[March 31, 2008]

Collegiate Baseball poll.pdf

Ping! poll.pdf

By: Houston Taylor

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – For the first time in Southern Arkansas baseball history, the Muleriders have reached a new zenith, in being ranked first in the nation by both the coaches’ Collegiate Baseball and the Ping! Baseball polls released this week.

SAU’s 5-0 record this past week vaulted them to the top spot as previous No. 1 Mount Olive (N.C.) (36-4), second-ranked Sonoma State (Calif.) (29-3), and No. 3 West Alabama (29-8) all suffered losses.

Southern Arkansas’ previous high mark in collegiate baseball polls was two weeks ago when Ping! placed the Muleriders second, and the tie at No. 4 last week was their highest finish in the Collegiate Baseball poll since being affiliated with the NCAA. Prior to that, SAU ended the 1987 season at No. 3 when that team finished 46-7 and was third at the NAIA World Series.

Southern Arkansas’ mid-week doubleheader wins at East Central (Okla.) and their three-game Gulf South Conference (GSC) series sweep of Arkansas-Monticello over the weekend gave them their 21st consecutive win, one shy of the school record 22 by the 1987 team. East Central had given the Muleriders (29-3) the first of their only three losses in a 5-3 setback in the back end of a doubleheader in Magnolia February 6 after SAU had won the opener, 12-3. Southern Arkansas outscored Arkansas-Monticello by a combined 51-1 in their three games Saturday and Sunday, posting a school record for runs in the game two 31-0 win.

Southern Arkansas’ stellar season has shown up in the NCAA national statistics as well, ranking first in Division II in four categories last week and in the top 10 in 12 categories. The Muleriders came into last week leading the nation in runs per game (11.8), doubles per game (3.41), total doubles (92), and slugging percentage (.630). They were second in batting average (.377), total runs scored (318), and homeruns per game (1.56). SAU was also tied at third in sacrifice flies (24), fifth in stolen bases (76) and tied at fifth in hit by pitches (58), sixth in stolen bases per game (2.81), and tied at seventh in total homeruns (42).

Southern Arkansas Coach Allen Gum is currently 110-38 in his third season at his alma mater. His 2006 squad garnered the university’s first-ever outright GSC title in any sport when they won the conference tournament championship in his first year. Gum played two seasons (1990-1991) for the Muleriders, helping lead them to the NAIA World Series in 1991.

The No. 1 ranking by the baseball team is the second in SAU athletic history, matching that same feat by the 1981 Mulerider football team when they won their first five games under Coach Jimmy (Red) Parker.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) poll will not be released until Tuesday. Southern Arkansas was fourth in it last week.

Photos by Aaron Morris, SAU sports information