Arkansas Tech will try to move up the Gulf South Conference West Division softball standings this weekend when the Golden Suns compete in the GSC Crossover at Decatur, Ala.
The Golden Suns (18-16 overall, 8-8 GSC) will begin their portion of the event by facing North Alabama at 4 p.m. today (Thursday, April 8).
Tech will tangle with West Georgia at noon Friday and West Florida at 4 p.m. Friday.
Saturday promises to be the most difficult day of the weekend for the Golden Suns. Tech will meet nationally 11th-ranked Alabama-Huntsville at noon and then turn immediately around to face nationally second-ranked Valdosta State at 2 p.m.
The Suns will wrap up their participation in the GSC Crossover with a noon game against West Alabama on Sunday.
It is an important weekend for the Arkansas Tech softball team. The Suns are currently part of a three-way tie for third place in the GSC West Division standings. Only four teams from the GSC West will qualify for the GSC Tournament April 30-May 2 in Southaven, Miss.
Arkansas Tech qualified for the GSC Softball Tournament in 2008 and 2009 as the GSC West Division champion. This season, it looks like that title will go to Arkansas-Monticello. The 24th-ranked Cotton Blossoms are 37-6 overall, 14-2 in league play and five games in front of the GSC West pack.
That leaves Henderson State (20-17, 9-7), Ouachita Baptist (31-15, 10-10), Delta State (24-17, 10-10) and Arkansas Tech in a four-way race for the final three postseason berths from the GSC West.
History tells us that if any of the teams from the GSC West can fare well at the GSC Crossover this weekend, they will stand a good chance of improving their position in the league standings.
The GSC East Division had traditionally dominated Gulf South Conference softball. That domination contined at the 2009 GSC Crossover. GSC East teams were 35-7 against teams from the GSC West in that event.
In basketball, baseball, volleyball and other GSC sports that are divided by division, competition between GSC East and GSC West members does not count in the league standings.
That is not the case at the GSC Softball Crossover. All of the results from this weekend will be counted as league games.
This weekend will mark the Golden Suns’ first games since they lost 3-of-4 in a series at Henderson State March 26-27.
The Suns are led by first baseman Tiphani Moon (photographed). She is hitting .361 with 10 home runs and 27 runs batted in so far this season. She needs one more home run to break her own school record for home runs in a season.
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