Happy Holidays and welcome to the December edition of the Reddie Report!
 

Our fall sports season has come to a close. On November 15, a record crowd of 12,000+ attended the Battle of the Ravine. It was an amazing environment for the most unique and special rivalry in NCAA Division II. The result of the game did not go our way but to have more than twice as many people at the game as current students at Henderson and Ouachita combined speaks volumes to the support we are so blessed to receive from alumni, community members, students and family members. Both schools combined to showcase the best of what NCAA Division II is all about-community!

Speaking of support, I want to personally thank the Showband of Arkansas for all the hard work, dedication and spirit they bring to every football game. Dr. Carrie Pawelski, Dr. Shaun Popp and their students work so hard and it shows. We are so fortunate to have such a tremendous band at Henderson and I greatly value how the Showband  represents Henderson in all they do. We are lucky to call the Showband of Arkansas our band!! 

Every game, you also see the cheerleaders, dance team, ROTC and other student groups showcasing their talents and Reddie Spirit. A football game allows for so many who love HSU to contribute to the atmosphere in a positive way.  

These groups and more also showed up in full force at 5 a.m. on Friday, November 14 for KATV Daybreak. It was a sensational testament to what makes Henderson and the Battle of the Ravine special. Thanks to Aramark for providing the coffee, hot chocolate and donuts and thanks to everyone who came out and showed Arkansas what Henderson is all about!

KATV Daybreak ImReddie BOTR2014

A video posted by Reddie Athletics (@reddie_athletics) on Nov 11, 2014 at 6:47am PST

Another group that deserves a "shoutout" from the AD is our softball and baseball teams. These teams go through training and work six hour days each football game serving in a variety of critical roles. These student-athletes do not get paid for this work. Instead, we provide funds to their sport budgets to assist with a variety of costs. It would be easy for these 18-22 year olds to mail it in and coast, but their true character and love for Henderson was on display each game! Many of these jobs are not a lot of fun, but they did it with a smile and a "Thanks for coming". I am so proud of them for their collective contribution to the Reddie game day experience. I hope this Spring you will come out and cheer on these very deserving teams. If you feel like these student-athletes made a special effort to ensure you had a good time at the games, consider making a contribution to their programs through the Reddie Club. 

Despite falling a bit short of their preseason goals, Reddies football still enjoyed an excellent season. Coach Maxfield and his program have set a lofty standard, but 9-2 is still a super season at any level. We have been fortunate to have the leadership of many outstanding Seniors. These men are going to be successful in life and many of those lessons are learned on the practice field, weight room, meeting room and on Ruggles Field at Carpenter/Haygood Stadium.  Simply put, Coach Max runs an outstanding program.

There are so many things I want to do to help his program remain incredibly successful. Dr. Jones and the administrative team have been very supportive of football and all of our programs in my first year as AD. However, we are going to need your help to take things to the next level. It takes an "all in" mentality from all of us. I promise you we are going to work as hard as we can to graduate student-athletes, provide them and the student body with a special experience and make Henderson State University and our Alumni and Fans proud of how we compete. 

As we wrap up the fall, here is an brief update on our volleyball search...We had many outstanding applicants for our volleyball head coaching position and we have narrowed the field to a group of talented, successful, well-qualified coaches we are extremely excited about. By the next addition of the Reddie Report, we will have our new coach. Stay tuned! 

Basketball season is well underway. The Reddies are a very fun team to watch. They are unselfish and play a very exciting brand of basketball. The Reddies of Head Coach Jill Thomas are one of the youngest teams in NCAA Division II. It's not unusual to see 3-5 freshmen on the floor most of the time. The future is bright and you can see it when you watch her team play. 

As I write this, we have a big week of home basketball. Thursday December 4 the Reddies host UAM in a 5:30/7:30 p.m. doubleheader. Saturday December 6 Arkansas Tech comes to town for a 1/3 p.m. twinbill. Please come cheer on the teams Thursday night and Saturday afternoon! 

If you can't make it, all conference basketball games are on the radio this season at ESPN 106.9 FM and the ESPN Listen Live app at ESPN WPS. RJ Hawk (@RJHawk) of 103.7 The Buzz is the voice of Reddie basketball, along with Graduate Assistant Hunter Lively (@HLively_). The General Manager of Southwest Arkansas Media Andy Hodges (@AndyHsports) brings the color commentary. This is a huge addition for our program and we are very appreciative of Mike Wilkins, Andy Hodges and everyone at ESPN 106.9 FM in Arkadelphia for providing the coverage!

Our swimming and diving program is always outstanding under the leadership of Coak Matthews. His student-athletes always do well in the classroom, community and the pool. The season is underway and I have enjoyed watching them in some early season home action. They head to Little Rock this weekend for the UALR Christmas Invitational. Good luck and keep up the good work!

Reddie Fans we need your help in supporting our efforts to collect toys for Angel Tree this Christmas. The Reddies men's basketball non-conference match-up with Champions Baptist on Tuesday December the 9th at 7 p.m. will serve as Angel Tree night at Duke Wells. Fans will receive free entry to the game in exchange for the donation of small toys to Angel Tree. In addition to the toys collected that night, each of our twelve teams have commited to fundraising and purchasing christmas gifts for a local child this holiday season.  

Winter Commencement is December 19 and once again, many outstanding student-athletes will receive their degree at the ceremony. I cannot wait to be there to see it. We are here for the student-athletes and students of Henderson. Even as alumni and fans, we relive our great memories by supporting the current Reddies. Watching them achieve this milestone and knowing how it will change their life for the better is why I believe I have the best job in the world!

Finally, please remember our 300-plus student-athletes and coaches are working hard every day to represent you to the best of their abilities.  If you would like to support this mission, please consider joining the Reddie Club. Those funds go directly to our programs and help us in so many ways.  If you are interested, here is the link to learn more.