Friday, January 29 will be a historic day in Henderson State baseball history as the Reddies will play their first night game under the lights at Clyde Berry Field.

Henderson will begin the 2016 season with a three-game series against Tarleton State with the opening game set for 6 p.m.

Over the past eight months, Clyde Berry Field received major renovations which included a new synthetic playing surface being installed, along with lights, fencing and new seating areas. Also added was a newly paved and lighted parking lot for 275 vehicles located between the baseball and football stadiums. 

Ranked 16th nationally in the 2016 Collegiate Baseball Preseason Top 40 poll, the 2016 Reddies include five starting position players from last year's squad including Hunter Mayall who was MVP of the NCAA Central Region after going 12-for-17 at the plate (.706). The senior first baseman led the team in the postseason hitting .548 including going 5-for-14 at the NCAA Division II National Championships. The product of Bryant, Ark. had a team-best .366 average and ended season hitting safely in 20 straight games. Mayall was named Honorable Mention All-GAC and Selected to the GAC All-Tournament Team.
 
Also returning is outfielder Tadarious Hawkins who earned GAC All-Tournament honors after going 8-for-20 with a triple, home run and eight runs scored.
 
Second Team Daktronics and NCBWA All-Region selection Jordan Taylor returns for his junior season. A Second Team All-GAC selection Taylor hit .337 on the season which included a .391 average in GAC contests. The product of Bryant, Ark. also made 15 pitching appearances and posted a 3.65 ERA. Taylor struck out 30 batters in 28.2 innings of work including six shutout innings against No. 1 St. Cloud State in the NCAA Central Regional to earn a spot on the Central Region All-Tournament Team.

Hayden Lessenberry provided the game winning single in the NCAA Central Region Championship game against No. 1 St. Cloud State in the bottom of the 10th and was 3-for-7 at the NCAA National Championships. The junior from Bryant posted a .273 average with 26 RBIs and three home runs last season.
 
AJ Kruzel will return at second base. The senior from Cincinnati, Ohio was named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team. Kruzel hit .243 a year ago, but was 5-for-13 in the NCAA Central Regional which included a 4-for-5 performance against Minnesota State.
 
Starting pitcher Chris Hunt will start Friday's game on the mound for the Reddies. The junior from Greenwood, Ark. made 14 pitching starts and compiled a 6-4 record a year ago. Hunt led the team with a 3.12 ERA and recorded 45 strikeouts in 89.1 innings of work. A honorable mention All-GAC selection, Hunt pitched 7.0 innings and struck out four batters in a 4-2 win against Emporia State at the NCAA Central Regional.

Luke Tebbetts and newcomer Zach Eschberger are set to start in Saturday's twin bill. Tebbetts made 16 pitching appearances including nine starts and ended the season with a 2-3 record. The junior from Winnsboro, Texas picked up a win to open the season against Winona State at the Houston Astros Winter Invitational. Eschberger will be making his first collegiate start after lettering four years at Bullard High School in Texas. The left-hander had an 8-1 record on the mound to go along with 84 strikeouts to earn All-State honorable mention while also earning Class 16-4A MVP honors last season.
 
All-American relief pitcher Nick Vanthillo will look to add to his school record for saves. Vanthillo became the first player in HSU history to earn First-Team All-ABCA honors and only the second player to earn ABCA All-American. The senior right-hander earned ABCA, Daktronics, NCBWA All-Region Relief Pitcher and was a First Team All-GAC Selection. Vanthillo led the nation setting a school record with 14 saves, making 28 appearances while also posting a 6-1 record with a 1.39 ERA. In 45.1 innings of work, he struck out 44 batters with offenses struggling having just a .176 batting average. Vanthillo allowed just one earned run in the final 27 innings of work of the season which included two saves in the NCAA Division II National Championships.
 
Tarleton State features 14 returning lettermen and 13 seniors from a team that finished 22-25 in 2015. The Texans were picked to finish fourth in the Lone Star Conference preseason poll by the league's coaches. Among those returning is Second Team All-LSC infielder Alec Humphreys. The senior from Midlothian, Texas hit .313 last season and had a .420 slugging percentage with nine doubles, two triples, two home runs and 16 RBIs. Also returning is senior second baseman Landon Merka who hit .263 with 31 runs scored and 22 runs driven in. The Texans also have several newcomers in the starting lineup led by first baseman Garret Kizer who transferred from Temple College. The junior from Schertz, Texas hit .354 with 27 RBIs and 29 runs scored a year ago. Tarleton State's weekend rotation will include Trevor Renfro pitching the opening game on Friday, with Blain Bagley and Zach Freeman making starts on Saturday. Renfro is a senior right-hander who pitched in 14 games and started five a year ago. The product of Richardson, Texas had a 4-4 record with a 5.77 ERA. The Reddies will face left hander Blain Bagley in game two. The senior from San Marcos, Texas appeared in eight games in 2015 and had a 0-1 record with a 3.86 ERA in 16.1 innings of work. Freeman will pitch the finale of the series. A senior transfer from New Mexico State ended the 2014 season with a 4.74 ERA on 49.1 innings pitched leaving him with a 3-6 record with two saves.

Admission for all Reddie Baseball home games will be $5 per car.

Live stats for the entire series will be available via the HSU Athletics website at www.hsusports.com.