Southern Arkansas up to Third in CBN Poll
By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas climbed one spot to third in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s (CBN) coaches’ poll, and remains at second in the Ping!Baseball and at fourth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) rankings.
The Muleriders (16-3) had a 4-0 week with a mid-week win at home over Louisiana State-Shreveport and weekend victories against Drury (Mo.), Missouri S&T and St. Cloud State (Minn.) in the Drury Heffington Invitational in Springfield, Mo.
Fellow south region member Florida Southern (16-2) remains atop all three of the polls, while Francis Marion (S.C.) (13-4) dropped two games on the week to fall from second to ninth in the CBN poll, creating an upward shift by one spot each amongst the top five teams. California-San Diego (19-3) moves into second in the CBN rankings, and Mount Olive (N.C.) (17-1) and Central Missouri (13-1) fall in at fourth and fifth, respectively, behind SAU.
Gulf South Conference East Division member Valdosta State (Ga.) (17-5) moves up four spots to 12th, while Delta State (Miss.) (13-5-1) suffered three losses in five games to fall 11 places to 21st. East league member West Alabama (13-6) pops back into the poll at 26th.
South region members Tampa (Fla.) (15-5) and Florida Tech (14-4) are 16th and 17th, respectively, in the CBN poll.
Central Missouri, California-San Diego and Grand Valley State (Mich.) (4-1) are third through fifth, respectively, behind Florida Southern and Southern Arkansas in the Ping poll. Valdosta State is 10th, Tampa 14th, Delta State 15th, Florida Tech 19th, West Alabama 21st and south region member Barry (Fla.) (9-5) 22nd.
Valdosta State is 13th in the NCBWA rankings, Tampa is 17th, and Delta State 22nd.
Lester Snares GSC Baseball Award
By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas third baseman Cannon Lester (5-11, 185, Sr., El Dorado) has been named the Gulf South Conference West Division player of the week for his efforts in the Muleriders’ four games during the last reporting period.
Lester had record-setting performances in guiding SAU to a 4-0 mark on the week. The senior went 12 for 19 for a .632 average at the plate with a 1.316 slugging percentage, picking up three hits in each of the four games, including four doubles and three solo home runs. Lester finished with 11 RBI and scored 10 runs, having a hand in 21 of Southern Arkansas’ 53 runs on the week. The All-American established three new Mulerider career marks in hits, runs scored and total bases over the four games.
Lester’s award is the fourth of his career, following three garnered last season. He is SAU’s first player honoree this season and the third Southern Arkansas player to receive three of the GSC’s 10 player or pitcher accolades thus far this year.
SAU Finishes Three-Game Sweep in Missouri
By: Houston Taylor
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Southern Arkansas capped a three-game sweep in the Drury Heffington Invitational with a 15-4 win over St. Cloud State (Minn.) Sunday at Meador Park. The fourth-ranked Muleriders shut out host Drury (Mo.) (5-7) 10-0 in a shortened mercy-rule game Friday and knocked off Missouri S&T (2-11) 15-9 on Saturday.
SAU (16-3) posted 19 hits and scored seven runs in the ninth inning Sunday to get past the Huskies (9-4). St. Cloud State actually took a 1-0 lead in the second before Southern Arkansas got on track with three runs in the fourth. They added a solo in the sixth, three more in the seventh and another single run in the eighth before the big ninth frame.
Seven of the Muleriders’ 19 hits went for extra bases, including home runs from third baseman Cannon Lester (El Dorado) and second baseman Nick Paschal (Scott, La.). Lester led off the seventh with a shot to right field and then added his fourth of the season, another solo, in the eighth. Paschal hit a grand slam for his first of the year in the ninth.
SAU also got doubles from left fielder Adam Boucher (Conway), catcher Brandon Choate (Hooks, Texas) and a pair from centerfielder Gavan McCauley (Prescott). Choate’s two-bagger brought in all three runs in the fourth, Boucher’s was responsible for the run in the sixth, and McCauley had both his in the ninth, on-board for Paschal’s slam and then driving in Southern Arkansas’ final run.
Dan Bream (Coldwater, Mich.) (3-1) went 6 2/3 innings in picking up the win, allowing 10 hits, four earned runs and two walks, while striking out five. Bryan Dixon (Mesquite, Texas) went the rest of the way to earn his first save, giving up just three hits and fanning two.
Lester has been smoking at the plate, garnering three hits in each of his past four games. He finished the Missouri trip hitting .642 (9-14) with three doubles, three home runs and nine RBI, while also scoring seven runs. Lester set three school career records while on the road in hits, runs scored and total bases, all bettering marks by former Mulerider Clayton Childers (El Dorado/Norphlet HS) (2001-04). Lester’s nine hits gave him 241 in his three-plus years, pushing him past Childers’ 237, and his three runs and nine total bases Sunday gave him the new marks in those categories. His 186 runs scored and 396 total bases surpasses Childers’ 183 and 390. Lester needs just four doubles to move past Childers’ career mark of 60, and five home runs to push past Trey Fegley’s (Shreveport, La.) 34 (1991-94).
Hayden Simpson (Magnolia) ran his season record to 5-0 in throwing six of the seven innings of the 10-0 shutout of Drury Friday. He scattered three hits and struck out four.
Bryce Biggerstaff (Sherwood) (1-1) got the win Saturday against Missouri S&T, tossing 3 2/3 innings in relief. Lester had a solo homer in the first inning.
SAU doesn’t take the field again until the weekend, when they open up Gulf South Conference play in hosting Harding. Saturday’s doubleheader (9/7) starts at 3 p.m. and Sunday’s solo is slated for 1 p.m.
Photo by Lynne Nielsen
No. 4 Muleriders Slam Pilots, 13-2
By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas used a seven-run third inning to blow past Louisiana State-Shreveport 13-2 Wednesday at Mulerider Field.
It was only SAU’s second win in the past seven games of the series between the two teams. The Pilots (10-6), affiliated with the NAIA, have always fielded strong teams and posed problems for Southern Arkansas, making most of the games a classic duel.
The fourth-ranked Muleriders (13-3) made sure it wasn’t going to be close this time, pounding out 14 hits, including six for extra bases, 
while playing error-free. SAU tallied three triples in the game, with a school record tying pair from right fielder Patrick Johnson (Natchitoches, La.), while shortstop Andrew Whittington (Texas City, Texas) added the other. First baseman Logan Williams (Damascus) mixed in a three-run bomb in the sixth inning that cleared the football concession stand beyond left field.
Early on it looked to be another nail-biter as centerfielder Brandon Bravata planted Southern Arkansas starter Cole Lohden’s (Frisco, Texas) second pitch of the game beyond the left field fence for a 1-0 LSUS lead. The Muleriders got that one back in the second before exploding with their seven runs in the third.
SAU got half their hits in that third and plated all their runs without the aid of any errors. Third baseman Cannon Lester (El Dorado) drove in two in the frame with a double, and Johnson pushed one across
with one of his triples.
Southern Arkansas plated another solo in the fourth before Williams’ massive shot in the sixth. They ended their scoring in the seventh when Whittington scored from third on a throwing error following his triple.
LSU-Shreveport picked up its other run in the eighth on a bases-loaded walk. Right-hander Bryan Dixon (Mesquite, Texas) then relieved for the Muleriders and struck out three consecutive to leave the bags full of Pilots.
Williams tallied two hits and had four RBI for SAU, while Whittington and Lester had three hits apiece. Johnson had the two triples and drove in two runs. His three-baggers now share the school record with four other Southern Arkansas players, most recently Whittington who achieved the feat last season. Centerfielder Jason Dahl (Batesville) also had two hits in the game.
Bravata, third baseman Andrew Blubaugh and second baseman Stephen Hobbins each had a pair of hits for LSUS, with Blubaugh getting a double.
Lohden (2-0) had a strong outing in securing the win, throwing seven innings. He allowed seven hits, just the home run and a walk, while 
striking out eight.
LSU-Shreveport starter Cole Newell (2-1) suffered the loss, lasting 2 2/3 innings. Six of the Muleriders’ hits were his, as well as seven earned runs.
SAU travels this weekend to participate in the Drury Heffington Invitational in Springfield, Mo. They face host Drury on Friday at 6 p.m., square off against Missouri S&T Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and conclude play Sunday at 10 a.m. with St. Cloud State (Minn.).
Photos by Aaron Morris
Southern Arkansas slips to Fourth in CBN Poll
By: Houston Taylor, SID
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Following a 4-1 week, Southern Arkansas slipped to fourth in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s (CBN) coaches’ poll. The Muleriders (12-3) remain second in the Ping!Baseball rankings and debut at fourth in the first regular season release of the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) poll.
SAU had a pair of mid-week wins at William Carey (Miss.) and took a 2-1 series at home from North Alabama over the weekend.
South region member Florida Southern (13-1) remains atop the CBN poll and is also first in the other two polls. Francis Marion (S.C.) (11-2) and California-San Diego (15-3) take advantage of Southern Arkansas’ drop and move up one spot each to second and third, respectively, and Mount Olive (N.C.) (14-0) jumps four spots to round out the top five behind the Muleriders.
Gulf South Conference West Division foe Delta State (Miss.) (11-2-1) moves in at No. 10 and East member Valdosta State (Ga.) (12-4) moves up six places to 16th. South region member Tampa (Fla.) (12-5) falls six spots to 21st. GSC members West Florida (4), West Alabama (4) and Henderson State (1) all received votes in the CBN poll.
Delta State also shows up at 10th in the Ping poll, Valdosta State is 11th and West Alabama 24th. Fellow region members Tampa (17th), Barry (Fla.) (7-5) (22nd) and Lynn (Fla.) (7-8-1) (26th) also appear in the Ping rankings.
Besides SAU at fourth in the NCBWA poll, Delta State makes its appearance at 12th, Valdosta State is 21st and Tampa is tied at No. 24.
SAU Tops North Alabama, Claims 2-1 Series
By: Brendan McDonald
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Solid pitching propelled second-ranked Southern Arkansas (12-3) to a comfortable 5-1 victory and a 2-1 series win over North Alabama (7-6) Sunday at Mulerider Field. The teams split Saturday’s doubleheader with SAU claiming a 12-0 ten-run rule win in seven innings before the Lions snuck away with game two, 6-5.
Starter Dan Bream (Coldwater, Mich.) held the UNA offense in check Sunday, allowing one run over 6 1/3 innings of work to earn the win. The junior scattered seven hits, walked three and struck out eight. True freshman Bryce Biggerstaff (Sherwood) was perfect in 2 2/3 innings of relief, retiring all eight hitters he faced and striking out the side in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
North Alabama scored its lone run of the game in the top of the first on an RBI single by Chase Porch, but Southern Arkansas quickly erased the deficit when junior designated hitter Jake Astor (North Liberty, Iowa) scored senior second baseman Nick Paschal (Scott, La.) on a sacrifice fly in the bottom half.
The Muleriders took the lead for good in the fourth courtesy of back-to-back doubles from Astor and junior first baseman Logan Williams (Damascus), before junior left fielder Alan Trayler’s (Dumas, Texas) towering two-out, two-run home run made it 4-1.
SAU tacked on its final run in the eighth when senior third baseman 
Cannon Lester (El Dorado) doubled to lead off the inning and came around to score when Lions right fielder Jared Mothershed overthrew the cut-off man.
Southern Arkansas got most of its offense from the heart of the lineup as Astor, Williams and Lester combined for seven of the team’s 11 hits.
UNA’s Will Rankin took the loss, tossing seven innings for eight hits and four runs.
North Alabama left nine men on base to the Muleriders’ four, and both 
teams committed an error in the contest.
SAU’s next assignment is at home Wednesday at 6 p.m. against NAIA powerhouse Louisiana State-Shreveport.
Photos by Mike Jones and Aaron Morris
Southern Arkansas Loses Season Finale to UAM
By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Arkansas-Monticello led from start to finish in handing Southern Arkansas a 71-55 setback in their season finale Saturday at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center. The win gave the Boll Weevils (14-10, 9-5 GSC) a split of the regular season series as the Muleriders (9-18, 4-10 GSC) claimed a 54-51 victory earlier in Monticello.
UAM simply out-shot SAU, knocking down 27 of 50 from the floor for 54 percent, while Southern Arkansas managed just 18 of 54 (33.3).
Arkansas-Monticello jumped out to an 18-8 margin on Jarrell Turner’s jumper at 12:06 and they eventually extended that to a 33-15 game with four minutes left in the first half. The Boll Weevils led 36-21 at the break.
Chris Paige’s dunk lifted UAM to its largest margin of 43-24 at 18:04 in the second. The Muleriders were never able to trim it to single-digits, coming only as close as 45-34 on a dunk from senior guard Sanchez Dade (El Dorado) at 13:23. Arkansas-Monticello stretched it back to a 71-53 game with seconds left, before junior forward Justin Stuart’s (Hope) lay-up set the final score.
The Boll Weevils hit four three-pointers in the contest to SAU’s two. Southern Arkansas did overcome a season nemesis, connecting on 17 of 20 (85.0) free throws, while UAM was 13 of 21 (61.9).
Stuart posted a game-high 19 points and had six rebounds to lead the Muleriders. Dade finished with 11 points and had four steals in his final game for SAU. Senior guard Tony James (Bossier City, La.) was also playing in his final game and dished out a game-high five assists.
Nick Carey paced Arkansas-Monticello with 18 points, and Turner recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
