Henderson State will attempt to remain unbeaten in NCAA postseason play as the Reddies take on No. 2 Catawba in a winner's bracket game on Monday at 6 p.m. at the Division II National Championships in Cary, N.C.
 
The Reddies are coming off a 4-0 win over No. 10 Angelo State on Saturday, while Catawba held on to defeat No. 16 Wilmington 3-2.
 
Henderson State, winners of the NCAA Central Regional, have won all five games in the postseason including wins over four nationally-ranked opponents.
 
Catawba, winners of the Southeast Region, has also won all five of its NCAA games.
 
The Indians are making their second NCAA Championship appearance. In 2012 Catawba won two games in the tournament beating Indianapolis in the opener 2-1. The Indians then lost to Delta State 6-5, before eliminating St. Mary's 5-4. West Chester then ended Catawba's season beating the Indians 2-1.                    

It will feel like a home game for Indians as Catawba is located just 119 miles from the USA Baseball Training Complex.
 
Henderson State is attempting to become the first No. 6 seed team in a NCAA Regional to win a NCAA Division II National Championships.

The 15th-ranked Reddies have won five straight games and are 32-19 on the season after its opening round win over No. 10 Angelo State.

Henderson State has scored a run in the first-inning of every game in the NCAA postseason.
 
The Henderson offense is hitting .306 and averaging 7.0 runs per game in NCAA play. The Reddie offense sports a .291 average for the year.        

Hunter Mayall continues a great postseason as the junior from Bryant, Ark. is 14-of-21 including going 2-for-4 against the Rams on Saturday. The Reddie first baseman is hitting a team-best .369 on the year with 12 doubles and 39 runs scored.
 
Jordan Taylor follows with a .352 average which includes 10 doubles and 31 RBI. Taylor is hitting for a .273 average in the postseason.
 
Claude Johnson is Henderson's power hitter having a .576 slugging percentage. The senior from Pine Bluff, Ark. has a .348 average with a team best 13 doubles, 10 home runs and 43 RBI. At the NCAA Central Region Tournament, Johnson had a double, home run, scored 5 runs and drove in 5 runs to earn all-tournament honors.
 
Chris Hunt is scheduled to make the start on the mound for the Reddies. The sophomore from Greenwood, Ark. enters the NCAA Tournament with a 6-3 record and a 2.84 ERA. Hunt has struck out 42 batters in 82.1 innings. Hunt pitched 7 innings last week against Emporia St. to pick up the win.   


Catawba enters Monday's game against the Reddies with a 45-13 record.
 
Catawba has a rich baseball tradition having won 10 conference titles since 1992. The Indians have also made nine NCAA Regional appearances since 2004.
 
Catawba has a team batting average of .315 with the Indians averaging 8.4 runs per game.     


ABCA, Daktronics and NCBWA Southeast Region Player of the Year Will Albertson leads the Indians offensively. The junior catcher leads the nation hitting for a .470 average which includes 17 doubles, 26 home runs and 90 runs batted in. The product of Sophia N.C. has 108 hits on the year with a .809 slugging percentage.         


T.J. Wharton follows with a .368 average. Wharton also has plenty of power with 18 doubles and 10 home runs to his credit.
 
Craig Brooks is scheduled to start on the mound for Catawba. The senior right-hander has a 9-1 record and a 1.50 ERA. Brooks has an incredible 150 strikeouts in 96.0 innings of work with opponents hitting just .157.       
 
Information about the NCAA Division II Baseball National Championships can be obtained by going to the HSU Athletic website at www.hsusports.com.


Monday's game will be aired on ESPN 106.9 FM in Arkadelphia. Fans can also listen via the internet at www.hsusports.com.

In addition, all games will be live video streamed courtesy of the NCAA.
Links to the NCAA Webcast along with the audio link and live stats link is also located on the HSU athletic web site.
 
Those fans in Arkadelphia are invited to attend a watch party at Slim and Shorty's in downtown Arkadelphia.