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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State begins NCAA Tournament play on Friday when the No. 6 seed Reddies take on No. 1 seed Central Missouri in the opening round of the 2021 DII Central Regional.

First pitch is set for 3 p.m. in Warrensburg, Missouri. The winner will advance to the 3 p.m. game on Saturday against the loser of the Minnesota State versus Arkansas Tech contest.

REDDIES REPORT
- Henderson enters the Central Regional red hot after running through the GAC Tournament last week. The Reddies knocked off the top three seeds in the league, including Regional at-large selections SAU and Arkansas Tech, by a combined score of 31-8 and allowed just 19 total hits in 27 innings during their title run. The conference championship was the first for the program since 1982.

- The Reddies will be making their second NCAA Regional appearance in program history on Thursday. In its only previous trip in 2015, Henderson went 4-0 as the No. 6 seed to win the Central Region title and advance to the College World Series. Thanks to its 2015 run, HSU is 6-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. 

- HSU is hitting .311 as a team on the season and boasts a 5.24 staff ERA. The Reddies got hot in the GAC Tournament and hit .356 across the three wins. Henderson had 16 hits against Southern Arkansas and 17 against Oklahoma Baptist. Opponents hit just .197 against HSU during the league championships as opposed to .280 in the regular season.

- Starter Spencer Taack, who was named the GAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, will be looking to duplicate his efforts from last week. Pitching on three days rest in Tuesday's title game against Arkansas Tech, Taack threw seven full innings for HSU and surrendered just one unearned run on four hits. The junior from Dallas threw 105 pitches in what tied the longest outing of his career. HSU is 11-2 on the year when Taack starts and he has not taken a loss since Feb. 12 in his first appearance of the season. The right-hander has a 7-1 record this spring with a 4.13 ERA in 69.2 innings of work.

- Henderson State's bullpen has been phenomenal all season. The Reddies are 22-0 entering the Central Regional when leading after six innings of play. Taylor Langston leads the relievers with a 1.63 ERA in 27.2 innings, while Cade Tucker and Brayden Bebee carry ERAs of 3.81 and 3.00.

- The bottom of the order came up huge for the Reddies during the GAC Tournament run. Bryson Haskins, Josh Aguilar and Nick Butler, who hit in the seven, eight and nine spots, respectively, hit a combined .351 in the league championships (13-for-37) and drove in 11 runs. Haskins and Butler were each named to the GAC All-Tournament Team. 

- HSU has three players who have started all 43 games this season: Danny Mitchell Jr. in left field, Joe Myers at shortstop, and Greyson Stevens at first base. Mitchell Jr. has a hit in 15 of the last 16 games for the Reddies, Myers leads the club with 50 RBIs and 12 home runs, and Stevens has a team-high 61 hits and 23 multi-hit games this season. The three stalwarts in the lineup have combined to drive in 122 runs this spring and have hit 26 home runs. 

- The Reddies' hottest hitter coming into the Central Regional is Kaden Argenbright, who earned GAC All-Tournament Team honors and is hitting .463 (25-for-54) in his last 13 games with 20 RBIs. For the year, the freshman third baseman boasts a team-best .392 average, has recorded 60 hits and 14 doubles, and is slugging .634. 

SCOUTING CENTRAL MISSOURI
- Host Central Missouri enters the 2021 NCAA Central Regional riding high after capturing the MIAA regular season and tournament titles. The Mules are the top-seed in the field and are ranked No. 2 in the country in the most recent NCBWA poll. UCM is 39-6 overall, was 30-3 in MIAA play and is 20-3 at home this season.

- The Mules have a loaded roster that features seven 2021 All-Region selections, three All-Americans and two players who have been named Central Region Players of the Year during their careers. 2021 All-Americans Dusty Stroup, Mason Green and Erik Webb headline UCM's lineup. Stroup is the 2021 Central Region Player of the Year by two publications and is batting .406 with 19 home runs and 17 doubles. Green, a pitcher, holds a 13-0 record and 2.76 ERA in 84.2 innings this season and is 25-0 on the mound during his career at UCM. Webb, the 2019 Central Region Player of the Year and a two-time All-American, is the Mules all-time leader in hits (316), doubles (76), triples (20), home runs (61) and RBIs (228).

- UCM is No. 7 nationally with a team batting average of .345 this spring. The Mules are 14th in NCAA DII in staff ERA (3.86). Opponents are hitting just .233 against Central Missouri, who is second in the country in team fielding percentage (.980). 

- One of the historically great programs in NCAA DII, Central Missouri is making its 30th NCAA Regional appearance all-time and is hosting the tournament for the 17th time this weekend. UCM has averaged 47 wins per season since 2000, has made the College World Series 17 times and won two national titles in 1994 and 2003. 

SCOUTING THE CENTRAL REGIONAL FIELD
- No. 2 seed Augustana of the NSIC is 36-11 overall and won the Northern Sun's regular season conference title. As a team, No. 12 Augustana hits .328 and has limited its opponents to a .236 batting average behind a team ERA of 3.71. Ryan Jares is the ace of the pitching staff for the Vikings and boasts a 1.56 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 63.1 innings of work this spring. Second Team All-Region selection Carter Howell leads Augustana at the plate with a .430 batting average and 80 hits on the year. The Vikings won the 2018 NCAA DII National Championship.

- No. 3 seed Minnesota State comes into the Central Regional with a 37-8 record after defeating Augustana to win the NSIC Tournament crown. The No. 13 Mavericks have the best team ERA (3.03) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.01) in the country this season. MSU hits .306 as a club and is led offensively by NSIC Player of the Year Joey Werner, who has a .439 average, 69 hits and 12 home runs. Minnesota State has two starting pitchers with sub-2.00 ERAs in Collin Denk and Jon Ludwig, as well as reliever Hunter Even, who boasts a 1.30 ERA and .97 WHIP in 20.2 innings. MSU is making its 38th regional appearance in program history. 

- No. 4 seed Arkansas Tech earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Central Regional after winning the GAC regular season title. The Wonder Boys are 28-15 overall and fell to the Reddies in the 2021 GAC Tournament Championship game last week. Tech has a formidable lineup and is batting .330 this spring with a team ERA of 4.07. ATU's top arm is starter Patrick Miner, who was a unanimous First Team All-GAC pick and has a 3.46 ERA in 88.1 innings. First Team All-Region first baseman Jonathon Arrieta leads the Wonder Boys with 12 home runs, while third baseman Trace Maddux carries a .412 average at the plate and has hit 17 doubles. 

- No. 5 seed Southern Arkansas split the GAC regular season title with Arkansas Tech and earned the final at-large bid to the tournament field. SAU is 27-14 overall and is making its seventh regional appearance in program history this weekend. The Muleriders are batting .302 as a club and are led by First Team All-Region second baseman Austin Baker, who leads the team with a .408 average, 64 hits and 16 doubles. SAU has a team ERA of 4.83 and relies on ace Jacob Womack, who boasts a 3.89 ERA and 7-1 record in 76.1 innings pitched.