By: By: Daniel Gallegos
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(No. 2) #19 SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
MULERIDERS
32-16 (22-11 GAC) |
(No. 5) ARKANSAS TECH
WONDER BOYS
27-21 (19-14 GAC) |
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GAME NOTES (PDF)
Leading Off
The Southern Arkansas baseball team closed out the final two weeks of their regular season on a high note winning six of their final eight games including four of their final six in conference play. That solid finish to their regular season helped earn the Muleriders the No. 2 seed in the upcoming 2018 Great American Conference Baseball Championship Tournament; which after a two-year hiatus returns to the David Allen Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma. In each of the the previous four years that the
tournament was held in Enid, the Muleriders won the tournament title as they went four-peat from 2012-2015.
As the No. 2-seed, the Muleriders' opening round opponent will be the No. 5-seed Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys. This will be the fourth meeting between SAU and ATU in the GAC Tournament. First-pitch of the 2018 matchup will be at 3:30 p.m.
Offensively for SAU, 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 .378 and is leading the team with 70 hits, 11 home runs, 63 RBI, and 122 total bases.
Sophomore
Austin Baker leads the team with 52 runs scored and is second on the club with 64 hits. His 16 stolen bases lead the team. Junior
Dakota Wright (.301) rounds out the Muleriders hitting over .300 and impressively has four grandslams on the season.
In terms of pitching, the Muleriders have proved to be one of the best in the GAC, leading the league in team-ERA (4.40), saves (13), strikeouts (416), and opposing batting average (.243).
The starting staff has been anchored by a trio of seniors in
Jacob Stroder,
Hunter Vasquez, and
Kenneth Tabor. Vasquez and Tabor rank 1st and 2nd in ERA at 2.10 and 3.27, respectively. The duo have combined for a 15-6 record, while Stroder has tallied a 9-2 record. Vasquez leads the league in strikeouts with 95.
The bullpen features a pair of power arms in juniors
Eric White and
Nick Starr. Both have combined to save 2 games with White putting the finishing touches on seven games and Starr on five. They also combine for 64 strikeouts in 48.0 innings.
Arkansas Tech is currently hitting .301 with 86 doubles, 11 triples and 35 home runs. Their leading hitter is Korey Thompson at .347 (33-for-95). Cody Wescott has the most home runs with 10, while Riley Hickerson has the most RBIs with 51.
The Wonder Boys' pitching staff holds a 6.05 team-era, which ranks sixth in the GAC. As a staff, they have registered 357 strikeouts in 397.1 innings pitched. Hayes Cox is the top starter with an 8-3 record and a 3.77 ERA. Nolan Withrow is the top reliever at 2-0 with five saves.
