ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — The Henderson State softball team will play its last series of the regular season on Friday and Saturday when it visits league-leader Southern Arkansas for a four-game set. 

The weekend series opens with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. on Friday, and closes with another two games set for 1 p.m. Saturday.

REDDIES REPORT
- Despite a series split against Harding last weekend, the Reddies still have work to do if they want to play their way into the Great American Conference tournament. HSU (25-27, 19-21) is currently ninth in the GAC standings, with the conference's top eight teams making it to Bentonville, Arkansas for postseason play. Heading into the regular season's final weekend, the Reddies trail eighth-place East Central, seventh-place Ouachita Baptist, and sixth-place Southern Nazarene by just a half game. While Henderson is certainly in striking distance, they will have to beat Southern Arkansas in Magnolia, where the Reddies have compiled just a 2-8 record since 2015.

- For HSU to take down the Lady Muleriders and push themselves into the conference tournament, they will need senior Michelle Sorensen to continue her brilliant form. In last weekend's crucial series against Harding, Sorensen hurled one of her best outings of the season when she allowed just four baserunners in eight innings while striking out 11 in a dramatic 2-1 victory. The senior followed Friday's performance with another complete game in the series finale when she allowed just one run in a 4-1 win.

- After being limited for most of April, HSU is hopeful Mallory Brewer can pick up against Southern Arkansas where she left off against Harding. Over the weekend, Brewer hurled eight innings of shutout softball while allowing just five hits and no walks while striking out four batters. The sophomore has walked just 10 hitters all season in 101 1/3 innings pitched.

- Henderson's lineup will have its work cut out for it this weekend when it goes up against the best pitching rotation in the conference. Ashleigh Erb will take her hot bat into the weekend after clubbing three home runs against Harding. The senior third baseman was also fantastic with the glove, and has not recorded in error in her last nine starts.

- Marcela Lopez, Ashlyn Taylor, and Abbie Moore will all be looking to continue their successful debut seasons in the program. Lopez, a junior transfer, leads HSU with a .361 average, a .444 on-base percentage, and 34 runs scored. Taylor, a freshman shortstop from Arkadelphia has the team lead in hits and doubles, and ranks top three on the Reddies with a .353 batting average, 27 RBIs, while slugging .500. Moore, who is the only Reddie to play in all 52 games, is tied for the team lead with 31 RBIs while mashing 48 hits in her first season at HSU.

HSU Statistical Leaders                                                HSU Pitching Leaders
Batting Average – Marcela Lopez, .361                           ERA – Michelle Sorensen, 2.88
Hits – Ashlyn Taylor, Marcela Lopez, 53                         Wins –Michelle Sorensen, 11
Home Runs – Madie Green, 7                                           Strikeouts – Michelle Sorensen, 115
RBI – Abbie Moore, Madie Green 31                                 Innings Pitched – Michelle Sorensen, 126.1
Runs – Marcela Lopez, 34                                                 Appearances – Mallory Brewer, 28
OBP – Marcela Lopez, .444                                               Complete Games –Michelle Sorensen, 912
SLG – Madie Green, .551                                                    Shutouts – Michelle Sorensen, 2
OPS – Madie Green, .957                                                   Saves – Mallory Brewer, 3
 
SCOUTING NO. 19 SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
- Southern Arkansas (32-7, 41-10) has been a powerhouse program in the GAC since the conference's inception, and this year is no different. The Lady Muleriders sit atop the league standings, but will be trying to secure a regular season GAC Championship as Arkansas Tech sits just a half game back.

- SAU is led by an impressive pitching staff that has compiled a team ERA of 1.67 in conference play. That figure leads the league by a wide margin, as no other GAC team has an ERA of less than 3.00. Southern Arkansas' pitching staff is led by Sydney Wader, Elisa Favela, and Victoria Taylor, who rank first, second, and third, in ERA in the GAC this season.

- Wader leads the league with a 1.38 ERA and 21 wins with 111 strikeouts in 147 innings, while Favela has notched an 11-1 record with a 1.74 ERA. Taylor has the best strikeout ratio in the conference, mowing down 125 batters in 86 and 2/3 innings on her way to a 9-3 record and a 1.94 ERA.

- The Lady Muleriders combine their power pitching with a batting order full of power hitters. SAU boasts five batters with 10 or more home runs, including Chelsea Fagan and Faith Otts, who are first and second the league with 18 and 14 homers, respectively. Laina Suesue sets the table for the SAU order with a .358 average and a team-leading .446 on-base percentage. 

SAU Hitting Leaders                                                           SAU Pitching Leaders
Batting Average – Laina Suesue, .358                                ERA – Sydney Wader, 1.38
Hits – Laina Suesue, Elisa Favela, 54                                   Wins – Sydney Wader, 21
Home Runs – Chelsea Fagan, 18                                          Strikeouts – Victoria Taylor, 125
RBI – Faith Otts, 48                                                                 Innings Pitched – Sydney Wader, 147
Runs – Sarah Evans, Chelsea Fagan, 44                            Appearances – Sydney Wader, 27
OBP – Laina Suesue, .446                                                     Complete Games – Sydney Wader, 18
SLG – Chelsea Fagan, .738                                                    Shutouts – Sydney Wader, 9
OPS – Chelsea Fagan, 1.149                                                   Saves – Brooke Ford-Nelson, 3