ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — After facing some of the best teams in the region in non-conference action the last two weekends, Henderson State opens GAC play on Saturday and Sunday when it travels to Magnolia, Arkansas for a three-game set with Southern Arkansas.

The Reddies and Muleriders will get things going at 5 p.m. on Saturday and will play a twin bill beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

REDDIES REPORT
- Henderson picked up its first win of the year last Saturday in an 11-2 rout of Newman at Clyde Berry Field, but dropped games on Friday and Sunday to Northwest Missouri State and Central Oklahoma. The Reddies are now 1-5 on the year after playing a grueling stretch of non-conference contests against MIAA opponents.

- First baseman Greyson Stevens and outfielder Caleb Carr are both off to strong starts at the plate for HSU. Each has eight hits and a .333 batting average through six games and Stevens has already blasted three home runs and racked up an OPS of 1.240. New catcher Brinson Williams has also played well early and has four hits in his first nine at-bats as a Reddie — good for a .444 average.

- Arkadelphia native Brayden Bebee put together a quality start for Henderson in its win over Newman. Bebee went 6.0 innings, struck out seven batters and allowed just two runs on four hits. The junior right-hander has a 4.50 ERA in two starts this season; the best mark for a starter on the team.

- The Reddies saw significant improvement at the plate as a team last weekend in the HSU Invitational. Henderson hit just .184 collectively to open the season at UCO's First Pitch Invitational, but had a team batting average of .280 with 28 total hits during the three games it played at Clyde Berry Field. 

- Graduate reliever Taylor Langston has been lock-down in his two appearances this season for the Reddies. Langston has pitched 4.0 innings, collected 11 strikeouts and allowed no runs on just one hit. The 2018 All-American from El Dorado, Arkansas has given up just 19 hits and five runs in 31.2 career innings of relief work.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
- The Muleriders enter conference play a perfect 8-0 on the year with a four-game sweep of Missouri Western and wins over Oklahoma Panhandle, Newman, Wayne State and Colorado Christian. SAU was picked to finish third in the GAC preseason poll and was ninth in the NCBWA preseason poll for the Central Region.

- As a team, Southern Arkansas is batting .298 at the plate so far this season and has been led by catcher Brett McGee, who is batting .429 in 21 plate appearances and has an OPS of 1.453. Infielder Kobe Morris has also swung the bat well for the Muleriders thus far. Morris already has five multi-hit games to his credit and a batting average of .375.

- SAU's pitching staff has been lights out en route to an unbeaten start to the year and has a combined ERA of 3.08. Two different Mulerider starters, Zach Smith and Hunter Brantley, have pitched 12 or more innings and carry ERAs of 0.00. Smith is 2-0 and has given up just six hits and no runs in 15.0 innings, while Brantley is 2-0 and has allowed seven hits and no runs in 12.0 innings. Both starters for SAU have struck out 17 batters and have combined to walk just nine.