Henderson State will play host to fourth-ranked Arkansas Tech in a key Great American Conference series beginning Friday at 3 p.m. at Clyde Berry Field in Arkadelphia, Ark.

The Reddies, 17-23 overall and 11-13 in the GAC, are eighth-place in the conference standings, one game behind sixth-place Southwestern Oklahoma and Ouachita Baptist.

The top six teams will advance to the GAC Tournament in Enid, Okla. beginning May 3.

Henderson State, winners of seven of its last nine conference games, plays the final eight games of the regular-season at home which includes six conference contests.

The Reddies enter the weekend series with a team .266 batting average with Matt Evans leading the team at .317 with 20 RBIs.

Joseph Gary has been Henderson's top hitter in conference play having a .364 average, while Will Powell is hitting .429 in the last 10 games having gone 12-for-28.

Colton Lorance will start the opener on the mound for the Reddies (5-2, 3.50 ERA), with Dylan Howell (1-4, 3.27 ERA) and Jon Luthe (3-5, 7.63 ERA) getting the nod in Saturday's double-header.

The Wonder Boys have a 33-8 record on the season and are in first-place in the GAC with a 19-5 mark.

Arkansas Tech brings a 14-game winning streak into the series and jumped up to No. 4 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25 poll.

Four Wonder Boys average above a .300 batting average. Mike Kattula leads the team offensively with .371 batting average, followed by Sage Boehner with a .342, Kris Ayers (.336), and Patrick Castleberry (.308).

On the mound, Tech is led by starters Aaron Johnson, Zach Skelton, Mason Reynolds, and Ryan Taylor. Skelton posts a 6-3 win/loss record, while Johnson has a 5-3 record, Reynolds has a 5-0 record, and Taylor sports a 3-2 record. Relief pitcher Randy Vallejo leads the team and the conference in saves with 11.

The two teams will finish the series with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m