GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Entering the second weekend of the young 2015 baseball season, the Southern Arkansas University Mulerider baseball team is gearing up for a heavy weekend of action featuring five games in four days against quality in-region competition at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.
 
The tournament will span four days, Thursday through Sunday and consist of 15 games. Joining host-school Southern Arkansas in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex will be familiar foes in Great American Conference opponents Arkansas-Monticello, Ouachita Baptist and Southwestern Oklahoma St. while Nebraska-Kearney, Pittsburg St., Texas A&M-Kingsville and West Texas A&M are also set to compete in the inaugural tournament.
 
The Muleriders (2-1) took the opening weekend series against MIAA-member Lindenwood University. After dropping the season opener, SAU bounced back to take the final two games, including an extra-inning rubber match that ended with a Trevor Rucker walk-off homerun.
 
Great American Conference runner-up in 2014, Arkansas-Monticello will see their first action of the year in Grand Prairie. The Boll Weevils are coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history that included a trip to the NCAA Central Region Tournament while returning seven starters from a year ago.
 
Ouachita Baptist, picked to finish 6^th by coaches in the Great American Conference, defeated #13 St. Edward's University 2 games to 1 to open up their 2015 season last weekend. Tiger newcomer Lance Cullum had an impressive weekend on the bump as he picked up a win and a save in four innings pitched to earn Great American Conference Pitcher of the Week honors.
 
Southwestern Oklahoma St. heads back to Texas looking for their first win of the season after the Savage Storm dropped a doubleheader on the road to tournament attendee West Texas A&M to open the year.
 
Nebraska-Kearney enters the Classic at 1-2 after losing the season opening series to Metropolitan State University of Denver, while fellow MIAA-member Pittsburg St. looks forward to their first competition of the season.
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville will also experience their first action of the year. Representatives of the Lone Star Conference, the Javelinas finished 38-20 a year ago, including a trip to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament.
 
The tournament starts at 10 a.m. daily with the following game times set for 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m.
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE