MAGNOLIA, Ark. - #7 Southern Arkansas is set for Great American Conference action this weekend as the Muleriders head to Ada, Oklahoma for a three-game series with East Central. Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch with Saturday's series finale set for a noon start. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
The Muleriders (12-2) jumped up nine spots into the NFCA Top 10 for the first time in over two years following a 12-2 start to the season with all dozen victories counting as in-region games including a 9-8 road win at then No. 6 Central Oklahoma. SAU nearly topped the defending national champs Rogers State losing 3-2 in a neutral site affair.
The first game of the series marks the 51st meeting all-time between the two programs who first met in SAU's inaugural season of 1999. The Muleriders hold the lead in the series 36-14 and have won the last 13 meetings with the Tigers. In Ada, Southern Arkansas is 14-5 since the first season of the GAC in 2012.
Southern Arkansas enters its first GAC series hitting .326 as a team with an OPS of .986. The Muleriders have banged out 124 hits with 45 extra base hits. SAU is currently +46 in run margin in 14 games played. In the circle, the SAU staff owns a 2.48 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP. In 96.0 collective innings, the Muleriders have recorded 81 strikeouts to 27 walks.
Six Muleriders are hitting north of .300 led by Alyssa Miller's .525 average. Her 21 hits pace the lineup and six more players have recorded at least ten base knocks this spring with Gracie King and Ariana Rolle each accounting for 16. Rolle and Jaxynn Dyson lead the club with a dozen runs scored and King follows with 11. Emily Shipman and Courtney Storey have each hit four doubles. Anderson's squad has hit 21 home runs this season led by four from King and Shipman and three each from Dyson, Regan Dillon and Kamryn Moctezuma.
Shipman's 16 RBI lead a club averaging 6.4 runs per game. King trails with 15, Moctezuma has accounted for 11 and Miller 10. Dillon and Dyson have combined for 22 of the team's 49 walks.
The success in the circle has started with Sydney Ward who owns a 1.60 ERA with a 6-1 record, four complete games and 38 strikeouts in 43.2 innings pitched. Baylie Thornhill has tossed 24.2 innings and is 3-1 on the season with a pair of saves. She currently carries a 7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Morgan McAlexander has started the second-most games at 5 and is 2-0 on the season with a complete game and 19 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.
The Tigers enter 1-7 overall with a 5-1 decision coming as the lone mark in the win column. Tiger hitters are hitting a collective .193 with a run margin of -18. ECU has recorded eight extra base hits. ECU pitching owns a 4.59 ERA with a WHIP of 1.77. Gabi Quintanilla is ECU's top hitter and is leading the team in average (.381), hits (8), runs scored (4), total bases (12), slugging (.571) and on-base percentage (.500). Elyse LeClair and Jayna Reid each have a team-best three RBI. LeClair follows Quintanilla with six hits.
In 50.1 innings pitched, the Tigers have recorded 36 strikeouts with 35 walks and have allowed 21 extra base hits. Opponents are hitting .265 off of the Tiger staff. Lauren HerrNeckar leads the staff with a 2.63 ERA in eight innings. Taryn O'Brien's 2.83 ERA comes behind a staff-high 17.1 innings pitched. She has the team's lone win. Taylor Spence follows with 14.1 innings pitched with a team-leading 11 strikeouts.
