MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The number two-seeded Southern Arkansas University Muleriders (30-19, 22-11) get set for their first-round meeting against the number seven-seeded Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers (30-20, 17-16) in the Great American Conference Tournament.
The Muleriders are making their 14
th appearance in the GAC Tournament and are one of only two teams to punch their ticket to every league tournament since the first one in the 2012 season.
The Muleriders make their appearance in Enid, Oklahoma, this season in bracket number two, which consists of SAU, UAM, Henderson State, and NWOSU. Action will begin on Thursday, May 1
st, at 4:30 PM against NWOSU and will continue Friday, May 2
nd and Saturday, May 3
rd. The tournament will be double elimination style, with the winners from each bracket advancing to the championship tournament best-of-three series at the higher seeds' host site.
Series History
The Muleriders and Rangers will meet on Thursday for their fourth meeting this season. Earlier this season, the teams met in Alva, Oklahoma for a three-game series, which was won by the Rangers after they took the second and third games of the series.
A Look at SAU
The Muleriders are set for their 14
th GAC Tournament appearance as they travel to Enid, Oklahoma. The Muleriders are coming off a tough end to their season as they lost the series to UAM and lost their final midweek contest of the year at Ouachita Baptist. The Muleriders will look for a little revenge in their bracket as they will face two teams who have taken a series from them this season in NWOSU and UAM.
Trace Shoup still leads the offense for the Muleriders with a .351 batting average while also boasting a 1.043 OPS and .632 slugging percentage, which also leads the team. Shoup has totaled 60 hits this season while launching 11 home runs and leading the team with three triples.
Brandon Nicoll continues to lead the offense in home runs with 14 total after blasting a long ball this past weekend as the Muleriders stormed back to take game one of the series from UAM.
Clay Burrows also burst on the scene for the Blue and Gold this last weekend, hitting two home runs in game one of the series and breaking up the no-hitter in the third inning.
Jeremy Adorno continues to be the ace on the staff for the Muleriders as the senior threw his 15
th career complete game and third of the season in his game one effort. After allowing a two-run home run in the first inning against the Boll Weevils, Adorno settled in, throwing eight consecutive shutout innings while fanning eight batters. Jeremy leads in qualifying ERA with a mark of 3.32 while also leading in strikeouts with 97, innings pitched (86.2), WHIP (1.32), and batting average against (.224). Adorno is second in the GAC in strikeouts (97), first in batters struck out looking (36), and second in innings pitched (86.2).
A Look at NWOSU
The Rangers come into the tournament as the seventh-ranked seed in the tournament. The Rangers finished their regular season play at 30-20 overall and completed their final series of the year with a sweep over the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs. The Rangers went on an 11-game winning streak earlier this season, sweeping Oklahoma Baptist and SNU while defeating Newman and Washburn in midweek contests.
Dylan Bradford leads the offense with a .360 batting average. Connor Green trails closely behind Bradford with a .358 batting average while leading the team in hits (69) and second in RBIs with 47. Carson Wright leads the team in home runs with 11 this season. Will Kates currently leads the pitching staff with a 2.51 qualifying ERA while starting in 12 games. He also leads the team in win-loss record with a 6-3 record, 54 strikeouts, .216 batting average against, and 1.16 WHIP.
Broadcast Information
Streaming and live stats links as well at ticketing information for this weekend's contests in Enid, Oklahoma can be found
here.
