ALVA Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State softball team will open up their Great American Conference schedule in Bentonville, Ark. against Arkansas Tech on Sunday and Monday.

The Rangers will enter the four game series fresh off of their first win of the season the last time they hit the diamond over Newman University. Northwestern will look to carry over the confidence they gained from that victory into this weekend and will look to catch a new-look Golden Sun team off guard and get their conference schedule started off on the right foot.

A veteran Northwestern softball squad has struggled with finding a consistent level of play so far this season and will lean on their experience of navigating the conference a season ago to help them along this season. Senior Madi Parrott has posted a batting average of .500 with a team-high five hits, while fellow senior Macy Madewell has scored a team-high four runs while batting .267 on the year.

The Rangers will throw a pair of right-handers throughout the series in Madison Garza and Karly Murray, who enter the weekend with ERA's of 4.20 and 7.00. Both pitchers have appeared and started in three games this season and will square off with an Arkansas Tech lineup that will feature an all-GAC selection from a season ago in Megan Goodnight, who has gotten off to a good start this season and is currently hitting .341 throughout the Golden Suns first 12 games.

Tech will enter the series with a record of 9-3 and will have the advantage of more game experience this year over the Rangers, but a veteran Ranger squad will surely be up to the task of taking down one of the conference's best teams. Doubleheaders are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday and at noon on Monday.