FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND LINKS

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State will host its second invitational tournament in the last three weekends on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when the Alvy Early Memorial Classic comes to Dee White Field.

The event, which was scheduled to be held in Bentonville, Arkansas, was moved to the campuses of both Henderson and Ouachita Baptist on Monday due to the threat of weather in Northwest Arkansas. HSU (3-4) is looking to bounce back from a difficult weekend in Huntsville, Alabama, where the Reddies went 1-3 in the UAH Charger Chillout. 

Several of Henderson's freshmen and sophomores are enjoying stellar starts to the 2019 season. Freshman Ashlyn Taylor leads the Reddies with a .579 batting average and is tied with fellow freshman Abbie Moore for the team lead in hits with 11. Moore is batting .524 and has the team lead in total bases with 15, which includes two triples. Henderson's sophomores have gotten off to a hot start in the batter's box as well. Madie Green is hitting .474, while Lindsey Williams carries a .450 average at the plate.

The Reddies look to finish the non-conference schedule on a high note with two games on Friday, one contest on Saturday, and another two outings on Sunday.

Game 1 & 4: Maryville University (Preseason No. 10-GLVC) – Feb. 15 | Feb. 17 (11 a.m. / 9 a.m.)
The Reddies will take on the Maryville Saints twice over the weekend. HSU opens the event with Maryville at 11 a.m. on Friday morning and will take on MU again on Sunday at 9 a.m. The Saints arrive in Arkadelphia with a 3-1 record after participating in the LMU Tournament in Harrogate, Tennessee last weekend. The Saints exploded for 51 runs in four games, including a 17-6 victory over Walsh University. MU's only loss came against Lincoln Memorial University when the Saints fell 12-11. Maryville was picked to finish 10th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference after finishing 13-15 in GLVC play last season. The Saints are led by juniors Alyssa Callans and Jaclyn Pasakarnia, who were named Second-Team and Third-Team All-GLVC last season, respectively. Senior infielder Bri Livington has gotten off to a great start in 2019 and was awarded GLVC Player of the Week honors after hitting .588 with 11 RBIs in four games last weekend. MU is led by head coach Courtney Conley, who is in her first season in charge of the Saints after taking over in September of 2018.

Game 2: University of Missouri – St. Louis (Preseason No. 5-GLVC) – Feb. 15 | 1 p.m.
HSU will take on its second-straight Great Lakes Valley Conference opponent when the Reddies face the Tritons of Missouri–St. Louis. Like the Reddies, the Tritons participated in the UAH Charger Chillout last weekend and dropped all six games in Huntsville, Alabama. UMSL's bats were held in check for most of the weekend, as the Tritons scored two runs or less in five of the six contests. UMSL has been one of the most successful GLVC programs over the past few seasons and has a 137-35 conference record since 2013. The Tritons return six players that were named All-Conference last season, including seniors Carly Kingery and Chelsea Martinez, who earned D2CCA All-Midwest Region honors. Although UMSL has batted just .198 as a team through the first six games, senior infielder Lizzy Miller has gotten off to a hot start and is hitting .375 with a .444 on-base percentage in 18 trips to the plate this season. Head coach Amanda Scott leads the Tritons and is in her third season at the helm of UMSL softball.

Game 3: Missouri Western (Preseason No. 5-MIAA) – Feb. 16 | 9 a.m.
The Griffons come into the weekend with a 4-2 record after winning three of four in the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament to open the season and splitting a pair of games versus GAC opponents last weekend. Missouri Western fell to Arkansas Tech 9-1 before shutting out Ouachita Baptist 8-0. MWSU was picked to finish fifth in the MIAA after finishing 2018 at 25-29 and 15-11 in conference play. The Griffons return two of four All-Conference selections from 2018, including MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Shelby Uhl. Now a senior, Uhl committed just one error in 51 starts for MWSU last season. Uhl also excelled at the plate and was the only MIAA player with nine or more home runs, 40 or more RBIs, and 20 or more stolen bases. MWSU's main standout so far this season, though, has been senior catcher Cassidy Kelsheimer, who is hitting .375 with two home runs. Relief pitcher Kaili Hinds has made the most of her opportunities, posting a 1.83 ERA in three appearances for the Griffons. MWSU is coached by Jen Bagley Trotter, who is in her 18th season at Missouri Western.

Game 5: Emporia State (Preseason No. 8-MIAA) – Feb. 17 – 11 a.m.
Emporia State struggled in its first non-conference tournament this season, as the Hornets went 1-5 in six games at the Fort Lauderdale Tournament. ESU exploded for 15 runs against Barry University in the third game of the tournament but scored just eight combined runs in their other five outings. ESU was picked to finish eighth in the MIAA after a 30-31 record in 2018, which included a 14-12 record in conference play. After finishing the regular season in the middle of the pack, the Hornets made a Cinderella run and captured the 2018 MIAA Tournament Championship with a 6-0 shutout of Central Oklahoma. ESU eventually fell in the NCAA Central Regional 9-1 to Minnesota-Duluth. The Hornets will have to replace Danielle Sprinkle, who earned D2CCA All-Region Honors last year after finishing top five in the MIAA in doubles, RBIs, and on-base percentage. One of the main candidates to lead the Hornets is outfielder Kenzie Garvin, who was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention last season. Garvin has picked up where she left off 2018 and leads the Hornets with a .474 batting average through six games.