CARY, N.C. – For the fourth time in program history and for the first time in its 26 years of NCAA membership, Southern Arkansas Baseball is set for action in a national postseason tournament as the 2022 NCAA DII Baseball Championship convenes on Saturday. The setting is Coleman Field inside the USA Baseball National Training Complex in beautiful Cary, North Carolina and the stakes are as high as they've ever been as the last team standing among the eight-team, double-elimination tournament will reach the zenith of DII Baseball.
 
The buildup of anticipation to Saturday afternoon's opening game of the DII World Series between (3) Southern Arkansas and (6) Rollins has nearly peaked as sixth-year head coach Justin Pettigrew's club is eager to get back between the lines. It will be the first ever contest for the Muleriders in the month of June, and the matchup with the Tars serves as the second meeting all-time between the two programs with the first coming at the 2010 NCAA South Region Tournament: a 7-1 win by SAU to advance to the regional championship and the last NCAA appearance by Rollins prior to its 2022 run.
 
First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EDT (12:30 p.m. Magnolia, Ark. time) and additional live coverage links including live stats and the Hall of Famer Dan Gregory's KVMZ 99.1 radio broadcast are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
 
To say the Muleriders' journey to reaching Cary for the first time was a wild ride would be an understatement. Southern Arkansas, Great American Conference regular season champions, posted a 4-0 record at the league tournament in Hot Springs to capture the program's sixth tournament title and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament; the program's 14th NCAA regional berth. Southern Arkansas was selected as the No. 2 seed and hosted NCAA postseason action for the third time in program history (2009, 2018).
 
In the Magnolia sub regional, the Muleriders used a seven-run eighth inning to rally past Washburn 12-11 in the tournament opener, exploded for 28 runs in a dominant offensive performance against Henderson State, and the next night against the Reddies SAU scored one run in the eighth to tie the game at 11 and added an emphatic walk off blast by senior Tucker Burton in the ninth to advance to the Central Super Regional.
 
In the super, the Muleriders again dabbled with that Magnolia magic as the team's third late inning home run of the postseason, a go-ahead two run homer from junior Conner Allen, sent SAU past Augustana 8-7 in game one of the best-of-3 series. The ride had yet to reach its wildest moment of the weekend as the Muleriders, trailing by five runs entering the top of the ninth inning, manufactured yet another furious rally plating seven runs with two outs highlighted by the club's fourth go-ahead home run of the postseason, a mammoth three-run shot by junior Brett McGee, to take a 13-11 lead that would hold in the bottom half.
 
Offensively, the Muleriders (46-11) have scored 12-plus runs in six of its nine games this postseason and have scored no fewer than seven runs in any contest during the month of May. Southern Arkansas enters having won 10 of their last 11 games and 18 of their past 21 dating back to mid-April. Of the 123 runs scored this postseason, which nearly doubles what it has allowed opponents to plate, SAU has struck early for 54 combined runs across the first three innings, produced plenty of middle-inning run support with 34 combined runs across the fourth through sixth innings, while the late game fireworks as mentioned above have accounted for 35 combined runs over the seventh through ninth innings. In 57 games, the Muleriders have scored 588 runs; the fourth-most nationally, while its 10.3 runs per game rank fifth in DII.
 
The firepower at the plate has come throughout the lineup as all nine starters have recorded ten or more hits led by sophomore Chris Lyles, the GAC Tournament MVP, who has recorded 16 base knocks which includes seven for extra bases (3 2B, 4 HR).
 
Southern Arkansas, which earlier this season set the single season program record for home runs becoming the first team to eclipse the century mark, has seen 26 balls leave the yard this postseason with most of those two dozen-plus exiting in dramatic fashion. All nine starters have hit a home run and four players have registered at least four blasts paced by Burton's six. SAU's 111 home runs this season rank fifth nationally.
 
Seven players have recorded at least 10 RBI this postseason with four having produced a dozen or more. Freshman all-region third baseman Brandon Nicoll's 21 runs batted in lead the team through the nine games. Eight of the nine players have crossed home at least ten times and six have recorded a dozen plate touches with McGee leading the way with 19 runs scored behind a dozen hits, eight for extra bases (2 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR), an eye-popping 17 base on balls (nation's leader in walks drawn) and three HBP. The Muleriders rank second nationally in both HBP and walks
 
The Muleriders have stolen 17 of 18 on the base paths since the beginning of the conference tournament with junior consensus all-region outfielder Ty Manning leading with six swipes.
 
Junior Riley Orr, a consensus All-Central Region shortstop and Honorable Mention All-America selection by the D2CCA, is one of four players hitting north of .400 through nine games this postseason. The Springhill, Louisiana native has recorded 13 hits, scored 16 runs and registered 10 RBI to go along with nine walks and one HBP.
 
National Pitcher of the Year and All-American Ace Jeremy Adorno, who is in the midst of one of the most dominant pitching campaigns in program history has made three starts this postseason and owns a 1-0 record with two no decisions. Sophomores Chance Bolter and Isaiah Haynes each own a team-high four appearances this postseason. The Southern Arkansas bullpen has seen its fair share of solid outings most recently during the team's run through the Central Region.
 
SAU owns a team ERA of 6.62 in nine postseason games, but when it's needed an urgent relief outing its received one. Freshman Hayden Hable's long relief effort against Washburn, Haynes' efforts in the backend of games (3 saves) and the lengthy starting efforts of Adorno (18.0 IP) and juniors Wyatt Marr (17.2 IP) and Parker Abrego (2 GS, 10.0 IP) have benefitted the Muleriders on the hill. Three other players have logged at least two appearances and four have tallied over 3.0 innings in relief.  
 
The Tars (40-15) topped Delta State 7-5 in its NCAA postseason opener and then handled Lee twice with wins of 15-1 and 7-3 to advance to the South Super Regional against perennial power Tampa. The Spartans took two of three in the regular season series finale three weeks earlier. However, the Tars claimed a 2-1 win in game one and cruised to a 13-6 win to advance to the DII World Series for the first time since 2004.
 
The South Region Champions come to Cary hitting .298 as a team. Three players hold averages north of .300 led by Chase Achuff's .381. An ABCA All-South Region First Team shortstop and a second team all-region honoree as utility pitcher by the D2CCA, Achuff has recorded 83 hits, including a team-leading 17 doubles and has seven appearances on the mound with six saves over 8.2 innings pitched with six strikeouts and zero walks. Jeslyn Whitehead is hitting .347 with 77 hits and is one of three players with 35+ RBI on the season.
 
Parker Smith and Cameron Meehan have combined for 21 homeruns with Nick Santucci leading the club with 14. Adams Torres' 48 RBI are a team best and Santucci follows with 44.
 
Like Achuff, Whitehead is a two-way player and has been stellar on the mound this season. The South Region Pitcher of the Year and an All-American by both the D2CCA and NCBWA, Whitehead is 10-2 with a nation's best 1.60 ERA and a WHIP of .93. He has recorded 97 strikeouts in 107.0 IP. Austin Long has appeared in 31 games with nine saves and owns a 2.48 ERA in 69.0 innings pitched. Rollins' team ERA of 3.29 is third best in the country, while its WHIP of 1.20 ranks fifth and its 7.72 hits allowed per nine rank seventh nationally.
 
The winner of Saturday's opener will matchup with the game 2 victor between (2) Point Loma and (7) Illinois-Springfield on Monday, June 6 at 6 p.m. EDT.