SOFTBALL: Science & Arts softball wins conference tournament

Austin Litterell, The Express-Star, Chickasha, Okla.
·3 min read

May 10—The Drovers continue to prove they are one of the best.

The third-ranked University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma softball team ended up being the best team in the Sooner Athletic Conference tourney in Chickasha and Oklahoma City on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Drovers went 3-0 in Chickasha the first two days and completed a 4-0 tournament by winning Saturday's championship game.

After going 3-0 the first two days, Science & Arts went to Oklahoma City on Saturday to take on second-ranked Oklahoma City University in the tournament's championship game. The Drovers captured the title with a 3-1 victory over the Stars.

Winning the tournament was important to the team and exciting, but it is also another foot forward on a journey to a larger goal.

"Winning the SAC tourney is only the first step to what we have planned," Science & Arts' Savannah Ashford wrote to The Express-Star. "While it is a big deal ... it's only the beginning.

"This team is something very special. We have a lot of love for each other and a lot of love for this game."

Science & Arts went 1-3 against OCU during the regular season, but that record did not matter in the tournament's championship game. The final game between the teams during the regular season ended with one out in the top half of the seventh inning because of weather.

The Drovers were down one run and had the tying run on third base in the seventh inning before the game ended. According to another Science & Arts player — Kristen Prieto — the win over OCU in the title game meant a lot.

"The OCU game was a very special game to us after the last time we played. They called the game early, so we went into the game Saturday hungry for revenge," Prieto said.

The Drovers entered the tournament as the second seed after finishing second in conference play during the regular season. OCU was the top seed in the tournament after finishing the regular season with the best conference record.

The Drovers allowed just two runs during the entire tournament and outscored their four opponents 10-2.

Science & Arts hosted three other teams during the first two days of the tournament. Mid-America Christian University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University and Langston University all competed in Chickasha.

The Drovers began their tournament run with a 2-0 victory over Langston on Thursday and completed a 2-0 Thursday with a 4-1 win over OPSU. They needed extra innings in Friday's win over MACU but came away with a 1-0 victory and advanced to the title game with a 3-0 tournament record.

The Drovers ended the tournament with an overall record of 48-6 on the season and will host other teams in one of the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Rounds.

The Drovers will be trying to advance to the NAIA Softball World Series again. They won the national championship in 2018 and also advanced to the NAIA Softball World Series in 2019.

There was no postseason in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Ashford, the team is excited about being together and showing the country what the program is all about.

"We can't wait to keep grinding, keep pushing one another to get better, (keep) fixing small things, (keep) growing closer together and (keep) showing everyone what we are made of," she said.