RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced its weekly award winners on Monday afternoon and among the individuals honored was Mulerider Baseball's Zach Smith who was named the league's Pitcher of the Week after recording his second-straight dominant performance of the season in last weekend's 1-0 win over Missouri Western.
 
This past weekend, Smith garnered the league accolade after tossing eight innings of four-hit baseball with three walks allowed. The right hander fanned seven in the victory, but no two strikeouts were bigger than the two he recorded to get out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth inning. With just one out in the frame, Smith worked around the crowded base paths to strikeout back-to-back Griffon batters swinging and preserve the 1-0 lead.
 
The Katy, Texas, native made his Southern Arkansas debut on February 1 and recorded ten strikeouts to just two hits and one walk in seven innings of work to earn a 3-1 win over Newman.
 
The Muleriders are off to an 8-0 start to the 2020 campaign; the program's best start to a season since 1986. SAU is back in action this weekend as the Muleriders open GAC play by hosting Henderson State in a three-game series from Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field.