SOUTHERN ARKANSAS MULERIDERS 30-15 (20-10 GAC)	ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO WEEVILS 29-15 (22-8 GAC)
vs. Arkansas-Monticello Friday, April 27 | 3 p.m.  Weevil Field - Monticello, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | SAU RADIO vs. Arkansas-Monticello Saturday, April 28 | Noon | DH Weevil Field - Monticello, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | SAU RADIO

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GAME NOTES (PDF)

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Leading Off
Southern Arkansas (30-15, 20-10 GAC) is set for its final GAC series of the regular season as they travel to Arkansas-Monticello (22-8, 29-15 GAC) this weekend for a 3-game slate beginning with a single game on Friday at 3 p.m. and a twin-bill on Saturday scheduled for a Noon start. 
    
The Mulerider offense has plated nine or more runs in 17 games this season and is collectively slashing .290/.393/.466 in 45 games this season. 
    
Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello are both one of the four teams in the conference that have already clinched a spot in this year's Great American Conference tournament held in Enid, Oklahoma. Currently, the Weevils are at the top of the conference rankings, and the Muleriders follow at a close second just two wins shy of UAM in GAC play.
    
Four players are swinging at .300 or better led by a pair of seniors in Jacob Richardson and Jake Tisevich. Richardson owns the top average at .379 and is leading the team with 66 hits, 11 home runs, 61 RBI, 117 total bases, and nine hit-by-pitch. Tisevich ranks in the top three on the team in hits, doubles, RBI, total bases and stolen bases, with a team-best three triples, and is top five on the team in slugging percentage (.507) and on-base percentage (.412).
    
Sophomore Austin Baker leads the team with 47 runs scored and is second on the club with 59 hits, while also being one of five players with seven or more doubles. His fifteen stolen bases lead the team. Junior Dakota Wright (.303) rounds out the Muleriders hitting over .300 with the second-best slugging percentage on the team (.559) including three grandslams on the season. 
    
The Mulerider pitching staff has proved to be one of the best in the region as the unit leads the Great American Conference in team-ERA (4.40), saves (12), strikeouts (397), and opposing batting average (.245), has allowed the second-fewest runs (224) and earned runs (179), and is top-3 in the conference in fewest hits allowed (350) and walks allowed (148).
    
Seniors Hunter Vasquez and Kenneth Tabor have been largely responsible for the staff's success this season as the duo ranks 1st and 2nd respectively in ERA. Vasquez (2.21 ERA) and Tabor (2.71 ERA) have combined for a 14-5 start to the season, while fellow weekend starter Jacob Stroder has tallied a 8-2 start. Vasquez leads the league in strikeouts with 90 and Stroder is in the top 5 with 74 punch outs.
     
Junior Eric White has been dominant in relief this season. The hard-throwing righty owns almost a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has allowed just five earned runs in 14 appearances over 22.2 innings. White has tallied a pen-best seven saves and opponents are hitting just .182 against him. Classmate Nick Starr has picked up five saves this spring and a win, and his 30 strikeouts this season is second-best from the bullpen along with White's 32 K's. 
    
Arkansas-Monticello is currently leading the league in batting average (.328), slugging percentage (.543), on base percentage (.423), runs scored (406), hits (503), RBI (376), doubles (108), home runs (71), and total bases (832). It's 220 total walks rank second-best in the GAC.
    
The Weevils pitching staff holds a 5.39 team-era, which ranks sixth in the GAC, and is top five in the league in five other pitching categories including: fewest earned runs allowed, strikeouts, lowest opponent batting average, saves, and fewest hits allowed.