OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU softball team will host a pair of tough doubleheaders this weekend as the Evangels will wrap-up its four-game series against Southwestern Christian with a 2 p.m. first pitch at Allen Field on Friday before closing out the weekend with a twin bill against No. 9 Science & Arts at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 21-7 (8-4 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost at Southwestern Christian – 12-6 – Apr. 4, 2023 – Bethany, Okla.
• Top Performers (Hitting):
  • Janessa Larman – SR – 3B
    • .422 BA (35-83), 10 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 13 R, 4 BB, 2 HBP, .441 OB%, .675 SLG%
  • Rachel Humburg – SR – OF
    • .369 BA (24-65), 3 2B, 1 3B, 10 RBI, 10 R, 10 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SB, .455 OB%, .446 SLG%
  • Cailey Parsells – SR – OF
    • .357 BA (25-70), 1 HR, 12 RBI, 27 R, 17 BB, 2 HBP, 24 SB, .489 OB%, .400 SLG%
• Top Performers (Pitching):
  • Rachel Eggleston – SO – RHP
    • 13-2 W-L, 1.58 ERA, 15 APP, 14 GS, 6 CG, 2 SHO, 80.0 IP, 53 H, 19 R, 18 ER, 16 BB, 83 SO, .182 OBA
  • Avery Schneringer – JR – RHP
    • 8-3 W-L, 2.34 ERA, 14 APP, 13 GS, 7 CG, 1 SHO, 74.2 IP, 70 H, 33 R, 25 ER, 27 BB, 45 SO, .245 OBA
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian split its doubleheader with Southwestern Christian on Tuesday. After Rachel Eggleston went the distance, allowing just one earned run on four hits in a 5-1 win in game one, the Evangels struggled in the field and in the circle in game two, falling 12-6 to the Eagles.
  • That victory for Eggleston marked her 30^th career win in the circle, allowing her to become just the second Evangels pitcher in program history to record at least 30 wins. She currently only sits behind three-time NCCAA All-American Regan Martin (2018-21), who finished her illustrious MACU career with 48 wins.
  • Cailey Parsells continued to wreak havoc at the plate in game one, recording a pair of RBIs, both coming on two separate bunt singles and drove in a third after a throwing error by the Eagles third baseman.
  • After playing some outstanding defense in the opening game, the Evangels struggled in the field in game two, committing four different errors resulting in five unearned runs in MACU's defeat. The four miscues tied a season-high for the Evangels, matching the four errors MACU committed in a 6-5 extra-inning defeat to Oklahoma Panhandle State on Mar. 18.

SCOUTING REPORT
Southwestern Christian (Okla.)

• Record: 25-9 (11-9 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. Mid-America Christian – 12-6 – Apr. 4, 2023 – Bethany, Okla.
• Series vs MACU (2005-): MACU leads 27-12
• Last Game vs MACU: SCU won 12-6 – Apr. 4, 2023 – Bethany, Okla.
• Players to Watch (Hitting):
  • Jessie Moralez – FR – UTL
    • .442 BA (34-77), 8 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 21 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 3 SB, .464 OB%, .675 SLG%
  • Megan Vess – SR – INF
    • .433 BA (29-67), 8 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 25 R, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SB, .467 OB%, .687 SLG%
  • Hannah Keele – FR – UTL
    • .423 BA (44-104), 3 2B, 8 3B, 1 HR, 30 RBI, 38 R, 10 BB, 22 SB, .474 OB%, .635 SLG%
• Players to Watch (Pitching):
  • Lauren Schallert – FR – P
    • 12-3 W-L, 2.64 ERA, 16 APP, 11 GS, 6 CG, 74.1 IP, 61 H, 36 R, 28 ER, 20 BB, 73 SO, .210 OBA
  • Harli Clem – JR – P
    • 5-3 W-L, 1 SV, 3.40 ERA, 15 APP, 10 GS, 3 CG, 1 SHO, 55.2 IP, 68 H, 39 R, 27 ER, 13 BB, 34 SO, .291 OBA
• Team Notes:
  • Southwestern Christian enters the weekend as one of the best hitting teams in the SAC, ranking second at .345 with the league's third-best on-base percentage (.398) and second-best slugging percentage (.499).
  • The Eagles have also been solid in the pitching department, ranking fourth in the conference in team ERA (3.38), but are posting the SAC's sixth-best fielding percentage (.931).
  • Impressively, the Eagles have a pair of batters who rank in the top five in the SAC in batting average with Jessie Moralez ranking third (.442) and Hannah Keele ranking fourth with a .423 average. Another batter who is close to qualifying due to some missed games is Megan Vess, who is posting a .433 hitting clip.
  • SCU's most effective pitcher this season has been Lauren Schallert, who enters the weekend with the SAC's fourth-most wins (12) and sixth-best ERA (2.64) while effectively striking out 73 batters while issuing just 20 walks. While Harli Clem has been the squad's No. 2 pitcher for most of the season, Elisha Stilwell and Addison Hanna have been seeing more action as of late while Addison Hanna has pitched solidly in her last three appearances, not allowing more than two earned runs in either appearance.
  • In the matchup between two of the league's best hurlers in Eggleston and Schallert on Tuesday, Eggleston turned in the winning performance after allowing just one earned run on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts while Schallert gave up five runs, four earned on five hits with three walks and four K's as each pitcher went the distance in the 5-1 result. In the latter game, both starters in Avery Schneringer and Stilwell struggled in the early going with neither pitching getting through four complete, but Hanna came on in relief and allowed just two runs, one earned over the final four innings as SCU broke a 4-4 tie in the fourth to pull away with the 12-6 victory.

SCOUTING REPORT
No. 9 Science & Arts (Okla.)

• Record: 25-9 (15-3 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost at Texas Wesleyan – 6-4 – Apr. 1, 2023 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2008-): USAO leads 45-12
• Last Game vs MACU: USAO won 4-1 – Apr. 2, 2022 – Chickasha, Okla.
• Players to Watch (Hitting):
  • Jaclyn Gray – SR – C
    • .422 BA (46-109), 13 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 49 RBI, 30 R, 7 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SB, .454 OB%, .817 SLG%
  • Malea McMurtrey – FR – INF
    • .370 BA (30-81), 3 3B, 16 RBI, 32 R, 13 BB, 2 HBP, 26 SB, .469 OB%, .444 SLG%
  • Sierra Selfridge – SO – OF
    • .365 BA (35-96), 6 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 26 R, 9 BB, 3 HBP, 6 SB, .431 OB%, .573 SLG%
• Players to Watch (Pitching):
  •  Sophie Williams – SO – RHP
    • 11-4 W-L, 1.50 ERA, 19 APP, 17 GS, 14 CG, 7 SHO, 112.1 IP, 63 H, 32 R, 24 ER, 22 BB, 144 SO, .158 OBA
  • Abi Gregory – FR – RHP
    • 13-3 W-L, 2.84 ERA, 18 APP, 16 GS, 10 CG, 4 SHO, 86.1 IP, 56 H, 44 R, 35 ER, 60 BB, 111 SO, .181 OBA
• Team Notes:
  • No. 9 Science & Arts is coming off a surprising four-game split at Texas Wesleyan last weekend. After opening the series with a 5-0, 17-8 doubleheader sweep on Mar. 31, the Lady Rams were able to bounce back with a 1-0, 6-4 sweep of their own over the Drovers.
  • USAO comes into the weekend with the SAC's third-best team batting average (.321) to go with the third-best slugging (.493) and fourth-best on-base percentage (.387). The Drovers are also one of the conference's best pitching teams with the second-best ERA (2.16) while striking by far and away a league-most 267 batters at an 8.87 K/7 rate. Science & Arts is also performing well in the field, boasting the SAC's third-best fielding percentage at .957.
  • The Drovers offensively are led by one of the best bats in the SAC in senior catcher Jaclyn Gray. Currently posting the SAC's second-highest slugging percentage at .817 and fifth-best batting average at .422, Gray leads the league with eight home runs and has tallied the second-most doubles with 13. Her 49 RBIs also by far and away leads the conference while scoring the ninth-most runs with 30.
  • USAO features a stellar pitching tandem that consists of sophomore righty Sophie Williams and freshman righty Abi Gregory. Entering the weekend, Williams leads the SAC with a 1.50 ERA, just seven-hundredths lower than MACU's Eggleston while striking out a league-most 144 batters while issuing just 22 walks for a 6.5 strikeout to walk ratio. Gregory has also been a strong addition to the Drovers rotation in 2023, posting a 13-3 record with a 2.84 ERA.
  • Mid-America Christian will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak to the Drovers. After being swept in last year's four-game series, MACU will be hoping to replicate their 2021 success as MACU split the series 2-2 with USAO before falling 1-0 in 10 innings to the Drovers in the SAC Tournament. MACU's last win over USAO came on Apr. 10, 2021 at Allen Field as the Evangels pushed across four runs in the first inning before holding on for the 4-2 victory.