SOUTHERN ARKANSAS MULERIDERS 29-14, 15-9 GAC	EAST CENTRAL TIGERS 20-15, 10-9 GAC
Sunday, April 19 |  6 p.m. - Monday, April 20 | DH | Noon Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field - Magnolia, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

 

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SERIES NOTES | SAU

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Leading Off
The Southern Arkansas baseball team enters play this weekend with a 29-14 overall record and are 15-9 in the GAC. The Muleriders are coming off of a 2-1 series
win over Southeastern Oklahoma this past weekend as well as an 8-1 mid-week, nonconference victory over rival Delta State.

The East Central baseball team enters play this weekend with a 20-15 overall record and a 10-9 mark in the GAC. This past weekend, the Tigers took two of three from
Arkansas-Monticello and split a pair of one-run games at Oklahoma City in mid-week action.

Statistically, the Muleriders are hitting .299 as a team and have six starters hitting .300 or better. Carver Rademacher currently leads the team in average at .350 (48-for-137). Billy Germaine leads the team in RBIs with 44 and homeruns with nine.

In terms of pitching, SAU has a 3.64 team ERA and their three conference starters have ERAs in under 3.60. Landon Simpson lead the staff in wins with six victories. Simpson also has the lowest ERA at 2.31 and has thrown a GAC-best four shutouts. Among relievers, Travis Johnson sports the lowest ERA at 2.42. In 26.0 innings pitched, Johnson is limiting opponents to a .234 batting average against and has 19 strikeouts.

For ECU, they hit .313 as a team and have five starters over .300. Nick Spini leads the team in hitting at .440 (55-for-125). Bryce McKee leads the team in homeruns with five and in RBIs with 34. In terms of pitching, ECU has a 5.01 team ERA. Oscar Gomez leads the team in wins with five and also paces the starters in ERA at 2.55 and has the most strikeouts on the club with 53 K's in 53.0 innings pitched.

Who's Hot (Last 10 Games)
Individual

• Carver Rademacher is hitting .450 (18-for-40) with three doubles, two homeruns and 19 RBIs
• Billy Germaine has hit four homeruns to run his season total to nine 
• Byron Reichstein is hitting .314 (11-for-35) with three HRs 

Team

• Getting Offensive | The Muleriders are averaging 9.6 runs/game and 11.2 hits/game, having scored 96 runs and racked up 112 hits
• Stealing is a Good Thing | SAU has swipped 13 of 16 bases
• Freebies | The Muleriders have gotten on-base 67 times without the benefit of a hit or error as they have drawn 52 walks and been hit by 15 pitches

Stingy Simpson
SAU junior right-hander Landon Simpson has been one of the top pitchers in the Great American Conference all season long as he ranks in the top-10 in the GAC in eight pitching categories. Currently, Simpson leads the GAC in Shutouts (4), Games Started (12), and Innings Pitched (78.0). He also ranks second in the league in ERA (2.31) and
wins (6). His 57 strikeouts and four complete games are third-best in the GAC, while his .240 opponent batting average is 10th.

Rucker Wrecking Crew
Last season Trevor Rucker was nearly a one-man wrecking crew as he burst onto the scene for the Muleriders in his GAC Freshman of the Year campaign. In that first year, Rucker would hit .342 (64-for-187) with 15 doubles, two triples, six homeruns, and 37 RBIs. While the numbers were certainly impressive at the conclusion of the year, they are even more stout when you consider the fact Rucker was hitting .261 with four doubles, one triple, one homerun, and 19 RBIs on March 25. But, over the final 26 games of the year, Rucker would hit .414 (41-for-99) with 11 doubles, one triple, five homeruns, and 18 RBIs. 

This season, Rucker is hitting .311 (51-for-164) with seven doubles, two triples, six homeruns and 33 RBIs. Additionally, Rucker is a base-stealing threat with 19 successful swipes in 22 tries this season. For his career to this point, Rucker is 54-of-60 in stolen bases.

Backend Bullpen Strength
The Muleriders have received some strong outings out of the backend of their bullpen and in particualr from junior transfer Travis Johnson. On the year, Johnson has appeared in 17 games, is 2-3 with six saves, has a 2.42 ERA, and is limiting opponents to a .234 batting average with 19 punchouts in 26.0 innings pitched.