Softball: Ohio Northern (21-13 Overall, 14-2 OAC) at Muskingum (29-9 Overall, 13-3 OAC)

Saturday, April 27, 2019, 1 p.m. — Donna J. Newberry Field, New Concord, Ohio

Saturday's Preview: The Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season title is on the line when the Ohio Northern softball program squares off against league foe Muskingum Saturday afternoon at Donna J. Newberry Field ... Game one is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch ... ONU enters play with a 21-13 overall record and a league-leading 14-2 OAC mark ... After clinching a berth in the OAC Tournament last week, the Polar Bears can claim the OAC Regular Season crown and OAC Tournament (May 3-5) hosting rights with a split or a sweep over the Muskies ... Northern is coming off 2-0 and 1-0 losses to nonconference foe Anderson (Ind.) on Wednesday afternoon ... Senior pitcher Kaitlin Surdej and freshman hurler Maddie Anderson each tossed complete games, scattering just eight hits and two earned runs between them ... Meanwhile, junior Jordan Cloonan and freshman Rachel Hish paced the offense with two hits each ... Through 34 games, senior Hailee Loughman leads the team and is tied for fifth in the OAC with a .433 batting average ... Junior Gabby Stewart ranks second on the team with a .417 batting average, and Anderson sits third with a .400 clip ... Stewart tops the team with 32 RBI and is tied with Loughman for the team lead in hits (45) ... Junior Brady Guest leads the team and ties for ninth in the conference with four home runs ... In the circle, Surdej has a 13-5 record, a 2.41 ERA, four saves, and 83 strikeouts in 136.1 innings ... She leads the league in saves and sits second in wins, third in ERA, and fourth in strikeouts ... Stewart ranks 16th all-time in ONU history with 137 career base hits, 10th with 32 doubles, and tied for 10th with 10 home runs ... She also has 99 career RBI ... Loughman has 133 career hits, which is 20th all-time ... Loughman also sits eighth with 34 career doubles and has 97 career RBI ... Guest owns 90 career hits, just 10 from becoming the 41st member of the 100-Hit Club ... Surdej ranks second all-time at ONU in strikeouts (328) and third in wins (45) in her career ... Muskingum enters the weekend with a 29-9 overall record and a 13-3 OAC record ... The Muskies are coming off a 10-2, 13-3 sweep over Heidelberg last Thursday ... MU can claim the OAC Regular Season title with a sweep over the Polar Bears ... Senior outfielder Krissy Hughes tops the team and the OAC with a .466 batting average and 32 stolen bases this year ... She also leads Muskingum with 53 runs scored, 21 doubles, and 62 base hits ... Meanwhile, freshman Haley Hawk sits second on the team and third in the conference with a .448 batting average while leading the team and conference with 40 RBI ... Senior Rachel Eberling and freshman Hannah Smith both own 11 victories in the circle to lead the MU pitching staff. 

Ohio Northern Batting Leaders

Ohio Northern Pitching Leaders

All-Time Series Notes: Ohio Northern trails Muskingum 48-70 in the all-time series ... Last season, the two programs split the regular season doubleheader with ONU winning 3-1 and MU capturing an 8-1 victory.

ONU Head Coach Jackie Price: Price is currently in her third season as the head softball coach at Ohio Northern ... She owns a 78-37 overall record, a .678 win percentage ... In five seasons overall as a head coach, Price is 99-86 for a .535 win percentage.