Games #40 & 41
ART U Urban Knights (7-32, 3-15 PacWest) vs. No. 15 Concordia Golden Eagles (33-9, 18-4 PacWest)
Friday, April 14, 2023 at 3 & 5 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. – Eagles Field
Live Stats & Live Video

Games #42 & 43
ART U Urban Knights (7-32, 3-15 PacWest) vs. No. 15 Concordia Golden Eagles (33-9, 18-4 PacWest)
Saturday, April 15, 2023 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. – Eagles Field
Live Stats & Live Video

Games #44 & 45
ART U Urban Knights (7-32, 3-15 PacWest) vs. Biola Eagles (17-18, 9-9 PacWest)
Monday, April 17, 2023 at 2 & 4 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. – Eagles Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Games #46 & 47
ART U Urban Knights (7-32, 3-15 PacWest) vs. Biola Eagles (17-18, 9-9 PacWest)
Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 2 & 4 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. – Eagles Field
Live Stats | Live Video

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MATCHUPS WITH MULTIPLE EAGLES ON TAP
Set to meet No. 15 Concordia and Biola each for the first time this season, Academy of Art softball takes its final trip outside of the Bay Area this regular season as the Urban Knights play their next eight Pacific West Conference games in Southern California.

FIRST PITCH
ART U gets started against the Golden Eagles in Irvine with a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, Apr. 14 before finishing the series on Saturday, Apr. 15 with two more starting at noon. Following a day off from competition, Academy of Art will be in La Mirada at Freedom Field for the first of two 2 p.m. twin bills on Monday, Apr. 17 followed by the second on Tuesday, Apr. 18. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram, as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
With a triple from junior outfielder Maddie Sticka in its last time out, Academy of Art surpassed the program's single-season record with 11 on the year (third in PacWest) to go with the conference's fifth-most stolen bases (26). The tandem of junior infielder Haley Randall and junior utility Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki are each hitting above. 300, swinging at .307 and .303 respectively (both inside top 26 in PacWest). Randall's 10 multi-hit games, 25 runs scored (sixth in PacWest), and eight stolen bases (ninth in PacWest) are all team-highs while Grayhorse-Pupecki's three triples (fourth in PacWest), 16 runs batted in, and five steals are all second on the squad. Grayhorse-Pupecki's seven career triples are tied for third in ART U history back of senior outfielder Bethany Mitchell who has four this season (third in PacWest) and is currently knotted with Haily MacDonald for the career record set in 2015. Mitchell adds a team-high 17 runs batted in (19th in PacWest) while her 12 doubles have moved the Graphic Design major up to second in the conference. Just below the .300 batting average line, freshman infielder Audrey Allen enters this week at .296 on the year after hitting .370 (10-for-27) since Mar. 30.

Leading the team in innings pitched (118.2, third in PacWest), earned run average (3.89, 16th in PacWest), wins (5, 12th in PacWest), and strikeouts (56, eighth in PacWest), freshman pitcher Kamielle Powell (5-13) has combined with senior pitcher Haley Arnold-Jolley (2-17) to throw all but 27.1 of the team's 242.0 innings in 2023.

SO GOLDEN
Separate winning streaks of nine and eight games have helped No. 15 Concordia to a 33-9 overall record which includes the top mark in the PacWest at 18-4. Despite losing three of their first four games to No. 23 Cal State Dominguez Hills, Holy Names, and Azusa Pacific to begin April, CUI comes into the series with ART U having won three in a row over APU and Biola. The Golden Eagles collectively sport the lowest earned run average in NCAA Division II at 1.00 with over half of their 18 shutouts (second in NCAA DII) coming in conference play. Daniela Alvarez (8-2) and Katlin Entrup (12-3) each offer ERAs below 1.00 at 0.81 and 0.88 respectively (ninth and 10th in NCAA DII) with the latter's 98 strikeouts coming in 103.2 innings pitched (both team-highs). Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles' 29 home runs and 172 runs batted in are tops in the conference with Rylie Rohr accounting for 11 homers (first in PacWest) and 26 driven in (second in PacWest). CUI is up 17-1 historically versus the Knights.

THE BIOLA BIO
Currently fighting for the fourth and final spot in the inaugural PacWest Tournament, Biola's records are both nearly .500 as they sit 17-18 overall and 9-9 in conference play. Fittingly in this up-and-down season, BU's seven-game win streak was quickly followed by 11 straight losses which take the Eagles into their series with Holy Names (Apr. 14-15) that comes prior to hosting Academy of Art. Biola's PacWest-best .297 batting average is paired with a 2.82 ERA as the squad is led by Colby McClinton's .460 batting average (first in PacWest), 29 runs scored (third in PacWest), and 13 stolen bases (third in PacWest) as well as Raylene Roybal (8-6) defensively with her 2.28 ERA (fifth in PacWest) over 116.2 innings pitched. ART U finished 2022 with a win over Biola, but BU remains in front 8-2 in the historical matchup.

HNU COMES BACK TO TOP ART U IN RETURN TO CONFERENCE PLAY
Though Academy of Art softball struck first in each game and finished the afternoon with 15 total hits, the Apr. 8 Pacific West Conference doubleheader was won by Holy Names at Mission Blue Field. A 1-0 lead for ART U held through the first four innings of game one before a late push by the Hawks enabled the visitors to prevail 6-3. The day's second contest saw the Urban Knights match their season high with three doubles for the third time in their past three games with one by senior catcher/utility Cassandra Mittman providing a 2-0 advantage to start, but HNU once again rallied in the innings that followed, collecting a 14-5 victory in the end.

ON THE HORIZON
When its Southern California road trip is complete, Academy of Art will have just four games left in its regular season with the first two hosting Dominican representing Senior Day on Apr. 28 followed by the finale at Holy Names on Apr. 29.