RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - Southern Arkansas University's softball team will be assessed a 0.138 winning percentage nullification penalty in the final Great American Conference standings.

The penalty is assessed for six conference contests in which an ineligible student-athlete competed. The violation does not affect SAU's eligibility for the GAC Softball Championship as long as the Muleriders' won-loss percentage following the nullification penalty remains in one of the eight qualifying spots.

Nullification is an NCAA process that replaces forfeiture as the penalty for using an ineligible student-athlete. All contests in which an ineligible student-athlete competes are nullified regardless of result (win, loss, or tie). The NCAA assigns a penalty of 0.023 per contest played for the sport of softball. Thus, the penalty in the case is 6 contests times 0.023 for a total of 0.138 to be deducted from SAU's final winning percentage in conference play.

The process of nullification does not change win-loss records or alter results for SAU's opponents in the contests involving an ineligible student-athlete.

The GAC softball regular season comes to a close this weekend. Pairings for the April 30-May 2 GAC Softball Championship in Bentonville, Arkansas will be finalized on Monday.