NORMAN, Oklahoma—The ACU Wildcats will travel north this weekend to play in the Oklahoma Tournament. In three days, they will face four different opponents, including the host Sooners.
The Wildcats are 1-9 on the season but won their last time out: an 8-0 run-rule win over East Texas A&M last Sunday in the final game of the Lion Invitational in Commerce. The Sooners – the four-time defending national champions – are 10-0 with five shutouts and four straight run-rule victories, including two over nationally ranked Baylor.
ACU will begin its tournament run on Saturday with a 5:30 p.m. game against Bowling Green at Love's Field. The Wildcats will then play on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Tulsa and 6 p.m. against Wichita State, both at Love's Field. The Wildcats will finish the tournament on Monday with games against Wichita State (11 a.m. at Marita Hynes Field) and Oklahoma (2 p.m. at Love's Field).
The Wildcats have faced a challenging schedule in the first two weeks of the season as they've played No. 5 Texas A&M (1-0 loss), No. 19 Baylor, Purdue, Iowa, and Rutgers. Opponent pitching has kept the ACU bats under wraps through 10 games, holding the Wildcats to a .226 team batting average. Elizabeth Schaefer leads the ACU offense with a .429 batting average and six runs scored. Audrey Lacina has three of the team's nine doubles. Lina Russo has been solid in the circle for the Wildcats, posting a 3.72 ERA in five starts. She's thrown three complete games and struck out 19 batters.
Here's a glance at ACU's four opponents in the tournament:
• Bowling Green (2-3) – The Falcons have just played five games, all at the Spartan Classic, hosted by South Carolina-Upstate Feb. 7-9 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Bowling Green knocked off Monmouth twice in the tournament but lost twice to USC-Upstate and once to Aiken (S.C.). Bowling Green hits .246 with seven doubles and five home runs as a team. Addie Martin leads the Falcons with a .417 batting average. Sydney Marshall has a team-low 1.17 ERA, but Scarlet Anderson leads the team in innings (9.0), appearances (3), and strikeouts (5).
• Tulsa (5-5) – Included in the losses the Golden Hurricane have suffered so far this season are a 4-2 loss to No. 1 Texas, 4-1 against Sam Houston State, and 6-2 against Southland Conference powerhouse McNeese State. Tulsa is led by Claira Skaggs, who is hitting .346 with two home runs and seven RBI, and Celeste Wood, hitting .321 with two home runs and 11 RBI. Maura Moore leads the pitching staff with a 4-2 record to go along with 26 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings.
• Wichita State (6-4) – The Shockers have four of their last five games entering the tournament. The Shockers are coming off a 1-4 week at the Shriners' Children's Clearwater Invitational, where they faced four teams in the Top 25 or receiving votes. The Shockers lost to No. 23 Kentucky (2-0), No. 5 Texas A&M (9-1), San Diego State (4-3), and No. 8 Florida State (15-5). Lauren Lucas leads the offense with a .500 batting average (15 for 30), 10 runs scored, three home runs, and nine RBI. Taylor Sedlacek, Catelyn Beckereley, and Jodie Epperson have all hit two home runs. Chloe Barber is 2-2 with a 1.47 ERA in the circle. She's struck out 27 batters in 28 2/3 innings of work.
• No. 2 Oklahoma (10-0) – Head coach Patty Gasso's team is off to another blazing start as they seek a fifth straight. national championship. The Sooners are ranked No. 2 in all four national softball polls behind their rivals to the south: Texas. OU pitchers have thrown five shutouts so far, and the team has won by the run-rule five times this season, including in four straight games. OU is hitting .330 with 18 doubles and 19 home runs. Ella Parker is blistering hot, carrying a .647 batting average with seven doubles, three home runs, and 14 RBI into the weekend. Syndey Barker is tied for the team lead with three home runs and 14 RBIs. The pitching staff's ERA is a minuscule 1.38, with 78 strikeouts to just eight walks in 66.0 innings. Sam Landry leads the staff in appearances (5), innings (20.1) and strikeouts (31).
