Henderson State will face one of the top offensive teams in the Great American Conference as the Reddies play host to Arkansas Tech in a three-game series beginning Friday at Clyde Berry Field with the first pitch set for 6 p.m.

The two teams will play a double-header on Saturday with the first game slated for a Noon start.

Arkansas Tech, 6-7 overall and 2-1 in the GAC, enters the series with a team .287 batting average which ranks second in the league.
 
Henderson, 5-8 on the year and 2-1 in league play, sports a .221 average offensively but the Reddies managed to take two of three games from Harding last weekend due to a solid performance from the pitching staff.

Jake Gaul leads the Reddies offensively with a .320 average after lead Henderson last week against the Bisons going 4-for-11 with a pair of runs batted in.

Jordan Taylor follows with a .313 average including a team best 8 RBI and three doubles. The junior from Bryant, Ark. was injured against Arkansas-Fort Smith and was unable to play last weekend against Harding. Taylor is listed as questionable for the weekend.
           
AJ Kruzel boosted his average to .277 after going 4-for-12 last weekend including 3 RBI that played a big part in Henderson's two wins.

Last weekend against Harding, Henderson's pitching staff gave up just seven earned runs and struck out 26 batters in three games.

Chris Hunt is looking for his first win of the season and will make his fifth start on Friday. The junior from Greenwood, Ark. has pitched 23 innings and struck out 23 batters this season.       
           
Luke Tebbetts will get the nod on Saturday after having a solid outing against the Bisons where he pitched seven innings, allowed just one run and struck out six batters in picking up his first win. The junior from Winnsboro, Texas has a 2.31 ERA in 23 1/3 innings while fanning 17 batters.
           
Zach Eschberger picked up his first collegiate win last weekend and will start the final game of the series. Eschberger pitched six innings, scattered five hits and struck out a career-high eight batters. The southpaw from Bullard, Texas has a 3.98 ERA in 20 1/3 innings of work.

Arkansas Tech took two of three games from Ouachita Baptist last weekend.

Seven players in the Wonder Boys starting lineup are hitting above .300 including Kaleb Warden who leads the team hitting .360. The junior from Frisco, Texas is 18-for-50 on the season and has driven in eight runs.

Josh Watkins follows with a .340 average including a team-best six doubles, while Parker O'Dell is hitting .323 with four doubles and an ATU leading 12 RBI.

Arkansas Tech's pitching rotation includes Zach Skelton, Isaac Hale and Trent Armstrong.

Skelton is 1-1 on the season with an 8.10 ERA. Last week, the right-hander gave up seven earned runs on eight hits and was tabbed with the loss against OBU.
 
Hale pitched six innings and gave up two runs on five hits in getting the win over the Tigers. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA, having struck out 15 batters in 19 innings of work.

Armstrong also was tabbed with a win against OBU after striking out six batters in recording a 5-4 victory. On the year the right-hander is 2-2 with an 8.24 ERA.

Live stats for the entire series will be available through the HSU athletic website at www.HSUSports.com.