Bolivar, Mo. – The Lady Bearcats of Southwest Baptist University's (SBU) softball team opened the home weekend of their season with a split double header against Northeastern State University (NSU). They now prepare for a full week of away games, playing another double header against Mission University on Tuesday before traveling to Kansas City for the Midwest College Classic on Friday and Saturday.
 
SBU generated solid offensive production in their double header against NSU, led by sophomore Keeley Elsea. In the first game of the day, Elsea got on base in 100% of her plate appearances as she filled her stat line with appearances of the number two, getting two each of walks, hits, doubles, RBIs, and runs. In SBU's second game of the day, Elsea added two hits and RBIs, including one double, propelling her to fifth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in doubles (five) and eighth in on base percentage (56.4%). 
 
The Bearcats' win, however, would not have been possible without sophomore Jacie Frencken's grand slam home run in her only at bat of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Frencken is now one of three Bearcats to hit a home run this year and is tied with Elsea for the team leader in RBIs.
 
The Lady Bearcats will get an early start this week with a short trip to Springfield, Missouri to take on the Patriots of Mission University on Tuesday, February 24. SBU has beaten Mission in each of the three previous matches between the two opponents, and the Bearcats will hope to keep that streak alive by handing the Patriots two losses to open the team from Springfield's season. The first game is set to take place at 1:00 p.m., with the second game to follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.
 
SBU will then embark upon a journey to Kansas City, Missouri to participate in the Midwest College Classic against four separate opponents. The first of these opponents, Wayne State College (WSC), will face off against the Bearcats at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 27. The Wildcats currently hold an impressive 8-1 overall record after their recent undefeated three-game stretch at the Washburn Invitational this past weekend. The game looks to be tough for SBU, but the Bearcats will hope they can claim victory against WSC.
 
Later on Friday, SBU will play the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), a team the Bearcats hold an all-time 8-8 record against. The Lopers are an almost even 9-8 this season, coming off two double headers in which they blanked Sioux Falls in two games before splitting a series with Southwest Minnesota State University. SBU will be hoping to repeat their most recent performance against UNK, which came two years ago in an 8-0 victory for the Bearcats. The first pitch for this contest is scheduled to be thrown at 5:30 p.m.
 
The Lady Bearcats begin their Saturday with a game against the Washburn University Ichabods at 10:00 a.m. Washburn is 17-3 so far this season, including a 4-1 record at their own Washburn Invitational this past weekend. Three of the Ichabods' four wins in the tournament ended early due to a mercy rule, proving Washburn to be a formidable opponent for the Bearcats. SBU will round out their week with a game against Emporia State University at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday. The Hornets are 10-5 this season and also participated in the Washburn Invitational in which they only suffered one loss to WSC.
 
To keep up with this busy time of year in the SBU sports world with winter sports coming to a close and spring sports beginning their seasons, make sure to visit sbubearcats.com for the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (@sbubearcats) as well for daily content, news, scores, and more.