Bolivar, Mo. – The ladies of Southwest Baptist University's (SBU) softball team have returned to campus after a largely successful week. The Bearcats are now midway through their five day break before returning to action with six games against three opponents in six days. They will begin this Friday is times that have been moved. Games one and two against Arlington Baptist will begin at 3 p.m. at SBU Softball Field. 
 
The Lady Bearcats began last week with a sweep of the Mission University Patriots, winning their games 13-2 and 16-0. During these games, SBU exploded offensively, putting up a combined 30 hits and 25 RBIs. Both games ended after just five innings due to the mercy rule. At the Midwest College Classic, Southwest Baptist went 2-2, claiming wins over the University of Nebraska at Kearney and Emporia State University.
 
The team in purple was strong offensively throughout the entire week, hitting eight home runs in their six games. The attack was once again led by sophomore Keeley Elsea, who was responsible for three of the team's home runs. Across all six games, Elsea had nine hits, 10 RBIs, eight runs, and three doubles. She now appears in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) top 10 list for 10 different stats, including her conference leading eight doubles, second place 10 stolen bases, and incredible .480 batting average this season.
 
Also helping lead SBU's offensive surge is sophomore Emily Titus. Titus smacked two home runs last week as well as nine hits, seven RBIs, eight runs, four doubles, and a triple. Also of note was junior Lucy Sadewhite's perfect four hits in four at bats in the second game against Mission.
 
This week, SBU prepares for battle with Arlington Baptist University (ABU). ABU is currently 10-5 on their season after coming off a four-game sweep of Peru State. The Bearcats' will start the series with a doubleheader on Friday, beginning at 3:00 p.m. followed by a rematch on Saturday, March 7 at 12:00 p.m.
 
Early next week, the Lady Bearcats will play a double header against Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) on Monday, March 9. The Dragons are 1-12 on their season so far, having just come off a rough 0-5 weekend at the Midwest College Classic. MSUM was mercy ruled three times at the Kansas City tournament and have not won since beating Bismarck State College 5-4 on February 6. Southwest Baptist will be looking to add two more losses to the Dragons' record as the first game between the two sides is set to start at 4:00 p.m. with the second game to follow immediately after.
 
To wrap up SBU's pre-conference play schedule, the team will face the Augustana University Vikings on Wednesday, March 11 at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Augustana is 3-8 this season and also coming off a winless showing at the Midwest College Classic. The Bearcats have never beaten the Vikings in their three historical meetings, but SBU will feel this is a prime opportunity to reverse that trend.
 
To stay up to date with softball and the other spring sports at SBU as they get underway, make sure to visit sbubearcats.com for news, previews, and post-game recaps. Also be sure to check out our Instagram (@sbubearcats) for daily content, announcements, highlights, scores, and more.