MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas University Muleriders (25-22, 17-16 GAC) are set for their first game of the Great American Conference Tournament in the opening round against the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm (28-19, 19-14 GAC).
Broadcast Information
All games this weekend will be broadcast on the Great American Conference YouTube Channel. Dan Gregory and Ryan Phillips will also be on the radio for the Muleriders following their tournament run.
Series History vs. Southeastern
(5) SAU vs. (4) SE | 4/30 (9:30 am)
SAU leads series 53-29 overall
>>> In their series meeting this year, the Savage Storm took two out of three games from the Muleriders as SAU was able to win game three of the series by a final of 12-7.
SAU Notables
>>> The Muleriders will make their 13th consecutive appearance in the Great American Conference Tournament.
>>> The two squads met just over two weeks ago in their three-game series that saw SAU put on an offensive showcase to take game three of the series from Southeastern. The Muleriders plated 12 runs on nine hits.
>>> SAU brought their regular season to a close against UAM last week winning the final game of the series by a final of 7-1.
Wyatt Fielding and
Tate Elliott both hit home runs in the win along with two stolen bases by Fielding.
>>> Preston Smith continues to lead Division II as he is tied for first in the nation in total triples with eight. With his current mark, Preston still leads Division I as the next closest at that level has seven. His mark is good for first in the GAC.
>>> Wyatt Fielding continues to lead the Muleriders offense with his .385 batting average and 65 hits on the season. The Junior has seven home runs, 15 doubles and 37 RBI through 47 games. His mark of .385 is also good for fourth in the league.
Preston Smith leads the team in long balls with eight while
Michael Herndon leads the team in RBI with 42.
>>> The pitching staff as a whole ranks second in the GAC in team ERA with a mark of 5.25. The group also ranks second in the league in batters struck out with 357.
>>> Eli Hutcherson still leads the team in qualifying ERA with a mark of 3.52 while also leading in hitters struck out with 52.
Caleb Sollars made his first start on the mound against UAM and threw a complete game. Sollars threw seven innings allowing one run while striking out seven hitters. He has thrown 24 innings on the year while amassing a 3-1 record with three saves and a 1.50 ERA.
SE Notables
>>> The Savage Storm come into the tournament riding momentum after winning their last two games to end their regular season against East Central.
>>> Southeastern currently sits fifth in the league in team batting average with a mark of .307 while leading the league in home runs with 95. They currently lead the league by 18.
>>> JJ Bush leads the team in batting average with a mark of .363 and is tied for the team lead with 19 home runs. It is a mark that is good for second in the league. Bush leads the team in total bases with 131 and an OPS of 1.282.
>>> The Savage Storm pitching staff ranks fifth in the league in team ERA with a mark of 6.93 and have struck out 326 hitters to rank sixth in the league.
>>> Dylan Hill leads the staff in qualifying ERA with a mark of 5.71 and has struck out 39 batters this year. He leads the team in innings pitched with 52 and owns a 3-3 win loss record.
