Harding (20-18, 11-7) vs. Northwestern Oklahoma (16-20, 8-13)
When: Friday, Apr. 10 (DH) at 5 p.m. & Saturday, Apr. 11 at 12 p.m.
Where: Alva, Okla. (Myers Field)
Series: Harding leads 5-1
Harding Notes
With only three Great American Conference series remaining to determine the six entries in the conference tournament, Harding makes its longest road trip of the season (505 miles) to Alva, Oklahoma, to meet Northwestern Oklahoma for a three-game series beginning Friday with a doubleheader at 5 p.m.
Harding enters the weekend in third place in the GAC standings, only one game back of leader Ouachita Baptist in a very close race. The difference between first place and sixth place in the conference standings is only three games.
The Bisons have risen to seventh in the GAC in team batting at .278 and are eighth in scoring at 5.2 runs per game. Senior Kyler Offenbacker has Harding's best average in GAC games this season, hitting .362 with 17 hits in 47 at-bats, including five doubles. Offenbacker, junior Noah Chandler and junior Davis Richardson have all scored 15 runs in conference games, and Chandler and junior Zac Stewart have a team-best 16 RBIs.
Offenbacker and senior Shane Kinnear carry Harding's longest current hitting streaks at eight games each. Offenbacker is 11 for 27 (.407), and Kinnear is 10 for 25 (.400) during their streaks.
Harding's pitching staff is ranked third in the GAC with a 3.99 ERA. The squad's ERA rises slightly to 4.24 in conference games. The Bisons will have the same projected starters that have pitched weekends throughout the season. Juniors Collin Campbell and Andrew Fiddler are set to make their 10th starts. Campbell is 4-2 with a 3.48 ERA, and Fiddler is 4-2 with a 3.13 ERA and leads the team with 40 strikeouts. Junior Jacob Stripling is slated to make his ninth start and is 4-3 with a 3.17 ERA.
Northwestern Oklahoma Notes
Northwestern Oklahoma is 16-20 overall and 8-13 in conference. The Rangers are in 10th place in the GAC standings but are in their final school year as a provisional member and are not eligible for the conference tournament. Northwestern is 6-8 at home this season, including 4-5 in its three GAC home series.
Jeff Martin, a senior first baseman from Ajax, Ontario, leads the Ranger offense with a .386 average, 24 runs, 13 doubles and 31 RBIs. The Rangers are ninth in the conference with a .263 average and score 4.4 runs per game.
The Rangers' pitching staff has a 5.32 ERA, good for eighth in the GAC. Matthew Bickford, a freshman right-hander from Boston, Massachusetts, has been Northwestern's top starter. He is 4-4 with a 3.29 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 52 innings. The Rangers have used 16 different pitchers throughout the season.
Series
Harding and Northwestern Oklahoma have only met in two previous series and a total of six games. In 2013, Harding traveled to Alva for a three-game series and won two of three. The Bisons swept the series last season in Searcy, outscoring the Rangers 25-11.
Harding Hitters vs. Northwestern Oklahoma: Noah Chandler (.636, 7 for 11, 3 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 1 SB), John Chapman (.364, 4 for 11, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB), Harrison Hunter (.333, 3 for 9, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 SB), Kyler Offenbacker (.125, 1 for 8, 4 RBI, 1 SB), Davis Richardson (.250, 2 for 8, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI)
Harding Pitchers vs. Northwestern Oklahoma: Collin Campbell (1-0, 4.15, 1 G, 4 1/3 IP, 2 K), Alan Copeland (0-0, 0.00, 1 G, 2/3 IP), Andrew Fiddler (0-0, 0.00, 1 G, 1 save, 3 IP, 3 K), Hunter Payne (1-0, 0.00, 1 G, 3 1/3 IP, 4 K), Josh Spears (0-0, 0.00, 1 G, 1 IP, 1 K), Zac Stewart (0-0, 0.00, 2 G, 2 2/3 IP, 3 K)
