Games #44 & 45
ART U Urban Knights (31-12, 14-6 PWC) vs. Hawaii Pacific Sharks (19-14, 12-10 PWC)
Saturday, April 21, 2018 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Brisbane, Calif. – Mission Blue Field
Live Stats

Games #46 & 47
ART U Urban Knights (31-12, 14-6 PWC) vs. Hawaii Pacific Sharks (19-14, 12-10 PWC)
Sunday, April 22, 2018 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Brisbane, Calif. – Mission Blue Field
Live Stats

Games #48 & 49
ART U Urban Knights (31-12, 14-6 PWC) vs. UH Hilo Vulcans (25-13, 13-7 PWC)
Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Brisbane, Calif. – Mission Blue Field
Live Stats

ACADEMY OF ART UP AGAINST SHARKS, VULCANS IN LITERAL HOME STRETCH
Now winners in 15 of their last 16 games, the Urban Knights Softball come into their final homestand having set the new program's new single-season wins record following a doubleheader sweep of Dominican on Apr. 14. Just two games behind third-place Concordia in the Pacific West Conference standings, ART U is set to challenge Hawaii Pacific this weekend and UH Hilo on Tuesday.

FIRST PITCH Starting a stretch of six home games in four days, ART U hosts Hawaii Pacific on both Saturday, Apr. 21, and Sunday, Apr. 22, in noon doubleheaders out at Mission Blue Field. The Urban Knights then welcome UH Hilo to Brisbane for a noon twinbill on Tuesday, Apr. 24. Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter & Instagram and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

PROMOS
The Saturday doubleheader with Hawaii Pacific will be ART U's "Strike Out Cancer" games in which fans are encouraged to join the Urban Knights in supporting the American Cancer Society. Donations can come in various forms including online, a single dollar amount at the game, or specific dollar amount per strikeout. While supplies last, fans who donate $5 or more will receive a Strike Out Cancer bracelet while those who contribute $30 or more will receive a game-worn jersey. Visit www.artuathletics.com/StrikeOutCancer for more information.

ART U's Sunday doubleheader with the Sharks will be "Dog Day." Fans are encouraged to bring their furry friends out to Mission Blue Field to socialize in the outfield and a "Pup Parade" will be taking place prior to game one at noon. Treats will be available.

ART U MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE ON REGIONAL RANKINGS
Continuing to make history, the Urban Knights made their first-ever appearance on the NCAA Division II West Regional rankings, coming in at No. 9 overall. It is the first of three releases that will occur this season.

KNIGHT WATCH
Academy of Art begins the week ranked ninth in NCAA Division II in shutouts (13), 15th in earned run average (1.90), and 16th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.21). Offensively, the Urban Knights are up to second in the PacWest in doubles (67) with 18 of those coming in the last six games. Additionally, they are third in the conference in pitcher strikeouts (257). Riding one of the team's two current seven-game hit streaks, six-time PacWest Freshman of the Week and one-time PacWest Player of the Week Brooke Larsen has cracked the conference's top 10 in batting average with a .381 (ninth). In addition to leading ART U in virtually every pitching category (see below), she also ranks third in doubles (14) and now needs just three more to break the program's single-season record of 16 set by Lauren Stover in 2012. Senior utility Brenna Mitchell is second on the team in batting average, hitting .344 with 24 runs batted in, 11 doubles, and three home runs including two in her last three games. Freshman infielder Jayda Alaan remains the NCAA Division II leader in hit by pitch (23) by four and is hitting .333 with 24 runs scored and a .476 on-base percentage (seventh in PacWest). Should she be hit five more times, Alaan will, in a single season, break the program's career record of 27 currently held by Jasmine Dickenson.

The other current seven-game hitting streak belongs to sophomore infielder Gracie Sotomayor who still holds the team's most RBIs (26). One of five Knights hitting over .300, Sotomayor has moved up to a .328 average on the year with at least one RBI in each of the team's last eight doubleheaders. The fifth ART U player hitting over .300 is senior infielder Samantha Klune (.305) who, with 10 doubles this season, is now one shy of fourth on the program's all-time list. Owner of a team-best 14-game streak having reached base, sophomore outfielder Gabi Hirsch also has the most runs scored on the squad (26) and the most steals (22, fourth in the PacWest). She is seven steals away from assuming sole possession of second in the program's single-season history.

In the pitcher's circle, Larsen (17-3) has 17 wins in 18 total starts, ranking second in the PacWest in that category (22nd in NCAA DII), first in innings pitched (139.0), and tied for the lead with 16 complete games. She also ranks second in shutouts (8, fifth in NCAA DII), strikeouts (160, 13th in NCAA DII), and earned run average (1.11, 11th in NCAA DII). Three saves ties her for fourth in the conference as well. Freshman Cecilia Lopez (8-4) comes in at ninth in NCAA DII in fewest walks allowed per seven innings (0.74) with nine issued through 85.2 innings pitched. She ranks 13th in the PacWest in wins with the second-lowest ERA on the team at 2.21.

SHARK ATTACK
One PacWest victory behind Academy of Art, Hawaii Pacific started the year with 18 consecutive games at home and finished that stretch an even 9-9. The Sharks then went 2-3 in the Tournament of Champions, swept Dominican, split with Notre Dame de Namur, then swept UH Hilo and Chaminade, plus shutout Holy Names in one game. Leading four HPU players hitting above .300, Cieana Curran is hitting .344 while Noelani Boyer (.337) is the team's home runs (10) and RBIs (32) leader. Defensively, Jordan Curry (4-5) has the team's lowest ERA (1.55) through the most innings pitched (63.1). In the historical matchup, Hawaii Pacific leads Academy of Art 18-6.

VULCAN ADVENTURES
Ranked just ahead of ART U in eighth in the West Region, UH Hilo has gone 13-7 in conference. Following an 8-3 start to the year, the Vulcans opened PacWest play 5-1, but were then swept by Concordia before splitting with California Baptist and Dixie State. A six-game win streak came at the tail end of the Tournament of Champions, but a sweep at HPU's hand has pushed UH Hilo behind Academy of Art in the PacWest standings. The Vulcans will play NDNU Apr. 22-21 before heading to Mission Blue Field. One of the most dangerous hitters in the PacWest, Bailey Gaspar ranks second in RBIs (40), tied for second in home runs (12), and is seventh in batting average (.383). Equally dangerous in the circle, Cyanne Fernandez (18-4) is the conference leader in wins and sports a 2.28 ERA through 135.0 innings pitched. A relatively even historical series has UH Hilo ahead of the Knights 12-10.

URBAN KNIGHTS BREAK WINS RECORD WITH SWEEP OF DOMINICAN
30 wins... and then some. Entering Apr. 14 one victory away from the program's most wins in a single-season, Academy of Art University Softball proceeded to break the record and then add to it with a sweep of Dominican at Penguin Field. The opening contest saw PacWest Freshman of the Week Brooke Larsen (17-3) surrender three runs, but early offense plus a clutch pinch-hit two-run single from freshman catcher Alyssa Brundage helped the Urban Knights capture its 30th win of the year on a 6-3 final. ART U's 31st win featured heavy offense as the teams combined for 26 hits, but another fifth-inning rally plus a solo homer from senior utility Brenna Mitchell and Larsen's third save of the year resulted in a 9-7 triumph for the sweep.

LOOKING AHEAD
Mission Blue Field will be the site for the Urban Knights' final regular season home games coming up Apr. 29. Both Samantha Klune and Brenna Mitchell will be honored in a Senior Day ceremony that day as well.