the team with a 9-13 record. Howell also leads the team in ERA (6.67), innings pitched (143.0), strikeouts (73) and complete games (13). She has allowed 208 hits and 121 runs (106 earned). Hannah Scoggins is second on the team with an 0-9 record through 79.2 innings. Scoggins has struck out 41 batters with go along with an 8.92 ERA. The series will get started tomorrow afternoon with a double-header that is set to start at 2:00 p.m. The two teams will wrap up the series on Saturday afternoon with an 11:00 a.m. first pitch. You can find live links to this weekend's series here.

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Hamilton delivers clutch hit in extras; SAU takes series finale and #theGAC Series over SNU

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/4/23/softball-hamilton-delivers-clutch-hit-in-extras-sau-takes-series-finale-and-thegac-series-over-snu.aspx

BETHANY, Okla. – Seven innings would prove to be not enough to decide the series finale between Southern Arkansas University and Southern Nazarene, as the two squads went into extra innings for the second straight day to decide the series winner. Mariah Hamilton came through in the clutch as the transfer hit a single to left field to drive in two runs, followed by the defense coming through in the bottom half of the inning to secure SAU's 33rd victory of the year. The Muleriders move to 33-14 (24-6 GAC) play after taking the series 2-1 over SNU. The Crimson Storm jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning as they plated three runs on two hits to lead 3-0. SAU responded with a three spot of their own in the next half inning highlighted by a solo blast from Gracie King that scored her and Alese Casper who led the inning off with a walk. Tiare Lee doubled to centerfield to score Alyssa Miller who reached on a fielder's choice to tie the game at three apiece. SNU put up one run in the bottom of the second on a sac fly, and then one more run the next inning on a solo blast to lead 5-3. The Muleriders got one run back in the bottom of the top of the fourth inning as Taylor Murphy hit a solo blast over the left center field fence. SNU answered back with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to widen their lead to 7-4. SAU was able to cut the deficit to one run as they scored two runs on two hits in the top of the sixth to make it 7-6 SNU. Taylor Murphy singled up the middle to start the inning, but was then out at second base on a fielder's choice. After coming into pinch run and reaching third base on a Lee walk, Ava Dunn and A. Miller who was hit by a pitch both came around to score on a Jade Miller single into left field. Dunn and A. Miller both were able to score on throwing errors. Down to their final chance in the game with two outs and two runners on, A. Miller was able to connect on a single up the middle to score Casper to tie the game at 7-7. After allowing a leadoff double, Baylie Thornhill was able to keep SNU at bay and hold them scoreless to send the game into extras. The eighth inning started out with a J. Miller double down the right field line, followed by a fielding error that allowed Jaxynn Dyson to reach base safely, and Madison Miller being hit by a ball to load the bases with no outs. After an SAU strikeout and infield fly out, Murphy was hit by a pitch that scored J. Miller. Hamilton then came through with a two RBI single to left field that plated M. Miller and Dyson to put SAU out in front 10-7. Thornhill then worked around two hits and a fielder's choice that allowed SNU to plate one run, but that would be their only run as SAU was able to record the final out to take it 10-8. Murphy, Hamilton and King all had two RBI for SAU. J. Miller, Casper, Murphy, and Hamilton all had two base hits, with King and Murphy both homering. Casper and A. Miller both scored twice. Thornhill picked up her third win of the season to move to 3-3 after coming entering in the bottom of the sixth inning. The former LSU Tiger and Ohio Bobcat tossed the final three frames in the circle and only allowed one run on four hits while striking out three. Sydney Ward got the start for SAU and pitched one inning, while Kiana Pogroszewski pitch 4.0 innings in relief, while allowing three runs and striking out three. The Muleriders will be back in Oklahoma next weekend, as they are set to close the season out with a three game Great American Conference series against Northwestern State Oklahoma University.

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Muleriders battle with Crimson Storm; Earn split on day

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/4/22/softball-muleriders-battle-with-crimson-storm-earn-split-on-day.aspx

BETHANY, Okla. – The Southern Arkansas University softball team picked up their 32nd win of the season on Friday afternoon to move to 32-14 (23-6 GAC) as they split with Southern Nazarene. The Muleriders dropped game in one extra innings 3-2, and then won game two 8-2. SAU and SNU will be back at it at 12:00 p.m. to decide the series. The Muleriders only collected six hits in the loss, and then doubled their hit total in the win as they finished with 12 hits. Game one saw both teams collect one hit a piece through the first three innings as they both were scoreless through three. SNU got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth inning with an RBI single up the middle. The Muleriders answered with a run of their own in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1 as Jaxynn Dyson singled through the left side to score Jade Miller. Both teams would remain quiet for the remainder of regulation to send the game to extras. SAU jumped out to their first lead of the game in the top of the eight innings as Gracie King singled to left center to push Dyson across to take the lead at 2-1. SNU unfortunately was able to push two runs across on the bottom of the eighth inning on a game winning double. Dyson led SAU with two hits, while J. Miller, Alese Casper, King and Taylor Murphy all had one hit. Sydney Ward got the start for SAU and went 6.0 innings, and allowed one run on four hits while striking out five. Baylie Thornhill took the loss after pitching 1.2 innings and allowing two runs on four hits. Game two saw a solid pitching performance from the Dr. Margret Downing Female Athlete of the Year in Kiana Pogroszewski. KP picked up her 13th win of the year as she pitched all 7.0 innings. She allowed nine hits on two runs (one earned) and struck out five. SAU did the majority of their damage from the top of the fourth inning and on, as they scored one run in the fourth, three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh. The Muleriders jumped out to a 1-0 lead to start the game, but SNU answered back with one run in the bottom of the first inning, and one more in the bottom of the third inning to lead 2-1, which would be their last score of the contest. Casper busted the game wide open with a 3-run blast over the left field fence in the top of the fifth inning to put SAU up 5-2. Madison Miller plated Tiare Lee and Dyson on a double in the sixth inning to make it 7-2 in favor of SAU. SAU's final run of the game came off of the bat of Lee as she hit a fielder's choice that scored Mariah Hamilton who crossed home plate on a throwing error. Casper, M. Miller, King, Lee, and Alyssa Miller all had two hits in the win. Casper led the Muleriders with three RBI, while M. Miller finished with two RBI. You can find live links to tomorrow's series finale here.

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Southern Arkansas' Sydney Ward throws no-hitter against Delta State

Source: http://www.magnoliareporter.com/sports/southern_arkansas_sports/article_273cdd38-c0d7-11ec-a106-3f05319ae7d9.html

CLEVELAND, MS – One day after being named Great American Conference Pitcher of the Week, Southern Arkansas University softball's Sydney Ward continued her dominating play as she tossed a complete game no-hitter in Game 1 against Delta State University.

The Muleriders took down the Statesmen 10-0 in game one, and 11-2 in game two. SAU was able to out-hit DSU 32-4 in the two-game set. The Muleriders move to 31-13 on the year with six games left on their regular season schedule.

Game 1

Southern Arkansas 10, Delta State 0

CLICK HERE to see the box score.

Ward's game one performance was one to remember, as the junior college transfer retired 19-of-21 batters while allowing no hits to pick up her team leading 15th win of the year. She struck out eight batters and only allowed three base runners, two of which reached in the first inning, with the third reaching in the sixth. Ward did not allow a base runner in the second, third, fourth or fifth innings. She is the first Mulerider to throw a no-hitter since Elisa Favela tossed three during the 2019 season.

SAU's bats matched Ward's dominance performance in the circle, as the Muleriders exploded for 17 hits in the game. The Muleriders jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Tiare Lee and Jade Miller led the game off with back-to-back home runs.

The Muleriders were able to push one more run across in the second inning as Alese Casper came around on a throwing error by the third baseman. J. Miller hit her second home run of the game in the top of the fourth inning to push SAU's lead to 4-0, followed by a Madison Miller solo shot to right field to make it 5-0.

The top of the sixth inning SAU the Muleriders explode for six hits and five runs. M. Miller led the inning off with a double to right field, followed by a Casper double to center field to put two on for Gracie King. King took advantage and knocked in M. Miller on a single to left field. Taylor Murphy got in on the big inning as she hit a sac fly to score Casper, followed by a Mariah Hamilton single that scored King. Alyssa Miller joined to the other two Miller's with an extra base hit of her own as she doubled down the right field line to score King. Jade Miller picked up her third hit of the game on a single that scored Hamilton to give SAU their 10th run of the game.

J. Miller led SAU with three hits, four RBI, two runs and two home runs. Lee, Casper, and King also all had three hits, while M. Miller and Hamilton collected two hits apiece.

Game 2

Southern Arkansas 11, Delta State 2

CLICK HERE to see the box score.

SAU's bats stayed hot in game two as the Muleriders reeled off 15 more hits to outhit the DSU 15-4 in the 11-2 victory. The Muleriders blasted two more home runs in the game with King and Hamilton hitting the long ball this time around.

The Muleriders put up six runs in the top of the first inning. Lee led the game off with a walk, followed by a J. Miller bunt single. Jaxynn Dyson hit a double into left field to score both J. Miller and Lee to put SAU on top 2-0. M. Miller got on base with a walk, followed by a Casper single to put three runners on. Murphy reached on a fielder's choice to score Dyson to make it 3-0. Hamilton then blasted a three-run home run to make it 6-0 SAU.

The Muleriders put up three more runs in the third inning with a King home run, and a J. Miller two run single that scored A. Miller and Murphy. SAU posted one more run in the top of the fifth inning as Murphy single to left field to score Casper, followed by one more run in the fifth inning that came off of the Dyson that plated Lee.

Lee SAU with three hits in the contest. J. Miller, Dyson, and Murphy all finished with two hits and two RBI apiece. Hamilton led the squad with three RBI.

Kiana Pogroszewski picked up her 12th win of the season as she got the start in the circle. KP went 4.0 innings and struck out four batters, while allowing three hits and two runs (one earned). Baylie Thornhill pitched one inning in relief and struck out three batters, while allowing just one hit.

The Muleriders will hit the road to Oklahoma this weekend for a three game GAC set with Southern Nazarene University. The two will open up with a double-header on Friday afternoon and single game on Saturday

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Adorno, Pogroszewski headline honorees at Fifth Annual Mulespy Awards

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/4/22/general-adorno-pogroszewski-headline-honorees-at-fifth-annual-mulespy-awards.aspx

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – For the first time since 2019, Southern Arkansas University and the Mulerider Athletics family gathered together inside the W.T. Watson Center to celebrate its student-athletes, coaches and programs as part of the Fifth Annual Mulespy Awards which took place on Wednesday evening. Garnering the department's top two athletic honors were Mulerider Baseball freshman pitcher Jeremy Adorno, who was named the Auburn Smith Male Athlete of the Year, and SAU Softball freshman pitcher Kiana Pogroszewski, who claimed the Dr. Margaret Downing Female Athlete of the Year award. The player of the year awards are given to the top Male and Female Athlete in a given year at SAU regardless of classification and that possesses conduct that has been a positive influence for good, and exemplifies the ideals of Auburn Smith and Dr. Margaret Downing; each an SAU Sports Hall of Famer that left an indelible mark on Mulerider Athletics during their storied tenures at the University. For their outstanding academic achievement, extracurricular involvement and athletic ability, the Murphy USA Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were presented to Mulerider Football senior defensive back Brock Floyd and Mulerider Volleyball sophomore setter Morgan Schuster. In continual recognition of Murphy USA's strong partnership with Southern Arkansas University and Mulerider Athletics, Murphy USA's Calli Sampson, Director, Trading, Scheduling & Optimization, was on hand to present some remarks on behalf of the organization and help present both scholar honors which were first awarded in 2017. Schuster was also honored alongside 22 other student-athletes that made up the second induction class of the SAU Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma; the first, and only, national scholar-athlete society to honor four-year collegiate student-athletes who have excelled in both the classroom and in athletic competition. The ceremony was conducted by SAU Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Scott White and Associate Director of Athletics for Internal Operations Sage Woodham. With two classes now inducted following last year's inaugural ceremony, the chapter roll now stands at 45 outstanding Mulerider scholar-athletes. SAU President Dr. Trey Berry delivered a special address which included a moving and inspirational story about one of his brothers' experience with National Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. Berry was also present to lead a small graduation ceremony for a dozen student-athletes who are graduating in May, but will not be able to attend the May 6 graduation date due to participation in their respective conference tournaments. White also briefly spoke on the Mulerider Club and of its impact; past, present, and future, on Mulerider Athletics after serving as the club chair this past year. The night's keynote speaker, two-time Mulerider Football All-American and SAU Sports Hall of Fame inductee as well as Canadian Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 inductee Nik Lewis, delivered an encouraging address that touched on what motivated him during his time at Southern Arkansas as well as how he carried that with him into his professional ventures, while also challenging the Muleriders to be selfishly unselfish, to set goals, and to strive daily to touch greatness. "I hope I did you proud by going off and accomplishing what I accomplished," remarked Lewis. "I'm at the top of one mountain, I'm looking to climb my next mountain, but when I get to the top I want to look over and see you at the top of your mountain…. stay the course." In 2018, through feedback from the SAU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, two new award categories were established with the Male and Female Newcomer of the Year Awards, and the Male and Female Comeback Player of the Year Awards with both now being presented annually. Capturing the honors in the newcomer category were SAU Softball senior transfer Jade Miller and Mulerider Football freshman Jariq Scales. For the Comeback Player of the Year award, SAU Women's Tennis senior Simone Simas and Mulerider Baseball junior Ty Manning claimed the hardware. Fifteen outstanding student-athletes and one outstanding athletic trainer were honored, while 65 senior student-athletes were recognized and gifted a special framed letterman patch to commemorate their time as a Mulerider. Auburn Smith Male Athlete of the Year Jeremy Adorno (Baseball) Adorno-no as he was eloquently tabbed after tossing just the sixth no-hitter in program history in his very first start as a Mulerider has had the Mulerider faithful screaming "Yes". The freshman righthander, who is a native of Kissimmee, Florida, has been phenomenal in 11 starts this season. This spring, Adorno has collected five Great American Conference Pitcher of the Week honors which are the second most in a single season in league history and tie him for the most in a single career by a Mulerider. He became the first Mulerider arm since 2015 to capture an NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week honor. He leads the country in wins with 11 and is tops in the Great American Conference in ERA, strikeouts, hits allowed per nine (4.86), strikeouts per nine (12.29), and WHIP (1.02), while his hits allowed per nine and WHIP also rank in the top 25 in Division II. In his most recent outing, Adorno became just the fifth different Mulerider pitcher to top the century mark in strikeouts in a single season. Adorno has amassed 73.2 innings pitched this spring with five complete games, three shutouts and one combined shutout and if the numbers above don't prove his dominance, maybe the opponent batting average of .180 and the only nine extra base hits allowed will. Dr. Margaret Downing Female Athlete of the Year Kiana Pogroszewski (Softball) Pogroszewski, in her first year as a Mulerider, continues to cast a daunting shadow over opposing hitters this season. In 23 games played with 13 starts which includes eight complete game efforts, Pogroszewski leads the Mulerider pitching staff in ERA, WHIP, total appearances, complete games and shutouts. Through 107.1 innings pitched, KP's ERA ranks in the top 30 nationally and is the fifth-best in the Central Region, while her walks and hits allowed per innings pitched rests below 1 and is second in the conference. She boasts a 12-4 record overall with nine of those wins coming against Great American Conference competition. The Ephraim, Utah product's punchout production has been significant as she has tallied 106 strikeouts this season and owns a strikeout per seven innings clip of 6.9 which ranks sixth in the GAC. She fanned a season-high ten vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State, has recorded six-plus strikeouts in nine appearances and currently carries a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.82 which lands her 14th in the Central Region. Murphy USA Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Brock Floyd (Football) Floyd, who graduated Magna Cum Laude in December with a 3.8 GPA in Business Administration, capped his collegiate career as a Mulerider by earning consecutive CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team honors; the first Mulerider in program history to twice be bestowed first team recognition. During his time at SAU, Floyd served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, was a member of SAU's inaugural induction class of Chi Alpha Sigma and was a well-respected leader on the Mulerider Football team. A native of Frisco, Texas, Floyd was also rewarded for his efforts on the gridiron. A fearsome defensive back of the Mulerider secondary, Floyd's 78 tackles were the sixth-most in the Great American Conference and he finished second in the league in solo tackles with 50. He added six tackles for loss, one sack and recorded two interceptions, forced two fumbles and recovered another which he housed from 60 yards out. An All-GAC First Team honoree, Floyd was named a D2CCA All-Super Region 3 Second Teamer following the 2021 campaign. Murphy USA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Morgan Schuster (Volleyball) Schuster, a sophomore setter from Arlington, Texas, is a Biology: Pre-Health major with a 3.93 GPA. A member of the SAU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Schuster has been as busy off the court as she has been productive on it. The Texan is a member of SAU's Pre-Health Club where she has served as secretary for the past two years in addition to serving as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. James Hyde. Recently, Schuster was awarded Health Sciences Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Presentation at the 2022 Arkansas Academy of Sciences Conference. Schuster is active in the community having participated with her teammates a places like CCAPS and the Boys & Girls Club on multiple occasions through the department's "Muleriders in Magnolia" community service initiative. Now about that production on the floor. Schuster garnered All-GAC Honorable Mention recognition following a season that saw her average the fourth-most assists per set in the GAC at 8.88 and record the sixth-most assists overall with 844. She played and started all 26 matches compiling 95 sets of action which resulted in eight double-double performances, 101 total points, 57 kills, 20 service aces, 208 digs and 43 total blocks. Additionally, she became just the fifth player in program history to eclipse 2,000 career assists. Male Comeback Player of the Year Ty Manning (Baseball) A native of Flower Mound, Texas, Manning battled nagging injuries throughout the 2021 season, while also dealing with vision issues that played a part in a down year statistically. Refreshed and healthy in the offseason with the previous vision issues behind him, Manning's 2022 season has been dominant. His 46 hits are tied for the third-most on the team behind 13 multi-hit games in 36 games played this season. His batting average is currently up 100 points, he owns a team-low strikeout rate and he has produced 30 RBI, scored 43 runs and been hit-by-pitch a GAC-leading 18 times this spring which ranks third nationally. Female Comeback Player of the Year Simone Simas (Women's Tennis) Simas, a senior from Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal, battled through wrist difficulties throughout her time at SAU and In December of 2020, a surgery to repair her wrist sidelined her for the 2021 spring. However, Simas returned stateside and nestled back into head coach Greg Owen's lineup and picked up where she left off. An All-GAC First Team selection in 2019 and one of the team's top talents in 2020, Simas' return has been thoroughly welcomed as she leads the team with nine singles victories which includes five in three sets, while also totaling a team-best 14 wins in doubles play. She became the first player in program history to claim both a singles and doubles victory over a Division I opponent in the same match. Male Newcomer of the Year Jariq Scales (Football) Scales, a native of Osceola, Arkansas, was highly productive in his first season of action as a Mulerider. In 11 games, he broke the program's single-season rushing record after totaling 1,476 yards; the eighth-most in Division II in 2021, behind seven 100+ yard rushing performances and a pair of 200+ yard rushing performances. He tallied 245 yards on the ground in SAU's Murphy USA Classic win over Arkansas Tech; the second-most in a single game in program history. He scored 10 total touchdowns and carried the football an NCAA program-record 236 times. For his efforts, Scales was named the Great American Conference's Freshman of the Year, an All-GAC Second Team performer and was honored as a Don Hansen Division II Honorable Mention All-America. Female Newcomer of the Year Jade Miller (Softball) To say Miller has been impactful in her first season in Magnolia would be an understatement. Hitting at the top of head coach Jason Anderson's lineup, Miller paces the Muleriders in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. The Plano, Texas native leads the Great American Conference in hits with 61 which includes 18 extra base hits and 20 multi-hit games. Miller has played and started all 44 games for Southern Arkansas this spring scoring 38 runs and delivering 25 RBI behind eight multi-RBI games. A tough matchup for opposing pitchers, Miller has struck out just nine times this season and owns a toughest to strikeout metric that ranks third in the GAC. Outstanding Athletes Maddison Jones (Athletic Training) Jeremy Adorno (Baseball) Devante Brooks (Men's Basketball) Diamond Morris (Women's Basketball) Rob Kraus (Men's Cross Country) Logan Warren (Women's Cross Country) Shelby Sawyer (Cheerleading) Brock Floyd (Football) Roman Timmerman (Men's Golf) Mackenzy Turner (Women's Golf) Sydney Ward (Softball) Ole Valkyser (Men's Tennis) Simone Simas (Women's Tennis) Travon Johnson (Men's Track and Field) Kamrin Hooks (Women's Track and Field) Morgan Schuster (Volleyball) 2022 Induction Class of the SAU Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma Austin Wilkerson (Football) Bronwyn Buchanan (Women's Track/XC) Camryn Fennell (Women's Basketball) Cecilia Quesada (Women's Track/XC) Chris Sutton (Baseball) Connor Harrington (Men's Golf) Connor White (Men's Track) Devlin Rivera (Women's Track) Garrett McWhorter (Football) Gavin Roe (Football) Jariq Scales (Football) Jessica Jones (Women's Basketball) Kamrin Hooks (Women's Track) Makana Morton (Softball) Mariah Hamilton (Softball) MJ Loggins (Football) Morgan Schuster (Volleyball) Natalie Phillips (Softball) Rozlyne Manor (Women's Track) Sarah Evans (Softball) Simone Simas (Women's Tennis) Tim Ryan (Men's Golf) Tucker Paris (Baseball) 2020-21 Senior Student-Athletes Athletic Training Sarah Cook | Malvern, Ark. Raegan Erskine | Nashville, Ark. Sarah Evans | Bryant, Ark. Maddison Jones | Hampton, Ark. Baseball Tucker Burton | Granger, Texas James Janco | McKinney, Texas Cameron Lang | Midlothian, Texas JJ Martin | Charleston, West Virginia Jacob Martinez | Haltom City, Texas Reed Osborn | Lewisville, Texas Josh Walker | Prosper, Texas Jacob Womack | Henderson, Texas Men's Basketball Devante Brooks | Shreveport, Louisiana Jalen Brooks | Shreveport, Louisiana Aaron Lucas | Tulsa, Oklahoma Women's Basketball Doriana Brown | Georgetown, Texas Maggie Evans | Conway, Arkansas Camryn Fennell | Tulsa, Oklahoma Ariana Guinn | Hot Springs, Arkansas Jenae Jennings | Marshall, Arkansas Lillie Moore | Magnolia, Arkansas Kisi Young | Magnolia, Arkansas Men's Cross Country/Track and Field Evan Delgado | Round Rock, Texas Asher Hamlin | Maumelle, Arkansas Christian Mosley | Natchitoches, La. Kris Shumaker | Longview, Texas Women's Cross Country/Track and Field Alyssa Dohm | Des Arc, Arkansas Trinity Easter | Magnolia, Ark. Kamrin Hooks | Shreveport, La. Rebecca Miner | Pittsburg, Texas Cecilia Quesada | Rio Rancho, New Mexico Leah Sanders | Humble, Texas Allyson Sellers | Vilonia, Ark. Kaliyah Thompson | Queen City, Texas Brittney Yarbro | Lumberton, Texas Cheerleading Kayte Ledbetter | St. Louis, Missouri Shelby Sawyer | Texarkana, Arkansas Football Rick Barrick | Katy, Texas Demoni Boyd | Covington, Louisiana Brock Floyd | Frisco, Texas Cameron Gonzaque | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Desmond Jones | Monroe, Louisiana Hayden Mallory | Gonzalez, Louisiana Brock Price | Farmersville, Texas Zack Rice | Colleyville, Texas Deno Rogers | Chidester, Arkansas Steven Taylor | Katy, Texas Men's Golf Roman Timmerman | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Women's Golf Corynn McKinnie | Frisco, Texas Mackenzy Turner | Georgetown, Texas Softball Alese Casper | Grantsville, Utah Sarah Evans | Bryant, Arkansas Tiare Lee | Las Vegas, Nevada Jade Miller | Plano, Texas Madison Miller | Wichita, Kansas Madison Monson | Denham Springs, Louisiana Men's Tennis Iker Brull | Castalla, Alicante, Spain Jonathan Gilmore | Midlothian, Texas Yuri Gondouin | Saint-Germain-En-Laye, France Stuart Rehfuss | Xanten, Germany Women's Tennis Finley Blair | Frisco, Texas Serena Gill | Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England Simone Simas | Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal Brenda Teixeira | Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil Volleyball Abby Bermudez | Kaufman, Texas

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SAU Softball set for final home series

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/4/14/sau-softball-set-for-final-home-series.aspx

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – For the final time this season, the Southern Arkansas University softball will play on their home field as they are set to host the Oklahoma Baptist University Bison in a three game Great American Conference series. The series will get started on Friday afternoon with a double header at 3:00 p.m. and wrap up on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Seven SAU Seniors will be honored for Senior Day prior to Saturday's first pitch. The Muleriders come into this series with a 26-13 overall record and league best (19-5 GAC) mark. The Bison are 27-18 (13-11 GAC) and currently sit in 5th place in the GAC. SAU is coming off of a series win against Harding last weekend. After dropping the first game of the series 2-0, the Muleriders were able to come out on Saturday and sweep the Bisons (5-3, 4-3). Jason Anderson's squad has now won seven of their eight GAC series after picking up a win over Monticello on Tuesday afternoon 9-3 and have three more remaining this season. The Bison have won their last six games, which includes a GAC sweep over Northwestern Oklahoma State University last weekend and a Sweep over Texas Women's University this past Wednesday. OKBU has picked up four GAC series wins, and four GAC series losses. The Bison's picked up series wins over NWOSU, Southeastern Oklahoma State, East Central and Ouachita Baptist. SAU's season average has continued to rise as they are now hitting .281 as a team. Jade Miller has the highest average on the team as she is hitting .407, to go along with her team leading 57 hits. The Muleriders have four players batting .300 or higher, as Tiare Lee is second on the team with a .343 avg, followed by Jaxynn Dyson (.311), Madison Miller (.304) and Alese Casper (.303). Seven Muleriders have recorded 20+ hits this season, while, four have 20+ RBI. Dyson is second on the team behind J. Miller's 57 with 37 hits, followed by Casper with 36. M. Miller has collected 28 base knocks, followed by Lee (24) and Mariah Hamilton and Taylor Murphy who both have 21. Dyson leads SAU with 30 RBI, followed by Lee (26), J. Miller (24) and M. Miller (21). J. Miller still holds the team lead in home runs with nine, followed by Dyson with eight. Lee and Sarah Evans both have six bombs, while M. Miller has four. The Muleriders have let to allow 100 total runs this season as they are outscoring opponents 188-98. J. Miller has scored 36 of those runs, while Casper has crossed home plate 30 times. Dyson has scored 20 runs, followed by Lee (16), M. Miller (15) and Gracie King (14). Sydney Ward picked up wins in both of her last two outings to push her record to 12-3 and carries a 2.09 ERA. Ward has tossed 93.2 innings, and has struck out 90 batters. She has allowed 34 runs (28 earned) on 74 hits. Kiana Pogroszewski leads the team with 96.1 innings in the circle to go along with her team leading 1.45 ERA. KP also leads the staff in strikeouts with 94. Pogroszewski has allowed 28 runs (20 earned) on 73 hits. Baylie Thornhill picked up her second career win against HU to move her record to 2-2. The Grad Transfer has made 12 appearances and carries a 1.57 ERA, as she has struck out 38 batters and allowed 11 runs (eight earned) on 32 hits. OKBU comes into the weekend hitting .257 as a team. The Bison have been led by Samantha Campos who leads the team with 42 hits. Jocee Sparks has collected 40 hits, followed by Adi Reese with 37. Sparks leads the Bison with 36 RBI and nine home runs, followed by Campos with 25 RBI and five home runs. Reese leads the team with 29 runs. Kayleigh Jones has been the main arm in the circle for OKBU as she has a 17-10 record with a 169.0 innings. She has struck out a whopping 246 batters. Aspen Younce holds a 10-6 record with 109.0 innings pitched. The six seniors that will be honored prior to Saturday's game will include Casper, Evans, Lee, J. Miller, M. Miller, Madison Monson and Taylor Murphy. You can find live links to this weekend's series here.

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Muleriders handle UAM 9-3 on Tuesday to earn GAC series win

Source: https://muleriderathletics.com/news/2022/4/12/softball-muleriders-handle-uam-9-3-on-tuesday-to-earn-gac-series-win.aspx

MONTICELLO, Ark. – Southern Arkansas matched a season-high in hits as a team with 15 led by Jade Miller's four, Sydney Ward won her 12th game of the season in the circle and the Muleriders handled Arkansas-Monticello 9-3 on Tuesday to capture the Great American Conference series which began on March 9 with each team claiming a win in Magnolia. SAU led 2-0 through two innings of play, but heated up at the plate late as the squad pushed across three runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh for good measure. Of the 15 extra base hits, four were doubles as Tiare Lee, Madison Miller, Alese Casper and Mariah Hamilton all notched two baggers with Madison Miller's double opening up the game with two runs to make it 4-0 SAU in the fifth. Ward went 4.2 in the circle and worked around six walks and two hits to fan six. Kiana Pogroszewski tossed the final 2.1 innings to strikeout two with four UAM hits scoring two runs off of the righthander. The Muleriders prepare for their final homestand of the regular season this weekend in Magnolia. Southern Arkansas welcomes in Oklahoma Baptist for a three-game Great American Conference series set for 5 p.m. start on Friday, April 15 with an Easter Eve doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.