MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Coming off of a successful four-win weekend as the only unbeaten team at the Alpine Fresh 4-Him Classic in Cleburne, Texas, (RV) Southern Arkansas prepares to open at home for the first time in the 2020 campaign as the Muleriders welcome in Central Region foe Missouri Western for a four-game series from Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field. The action begins on Friday, February 7, with a 5 p.m. first-pitch and returns Saturday with a doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. start. Sunday's series finale is scheduled for noon. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
 
The Muleriders and the Griffons meet for the fourth time since 2013 and for the second-consecutive season after SAU edged MWSU 11-9 in Arkadelphia last spring. Before last season's meeting, the Muleriders topped the Griffons 5-4 at the 2017 Air Hogs DII Classic in Grand Prairie. In 2013, Southern Arkansas defeated Missouri Western 6-1 in the opening round of the Central Region Tournament.
 
Southern Arkansas is off to a 4-0 start to a season for the first time since 2013. Under fourth-year head coach Justin Pettigrew, the Muleriders are 56-22 at home in his previous three seasons at the helm. SAU won 21 home games in each of Pettigrew's first two seasons and added 14 wins in Magnolia last spring.
 
Last weekend, the Muleriders turned in a solid performance at the plate as the team hit .313 with six players recording five or more hits. Of the team's 42 hits in four games, 15 were extra base knocks which led to a .515 team slugging percentage. SAU plated 31 total runs in the weekend victories; the most in the first four games of a season since 2014 when that year's team pushed across 33 runs in a 3-1 series win over Augustana. Twenty-one of those runs came in the season opener.
 
Senior Kobe Morris leads the team in hits with seven, while sophomore Brett McGee, seniors Mason Peterson and Austin Baker and juniors Jacob Martinez and Cooper King have each registered five hits. Peterson and Martinez are the team leaders with five RBI and Baker's six runs scored are the most for the Muleriders. Baker and Morris each stole a pair of bags last weekend and the Muleriders are 9-of-10 in stolen bases through four games.
 
On the mound, SAU has received superb starting pitching as three of their four weekend starters went at least 6.0 innings with senior Zach Smith and sophomore Parker Abrego tossing 7.0 innings in their season debuts. Smith, in his first appearance as a Mulerider, surrendered just two hits and a walk, while matching SAU Opening Day starter Hunter Brantley's ten strikeouts with ten Ks of his own. Brantley tossed six innings in his season debut and allowed just three hits and two walks.
 
Senior Tanner Vaught picked up a pair of saves last weekend and senior Matt Kortendick recorded his first of the season and tenth as a Mulerider. In all, Southern Arkansas needed just eight arms to maneuver through its first weekend of the season.
 
Missouri Western carries a 1-2 record to Magnolia after dropping its season-opening series to reigning GAC Tournament Champion Oklahoma Baptist. The Griffons won the season opener 5-3 over the Bison behind a stellar starting pitching performance from Roy Robles who tossed 6.0 innings and allowed just two hits and a run, while striking out 17 batters. MWSU used ten pitchers last weekend with six working a single inning. The Griffons surrendered 35 runs to Oklahoma Baptist over the three games with the Bison plating 25 in the second game of the series.
 
As a team, MWSU recorded 24 hits during its opening weekend with Josh Robinson leading the way with six. Five other players recorded at least two hits. Gustavo Gonzales scored a team-leading three runs, while Andrew Meier plated four Griffons.