Henderson State will begin a three-game Great American Conference series on Friday when the Reddies play host to No. 4 Southern Arkansas with the first-pitch set for 2 p.m. at Clyde Berry Field.
 
Henderson State, 5-13 overall and 4-5 in the GAC, will face the top hitting team in the conference as Southern Arkansas sports a .315 team average while averaging 7.6 runs per game.
 
Southern Arkansas enters the series with a 16-4 record overall and a 6-3 mark in league play. The Muleriders have won three straight games including a 7-4 win over No. 11 Arkansas-Monticello on Wednesday.
 
Jon Phillips leads the SAU offense and ranks second in the GAC with a .416 batting average. Phillips has driven in 14 runs and has a .519 slugging percentage.
 
Carver Rademacher follows with a .388 average including a team-best 23 runs batted in to go along with 8 doubles and 5 home runs.
 
The Mulerider pitching staff is equally impressive, combining for a 3.68 earned run average.
 
Dylan Lynn, Timothy Buchanan and Janson Carr make up the SAU rotation.
 
Lynn is 2-1 on the year with a 3.24 ERA. In 33 1/3 innings of work, the senior right-hander has struck out 29 batters and walked just seven.
 
Buchanan is 4-0 with a 3.26 ERA in 30.1 innings of work. The sophomore southpaw has fanned 28 batters compared to just five walks.
 
Carr has not allowed an earned run in 14 1/3 innings of work and has a 2-0 record. The junior right-hander has limited opponents to a .173 batting average while striking out 14 batters.
 
Those numbers could be troublesome for a Reddie offensive unit that is hitting just  .239.
 
Only two players are hitting above .300 for Henderson State with Lance Fields having a .333 average, while Matt Evans is hitting .327.
 
Fields has five runs batted in for the season, while Evans has nine RBI and a team-best five doubles.
 
The Reddies are still trying to find a solid weekend pitching rotation.
 
Henderson's pitching staff has a 5.85 ERA, but what really has been causing problems is the number of walks allowed by Reddie pitching.
 
In 140 innings of work, Henderson pitchers have walked 84 batters compared to striking out 80 opponents. The opposition has also been hit by 32 pitches this season.
 
Colton Lorance will get the nod for Friday's game, with Jay Hawley getting the start in game one on Saturday. Henderson's starter for the final game of the series has yet to be determined.
 
Lorance is 2-1 on the season including a win last week against Arkansas-Monticello. The left-hander from Texarkana, Texas has a 3.41 ERA and has totaled 16 punch-outs in 29 innings.
 
Hawley has a 3.55 ERA and will be looking for his first win of his collegiate career. The freshman from Queen City, Texas has been consistent all season with opponents hitting just .208.
 
Dylan Howell and Luke Tebbetts will also see action on the mound. The two freshmen have made the adjustment to the collegiate level and they both have impressive numbers.
 
Howell has a 2.37 ERA in 19 innings of work with opponents hitting just .209 off the right-hander.
 
Tebbetts sports the team's best earned run average at 1.74 while having a 3-0 record. The product of Winnsboro, Texas has limited opponents to a .077 batting average.
 
Live Stats for the entire series will be provided at www.hsusports.com.