ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State will look to send its six seniors off in style this weekend when the Reddies host regionally-ranked Harding in the final home series of the year.
The Reddies and Lady Bisons will battle in doubleheaders beginning at 4 p.m. Friday and 12 p.m. Saturday. Senior Day festivities will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of first pitch on Saturday.
REDDIES REPORT
- Henderson will be fighting for its GAC Tournament life in the final two weekends of the season. The Reddies are currently in eighth place in the league standings and clinging to the final postseason berth by less than one percentage point over UAM with just two conference series remaining.
- The schedule down the stretch of the year for HSU is one of the toughest in the conference, as the Reddies host Harding, the No. 10 ranked team in the region, this weekend, then travel to face No. 11 nationally ranked Southern Arkansas in the season finale. Several teams pose a threat to jump Henderson down the stretch, particularly East Central, who has played three less league games than the Reddies and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over them.
- The Reddies are led offensively by lead-off hitter Marcela Lopez, who is batting .383 and carries an on-base percentage of .471. She and freshman Ashlyn Taylor are tied for the team lead with 51 hits this season. Taylor bats .362 and has team-high 11 doubles this season. Lindsey Williams, Abbie Moore, and Madie Green all boast batting averages over .300 as well, while Green and Moore have combined for 56 RBIs this year.
- Michelle Sorensen has been the go-to arm in the circle for Henderson and leads the pitching staff with a 3.01 ERA, a 9-7 record and 98 strikeouts in 109.1 innings of work. Becca Almond has been very good as the Reddies' second starter of late and has her ERA down to 3.73. She has given up three runs or less in each of her last eight starts, and only one of those appearances was shorter than four innings.
- Henderson's series with Harding is its final home stand of the year, which could bode well for a team who has performed much better in the friendly confines of Arkadelphia than on the road. The Reddies are 18-12 at Dee White Field this season but just 4-10 in true road games. HSU has earned no worse than a split in all of its home series this year.
SCOUTING HARDING
- The Lady Bisons come into the weekend 30-18 overall and 22-14 in GAC play. They are one of just three teams in the conference thus far to have won 20 or more league contests and are in third place in the GAC standings. Harding was slotted at No. 10 in the first Central Region rankings released on Wednesday.
- Harding is led by its star Peyton Mills, who is a three-time All-GAC selection and 2017 All-American. Mills has started every game this season for the Lady Bisons and is second in the league with an astronomical .439 batting average and 61 hits this year. She leads the conference with an on-base-percentage of .550 and 17 doubles.
- Jenna Hipp and Pyper James are the two arms the Reddies are most likely to face this weekend. Hipp has a 14-5 record this season in 23 starts and boasts a 2.72 ERA in 123 2/3 innings pitched. James is 7-7 in 17 starts with a 3.72 ERA. Emma Dwyer, who has a team-best 2.22 ERA, is the somewhat rare softball closer for the Lady Bisons and has a team high 27 appearances and 12 saves.
- The series with Harding has been very even since the Lady Bisons began their program in 2014. HSU leads 11-10 in all-time meetings, but is just 3-9 in the last 12 contests.
