GAME NOTES (PDF)
Leading Off
The Southern Arkansas baseball team is off to a 3-1 start after their four-game slate during opening weekend as part of the 2018 Air Hogs DII Classic in Grand Prairie that saw them compete with three nationally ranked opponents whom all appeared in the Central Regional tournament last season with Angelo State advancing to the National tournament that year.
In that classic, the Muleriders started off 2-0 against No.8 Emporia State and Washburn before dropping game three to No.20 Angelo State. The Muleriders concluded the weekend with a victory against No.28 Central Oklahoma.
The Muleriders are set to host a four-game series this weekend in Magnolia to No.17 Lindenwood who beat SAU in the opening round of the Central Region tournament last year and later advanced to the NCAA DII National Championship tournament where they posted a fifth place finish with a final overall record of 40-20.
Heading into the weekend, the Muleriders are hitting .290 as a team and sporting a 3.50 team ERA. Through the first four games, the Muleriders have scored 25 runs and the pitchers have limited opponents to a .213 batting average against.
Individually, the Muleriders have four players hitting over .350 with newcomer
Jansen McCurdy leading the club at .455. Senior
Jacob Richardson is next in hitting at .375 and he recently garnered the year's first GAC Player of the Week honor thanks, in part, to a .875 slugging percentage with four RBI, six hits, a triple, and a pair of homeruns. Senior Same Mrstik and freshman
Riley Orr round out the hitters in the .300 range at .364 and .357, respectively.
