Games #18 & 19
ART U Urban Knights (2-15, 1-3 PacWest) vs. Biola Eagles (9-9, 3-1 PacWest)
Friday, March 7, 2025 at 3 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.
La Mirada, Calif. – Freedom Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Games #20 & 21
ART U Urban Knights (2-15, 1-3 PacWest) vs. Biola Eagles (9-9, 3-1 PacWest)
Saturday, March 8, 2025 at Noon & 2:30 p.m.
La Mirada, Calif. – Freedom Field
Live Stats | Live Video

ACADEMY OF ART AND BIOLA SET FOR FOUR-GAME ROAD SERIES
After capturing their first Pacific West Conference victory last week against Dominican, Academy of Art softball now turns attention to Biola for four games all on the road in Southern California this week.

FIRST PITCH
After an adjusted 3 p.m. start time to the doubleheader on Friday, Mar. 7, a noon doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 8 will have the Urban Knights visiting Freedom Field in La Mirada to match up with Biola. 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 seven Urban Knights having hit for extra bases through the team's first 17 games, it is freshman outfielder Danielle Shinko who remains the squad's batting average leader (.277) while junior infielder Audrey Allen paces ART U with 11 runs batted in, four doubles, two home runs (eighth in PacWest), and eight runs scored. Freshman infielder Riannah Maulupe is currently on a six-game hit streak while sophomore outfielder Lida Wos has recorded hits in her first four games of the year, hitting .538 with three runs scored.

On the other side of the softball, junior pitcher Kamielle Powell (2-5) ranks second in the conference in strikeouts (32) over 57.0 innings pitched (third in PacWest) while holding a 2.70 earned run average (10th in PacWest). Already having set a new career-high with 10 strikeouts earlier this season on Feb. 15, Powell comes off a career-best 8.1 innings pitched versus Dominican on Mar. 1.

THE BIOLA BIO
Picked to finish fourth in the conference, Biola has opened by bettering that position with a 3-1 PacWest record to go with their even 9-9 overall mark. The Eagles won just two of their first eight games but faced multiple nationally-ranked teams in that span and have since gone 7-3. BU took three of four from Jessup to open conference play and most recently dropped a pair to No. 18 Cal State San Marcos on Mar. 4. Raquel Reyes' .400 batting average (ninth in PacWest) is a team-high and Makayla Jordan has provided 15 runs batted in to rank eighth in the PacWest. Defensively, DJ Symons (3-0) has a 2.31 ERA (eighth in PacWest) to her name, having struck out 27 (fifth in PacWest) in 30.1 innings of work. ART U captured the season series with three victories last year, cutting into Biola's historical 13-5 advantage overall.

ART U OFFENSE ERUPTS FOR NINE RUNS IN FINALE WITH SFU
The Mar. 1 conclusion to the first Pacific West Conference series for Academy of Art softball began with a rollercoaster of emotion in the opening contest. After the Urban Knights rallied back to tie the score with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, a grand slam in the ninth pushed Dominican to win 9-5 then the Penguins carried that momentum into a 6-0 victory in the series finale.

ON THE HORIZON
Set to start a 11-game homestand upon returning from Southern California, ART U first hosts UH Hilo for three contests across Mar. 14-15.