Golden State Athletic Conference play starts this week for OUAZ softball, and it begins with two doubleheaders against Menlo College and William Jessup. The Spirit will host the Oaks on Friday, and finish the weekend on Saturday against the Warriors.

The Oaks took the first two games of the season series in 2019, scoring 14 runs during the two-game doubleheader in Atherton. OUAZ bounced back and shut out the Oaks for 14 consecutive innings at Willow Canyon High school on March 30, winning the doubleheader 7-0 and 3-0.

OUAZ split its season series with William Jessup last season as well, winning the middle two games and losing each end of the four games. In the final doubleheader, the Spirit walked off the Warriors, only to turn around in game two and lose 15-2 in a game that lasted only five innings.

It has been a tough go offensively for the Spirit recently, but there are still players who are finding ways to be productive at the plate. In last week's doubleheader against Embry-Riddle, the Heliana Bueno went 3-6 with two doubles.

The Spirit have three players that qualify for NAIA rankings hitting over .300: Jorden Jefferson (.348), Andraya Rhinehart (.342) and Avery Bohn (.320). Rhinehart has not been afraid to use her speed either, as she ranks 20th in the country in total steal attempts at 10. Jefferson has been efficient on the base paths as well, stealing three bases on four attempts and scoring three runs.

The Spirit are spreading out innings a little bit more between its pitching staff this season, but Bailey Coronado has still been a workhorse once again for the Spirit, as her 35.2 innings pitched are the 40th most in the NAIA. Phoebe Popplewell has been excellent in her 22.2 innings, holding a 2.16 ERA and leads all pitchers in WHIP.

Live stats and video of both games can be found at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ottawaaz/. Friday's doubleheader is set for 2pm and Saturday's matchups will begin at noon. All games will be played at the Willow Canyon High School softball field.