SEARCY – Harding baseball returns to Jerry Moore Field this weekend for a three-game Great American Conference series against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at noon and one game Sunday at 1 p.m.

Harding enters the series 18-13 overall and 10-8 in GAC games. The Bisons are tied with Southeastern Oklahoma State for fifth place in the conference standings. The top six teams qualify for the GAC Tournament in Enid, Okla., on May 4-7.

Southwestern Oklahoma State enters the series with a conference-best nine-game winning streak. The Bulldogs are 20-11 overall and are tied for second in the conference with a 12-6 record.

Harding is seventh in the GAC with a .289 batting average and ranks fifth with a 4.18 team ERA. Southwestern is third in the conference with a .302 average and leads the GAC with a 3.30 ERA.

Harding's leading hitter this season through 18 conference games is junior Matt Calhoun, who is hitting .355 with two home runs and 12 RBI. Both Paul Anzalone (14-for-28) and Chris Hardey (9-for-18) have hit .500 in conference games in limited action.

Bison starting pitchers Cameron Walker and Hayden Shirley have matching 3.86 ERAs in conference play. Walker has a 2-1 GAC record, and Shirley is 3-3.

Southwestern's Kale Thaxton has the second-best average in conference games this season, hitting .431 (22-for-51). The Bulldogs' top GAC pitcher has been Calyn Young (3-1, 2.33).

The Bisons and Bulldogs have met 11 times in baseball with Southwestern holding a 6-5 series lead. Last season, Southwestern swept Harding in Searcy, allowing only one run in the three-game series.