MAGNOLIA, Ark. – A well-rested and consensus top 10 nationally-ranked Southern Arkansas squad welcomes in Henderson State to Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field for a three-game Great American Conference series as the Muleriders (15-3, 9-0 GAC) put an unbeaten league record on the line against the Reddies (10-10, 5-4 GAC). First-pitch in Sunday's doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. Monday's finale is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
 
Southern Arkansas and Henderson State have played 61 times since the start of the GAC in 2012. SAU leads the series in that time with a 40-21 record and an 18-5 mark in Magnolia. The two squads met five times last season with HSU taking two of three in the league series in Arkadelphia as well as the midweek, while the Muleriders won 4-2 over the Reddies in the GAC Tournament in Springdale.
 
SAU boast the top scoring offense in the Great American Conference averaging 9.9 runs per game which ranks 15th nationally. SAU has pushed across ten or more runs ten times this season, while the squad's 178 total runs rank 11th in DII. Southern Arkansas' GAC-leading on-base percentage of .444, the 16th-highest mark in the country, comes behind 186 hits and top 35 marks nationally in hit-by-pitch (38; 22nd) and base on balls (98; 35th). Additionally, SAU carries a slugging percentage of .530 which ranks 20th in DII as a result of 65 extra base hits which includes 35 doubles and 26 home runs.
 
The Muleriders' average of .321 leads the GAC, while the team's 26 home runs rank second in the league and 14th nationally. Seven players are hitting north of .333 with Mikey McGinnis' average of .410 leading the offense. Will Richardson ranks second on the team with a .394 average and a team-leading 26 hits. He is one of five Muleriders with 20 or more runs scored which is led by Brandon Nicoll's two dozen. Nicoll leads with seven home runs (9^th nationally) and 11 extra base hits and trails Richardson's team-best 25 RBI with 24. Trace Shoup is tops in doubles with seven. Carter Claerhout joins Richardson and Nicoll with 20+ runs batted in. Grant Roosma leads SAU in walks (18; 25th nationally) and Chris Sutton leads in hit-by-pitch (8; 23^rd nationally). Roosma's on-base percentage of .553 is the best mark in the GAC.
 
SAU owns a GAC-best strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.68 and the league's third-best strikeouts per nine clip of 9.8. Jeremy Adorno and Mikel Howell have each tossed 27.0+ weekend innings. The pair has combined for 62 strikeouts to 26 walks led by Adorno's 33 Ks and Howell's starter-low nine free passes. Adorno's K-count rates 15th nationally. Tim Ruffino has made five starts for SAU totaling 21.0 innings with over a 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has gone the distance twice and along with Howell the pair each tossed complete games at then-#24 Harding. Fourteen different pitchers have recorded a relief effort for SAU this spring with six appearances each from Hayden Oglesby (9K, 7.0 IP) and Isaiah Haynes (14K, 4 SV, .100 opponent BA) and five relief showings from Chance Bolter (2.08 ERA, 4.1 IP) as well as Nate June and Stetson Bishop who have each started a midweek contest.
 
Henderson State holds an even .500 record at 10-10 with a 5-4 mark in GAC play. On the road, HSU is 3-2 this season. In GAC play, the Reddies took two of three from both Southwestern Oklahoma and Northwestern Oklahoma and grab one of three games from Arkansas Tech.
The Reddies rank in the GAC's top five in walks (94), hits allowed per nine (8.73) and stolen bases (23). Four Reddies are hitting north of .300, seven have scored 10 or more runs, four have delivered 10 or more RBI and seven have recorded a dozen or more hits. Cale Jones leads the offense with the highest average at .342. Luke Rice is hitting .338 which is tops among everyday Reddie hitters. Rice's two dozen hits lead the team. Louis Holt paces HSU with 17 runs scored with Kaden Argenbright's 19 RBI the most for Henderson State.
 
On the mound, primary starters Reese Weaks, Kyle Williams and Ryan Galvan have all recorded two wins. Weaks is tops in ERA among the trio at 2.39 and he leads in innings pitched with 26.1, in strikeouts with 24 and in opponent batting average at .140. Williams has fanned 19 batters this season and matches Weaks in hits allowed (12), while owning an opponent average of .154 in two dozen innings pitched. Luke Carter, Henry Coppens and Payton Byrd lead the bullpen with a combined 26 relief appearances. Byrd's 11 strikeouts are a pen high with Coppens' 13.1 innings trailing only Mitchell Szczygiel's pen-high 15.0.
  
SAU in the National Rankings
NCBWA DII Top 25
PRE: #17 (3rd CR)
W1: RV (4th CR)
W2: #20 (4th CR)
W3: #11 (3rd CR)
W4: #7 (2nd CR)
 
DII BSB Insider
PRE: #16
W1: #13
W2: #9
 
Weekly Honors
GAC Player of the Week
2/6 | Will Richardson
 
GAC Pitcher of the Week
2/20 | Isaiah Haynes
 
NCBWA Central Region Pitcher of the Week
2/21 | Isaiah Haynes
 
SAU records under Pettigrew
2017 season through 3-8-24
Overall: 253-108
At home: 120-42
At home (GAC): 84-24
GAC opening home series: 21-3
On road: 95-49
On road (GAC): 65-27
GAC opening road series: 19-5
Neutral: 42-17
Postseason: 31-17