LA MIRADA, Calif. --- It feels like it's been forever. Biola Softball finally makes its return to the dirt this week as it hosts a big PacWest Conference series on Monday and Tuesday. It's the only action on the week for BU, but it's a big upgrade from the last nine days, which has had no Biola Softball at all.

THIS WEEK: vs Hawaii Pacific (17-11, 10-3 PacWest) - Monday, March 11 at 4pm and 6pm; vs Hawaii Pacific (17-11, 10-3 PacWest) - Tuesday, March 12 at 4pm and 6pm

MULTIMEDIA: Live video and live stats will be provided free of charge for all Biola home contests. Information on live video and live stats made available for road games will be listed along with the previews of those games below.

TICKETS: Biola home events are always free to Biola students, staff, faculty and alumni. Children 12 and under are also always free. General admission is $6 and discounted tickets for opposing school students, guests under 18 and seniors are $4. See ticketing information for road contests below each preview below.

ABOUT LAST WEEK: Rain is the worst. Biola Softball had six of its eight games rained out during its recent Northern California road trip. The Eagles haven't played since March 1 at Holy Names. The Eagles won one and lost one against the Hawks. They come into this week with a 1-3 conference mark in nine fewer games played than HPU. It's an important week for the Eagles' conference hopes.

BIOLA (6-8, 1-3 PacWest) vs HAWAII PACIFIC (17-11, 10-3 PacWest): Monday & Tuesday March 11 & 12 at 4 p.m. (DH) \\ Live Stats \\ Live Video
Biola hosts softball on Monday and Tuesday for the first time since way back on Feb. 23 when it took two from Adelphi. The Eagles will have four games in a 30-hour span against the visiting Hawaii Pacific Sharks who sit fourth in the conference standings after a surprising 11-3 start to PacWest play. Biola is 3-3 all-time against with Sharks with wins in the last three meetings between the two programs, including a 2-0 (5-1, 4-0) mark against HPU last season. All three of the Sharks' PacWest losses came in succession as they dropped their series finale against Holy Names and dropped the first day's doubleheader of its recent four-game set at Azusa Pacific. However, HPU bounced back and won both of the second day's games at APU (8-7, 8-0) to come into play winners of two straight. Hawaii Pacific's 28 games played this season is eight more than any other PacWest school and double the 14 the Eagles have managed to finish. Their pitching staff has logged 186 innings pitched already and comes in with a very respectable 3.61 staff ERA. The Sharks' are third in the PacWest in that category. By comparison, Biola sits fifth (3.80). HPU scores 5.9 runs-per-game on average and allows its opponents 4.4 runs-per-game. Biola scores 4.5 and allows 4.5. So it seems the key for Biola will be neutralizing the Sharks' high-scoring lineup as best they can. HPU scores their runs by stringing together hits and being disciplined in the batter's box. No player has more than three homeruns and the Sharks have hit only 11 as a team, but the lineup has a .392 on-base percentage and has 17 more walks than it does strikeouts this season (97-80). Biola pitching will likely focus on the Sharks' biggest run producers - junior infielder Sierra Dias and freshman outfielder Noel Saunders. That pair has combined for 57 hits and 35 RBI so far this season with both players starting all 28 games. Four other players on the HPU roster have 10+ RBI this season. Biola has no players with 10+ RBI, granted that's in 14 fewer games than HPU has under its belt. Biola's hitters will zero in on senior Jordan Curry who leads the staff with 90+ innings this season and has an 11-3 record to this point. Curry threw a complete game in a losing effort against Biola last season. She held Biola to four runs on six hits, but her offense could not manage anything but four singles as the duo of Terri Van Dagens and Paige Austin shut them out. Curry was 5-7 with a 1.48 ERA last season.

RECORD WATCH: Last season, Areana Ramos hit nine homeruns which was more than double her previous single-season best. It was just two homeruns shy of the program's single-season homerun record held by Lyndsie Roberts (2011). If she gets the big fly working early on this year, look for her to be able to make a push for that mark. Her 15 career homeruns is 11 behind the program record of 26. So, if it happens, her 12th homerun would break both the single-season and career mark. The PacWest had three players with at least 12 homeruns last season. Ramos has a bit of a late start, since she's been injured and is still looking for her first ABs of the year and we're alreadyover a month in. Ramos is also in the top-5 in career slugging percentage. She's had 38 extra-base hits in her career and enters the year with a .549 slugging percentage. The program record is Amerra Kesterson's (.631). Kesterson played for BU from 2004-07. Paige Austin held opponents to just a .196 batting average last season. It's just the third time in program history a pitcher has held batters to a mark under .200. No Biola pitcher has ever had two such seasons. Austin has a chance at being the first to accomplish that this year. Andi Hormel spent a lot of time icing her first two seasons at BU. She was hit by 23 pitches during her freshman and sophomore campaigns. That mark slowed a bit with just three HBP last year. But, if she finds her way on base via plunking at least four times this season, she'd become the third player in program history with 30+ hit-by-pitch bases. Kayla Neff comes into the year just two sacrifice flies shy of the all-time record of nine. She had five SF last year and should be able to pass record-holder Selina Sherlin (9) this year.

UPCOMING MILESTONES:
Hailey Boyett - 150 Games Played (120)
Hailey Boyett - 100 Hits (90)
Hailey Boyett - 300 Putouts (287)
Hailey Boyett - 75 RBI (56)
Andi Hormel - 175 Games Played (160)
Andi Hormel - 150 Hits (107)
Andi Hormel - 300 Assists (287)
Kayla Neff - 100 Hits (98)
Kayla Neff - 500 Putouts (472)
Kayla Neff - 75 RBI (53)
Missy Poti - 350 Putouts (307)
Areana Ramos - 150 Games Played (137)
Areana Ramos - 100 Runs Scored (71)
Areana Ramos - 150 Hits (119)
Areana Ramos - 30 Doubles (21)
Areana Ramos - 20 Homeruns (15)
Areana Ramos - 200 Putouts (149)
Areana Ramos - 30 Outfield Assists (26)

GETTING TO KNOW YOU: Biola has a brand new coaching staff this season as Head Coach Nikki Udria begins her first season at the helm for BU. Along with Udria is assistant Justine McLean. Though young, the staff has a wealth of big-time experience as Udria and McLean have NCAA Division I roots (Oregon/Florida). Udria was on the staff last year as an assistant coach under Lorie Coleman, taking over for Janie Takeda who took a job at the University of Oklahoma. Udria played four years at the University of Oregon before graduating in 2017. She led the Ducks to four postseason appearances and three Pac-12 Championships while earning major accolades all four years of her career. In 2017 she was an NFCA NCAA Division I First Team All-American. McLean is from Rancho Cucamonga, but she played her college ball for the Florida Gators the same time Udria was at Oregon. McLean earned All-SEC honors and made the Women's College World Series all-tournament team, while helping the Gators to a 229-36 overall record between 2014-17. The Gators won the Women's College World Series her freshman and sophomore seasons. In addition to their regular coaching duties, both regularly host camps/clinics throughout the year. View those at this camp link.

NEXT WEEK: vs Hawaii Hilo (12-4, 4-0 PacWest) - Tuesday March 19 at 4pm and 6pm; vs Hawaii Hilo (12-4, 4-0 PacWest) - Wednesday, March 20 at 4pm and 6pm