MAGNOLIA, Ark. – After a pair of postponements due to weather earlier this year, Southern Arkansas and Texas A&M-Texarkana are set to finally play against one another for the first time ever as the Muleriders travel to Texarkana to take on the Eagles for a mid-week game this evening.
 
The Eagles of Texas A&M-Texarkana are in just their second season of competition after it was announced the program would start in the fall of 2014. In their inaugural campaign, the Eagles went 33-20 and appeared in the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
 
This season, the Eagles enter with a 13-10 overall record and have won six of their last seven, including five in a row. As a team, the Eagles are hitting .293 with 38 doubles, nine triples, 12 homeruns, and 154 runs scored. On the mound, the Eagles have a 4.26 team ERA and have struck out 137 opposing batters while issuing 60 bases on balls.
 
The Eagles leading hitter is Cole Beckham at .359 (28-for-78). The leading RBI men are Beckham and Cameron Frost with 20 each. Beckham also leads the team in homeruns with six.
 
On the mound, the Eagles have thrown 14 different arms with six receiving starts. Neiko Yribe leads the team in victories with three while Alec Rios has a team-best three saves. The top strikeout pitcher on the club is Teddy Henderson with 31 in 29.0 innings pitched.
 
The Muleriders head into the contest with Texas A&M-Texarkana having won seven-straight and nine of their last 10 after sweeping Southern Nazarene this past weekend on the road. The Muleriders are also now ranked No. 20 in Division II according to the latest Collegiate Baseball Top-30 poll released on Monday.
 
Statistically, the Muleriders will enter play this evening hitting .320 as a team and have a 3.91 team ERA. Through 20 games, the Muleriders have scored 159 runs offensively while the pitching staff has tossed three shutouts.
 
Individually, the Muleriders have four players hitting over .350 with Mark Fontenot leading the club at .438 (28-for-64). Trevor Rucker is next in hitting at .408 (29-for-71). Rucker also leads the team in homeruns with seven. Jacob Richardson is the final batter over .350 with an average of .359 (28-of-78) through 20 games played.
 
On the mound, Dalton Algiene leads the team in wins (5), ERA (0.97), innings pitched (37.0), and strikeouts (48). In terms of relief appearances, Makenzy Larsen has appeared in the most games (8) and he is 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA in 14.2 innings pitched.