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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Ohio Valley Conference front-runners square off this weekend at Gertrude Hood Field, as the Eastern Kentucky University softball team hosts Jacksonville State University for a three-game conference series.
 
With two weekends of league play remaining, the Gamecocks (32-14, 21-0 OVC) enter the weekend atop the OVC standings. Meanwhile, the Colonels are currently five games back of the lead.
 
EKU (33-12, 15-5 OVC) will recognize its three seniors prior to Saturday's first game. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch with Sunday's finale also scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
 
Admission is FREE for fans and Eastern Kentucky students will be eligible to win a $25 Visa gift card.
 
The teams possess the OVC's most efficient offenses, while also boasting the league's most effective pitching.
 
The Gamecocks' .317 average is best in the league with the Colonels entering the weekend just behind JSU, hitting .299 on the year. The Colonels' 2.26 earned-run average is a conference low.
 
EKU senior Kayla Joyce (56) and sophomore Paige Murphy (53) rank second and third respectively in hits, behind only JSU's Ella Denes (62).
 
Murphy leads the league, hitting .402 on the season while her 39 runs scored are the most in the OVC. Joyce's 25 stolen bases are most in the league.

Senior right-hander Hayley Flynn leads the conference in wins (23) and strikeouts (221). Flynn's wins are third-most in the nation, while she ranks eighth in the country in strikeouts. Junior Alex Sallberg set a new program record for saves in a season. Sallberg now has eight saves on the year—five more than anyone else in the conference— second-best in the nation. 
 
Whitney Gillespie leads JSU with a 12-1 record on the season. Gillespie has tossed 12 complete games—five of which were shutouts.