Softball February 21, 2020 Madison Parrott, Athletic Communications

Northwestern Opens Conference Play Against OBU

Softball February 21, 2020 Madison Parrott, Athletic Communications

Northwestern Opens Conference Play Against OBU

ALVA, Okla. - The Northwestern Oklahoma State University softball team prepares to take on their first conference opponent in Oklahoma Baptist University this upcoming weekend with a four-game series played on Friday at 3:00/5:00 p.m. and Saturday at 12:00/2:00 p.m.

Rangers will go into conference play with a 2-4 record after participating in the MSU Texas Invitational and hosting the Rangers home opener against Newman University. The Rangers will look to rebound from a 11-1 loss to Newman as they split the doubleheader this past Tuesday.

The Red-and-Black are led by head coach Jill DeVries who is currently in her third season with the Rangers. She has a record of 46-114 with the program including her interim stint before receiving the full-time job at the University.

The Rangers offense is led by sophomore Morgan La Neve who has a batting average of .375 and a team leading .625 slugging percentage with one of the team's four homeruns and four RBI's. Abby Detar and Taylor Zanca both sit with a batting average of .357. Zanca leads the team with an astounding on base percentage of .526 with five walks on the season, four in one game against Newman, and a homerun. Alexus Bailey sits right below with .353 average with one homerun and four RBI's.

The pitching staff is led by Freshman Hannah Howell who is credited with both Ranger wins and has an ERA of 4.67. She will look to carry that into this upcoming week against the Bison. Howell's pitching is not her only strength as she has a .333 batting average with a team leading six RBI's.

Oklahoma Baptist University:

The Bison have played double the amount of games that the Rangers have played but struggled early on with five straight loses. From that point the Bison have split their last seven games with three loses and four wins. The Bison are led by head coach Sam Maples who has entered her second season with Oklahoma Baptist.

The Bison are led by Katelyn Marsh, who is hitting .471 on the young season, has 16 hits on the year and leads the team with 10 RBI's as well as a .514 on base percentage. Jadyn James sits with a.406 average and has eight RBI's of her own. They each have one of the team's six homeruns.

The pitching staff to date has been led by Katie Long who has a 2.91 ERA through 33.2 innings so far this season in six starts. She is followed by Aspen Young who has a 6.30 ERA in three starts and leads the team with three wins.

Series History:

Northwestern and Oklahoma Baptist are tied in the history between the two programs with a 15-15 record. The Rangers went to Shawnee and split with the Bison in a four-game series last year. The Bison out-scored Northwestern 16-25 in the series. Last time the series was in Alva the Rangers won one game to three. Lastly the Rangers are 3-5 in their last eight against the Bison.

How the teams Compare:

Northwestern	Oklahoma Baptist
Batting Average: .260	Batting Average: .258
HR: 4	HR: 6
R: 25	R: 55
RBI: 20	RBI: 46
OBP: .356	OBP: .298

ERA: 7.65	ERA: 5.85
FLD %: .949	FLD%: .920

For the latest news and updates on NWOSU Softball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on TWITTER or visit www.riderangersride.com.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Alexus Bailey: OF; Senior

#8 Abby DeTar: OF; Sophomore

#12 Morgan La Neve: 3B; Sophomore

#13 Taylor Zanca: RHP/1B; Senior

#6 Hannah Howell: RHP; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#2 Alexus Bailey
: Senior
: OF

#8 Abby DeTar
: Sophomore
: OF

#12 Morgan La Neve
: Sophomore
: 3B

#13 Taylor Zanca
: Senior
: RHP/1B

#6 Hannah Howell
: Freshman
: RHP