Last weekend, April 15-16, the Lady Bisons softball team swept the Great American Conference (GAC) series against Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU), securing a spot in the GAC tournament on April 28-30. Harding won 10-4 and 15-7 on Friday, and 7-0 and 12-2 on Saturday.
“Our players really buy into the idea of playing the first inning of the first game, and then we take it from there,” head coach Phil Berry said. “We had a nice win at Arkansas Tech last Tuesday that turned us in the right direction, and we capitalized on that and played well. We were able to win the first game and build on that.”
With the series win, the Lady Bisons improved to 31-21 overall and 23-17 in GAC standings. They will continue to fight for seeding in the GAC tournament against Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) at home this weekend.
“I thought overall we played really well,” Berry said. “We were able to capitalize on mistakes they made, and in terms of having a very successful weekend of hitting the ball, we took advantage of the wind conditions to hit a few home runs.”
Outfielder Peyton Mills is the first freshman this year to win GAC player of the week. She helped Harding split against Arkansas Tech University and sweep NWOSU by recording 13 RBIs over the two series.
“I feel like I worked hard in preseason,” Mills said. “We’ve talked all year (about) committing to our process, and when we committed, it showed through on the field.”
Junior pitcher Hannah Johnson threw her 15th complete game and her third shutout of the season, improving to 16-8.
“It’s a very rewarding feeling to be successful at this level,” Johnson said. “Of course, it wouldn’t be possible without my team behind me. We’ve all worked hard, and I’m thrilled to see it pay off.”
Berry said SWOSU is fighting for its own seeding in the tournament, which will make them tough competitors.
“There are always some areas we need to clean up a little,” Berry said. “We need to run the bases better, make sure that we don’t try to overdo things at the plate and continue to be solid defensively. We have a lot to play for.”
Johnson said that her teammates play with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and are ready for this weekend.
“I think that we will keep our hot streak going,” Johnson said. “We played very relaxed and stayed with our process last weekend, and I think we will keep that same mindset and continue our streak into the conference.”
The Lady Bisons will take on SWOSU today and tomorrow, April 22 and 23, at the Harding Softball Field.
