MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Mulerider Baseball team (10-4, 5-1 GAC) will host the Harding Bisons (12-4, 3-3 GAC) this weekend for their third GAC weekend series. Last weekend, the Muleriders swept the ECU Tigers (18-0 (7), 8-0, 15-5 (8)) in Magnolia to earn themselves the #1 spot in the GAC and share the same conference record as UAM, Henderson and Arkansas Tech. This weekend's games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday with the first game on Friday at 6 p.m. Make sure to visit www.MuleriderAthletics.com for any weather-related changes to the schedule.
Southern Arkansas Notes
Recent Riders: The Muleriders swept East Central in this past weekend's matchup, outscoring the Tigers 41-5 over the course of three games and recording 21 more hits than the visiting team. Both Brandon Nicoll and Mikey McGinnis recorded batting averages over .500 against ECU. Nicoll went 6-11 (.545) with three doubles, a triple and eight RBI. McGinnis went 5-9 (.555) with a double, triple and seven RBI.
Hot Corner: Third baseman Brandon Nicoll leads the Muleriders with a .377 batting average and is the only athlete to have recorded 20 or more hits. The sophomore leads the team with 19 RBI, seven doubles and 32 total bases, six more than the next closest Mulerider. Nicoll has recorded eight multi-hit games and has also seen seven multi-RBI games, both which include their three games against ECU.
Sutting the Table: Leadoff hitter Chris Sutton has reached base safely in 10 of his first plate appearances through 14 games this season.
Going, Going, Gone!: Conner Allen brought the three-game series against ECU to a close with a walk off two-run bomb in the eighth. The senior has recorded the most homers on the team (4) and is tied for the third most bases (23). Allen is one of three Muleriders to post a slugging percentage over .600 (.639).
Awards Season: Right fielder Conner Allen and right-handed pitcher Mikel Howell earned both the GAC and NCBWA player and pitcher awards this past week. Both earn the honors for the first time in their careers. In the Muleriders' four games last week, Allen combined for five hits, three home runs, nine RBI, a .500 batting average and 2.106 OPS. Howell saw 7.0 scoreless innings where he allowed just two hits and struck out twelve.
On the Bump: ULM transfer Mikel Howell posts the only sub 2.00 ERA of any Mulerider starter going into the weekend. Howell's 1.57 ERA (4 ER/ 23.0 IP) accompanies a .175 opponent batting average (14-80). The Muleriders' ace, Jeremy Adorno, is holding batters to a minuscule .158 (12-76) and posts an equally impressive 2.05 ERA (5 ER/ 22.0 IP). Reliever Hayden Hable posts two wins alongside Santos Sosa and Jack Liddell, who have also recorded wins as relievers.
Muleriders vs. Bisons: The Muleriders are 24-15 against HU since 2013 and went 2-1 against the Bisons during their last meeting in Magnolia. Veterans Brett McGee and Riley Orr have the most experience against Harding- Orr first faced the Bisons in 2018 before McGee in 2019. Orr is 7-31 (.225) against Harding in the regular season, over three seasons, with two doubles, one triple and five RBI. The Bisons have seen McGee bat .400 (18-45) against them in the regular season over the span of four seasons, with two doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI. SAU's remaining returners faced Harding for the first time during the 2022 season. Lyles went 3-12 (.250) with a home run and five RBI. Nicoll earned a .466 (7-15) average against Harding with two RBI and two doubles. Chris Sutton went 4-8 (.500) with two RBI last year while Conner Allen (2-9, .222) and Jakob Machuca (2-10, .200) each saw 2 hits. Jeremy Adorno tossed 8.0 innings against the Bisons last year that saw three hits, zero runs, two walks and 11 strikeouts. Jack Liddell has combined for 2.0 innings against Harding during his time in a Mulerider uniform, allowing five hits and one run between his two outings. Wyatt Marr threw 4.0 innings last year in Searcy where he allowed four hits, two runs, one walk and struck out one.
Harding Notes
Scouting the Bisons: Harding dropped their series to Oklahoma Baptist last weekend to fall to 3-3 in GAC play. OBU took the first two games 14-4, 2-1, but Harding bounced back to claim game three in a 7-5 win. The Bisons took on the Ouachita Baptist Tigers in a midweek game on Tuesday where they lost 6-4. The Searcy team has only lost games in conference matchups, handing non-conference losses to Williams Baptist, Southwest Baptist and Delta State.
Pitcher's Duel: Harding and SAU post ERAs in the top-three in the Great American Conference. Harding leads the conference with a 3.24 ERA while SAU's average took a blow this past Tuesday in their midweek against Mississippi College to fall to 4.09. SAU has allowed the fewest hits (97) and stands as the only conference team to have allowed fewer than 100. Harding closely trails SAU with 104 allowed hits. Harding additionally has given up the fewest home runs (5) while SAU (9) remains one of the three GAC teams to have allowed fewer than 10.
