ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — The Reddies recorded one of their biggest wins of the season last Monday when they fended off No. 11 Arkansas-Monticello 8-7 in the finale of the weekend series.

Henderson faces another tough test this weekend when it travels to Searcy, Arkansas, to take on Harding in the penultimate series of the regular season. HSU and HU will take the field on Friday evening at 6 p.m. before ending the series Saturday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m.

REDDIES REPORT
- Henderson State (20-20, 14-12) is currently fifth in the Great American Conference and in a tight race for postseason play in early May. The Reddies are one and a half games behind Harding, just a half game in front of sixth place Oklahoma Baptist, and a single game in front of seventh place Southwestern Oklahoma State.

- If the Reddies want to secure a spot in Enid, Oklahoma for the GAC Tournament, they'll need their senior shortstop Brandon Pollock to continue his stellar play. Pollock has been the most consistent hitter in the HSU lineup this season and needs 10 more hits to move into the Top-10 all-time for most hits in a single season.

- Despite missing out on the Arkansas-Monticello series, Bryson Haskins extended his hitting streak to six games with a base knock against Union University. Haskins has hit safely in 28 of 32 games this season and is second on the team with a .333 batting average. He is also one of two everyday players to hold a perfect fielding percentage.

- For both Danny Mitchell Jr. and Caleb Carr, 2019 has served as a tale of two seasons. Following a slow start, Mitchell Jr. is hitting .382 with 23 runs and 18 RBIs in his last 22 games. After leading the Reddies with a .376 average as a freshman, Carr also got off to a slow start this season. Fortunately for HSU, the White Hall, Arkansas, native is also batting .382 in his last 18 games while scoring 17 runs and driving home 22 of them. Carr had a career-high four RBIs in the 8-7 win over UAM Monday.

- The Reddies have dominated Harding in recent years and the HSU pitching staff has been the main ingredient to Henderson's success. HSU has shutout Harding in four of the last five meetings, helping the Reddies win six in a row against the Bisons.

- Henderson's bullpen had a solid weekend against Arkansas-Monticello behind Kris Priddy, Brayden Beebe and Jon Youngblood. Priddy went 6 1/3 innings while allowing just four total baserunners and striking out a season high eight batters. The senior leads the Reddies and is second in the conference for qualifying pitchers with a 2.09 ERA.

- Bebee and Youngblood were also solid against UAM, and combined for 4 2/3 innings while striking out six. Bebee entered the game in the top of the fifth and inherited runners on the corners in a 7-6 contest. The reliever induced two groundball outs to get out of the jam and was credited with the win as Henderson prevailed 8-7. Youngblood picked up the save after hurling a scoreless ninth.

HSU Statistical Leaders                                                 HSU Pitching Leaders
Batting Average – Brandon Pollock, .374                         ERA – Kris Priddy, 2.09
Hits – Brandon Pollock, 55                                                  Wins – Jon Youngblood, 4
Home Runs – Danny Mitchell Jr., 6                                    Strikeouts – Zach Eschberger, 46
RBI – Joseph Shepherd, 35                                                 Innings Pitched – Zach Eschberger, 56.1
Runs – Brandon Pollock, 37                                                Appearances – Jon Youngblood, 15
OBP – Brandon Pollock, .484                                              Complete Games – Austin Cross, 1
SLG – Danny Mitchell Jr., .497                                            Shutouts – One Team Shutout
OPS – Brandon Pollock, .933                                              Saves – Jon Youngblood, 3

SCOUTING HARDING
- Harding (26-16, 16-11) has scored 10 or more runs in three of its last four games, but the Bisons' biggest asset might be their bullpen. HU's impressive group of relievers is led by junior Ryder Yakel who brings an incredible 0.84 ERA into the weekend. Yakel has thrown 42 2/3 innings and struck out 45 batters in the process. The Kansas native did not allow an earned run in his first 10 appearances which amounted to 29 and 2/3 innings.

- Brian Tims has also had a fantastic senior season in his own right for the Bisons. Through 25 2/3 innings, Tims is 1-0 with a 1.75 ERA. Although the senior doesn't rack up strikeouts, he has only walked two batters.

- Before facing Yakel or Tims, the Reddies will have their work cut out for them when they take on Tanner Smith and Ty Hoecker who are one of the best starting duos in the GAC. Smith is 5-4 with a 2.39 ERA, while Hoecker is 5-1 and carries a 3.59 ERA. Each pitcher has thrown three complete games.

- Harding's lineup is paced by the trio of Nolan Fertig, Miles Humphreys, and David Butterfield. Fertig has an impressive blend of speed and power, hitting .351 with four triples and four home runs on the season while swiping 10 bases. Humphreys is just a tick behind Fertig with a .344 average and three home runs, while Butterfield brings a .328 clip to the table.

- Luke Van Dover provides much of the Bisons' power in the lineup. 23 of Van Dover's 41 hits have gone for extra bases, and he is second in the conference with 17 doubles. 

Harding Hitting Leaders                                              Harding Pitching Leaders
Batting Average – Nolan Fertig, .351                             ERA – Ryder Yakel, 1.05
Hits – Nolan Fertig, 61                                                       Wins – Three Tied, 5
Home Runs – Luke Van Dover, 6                                     Strikeouts – Ryder Yakel, 45
RBI – Luke Van Dover, Nolan Fertig, 30                         Innings Pitched – Tanner Smith, 71.2
Runs – Nolan Fertig, 40                                                    Appearances – Ryder Yakel, 13
OBP – Luke Van Dover, .448                                            Complete Games – Tanner Smith, Ty Hoecker, 2
SLG – Luke Van Dover, .539                                            Shutouts – Ty Hoecker, 1
OPS – Luke Van Dover, .987                                            Saves – Ryder Yakel, 5