MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The (RV) Southern Arkansas University Muleriders (24-14, 17-7) play host to the East Central University Tigers (12-26, 7-17) for a three-game weekend series inside Walker Stadium.
Series History
The Muleriders currently lead the all-time series at 51-14. The first meeting between the two teams came on March 20th, 1997, a 5-4 win for the Tigers. The most recent meeting came on February 24th, 2024, a 13-4 win for the Muleriders. The Muleriders are currently riding an 18-game winning streak against the Tigers dating back to their meeting on February 25th, 2018, in Melissa, Texas.
A Look at SAU
The Muleriders are coming off an extremely impressive weekend as they swept the Harding Bisons and took sole control over first place in the GAC after trailing the Bisons by two games coming into the weekend. The pitching staff had an outstanding weekend holding the Bisons to just eight total runs while the offense found their groove scoring 15 total runs. In the doubleheader, both games were decided by one big inning for the Muleriders. Game one saw a five-run bottom of the fifth to give the Blue and Gold the lead and game two saw a three-run bottom of the fourth inning to give the Muleriders the decisive lead.
Trace Shoup has been hot lately for the Muleriders as he leads the offense with his .352 batting average and 1.011 OPS.
Lee Matsuzaki currently sits in second on the team with his .331 batting average. Lee also leads the team in hits (52), RBIs (35), and doubles (14).
Brandon Nicoll currently leads the team in home runs with eight.
Austin Adair currently leads the pitching staff with his 2.58 ERA and 6-1 record. Adair was outstanding in relief this weekend earning two saves.
Jeremy Adorno currently leads the staff in innings pitched (63), strikeouts (70), and shutouts (1).
Carter Gaston and
Beau Leonards also had great weekends on the mound and have been mainstays in the weekend rotation. Leonards has pitched 47 innings with 50 strikeouts this season while Gaston has thrown 42.1 innings with 36 strikeouts.
A Look at ECU
Despite their rough start to the season, the Tigers are currently riding an eight-game win streak collecting sweeps over SWOSU and SNU while also beating Oklahoma Baptist and SEOSU in midweek matchups. The Tigers are currently ranked 11th in the GAC standings and will look to collect a win over the GAC's top-ranked Muleriders.
Zac Carroll currently leads the Tigers offense with a .366 batting average and 52 hits. Carroll also leads in RBIs (29), doubles (17), runs (39), OPS (.990), and slugging percentage (.528). Ethan Rone currently leads the team in home runs with five. Cal Birchfield is the only qualifying pitcher of one inning pitched per game. Birchfield currently has a 7.24 ERA with 41 innings pitched, a 1-5 record, and a .256 opponent batting average against.
Broadcast Information
Streaming and live stats links for this Tuesday's contest can be found
here.
