Games #23 & 24
ART U Urban Knights (14-8, 4-2 PWC) vs. Azusa Pacific Cougars (5-14, 1-7 PWC)
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 4 & 6 p.m.
Azusa, Calif. – Cougar Softball Field
Live Stats & Live Video

Games #25 & 26
ART U Urban Knights (14-8, 4-2 PWC) vs. Biola Eagles (23-5, 10-2 PWC)
Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 1 & 3 p.m.
La Mirada, Calif. – Freedom Field
Live Stats & Live Video

Games #27 & 28
ART U Urban Knights (14-8, 4-2 PWC) vs. No. 17 Concordia Eagles (14-5, 7-3 PWC)
Saturday, March 17, 2018 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. –  Eagles Field
Live Stats & Live Video

Games #29 & 30
ART U Urban Knights (14-8) vs. Humboldt State Lumberjacks (10-9)
Monday, March 19, 2018 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Brisbane, Calif. – Mission Blue Field
Live Stats & Live Video

ACADEMY OF ART SET FOR EIGHT GAMES IN SIX DAYS
After playing in the Bay Area for over a month, Academy of Art Softball now ventures down to Southern California for Pacific West Conference series with Azusa Pacific, new member Biola, and Concordia before returning to play 2017 NCAA Championship contender Humboldt State.

FIRST PITCH
Academy of Art begins its SoCal roadtrip at Azusa Pacific's Cougar Softball Field on Wednesday, Mar. 14 in a night doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. The following afternoon, ART U gets its first look at Biola at Freedom Field in La Mirada with a 1 p.m. first pitch of the twinbill. Then, on Saturday, Mar. 17, it a two-part matchup with Concordia starts at noon. When the Knights return home, they will have Humboldt State almost immediately after on Monday, Mar. 19 in a noon doubleheader out at Mission Blue Field. 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.

KNIGHT WATCH
As a team, Academy of Art currently ranks third in the PacWest in both doubles (32), stolen bases (35), earned run average (2.10), and pitcher strikeouts (125) entering its SoCal roadtrip. Riding a 12-game hitting streak, senior utility Brenna Mitchell has elevated her batting average to .397 (12th in PacWest), has seven doubles (fifth in PacWest), and leads the team in runs batted in (14) as well. Freshman infielder Jayda Alaan and pitcher Brooke Larsen are the other two Urban Knights hitting over .300 here 22 games into the year. Alaan, who is hitting .362 with a team-high 15 runs scored (15th in PacWest), remains the NCAA Division II leader in times hit by a pitch (14) which is halfway to breaking ART U's career record, but she needs just two more to break the program's single-season record. Larsen has doubled five times and comes in with a .352 batting average.

Junior infielder Brenna Youngquist has amassed the most walks on the team (11) plus the second-most RBIs on the team (12) while sophomore outfielder Gabi Hirsch has cemented herself among the conference's top base steals, tied for second with 15 (now among the program's top 10 in career steals and on the verge of cracking the top 10 for a single-season).

Besides her success at the plate, Larsen (8-1) has been stellar in the circle. She comes off a week in which she picked up three wins, threw two shutouts, and struck out 32 batters in 22.0 innings. The freshman notched the third-most strikeouts in program single-game history with 13 versus NDNU and now ranks tied for first in the conference in complete games (9), second in innings pitched (70.1), third in strikeouts (83), tied for fourth in wins (8), and fifth in ERA (1.19). She has had help from another freshman as Cecilia Lopez (4-2) ranks ninth in ERA (1.83) among pitchers in the PacWest with four starts or more.

NEW COUGS
For a team that went 23-9 in conference last year, 2018 has not been so kind to Azusa Pacific. The Cougars defeated Stanislaus State and Montana State Billings in the Desert Stinger, but later dropped nine of 10 at the start of PacWest play with their only win a 4-3 edging of Chaminade. APU's top hitter is Cayla Broussard (.338 batting average, 11 stolen bases) and Illiana Jimenez is tied for second in the conference with 15 steals. Defensively, Kat Ung (3-5) has consumed 59.1 of the team's 128.0 total innings pitched and sports a 1.89 ERA plus seven complete games. Very even series through 15 historical meetings, the series favors Azusa Pacific 8-7 over ART U.

HOLA BIOLA
Navigating its first PacWest season, Biola has fared extremely well. The Eagles went on a 13-game win streak which included the start to conference play in Hawaii then meets Academy of Art after having won six in a row, sweeping both Dominican and Holy Names. BU is tied with Concordia for the third-highest batting average as a team (.327) and leads the PacWest in both doubles (49) and triples (8) while the pitching staff has combined for the most wins (23), innings pitched (186.0), and strikeouts (182). It's a three-pronged attack offensively as the Eagles send Hailey Boyett (.460, 25 RBI), Selina Sherlin (.400, 9 2B, 21 R), and Jay Perez (.392, 4 3B, 23 R) to the plate. In the pitcher's circle, Terri Van Dagens (9-0) has struck out 54 in 64.1 innings pitched and sports the second-lowest ERA in the PacWest (0.87). Thursday will be the first-ever meeting of ART U and Biola.

CONCORDIA CONQUERING
After winning six of its first seven games this season, No. 17 Concordia has not slowed down much at all. The Eagles were swept by Dixie State, but have since stood victorious in seven of their last eight games, sweeping both Chaminade and UH Hilo in Hawaii. CUI is tied with Biola for the third-highest batting average (.327), ranks among the top five in numerous offensive categories, and carries a pitching staff whose strikeout rate is by far the best in the PacWest (1.3 strikeouts per inning). The pitching dominance has come in large part due to Callie Nunes (6-1) who has earned the three PacWest Freshman of the Week honors that did not feature Brooke Larsen. Nunes is the conference leader with a 0.38 ERA (sixth in NCAA DII) as well as 94 strikeouts (fourth in NCAA DII) in just 55.1 innings pitched. Ryann Ferguson remains the team's top bat, swinging it at .415 with five homers and 17 RBI. Concordia is a perfect 6-0 all-time against the Knights.

YOU DON'T KNOW JACKS
What a difference a year makes. After falling to Armstrong State in the NCAA DII Tournament and finishing fifth in 2017, Humboldt State now finds itself 10-9 on the year in 2018. The Lumberjacks lost three of five in the Desert Stinger and went on to split series with Cal State Dominguez Hills, UC San Diego, and Stanislaus State before capturing three of four versus Cal State San Marcos. HSU will play Notre Dame de Namur, Cal State East Bay, and Academy of Art during its leadup to the Tournament of Champions. The Jacks are led by Winona Vigil's .415 batting average, four home runs, 13 RBIs, and eight stolen bases while Sam Sarmiento (0-2) offers the lowest ERA on the team (2.67) through 18.1 innings pitched. Across 18 previous meetings, HSU is 13-4-1 versus the Knights.

ACADEMY OF ART SPLITS MIRROR MATCH WITH PACE
It was a tale of two very similar games for Academy of Art University Softball and Pace out at Mission Blue Field on Mar. 11. Freshman pitcher Brooke Larsen (8-1) threw her third shutout of the year and added 10 strikeouts while sophomore outfielder Gabi Hirsch delivered what would be the winning run on a single in the third in the Urban Knights' game one victory. The finale, however, was decided by an unearned run on a groundout in the fourth as Pace's own starter offered a shutout in their 1-0 win.

LOOKING AHEAD
Another concentrated stretch of games is on the horizon for ART U as the Tournament of Champions begins Mar. 23 and initiates a stretch of 10 games in five days with four contests hosting Chaminade coming on the backend of six in Turlock.