MAGNOLIA, Ark. - The season within the season begins this weekend in the Sooner State for #2 Southern Arkansas. Seventh-year head coach
Justin Pettigrew's Muleriders head to Durant for the first of three trips into the Sooner State this season as SAU and Southeastern Oklahoma State meet for a three-game Great American Conference-opening series from Mike Metheny Field. Friday's first pitch is set for 2 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader commences at noon. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
The Muleriders (5-1) held firm atop the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's (NCBWA) first weekly Central Region Top 10. SAU has won five of its first six games for the second-straight season.
In conference-opening weekends, the Muleriders have claimed their last six such series. In conference-opening games, SAU is 9-2 as a GAC member and has won six straight. Of the six times that the Muleriders have opened league play on the road in Oklahoma, SAU has claimed four of those series and holds an overall record of 12-6. This weekend's series will be the 11th between the two programs as members of the Great American Conference. Since first meeting as league foes in 2012, the series stands in favor of the Muleriders at 22-9. SAU has won eight straight games against the Savage Storm and has claimed a series victory eight times. In Durant, the Muleriders are 13-4 since 2012 and have won both neutral site meetings (GAC Tournament).
Southern Arkansas enters the weekend at +37 in run scoring margin and has combined for 38 runs over their previous two games. The Muleriders are swinging .250 as a team with a collective OPS of .773. The Muleriders have been plunked 18 times through six games which lands inside the top 10 in the country. SAU has swiped 14-of-17 on the base paths and own a collective fielding percentage of .976 which is tops among all GAC teams.
Riley Orr paces the club in average (.600), OPS (1.292) and on-base percentage (.692).
Brandon Nicoll's nine hits, three doubles, eight RBI, 15 total bases and .682 slugging percentage are tops on the team. Orr and
Chris Lyles have recorded six hits and four other Muleriders have four this season.
Brett McGee matches Nicoll in the RBI column with eight. Five other Muleriders have at least four RBI. McGee along with Lyles and
Conner Allen have each scored six runs which are the second-most on the team behind
Chris Sutton's nine. McGee, Lyles and Allen have all walked five times, while McGee and Sutton have both been hit-by-pitch four times.
On the mound, the Muleriders have been sturdy. SAU won three one-run ball games to start the season and in four of their wins, Mulerider arms have struck out at least nine batters and in only one game has an opponent walked three or more times. In the early going, Southern Arkansas ranks fourth nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.55), ERA (2.02) and WHIP (0.92), ranks sixth in DII in walks allowed per nine (2.02) and tenth in hits allowed per nine (6.24). It has started with the starters.
Wyatt Marr holds an empty ERA through 8.1 innings pitched this season with nine strikeouts and only one extra base hit allowed. Reigning Central Region Pitcher of the Week
Jeremy Adorno owns a 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and an opponent batting average of .147.
Mikel Howell has been highly impressive. He carries a 0.90 ERA and a team-best WHIP of .40 in 10 innings pitched. He and Adorno both have a dozen strikeouts, while Howell has allowed just one walk and three hits in two wins this season. In the pen,
Isaiah Haynes owns a pair of saves in two innings of work.
Hayden Hable (1 H, 1 K, 1.2 IP),
Jack Liddell (2.25 ERA, 3 K, 4.0 IP) and
Chance Bolter (2.70 ERA, 2 H, 3.1 IP) have been solid among relievers this spring. SAU has used eight different arms only in relief through six games this season and the eight have allowed just six walks and two HBP with 13 Ks.
The Savage Storm are 5-3 on the season and have won their last three games by a combined 43-10. SOSU leads the country in walks (66), ranks second in stolen bases (29), and has the ninth-highest on-base percentage (.469). Southeastern Oklahoma has also been solid on the hill with a 2.89 ERA (17th DII) and a 6.75 hits allowed per nine metric (14th DII).
Five players are hitting north of .350 with Cameron French's .440 average leading the team. Jake Miller leads in OPS at 1.455. Seven players have at least seven hits this season, paced by Cameron Cromer's 13. Cory Bonstrom leads in runs scored with 14. Damon Burroughs' ten RBI are tops for a club that has six players with at least five RBI this season. Seven players have been perfect on the base paths with three having not been caught in at least three attempts. Burroughs' seven lead the team.
Cole Canuteson leads the staff with a .82 ERA in 11.0 IP. He has 17 strikeouts to just five walks. Connor Priest carries a 1.04 ERA and a staff-low opponent batting average of .172 in 8.2 innings pitched. Dylan Turner's 12.1 IP lead the team and among starters he holds a staff-low 1.22 WHIP. Six pitchers with at least one appearance have not allowed a run and the staff has just over a 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio.
