Henderson State will play in its first-ever NCAA Division II softball regional as the Reddies take on Arkansas Tech in the opening round of the Central Regional in Warrensburg, Mo. Friday at 5:30 p.m.
The No. 3 seed Reddies, 41-13, claimed the Great American Conference title and finished second in the GAC Tournament last weekend in Bentonville, Ark.
Prior to the GAC Tournament, the Reddies won 16 of their last 20 regular-season games.
Henderson State has a team .341 batting average while the Reddie pitching staff posts a 2.40 earned run average.
The Reddies are led by the duo of Sarah Gibson at the plate and
Michelle Sorensen in the circle.
Gipson is 33rd in the nation with a .443 batting average and has 10 home runs and team-best 66 RBI.
The senior from Grand Saline, Texas reached base in half of her plate appearances and has a .686 slugging percentage with 26 of her 81 hits going for extra bases.
Sorensen has been lights out for the Reddies. She's pitched to a 20-10 record and has also earned three saves.
The freshman from Sherwood, Ark. has thrown six total shutouts and has a 1.94 ERA allowing just 52 earned runs in 187.1 innings pitched. Sorensen has also struck out 156 batters.
Aside from Gipson, six other Reddies are hitting above .300 including
Taylor Daniels,
Keirsten Seahorn and
Tricia Hock who are each hitting .374 on the year.
Daniels has 10 doubles and five home runs on the season, while Seahorn has totaled 7 doubles, 9 home runs and 50 runs batted in.
Hock leads the team in runs scored with 49 to go along with 10 doubles and 5 home runs.
Ashlyn White is a double-threat for the Reddies having a .373 average, while sporting a 12-3 record in the circle.
Offensively, White has a team-best 11 home runs with 9 doubles and 45 RBI.
From the circle, the sophomore from Longview, Texas has struckout 66 batters in 115 inning of work while limiting opponents to a .232 batting average.
Arkansas Tech finished third at the GAC Conference Championships, bowing out against the Reddies. The Golden Suns enter the regional with a 40-20 record, their third 40-win season in program history.
Arkansas Tech has slugged 82 home runs this season, seventh-best per game in the nation and tops in the GAC. Their lineup boasts four bats with double-digit dingers. Ashley Savage is tied for the team lead with 12 home runs and is first with 41 RBI. Whitney Robinson has a .395 batting average with 11 homers and 39 RBI and team-best 75 hits.
The Golden Suns have a team ERA of 3.22 and three pitchers with 10+ wins and more than 100 innings pitched. Sydnee Clark and Morgan Vaughan both have 12 wins. Clark leads the starters with a 2.70 ERA and 79 strikeouts.
All Henderson State games will be aired on ESPN 106.9 FM in Arkadelphia. Fans can also listen via the internet at www.hsusports.com.
Live stats and live video will also be available via the Henderson State athletic web site.
