MAGNOLIA, Ark. – No. 10 Southern Arkansas is back in action this weekend as the Muleriders hit the road for Weatherford, Oklahoma, for a three-game, Great American Conference-opening series with Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday and Saturday. Originally scheduled to open up league play at home inside Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field, last week's winter storm and forecasted rainy conditions this coming weekend have pushed the series with the Bulldogs to the Sooner State.
 
SAU (2-1) last played on Valentine's Day weekend in Arkadelphia. The Muleriders were walked off by the host Reddies 4-3 in eight innings in the season opener, but bounced back in the second game of the day to claim a 7-2 win. The next day, Southern Arkansas erupted for 16 runs in a twelve-run victory over Ouachita.
 
The Muleriders, preseason No. 2 in the GAC, enter the first league series of the season having won 28 of 37 conference series in the previous four years under fifth-year head coach Justin Pettigrew.
 
Through three games, the Muleriders are averaging just over 8.5 runs per game (15^th | D2) which is more than enough for a pitching staff, which through the early going of the '21 campaign, is leading the nation in team ERA at 1.54 with D2's fifth-best hits allowed per nine innings rate of 5.79. The 26 runs have come courtesy of a team batting average of .330 which ranks tenth in Division II and an on-base percentage of .450 that is currently the 11^th-best mark in the nation. SAU's slugging percentage of .543 ranks 13^th nationally.
 
Sophomore catcher Brett McGee, who was named the league's player of the week on February 16, and junior outfielder Tucker Burton lead the team in average (.556) and rank second in hits (5), while the former holds team-best marks in runs scored (5), home runs (2), slugging percentage (1.333) and on-base percentage (.692). Six players have recorded three RBI this season and five have recorded at least three hits with junior outfielder Jacob Martinez's six pacing the club. Both McGee and Martinez have recorded three extra base hits with Martinez's pair of doubles the team standard through three games.
 
SAU boasts a bullpen that houses four players with at least an inning pitched that have yet to allow a run. Starting pitchers have tossed 17.0 innings and allowed just 11 hits with 15 strikeouts. Junior newcomer James Janco fanned eight batters in his Mulerider debut, while sophomore Parker Abrego picked up SAU's first win of the season with a solid six-inning performance.  
 
Last season, the Muleriders claimed the series over the Bulldogs with wins of 12-7 and 13-2 before falling in the finale 8-2. It was the final league series before the season came to an abrupt end due to the pandemic. This weekend's series will be the first action of the year for the Bulldogs which finished 2020 at 10-8 overall and 7-5 in GAC play. Live video and live stat links for this weekend's action are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.