Henderson State prepares for a big challenge this weekend, when No. 7 Southern Arkansas visits Dee White Field for a four-game series, with doubleheaders beginning at 4 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Series:
The Reddies are 36-37 all-time against Southern Arkansas and went 1-5 against the Lady Muleriders in 2016, falling to them twice in the Great American Conference tournament.

Henderson State Notes:
Henderson enters this weekend's series on a seven-game skid, and dropped both games of a doubleheader with Ouachita Baptist on Tuesday night. The Reddies are 16-22 overall and 10-16 in GAC play this season and are currently in sixth place in the league standings, just a game behind East Central.

Offensively, the Reddies have four players batting .300 or better at the plate — Keirsten Seahorn (.319), Bethany Allen (.313), Courtney Warren (.310) and Alexis Morton (.300). Seahorn leads the team with 27 RBIs and an OBP of .426, Warren is the team leader in at-bats (158), hits (39) and total bases (58), and Morton is third on the team in runs scored (18) and hits (33).

Michelle Sorensen has been the go-to pitcher in the circle for Henderson and has appeared in 29 games, gotten 12 wins, struck out 153 batters and has held GAC opponents to a .168 batting average while carrying a 1.15 ERA against conference teams.

Third innings have been a thorn in the Reddies' side this year, as HSU has been out-scored in third innings 29-10 in the 2017 season. On the other hand, Henderson has had a great deal of success in fifth innings, out-scoring their opponents 23-11 in fifth-inning action this year. It has also proven critical for the Reddies to get off to good starts, as Henderson is 11-2 when leading after four innings in 2017, but just 1-14 when trailing after the fourth. 

Southern Arkansas Notes:
The Lady Muleriders arrive in Arkadelphia this weekend 32-6 overall and 22-4 in GAC play. SAU is ranked No. 7 in the country in the latest NFCA polls and were ranked No. 3 in the NCAA DII Softball Power Rankings which were released on Wednesday. 

As a team, SAU is on top of the league in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.335), runs (287), hits (355), slugging percentage (.592) and OBP (.435). The Lady Muleriders have hit an astonishing 68 homeruns this season in 38 games; 38 homeruns more than second-best Harding, who has 30 homers this year. 

SAU is led by Maddie Dow, who is second in the GAC in batting average (.439) but leads the league in total bases (112), slugging percentage (1.047), OBP (.591) and homeruns (18). In the circle, the Lady Muleriders boast Kaylee Garner, who is 14-0 on the year with a 1.89 ERA, as well as Victoria Taylor, who has 13 wins of her own and 124 strikeouts this season.

Strikeout Cancer Day:

Saturday's matchup with SAU will be Strikeout Cancer Day at Dee White Field. All proceeds from concessions, parking, and specialized pink/grey jersey auctions will be donated to brain and breast cancer research through the NFCA(National Fastpitch Coaches Association). For more information on how you can help, visit the link below.

https://nfca.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3178&Itemid=264