MAGNOLIA, Ark. – It is that time again, the time for Mulerider Softball to get back in action as the group led by Head Coach Jason Anderson, now in year 11 at the helm, is set for their third-straight season-opening trip to the Mardi Gras Invitational in Youngsville, Louisiana. Southern Arkansas has been one of the most dominant teams in the early season tilt as Anderson's Muleriders are 9-1 at the invite including significant victories against Augustana (SD) (2/1/24), Drury (2/4/24), and #6 Texas A&M – Kingsville (2/5/24).
 
Dubbed the second overall team in the Great American Conference Preseason Poll, the Muleriders look to pave their way back to the league tournament championship for the fourth season in a row, but this time with the GAC Championship trophy in hand.
 
Southern Arkansas comes off another season in which the group took part in the NCAA DII postseason as the Muleriders made their way to Pittsburg, Kansas for the Central Regional (May 9-10). SAU fell in games one and two in the tournament to the top-seeded Pitt State (3-4) and fifth-seeded Oklahoma Baptist (4-8). Anderson now looks to make his ninth-straight appearance in the postseason.
 
SAU at a Glance
Coach Anderson is looking to work with a fairly new squad this campaign. The highly decorated head coach has brought in 11 experienced transfers, including five NCAA Division I transfers. Anderson also brings in six true freshmen and a pair of redshirt freshmen.
 
Making their return to the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex are ten Muleriders that include 2024 all-conference members such as All-GAC Second Team honoree Regan Dillon and the league's Newcomer of the Year Brinson Rogers (All-GAC Second Team).
 
Dillon comes back after recording a batting average of .359 accounting for 33 runs, 60 hits, 13 dingers (2^nd GAC), 0.25 home runs per game (2^nd GAC), a .471 on-base percentage (3^rd GAC), 116 total bases (1^st GAC), 0.64 walks per game (1^st GAC), 0.92 RBI per game (2^nd GAC), 49 RBI (3^rd GAC), 15 doubles (3^rd GAC), and 0.28 doubles per game (3^rd GAC).
 
Rogers returns to the circle looking to claim the starting role of Anderson's deep pitching staff after the senior led the 2024 staff in strikeouts with 209 along with having the fewest hits (99), runs (51), and walks (69) allowed after appearing in over half of the campaign's contest. Of those with at least 30 appearances last season, Brinson led the Great American Conference with 99 hits allowed. The Statesboro, Georgia native's hits allowed per seven innings (4.97) ranked second in the conference behind the league's Pitcher of the Year, Oklahoma Baptist's Kayleigh Jones (4.41). As a junior, Rogers tied for the team lead in shutouts as she produced six shutouts last season and tied for second in the league.
 
Miles College at a Glance
The Golden Bears enter the 2025 season after concluding the 2024 campaign with a 12-30 overall record while going 8-14 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). Miles concluded its season in the SIAC Championship Tournament after winning the opening round and then losing their next two. Southern Arkansas will be meeting the Golden Bears for the first time all-time.
 
In 2024, the Golden Bears ranked second in SIAC for total double plays (16) and doubles per game (0.38) which was 39^th in DII. Other statistical categories that the Bears ranked in the top five of their league include hits allowed per seven innings (9.89) and stolen bases per game (2.86).
 
Augustana (SD) at a Glance
The Vikings return to the softball diamond off the program's third trip to the DII Softball Championship in five seasons. Augie enters 2025 as the preseason 7^th-ranked team (NFCA) as the group completed the 2024 season in Orlando, Florida going 50-15 and 27-1 in the Northern Sun Intercollege Conference (NSIC). SAU met the Vikings last season in the Mardi Gras Invitational where the Muleriders claimed victory 8-0 after just five innings of play. All-time against the Vikings, Southern Arkansas is 2-2 as the two programs have played four times since 2018. This will be the third consecutive meeting while at a neutral site.
 
Augustana finished as the NSIC champions in both the regular season and conference tournament as the program claimed its four-consecutive regular season conference championship. The group ranked first in multiple categories in the NSIC and was inside the top ten of many categories in DII such as total doubles (119 | 4^th DII), ERA (1.71 | 7^th DII), hits (625 | 1^st DII), home runs (89 | 4^th DII), home runs per game (1.37 | 8^th DII), shutouts (21 | 2^nd DII), slugging percentage (.570 | 7^th DII), and WHIP (1.04 | 8^th DII).
 
Mississippi College at a Glance
The Choctaws of Mississippi College enter the new season as the 12^th-ranked team in the NFCA preseason coaches poll after finishing 2024 48-9 with a 24-6 record in the Gulf South Conference. While the two programs have taken each other on before, it has not been many as SAU and MC are scheduled for just the third meeting of all time after having a double-header last season canceled. The last time these two units faced off was in 2023 that saw the Choctaws sweep the Muleriders in Magnolia 2-10 and 4-7.
 
Mississippi College returns to action after claiming the title of Regular Season Champions for the Gulf South Conference as well as being ranked high in the conference for statistical categories such as ERA (3.01 | 1^st GSC), hit batters (16 | 1^st GSC), sac flies (20 | 1^st GSC), triples (17 | 1^st GSC), and WHIP (1.29 | 1^st GSC).
 
Alabama-Huntsville at a Glance
The University of Alabama-Huntsville cruises into the 2025 season after a 40-18 overall record in 2024 with a Gulf South Conference record of 22-8. The Chargers' campaign came to an end in the South Regional in Clinton, Mississippi where the group fell in the opener to Tampa 3-4 (9), defeated West Alabama 2-1, and then dropped to Tampa once more 2-4. This marks the 18^th matchup all-time between the Muleriders and UAH as the two are former conference foes and have not met since those days (2011). UAH holds the advantage against Southern Arkansas 2-15.
 
The Chargers' defense was no joke last Spring as the group ranked inside the top three of many statistical categories in the GSC such as shutouts (13 | 1^st GSC), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.58 | 1^st GSC), double plays (21 | 2^nd GSC), double plays per game (0.36 | 2^nd GSC), fielding percentage (.970 | 2^nd GSC), hit batters (28 | 2^nd GSC), and team strikeouts per seven innings (7.23 | 2^nd GSC).
 
Washburn at a Glance
Last season for the Ichabods concluded in the Central Regional as Washburn fell in games one and two of the tournament to Central Oklahoma and Southern Nazarene, which saw the unit finish 37-17 with a 17-9 record in the MIAA. The Muleriders and the Ichabods make their sixth acquaintance of all time and the first time meeting in back-to-back seasons. Last season saw Washburn claim victory over SAU in the Alvy Early Memorial Classic (Bentonville, Ark.) by a final of 7-8 in 9 innings.
 
Washburn's season statistics a year ago ranked high within the MIAA as the group ranked in the top three of the conference for doubles (97 | 1^st MIAA | 15^th  DII), doubles per game (1.80 | 1^st MIAA | 16^th DII), ERA (1.83 | 2^nd MIAA | 11^th DII), hits (429 | 3^rd MIAA), shutouts (18 | 2^nd MIAA | 5^th DII), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.06 | 1^st MIAA | 6^th DII), strikeouts per seven innings (6.68 | 2^nd MIAA | 22^nd DII), sac bunts (37 | 2^nd MIAA), sac flies (18 | 3^rd MIAA), and WHIP (1.08 | 2^nd MIAA | 12^th DII).
 
Live Coverage
All coverage for the invitational can be found at MuleriderAthletics.com/coverage.