MAGNOLIA, Ark. - #3 Southern Arkansas is set for its first Great American Conference series at home as East Central comes to town for a three-game league set beginning with a doubleheader on Friday (4 p.m.) and concluding with the series finale on Saturday (1 p.m.). Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
The Muleriders (7-3, 2-1 GAC) claimed two of three on the road at Southeastern Oklahoma to open GAC play last weekend. Friday's series opener will be the 60th meeting all-time between the two programs since the 1997 season. SAU holds a 45-14 series record in that time and has won 12 straight, 14 of the past 15 and is 19-3 against the Tigers since the start of the 2015 season. As GAC foes, which dates back to the 2012 campaign, the Muleriders are 25-6 with 13-2 record in Magnolia.
Southern Arkansas' pitching staff enters the second league weekend of the season holding multiple top 20 marks nationally. SAU ranks 11th in WHIP (1.08), 11th in walks allowed per nine (2.22), 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.89) and 18th in ERA (2.84). The three marks inside the top 15 all lead the GAC, while the staff's collective ERA ranks second. The Muleriders have accounted for 75 strikeouts to just 25 walks paced by a trio of weekend starters that have a combined 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 47.1 innings pitched.
Mikel Howell's addition to the starting rotation has been a highly welcomed one as the right hander currently holds a team-low ERA of 2.25 and a WHIP of .94.
Jeremy Adorno leads the team with 21 punchouts and an opponent batting average of .175 which is tops among all starters.
Wyatt Marr owns the staff's lone complete game of the season and ranks second in strikeouts with 15. All three weekend starters hold ERAs below 2.95 and opponent batting averages south of .235 and have combined for four of the team's seven wins this season.
Six staff arms have appeared in at least a pair of games this season.
Hayden Hable (2-0, 0.00 ERA) and
Santos Sosa (6 IP, 8 Ks) both own three appearances.
Isaiah Haynes leads the team with two saves in two innings of work. Jack Lidell (6 IP, 4 Ks) and
Chance Bolter (8 IP, 4 Ks) have each appeared twice. Three Muleriders are currently hitting .333 or better for an offense that is +40 in run margin with 30 extra base hits to go along with 54 walks and 21 HBP. SAU has swiped 16 bags in 20 attempts.
Riley Orr leads the team with a .385 average and is one of five players with 10+ hits through ten games this season.
Brandon Nicoll's 14 hits pace the group as do his four doubles and 11 RBI.
Brett McGee, the program's all-time leader in home runs and walks, leads the team in OPS at 1.143, has left the yard twice this season and leads the club in free bases with ten walks and five HBP. McGee is second on the team in runs scored with a dozen which trails
Chris Sutton's team-leading 15 and is second in RBI with ten which is matched by
Will Richardson. Three other Muleriders have accounted for at least eight RBI.
Conner Allen leads the team in slugging percentage at .607 with four of his seven base hits going for extra bags, including a team-leading three home runs.
Chris Lyles is tops on the team with four stolen bases.
East Central enters with a 4-8 record overall. The Tigers hold wins over Northwest Missouri, Northeastern State and Randall University (2). ECU enters the weekend series having been swept last weekend at home against Arkansas-Monticello. The Tigers are hitting .278 as a team with 31 extra base hits to go with 51 walks and 19 HBP. ECU has struck out 101 times this season and is currently -47 in run margin.
Nolan Herchock leads two other Tigers with averages over .300. Herchock is hitting .395 with 17 hits of which are three doubles, two triples and two home runs. He is one of two Tigers with four stolen bases and he ranks second in RBI with eight. Three Tigers have scored at least ten runs led by Christian Whitaker's 11. Duncan Key leads the team in RBI with 11.
On the mound, the Tigers hold a staff ERA of 9.91. Carson Thomas and Bryan Terry have each appeared in four games with three starts. Thomas leads in ERA at 3.18. Terry has recorded a staff-leading 19 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts.
