ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — No. 15 Henderson State returns home on Saturday and Sunday when the Reddies host Harding in a three-game GAC series at Clyde Berry Field.
The Reddies and Bisons will meet in a single game at 2 p.m. on Saturday and a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday.
REDDIES REPORT
- Henderson is 15-2 overall this season and 7-2 in GAC play after three weekends of conference action. The Reddies opened the year with a school record 14-game winning streak, but dropped their first games and series of the spring last weekend on the road in Monticello. HSU lost twice to UAM in extra innings on walk-off hits. Despite the losses, the Reddies remain ranked inside the Top-25 of both the NCBWA Poll and the Collegiate Baseball Poll at No. 16 and No. 15, respectively.
- The pitching staff has been a strength for the Reddies thus far. Henderson has a 3.81 team ERA and all three of its starters have more strikeouts than hits allowed this spring. Ryan Galvan, who has served as HSU's seven-inning starter, has been phenomenal and boasts a 1.59 ERA in 28.1 innings of work. Galvan is 3-0 and has surrendered just 10 runs on 20 total hits. Both 2021 GAC First Team selection Spencer Taack and Cade Tucker have struck out 30 batters and are a combined 7-0 on the mound in 10 starts. The Reddies have five different bullpen arms who have thrown seven or more innings and hold sub-5.00 ERAs.
- Both Tucker and leadoff hitter Kaden Argenbright are batting over .400 this year, with Tucker at .414 and Argenbright sitting on .400. Argenbright has 28 hits to lead the team and four times as many hits (28) as strikeouts (7) this year. David Vilches has a club-best 24 RBIs and is tied for the NCAA DII lead with nine home runs. Greyson Stevens has also had a strong start to the year for HSU and is batting .377 with 26 hits, eight doubles, 17 RBIs and four home runs. Stevens has eight multi-hit games in the Reddies' last 10 contests.
- After hitting .338 and slugging .582 as a team through its first 14 games, HSU's bats were slowed by the Weevils on the road. Henderson hit .222 in the three-game series and struck out 33 times. The Reddies, who led the conference in extra-base hits entering the weekend, were limited to just four total in three games. In spite of a tough weekend at the plate, HSU is still hitting .315 as a club on the year — over .100 points higher than its opponents, who are hitting .214 against Reddie pitching.
- The Reddies have been dominant inside Clyde Berry Field this season. HSU is 13-0 on its home turf and has won its last 19 games at its own ballpark dating back to April of last year. Henderson is 37-8 overall (.822) in games played at Clyde Berry Field since the start of the 2020 campaign. Harding has not defeated Henderson State in Arkadelphia since March of 2016 and is 3-11 against the Reddies overall since the spring of 2017.
SCOUTING HARDING
- The Bisons come into the weekend series 10-7 overall and 4-5 in GAC play. Harding was swept by Ouachita at home last weekend, lost two of three versus Southeastern Oklahoma State and swept East Central on the road.
- HU has one of the top power hitters in the league in Coulton Doyle, who has seven home runs and 23 RBIs this year. Doyle is batting .359 and slugging .781 on the season. As a team, Harding hits .272 and is 20-for-25 on stolen base attempts.
- Harding's pitching staff has a collective ERA of 5.19 through 17 games. The Bisons' best starter has been Carter McCall, who has a 3.75 ERA and a 2-0 record in four starts and five appearances. McCall has thrown 24 innings, struck out 18 and walked 13.
