MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas Mulerider Baseball team is set to open their 2016 season this weekend in Grand Prairie, Texas, at the SAU Division II Classic at the Ballpark at Grand Prairie. The Muleriders are one of four teams set to compete in the two-day invitational joining the Lone Star Conference's Cameron University, the Great American Conference's East Central University and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association's Washburn University.
 
The Muleriders are hosting the second-annual event which will begin on Friday, February 5 and will conclude on Saturday, February 6. SAU is slated to play two games each day and will take on Cameron and Washburn that Friday and then East Central and Washburn once more on Saturday.
 
A complete schedule with game times, opponent rosters, and other information regarding the Classic can be found here: http://muleriderathletics.com/sports/2015/12/10/2016_Baseball_Classic.aspx?path=baseball. Live stats (http://www.sidearmstats.com/saumag/baseball/) and live video (http://livestream.com/accounts/10140781) will be provided.  
 
Southern Arkansas enters the 2016 season as the Great American Conference's preseason favorites for the fifth-straight year. The Muleriders are coming off a 40-18 campaign in 2015, which marked the seventh time in the past 10 seasons that the program has won 40 or more games while also extending a streak of 30-plus wins for the 15th-consectuive year.
 
Last season, the Muleriders won the Great American Conference Regular Season title for the third time in the last four years while also capturing their fifth-consecutive conference tournament championship en route to advancing to their eighth-straight NCAA regional tournament.
 
This year, SAU is nationally ranked in the top-20 in a trio of preseason polls: 14^th in Collegiate Baseball, 15^th in Perfect Game and 19^th in National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
 
SAU returns the services of three lineup regulars and seven pitchers who all saw significant time on the mound in 2015.
 
Of the returning everyday players, two earned All-GAC honors a year ago with senior Billy Germaine being named All-GAC First-Team and junior Trevor Rucker being named All-GAC Honorable Mention. Germaine, a native of Aldergrove, B.C., was the second-leading hitter for the Muleriders in 2015 as he hit .338 (67-for-198). Additionally, Germaine would lead the team with 17 doubles, 12 homeruns, 51 runs scored, and 66 RBIs. Rucker, a native of Prescott, Ark. and the 2014 GAC Freshman of the Year and All-GAC Second-Team selection, hit .320 (64-for-200) with eight doubles, two triples, seven homeruns, and drove in 36 runs last season.
 
On the mound, the Muleriders return seven arms highlighted by All-GAC First-Team and All-Region Second-Team starting pitcher Landon Simpson. Last season, Simpson, a native of Magnolia, set a SAU single-season record for starts with 17 and his 115.0 innings pitched are the second-most in a season for a pitcher. While he was a workhorse in terms of time on the mound, Simpson also yielded results as he finished the season with a 10-4 record and a 2.66 ERA.
 
His 10 wins, 115.0 innings pitched, and 17 games started all led the GAC while his impressive single-season record-tying four shutouts led not only the GAC but also the entire Central Region. Additionally, Simpson would lead the league in strikeouts with 74.
 
Returning alongside Simpson with significant innings pitched last season are starters Timothy Buchanan and Hunter Mayo, while Jared Fielden, Travis Johnson and Jace Powers all logged critical innings in relief. Buchanan and Mayo combined for eight wins while Fielden, Johnson and Powers combined for 12 of SAU's 13 saves on the season.
 
For the full 2016 regular season schedule of the Mulerider Baseball team, follow this link: http://muleriderathletics.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball&. Full team roster is available here: http://muleriderathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=baseball&, while 2016 team quick facts can be located here: https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/saumag.sidearmsports.com/documents/2016/1/26/2016_Baseball_Quick_Facts.pdf.