Henderson State returns to Great American Conference play as the Reddie baseball team plays host to league-leading East Central in a three-game series beginning with a Saturday double-header at Noon at Clyde Berry Field in Arkadelphia.
With the recent winter storm, the series has been pushed back a day. Originally the two teams were to begin the series on Friday. The teams will play the final game of the series on Sunday at Noon.
Henderson State, ranked No. 13 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association top 25 poll, enters with a 9-3 record overall and a 4-2 mark in league play.
The Reddies are second in the GAC offensively with a team .298 average along with a .407 slugging percentage.
Claude Johnson leads the team and ranks fourth in the GAC with a .400 batting average (20-of-50) including a .640 slugging percentage.
The graduate student from Pine Bluff, Ark. has driven in 12 runs and has a .444 on base percentage.
Jordan Taylor follows with a .357 average (15-for-42) with 8 RBI.
Henderson State is tops in the league in pitching with a team earned run average of 2.08. Opponents are hitting .215 off of the Reddie hurlers.
Colton Lorance,
Cody Jones and
Chris Hunt will make up Henderson's pitching rotation for the series.
Lorance is 1-1 on the year with a 1.86 ERA. The senior southpaw from Texarkana, Texas has worked 19.1 innings and has struck out seven batters.
Jones sports a 3-1 record with a 1.40 ERA which ranks third in the GAC. The senior from Phoenix, Ariz. has fanned a team-best 14 batters in 19 innings of work.
Hunt has been equally impressive having a 2.28 ERA while posting a 2-0 record. The sophomore from Greenwood, Ark. has notched 23.2 innings on the hill while recording 11 strikeouts.
East Central enters the series on a six game winning streak. The Tigers are 10-3 overall and 6-0 in league play.
The team bolsters a .294 average with Nick Spini leading the way with a .422 average. Spini has totaled eight doubles and has driven in 11 runs.
Bryce McKee follows having a .390 batting average. McKee has hit three home runs, six doubles and has a league-best .756 slugging percentage.
Henderson State will face a pitching staff that has posted a 3.25 ERA while limiting its opponents to a .220 batting average.
The Tigers' rotation consists of Lucas Kaplan, Cam McKay, and Oscar Gomez.
Kaplan is 3-0 on the year with a 2.38 ERA. He has struck out 19 batters in 22.2 innings on the bump.
McKay has worked 23 innings and is 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA, while Gomez is 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA.
Live stats for the entire series will be available through the Henderson State Athletics web site at www.hsusports.com.
