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For just the second time since earning NCAA Division II status in 1993, Henderson State finds itself in a post-season baseball tournament as the Reddies earned a spot in the inaugural Great American Conference Baseball Tournament this weekend in Enid, Okla.
 
The Reddies, 23-25 overall, will take on top seeded Southern Arkansas on Friday at David Allen Park with the first pitch set for Noon.
 
Henderson last appeared in a post-season tournament in 2010 when the Reddies were members of the Gulf South Conference.
 
The Reddies are third offensively in the GAC with a .293 team batting average. Henderson also sports a 4.22 earned run average which also ranks third in the GAC.          

Henderson State averages just 5.73 runs per game which ranks sixth in the league. However, opponents have been limited to just 4.81 runs per contest against the Reddies.     

Henderson will send Nathan Eller to the mound against Southern Arkansas. The junior is 4-4 this season and has a 3.54 ERA. Earlier against the Muleriders, the Sherwood, Ark. product pitched 7 1/3 innings, surrendering 11 hits and allowing three earned runs in a 7-2 loss.
 
Brittain Diamond will start the second game of the tournament on Saturday. The senior from Sulphur Springs, Texas sports a 7-3 record with an impressive 1.98 ERA. Diamond has struck out a team-best 67 batters in 91 innings of work. Diamond is 5-2 against GAC opponents and has never allowed more than three earned runs in a game this year.
 
Seven Reddie starters are hitting above .300 with Josh Salmon leading the charge with a .387 average. Salmon also has a .521 slugging percentage and a team-best 36 RBI.          
 
Freshman Jordan Trosclair has just recently earned a starting spot and has made the most of his opportunity hitting .339 (19-for-56). Senior Adam Ussery has a .331 batting average (44-for-133) and has a team-high 14 stolen bases.
 
Mitch Frey has had the hot bat as of late. The junior from Medicine Hat, Alberta is 16-for-32 in the last 10 games including a .543 on-base percentage.   

Southern Arkansas enters the tournament with a 32-14 record to claim the GAC regular-season title.
Doug Shields is the probable starter on the mound for the Muleriders.

The right-hander from Mesquite, Texas is 8-1 on the season with a 2.73 ERA. In 89 innings of work, Shields has struck out 73 batters with opponents hitting just .232

Offensively the Muleriders are led by senior outfielders Jason Dahl and Rafael Thomas who are both hitting .376 on the year.
David Allday provides the power in the line-up with a team-best 20 doubles and 53 runs batted in.

Fans can watch the entire Great American Conference Baseball Tournament via the GAC Baseball Championship Page at www.greatamericanconference.org.