Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Thirty-years after making the single-greatest postseason run in program history, the 1987 Mulerider Baseball Team still stands as one of the most accomplished teams in the history of SAU Athletics.
 
The Muleriders, led by head coach and SAU Sports Hall of Famer Steve Goodheart, compiled an overall record of 46-7 with a 25-1 mark in Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference play during the 1987 season. The 1987 Muleriders’ current program record winning percentage of .868 included both the AIC regular season and tournament championships as well as the NAIA District 17 Championship.
 
Despite finishing as runner-up in the NAIA Area V Tournament, the Muleriders advanced to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho as an at-large. Once at the World Series, the team won their first three games, before dropping a pair of contests to teams ranked in the top-three in the country, eventually placing third. The third-place finish nationally remains the highest postseason finish in the history of SAU Athletics.
 
As a team, the 1987 Muleriders hit a program record .371 and previously-held the team records for most runs in a season (507), in a game (28) and in an inning (14). That year, SAU banged out 620 hits and registered 489 RBI, while fielding .966 as a team; marks which still rank in the top-six all-time in program history. Another impressive streak saw SAU string together a then-school record 22 wins in a row, while their 46 total wins stood as the best mark in school history for 22 years and remains the third-most wins in a single-season in program history.
 
In all, the 1987 Muleriders set 14 individual single-season school records and 10 individual career records. Of the 24 combined records seven remain program records.
 
Individually, the 1987 Muleriders were led by five NAIA All-America Honorees in Bob Block (First Team), Arturo Cherena (Second Team), Tony Garcia (Honorable Mention), Larry Lundeen (First Team) and Keith Beam, who was also the NAIA District 17 Player of the Year.
 
Five Muleriders were named to the All-NAIA Area V Team, while eight received All-NAIA District 17 recognition. Fifteen (15) were tabbed as All-AIC performers and six players participated in the AIC All-Star game. Goodheart was voted the AIC Coach of the Year as well as the NAIA Area V Coach of the Year and also was an assistant coach for the All-AIC South team at the league’s All-Star game.  

1987 Mulerider Baseball Team
46-7 Overall | 25-1 AIC
AIC Champions | NAIA District 17 Champions | NAIA Area V Runner-Up Finished 3rd at NAIA World Series
#	Name	Position	Class	Hometown
2	Andre Larry	OF	FR	Hooks, Texas
3	Joey Smith	C-INF	JR	Choudrant, La.
4	Steve Leabo	INF	JR	Davenport, Iowa
5	Keith Disotell	P	FR	Junction City, Ark.
6	Pat Jones	INF	SR	Lake Worth, Fla.
7	Keith Beam	OF	JR	Minier, Ill.
8	Todd Johnston	C	SR	West Monroe, La.
9	Paul Wallace	C	FR	Springhill, La.
10	Jimmy Beard	P	SO	Redwater, Texas
11	Johnny Rewis	OF	JR	Avon Park, Fla.
15	Johnny Johnson	OF	JR	Nashville, Ark.
16	Mark Bradford	P	JR	Texarkana, Texas
17	Arturo Cherena	INF	JR	Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
18	Steve Shipman	P	SO	Flossmoor, Ill.
20	Bruce Ludlow	P	JR	Tipton, Ind.
21	Larry Lundeen	P	SR	Washington, Ill.
22	Joe Murdock	P	JR	Benton, Ark.
25	Ken Washer	P	FR	West Monroe, La.
26	Steve Forbes	P	SR	Lone Tree, Iowa
27	David Currey	P	JR	Grand Saline, Texas
28	Mac McGlaughlin	INF-OF	SR	Moline, Ill.
29	Tony Garcia	INF	SR	Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
31	Bob Block	OF	JR	Grand Mound, Iowa
33	Jeff Nichols	P	SR	Malvern, Ark.
35	Kirk Johnson	P	SR	Golden, Col.
37	Randy Gilmore	P	FR	West Monroe, La.
1	Steve Goodheart	Head Coach
13	Ronnie Coker	Assistant Coach
24	John Whiteley	Assistant Coach
	Jeff Harrington	Sports Information Director