MAGNOLIA, Ark. - Another chapter in the continuing story of the 2023 Southern Arkansas Baseball team is set to be penned this weekend in the "Show-Me" State. The Muleriders carry the No. 3 seed into the Central Region Tournament and will open NCAA postseason play against (6) (RV) Minnesota State in the four-team, double-elimination sub-regional from Joplin, Missouri; the home of tournament host Missouri Southern. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Warren Turner Field. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com. Additional tournament information can be found at 2023 NCAA Central Regional Tournament (mssulions.com).

The last team standing in the Joplin Regional will take on the winner of the Warrensburg Regional (at the highest seed remaining)l which is taking place simultaneously two and a half hours north. Top seed Central Missouri plays host to (4) Ouachita, (5) Augustana and (8) St. Cloud State.

Thursday's NCAA opener in southwest Missouri will be the fifth matchup all-time between the Muleriders and the Mavericks with the previous four meetings all coming in the Central Region Tournament (2014, 2015, 2021-twice). The series is tied at 2-2 with SAU winning both of the contests in the 2021 Warrensburg Regional.

Southern Arkansas (39-16) makes its 15th NCAA regional appearance and owns an all-time record of 31-29 in NCAA postseason play. Minnesota State (39-15) is in an NCAA regional for the 40th time overall and carries an all-time NCAA postseason record of 78-82.

The Muleriders, regular season champs of the Great American Conference for the seventh time with a conference record of 24-9, laid claim to the program's seventh league tournament title after taking two of three from (8) Southeastern Oklahoma in the opening round and then knocking off (4) Henderson State (4-2) and (6) Oklahoma Baptist twice (6-1, 7-6). In the championship game, SAU rallied twice with the final instance resulting in a walk-off walk as part of a two-run seventh.

In three games in Springdale, McGee led SAU with four hits including a double and a home run, recorded four RBI, scored three times and drew four walks on his way to garnering Tournament MVP honors. Chris Garcia, Conner Allen, Brandon Nicoll and Riley Orr all collected three hits. Garcia, Nicoll and Chris Sutton each delivered a pair of RBI. Orr scored a team-high four runs.

The Muleriders received stellar starts from Jeremy Adorno (8.0 IP, 4H, 2ER, 4K) and Mikel Howell (7.0 IP, 5H, 1R, 5K) and a near perfect 4.1 relief innings from Jake Uber spread across two appearances. Chance Bolter worked a solid 4.2 relief innings with only one of his five hits allowed, proving costly. Isaiah Haynes notched save No. 13 of the season to match the single season program record.

In six postseason games, the Muleriders are hitting .298 with 14 of their 57 hits going for extra bases. SAU has drawn 35 walks with McGee leading with seven. Nicoll leads with ten hits and is one of three players with six RBI joining McGee and Allen. Both McGee and Allen have homered twice this postseason. Five other players, including the previously mentioned pair, have recorded seven hits. Three players are leading with seven runs scored.

SAU carries a 3.63 postseason ERA with 40 strikeouts to 17 walks in 52.0 innings. Opponents are hitting .250. The Muleriders have received a pair of wins from Howell and victories from Adorno and Wyatt Marr. Adorno and Howell have combined for 27.1 innings and 25 strikeouts. Four relievers have been used with Uber and Bolter both working 7.1 innings with a combined nine strikeouts to just nine hits and three walks allowed.

Nationally, the Muleriders hold five top 30 statistical rankings in doubles (126), hit-by-pitch (113), walks (285), on-base percentage (.423) and runs scored (451). Nicoll leads the team with 78 hits, 20 doubles and 69 RBI, McGee leads in runs scored with 61, home runs with 17, walks with 47 and hit-by-pitch with 18 (tied with Sutton) and Orr leads in average at .359 and in stolen bases with 23.

Award Central (Listed by most recent announcement)
NCBWA All-Central Region First Team - Jeremy Adorno (SP)
NCBWA All-Central Region Second Team - Brett McGee (C-), Brandon Nicoll (3B), Isaiah Haynes (RP)
NCBWA All-Central Region Honorable Mention - Conner Allen (OF)
College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District - Chris Sutton, Chance Bolter, Jack Liddell
GAC Tournament MVP - Brett McGee
GAC All-Tournament Team - Jeremy Adorno, Mikel Howell, Brandon Nicoll, Conner Allen
GAC Coach of the Year - Justin Pettigrew
GAC Newcomer of the Year - Mikel Howell
All-GAC First Team - Jeremy Adorno (SP), Isaiah Haynes (RP), Riley Orr (SS), Brandon Nicoll (3B), Brett McGee (C)
All-GAC Second Team - Mikel Howell (SP), Conner Allen (OF)
GAC All-Defensive Team - Brett McGee (C), Riley Orr (SS), Chris Lyles (OF)
GAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete - Jack Liddell, Chance Bolter, Cy Murphy

The Mavericks hold top 30 statistical marks nationally in ERA (4.00), hit-by-pitch (103), sac bunts (44), triples (18), WHIP (1.31) and rank second in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.36) and third in walks allowed per nine (2.65).

Aidan Byrne leads the team in average (.365), runs scored (57) and hits (72). Mikey Gottschalk's 13 doubles are a team-high as are Jackson Hauge's 13 homers, 67 RBI and .653 slugging percentage. Matthew Fleischhacker has been walked a team-leading 34 times and Ryan Wickman has been hit 20. Wickman and Byrne have each swiped 17 bags. Hauge was named to the NCBWA All-Central Region Second Team as an outfielder.

Two Maverick pitchers earned NCBWA All-Central Region honorable mention honors. Nathan Culley leads the staff with 91 strikeouts. He is 8-3 with a 3.38 ERA. Dylan Gotto owns a 9-2 record and a 4.30 ERA in 81.2 innings. Aiden McGee's 19 relief appearances are tops on the team.