There is good news on the softball injury report for Pittsburg State.

All-American shortstop Heather Arnett is expected back in the lineup on Thursday when the third-seeded Gorillas play sixth-seeded Rogers State in the MIAA Postseason Tournament in Emporia, Kan.

First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Trusler Sports Complex.

Arnett was injured after stumbling over first base in the second game April 28 at Missouri Western. Arnett sat the final five innings of the game and did not play in last Saturday’s doubleheader against Missouri Southern.

“Heather should be good to go, barring any setbacks,” coach Josh Barnes said.

However, center fielder Alleyna Rushing remains day-to-day with a knee injury that has sidelined her last week.

No question, the injuries have contributed to the Gorillas’ recent funk that has seen them lost four straight games and six of the last eight while dropping from first place to third place in the conference standings.

“It it a funk,” Barnes said. “Just trying to restart. We lost six games in a week, and we still have single-digit losses on the year. And in four of those games, we’re probably one inning away from winning those games and being able to win the conference.

“Look at the whole body of work, not focus on just the immediate, is important. Momentum is everything, but it’s 0-0 and we can get this rolling in the right direction. But we have to believe it.”

The Gorillas (45-8) and Hillcats (34-18) split their doubleheader at PSU just over a month ago. Rogers State won the opener 8-6, but the Gorillas bounced back with a 5-1 victory.

The Gorillas are No. 2 behind Missouri Southern in this week’s Central Region rankings. Central Oklahoma is No. 3, Rogers State is No. 7 and Emporia State is No. 10.

The top-2 teams in the final ranking will host four-team sub-regional tournaments next week.