Reddies, Tigers set to meet in GAC series
ARKADELPHIA Henderson State will play its final Great American Conference regular-season series of the season, as the Reddies make the trip across Highway 67 to take on rival Ouachita Baptist beginning with a doubleheader set for noon at Rab Rodgers Field.
The three-game series was adjusted due to the high chances of rain and thunderstorms predicted for the weekend.
The two teams will play the finale on Saturday at noon.
The Reddies, 27-17 overall an 19-11 in the GAC, has locked up home-field advantage for the opening round of the GAC Tournament, which is a best of three series that will begin May 5 at 7 p.m. Henderson’s opponent will be decided by the end of the weekend.
Ouachita Baptist, 14-32 and 11-19 in the GAC, is currently eighth in the league standings and needs a win or a loss by East Central to clinch a spot in the GAC Tournament.
The Tigers enter the series with a solid .273 batting average led by Kyle Alexander who is hitting .379 with 10 doubles and 20 runs batted in.
Ryan Hammer follows at .325 with seven doubles and 14 RBI, with Justin Weigle providing the power for the Tigers having a .313 average with 10 doubles and a team-best 5 home runs and 25 RBI.
Former El Dorado standout Ty Owens is hitting. 308 with three home runs and 19 RBI.
Owens has also stolen five bases in seven attempts.
The OBU pitching rotation will consist of John Matros, Adam Bohloul and Jayme Lovelace.
Matros has been the most effective Tiger having a 3-4 record with a 3.54 ERA. The right-hander from Arkadelphia has struck out 46 batters in 68 2/3 innings of work.
Matros had a complete-game win earlier this season against Southern Arkansas where he shutout the Muleriders while having six strikeouts.
Bahloul is 3-5 on the year with a 5.35 ERA, while Lovelace is 2-3 having a 5.82 ERA.
Henderson enters the series having won six straight conference games, including sweeps of Southwestern Oklahoma and Northwestern Oklahoma.
The Reddies have picked up the pace offensively hitting .320 over the last 11 games. Prior to its series with Southern Arkansas, Henderson had a .256 team average. Since that series three weeks ago, the Reddies have bumped the team average up to .270.
Parker Jones leads the Reddies offensively with a .329 average with nine doubles and 25 runs batted in. Over the last 10 games, the senior from The Colony, Texas is hitting .405 having gone 15-for-37.
Joe Myers has increased his season average to .304 after going 11 for his last 26, hitting .423 in the last 10 games.
Colton Coffman is hitting .303 on the year with the help of hitting .405 (15-for-37) in the last 10 games, which includes four doubles, one home runs, and a .595 slugging percentage.
Luke Tebbetts will pitch the opener of the series with the righthander aiming for his ninth win. The native of Winnsboro, Texas has a 3.74 ERA and has struck out 50 batters in 79 1/3 innings of work.
Five-time GAC Pitcher of the Week Bryant Haralson will be on the bump for game two. The right-hander from Atkins is 7-3 on the season and sports a 1.97 ERA. In 77 2/3 innings of work, Haralson has recorded 85 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .187 batting average.
Chris Hunt will pitch the series finale on Saturday. The senior from Greenwood is 6-4 on the year with a 4.14 ERA. Hunt has recorded 65 strikeouts in 74 innings.