OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University hosts a tough field in its NAIA Opening Round, which begins Monday at Ann Lacy Stadium.

(NAIA Qualifiers | NAIA Opening Round Schedules | NAIA Live Stats and Video Links)

The field includes the seventh-ranked Stars as the top seed with No. 16 Missouri Baptist (44-6) as the second seed. William Carey (35-17) is seeded third, followed by Houston-Victoria (29-21) and Morningside (32-17).
 
The tournament begins Monday at 1 p.m. with Houston-Victoria battling Morningside in the double-elimination bracket. The winner of that game plays OCU at 7 p.m. Between those two games, Missouri Baptist takes on William Carey at 4 p.m.
 
The tournament continues with three games on Tuesday and two on Wednesday. The "if necessary" game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Thursday.
 
Feel the Burn: Analise Rayburn leads the NAIA with 23 home runs and 90 runs batted in. The All-American infielder from Yukon earned Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors with a .506 batting average.
 
All-SAC: Joining Rayburn on the All-Conference team were first-teamers Emersen Heron (pitcher), Tiffany Paul (catcher), Tara Hoehner (outfield), second-team selection Carlee Mollet (outfield) and honorable mention All-SAC Rally Radacy. Iliana Ashford earned Gold Glove accolades.
 
Paul That and More: Paul is fifth in the NAIA with her 69 RBIs and third with 17 home runs to go with her robust .469 batting average. She has also gunned down 14 base runners this season. Hoehner comes in with a .412 batting average and 64 RBIs.
 
Stars in the Circle: Heron enters the tournament with a 21-6 record to go with a 2.39 earned run average and 91 strikeouts. Brynlee Alsip enters at 16-3 with 58 strikeouts and a 1.83 ERA.
 
Team Numbers: Oklahoma City leads the NAIA with 69 home runs, 209 extra-base hits and a .623 slugging percentage. The Stars are sixth with a .376 batting average.
 
Coach with the Most: OCU Head Coach Phil McSpadden took his place with the most college softball coaching wins in the history of the sport. Now with 1,886 wins in this his 36th season, McSpadden has guided OCU to 11 national championships (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2016, 2017 and 2022) and finished as national runner-up five times.
 
Scouting Missouri Baptist: Missouri Baptist comes in with a .351 batting average and a 2.08 ERA. Jenna Achs (.434), Brooklyn Fischer (.420, 51 RBI) and Jacie Dees (.404) spearhead the offense. Taylor Whitehead (1.79 ERA, 156 K) and Fischer (2.29 ERA, 139 K) lead the pitching staff.
 
Scouting UHV: Houston-Victoria comes in with a team batting average of .304 and an ERA of 4.05. Claire Blinka leads the team with a .433 batting average with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs. Audrie Sayas carries a 3.26 ERA in the circle.
 
Scouting William Carey: William Carey, statistically, has the best pitching in the tournament with a team ERA of 1.91. Reanna Nieman leads the team with a 1.85 ERA and 112 strikeouts and Ryanne Hornsby checks in at 1.91 with 105 strikeouts. Julia Shaw (.407, 36 RBIs) and Laile Clark (.364, 35 RBIs) lead the team. WCU comes in with a team batting average of .301.
 
Scouting Morningside: Morningside carries a .319 team batting average and a 2.86 ERA into the week. Paige Schuster (.421) leads the team in hitting, with Mackenzie Harrel batting .404 with 11 home runs. Megan Secora (2.25 ERA) and Adelin Fliege (2.30) lead the pitching staff.
 
Opening Round Numbers: OCU is making its NAIA-record 13th appearance in the Opening Round. This is the 11th trip for William Carey. UHV has been to eight other Opening Round Tournaments, followed by Morningside with seven and Missouri Baptist with two. The Stars have won the Opening Round eight times and have a 31-7 record in those tournaments. William Carey has two OR titles and an 18-13 record. Morningside (6-10 in the Opening Round) and Houston-Victoria (11-12) each have won one Opening Round crown. Missouri Baptist is 0-2 in the Opening Round.