LIVE COVERAGE

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State hosts the first of two pivotal GAC series to end the regular season this weekend at Clyde Berry Field when it faces Southeastern Oklahoma State in a 6 p.m. single game Friday and a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

REDDIES REPORT
- Henderson won its 30th game of the season in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, as the Reddies hit two home runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat rival Ouachita Baptist for the second time this year, 9-6. HSU joins Southern Arkansas as the only two teams in the GAC to hit the 30-win mark so far this spring. This is the eighth 30-win season in program history. The Reddies are four wins away from tying the school record of 34 victories in a single year which was set in 2009.

- The Reddies are now 30-12 overall and 18-9 in GAC play. Henderson is in sole possession of second place in the conference standings behind SAU with two weekend series remaining in the regular season. HSU has won nine of its last 11 games and each of its last two league series with Arkansas Tech and East Central. The final two series of the year against Southeastern Oklahoma State and Ouachita Baptist will both be played at Clyde Berry Field in Arkadelphia, where the Reddies are 19-5 this season and 34-11 overall in the last two years.

- HSU is vying to become one of eight Central Region teams who will earn a bid to the 2022 NCAA Division II Regional Tournament. The three conference tournament winners from the GAC, MIAA and NSIC will earn automatic bids, leaving five at-large berths to be had. The first regional rankings will be released on Wednesday, April 27 and final selections will be made on May 15. Henderson is seeking back-to-back bids to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

- As a team, Henderson is hitting .296, which ranks fourth in the GAC. The Reddies lead the conference with a staff ERA of 4.25 and an opponent batting average of .239. HSU has been strong defensively as well, and is second in the conference in fielding percentage (.970). The Reddies are 17-1 this season when they do not commit an error.

- Infielder Dillon Thomas has been on an absolute tear for HSU at the plate in the last month. In 20 games since March 19, Thomas is hitting .500 (38-for-76) with 12 multi-hit games. He has at least one hit in 19 of those 20 contests and is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak. Thomas was 10-for-16 at the plate in four games last week and went 3-for-5 with the go-ahead home run on Tuesday against OBU. He is now hitting .452 for the year to lead the team.

- First baseman Greyson Stevens has also had a terrific spring campaign and leads Henderson with 61 hits, 16 doubles, 40 RBIs and 103 total bases. Stevens is batting .377 and has hit eight home runs this year. He has recorded at least one hit in 12 of the Reddies' last 14 games.

- Henderson's starting pitching rotation of Spencer Taack, Cade Tucker and Ryan Galvan has a combined record of 16-4 this season. Galvan has a 3.49 ERA and 5-0 record in 52.2 innings pitched, while Taack is 7-1 with a 4.24 ERA and has held opponents to a .245 batting average. Tucker has a team-high 57 strikeouts and a 5.25 ERA. 

- The Reddies' top two relievers, Brayden Bebee and Andrew Howard, have teamed up to allow just 19 earned runs in 60 innings this spring. Opponents are hitting .135 against Bebee, while Howard has struck out 38 batters and walked just 13 in 32.2 innings of work. 

- HSU is 16-9 in 25 games against Southeastern Oklahoma State since 2012 and is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. The Reddies have won the GAC series between the two schools in each of the last three years and have won the last five contests played at Clyde Berry Field in Arkadelphia. The Savage Storm's last victory in Arkadelphia came in 2016.

SCOUTING SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
- The Savage Storm come into the weekend series 28-15 overall and 17-10 in GAC play. SOSU has won its last three conference series over Oklahoma Baptist, SWOSU and Ouachita Baptist, and is in third place in the league standings.

- Southeastern is one of the top offensive teams in the conference and ranks second in the GAC with a team batting average of .307. The Savage Storm have hit 59 home runs this year and are slugging .528 as a club. Pitching-wise SOSU has a staff ERA of 7.45 and opponents are hitting .290 against the Storm this spring. Southeastern has given up 67 home runs this season — the second-most of any team in the league.

- SOSU has one of the most dangerous hitters in the GAC in freshman utility man Reid Rice. Rice is hitting .373 this season with 56 hits, 51 RBIs, 18 home runs and a .793 slugging percentage. First baseman Cameron French, who is the Storm's top hitter by average, is batting .412 this season with 13 doubles and 39 RBIs.

- Lefty Dylan Turner has been Southeastern's best starter this year and carries a team-best 4.98 ERA in 43.1 innings with 40 strikeouts and 12 walks. Fellow starter Cole Canuteson has struck out 56 batters in 44.1 innings while walking just 17 and has a 5.68 ERA in a club-high eight starts.