RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - Exactly three weeks from today, Henderson State baseball will open the 2024 season. With it comes the Reddies' fifth-place selection in the 2024 GAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced Monday.

Two-time defending GAC Champion Southern Arkansas garnered all but two first place votes to take the top spot, while Arkansas Tech (2) and Ouachita Baptist (3) picked up the remaining first-place nods. Six points separated Oklahoma Baptist (4) and Henderson State (5) to round out the Top-5.

Last year was the first time in three years HSU had not made it to NCAA Regionals as it finished the 2023 campaign with a 33-22 record while falling one game shy of the GAC Tournament Championship Game. In the last three seasons, the Reddies have compiled a 100-58 record, which is the second best record in the GAC over that stretch. 

Head coach Cody Hooten, who is beginning his 14th season at the helm of the program, brings back an experienced group as three of the team's top four hitters from last year return, including fifth-year senior Kaden Argenbright, who has started every game each of the last two seasons for the Reddies and is hitting .343 for his career.

At the mound for Hooten and his staff in 2024 will be last season's weekend rotation in pitchers Reese Weaks, Andrew Howard and Ryan Galvan. Howard owned a clubhouse-best 8-3 record while Weaks led the team with 60 strikeouts as opposing batters hit just .216 off him, which led the GAC.

Also returning to the mound will be closer Henry Coppens, who was second on last season's squad with five saves as he allowed just 17 hits in 19 appearances while recording 45 strikeouts in 33.2 innings of work. 

The Reddies will have to replace a key piece of their offense over the last four seasons in Greyson Stevens, who logged a team-high 77 hits last season and finished the 2023 campaign as the program's career leader in hits (266), at-bats (794), runs scored (173), RBI (175), doubles (60), home runs (35) and total bases (441).

Headlining the 11 new transfers heading to the 2024 season is infielder Jaxson Gregg from Seward County Community College. Last year, Gregg totaled 68 hits and 60 RBI while hitting .349 as he helped lead the Saints to a 33-26 overall record and a 20-12 stand in conference play.

Henderson State will begin the quest for its third trip to the NCAA postseason in four years in Hot Springs, Ark., where it opens with Rogers State Thursday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. as part of the Dugan Collegiate Baseball Invitational. 

2024 GAC PRESEASON POLL
 

Team	Total	First-Place Votes
Southern Arkansas	120	10
Arkansas Tech	100	1
Ouachita Baptist	98	1
Oklahoma Baptist	92
Henderson State	86
Arkansas-Monticello	70
Harding	68
Southeastern Oklahoma State	49
Southwestern Oklahoma State	42
Northwestern Oklahoma State	35
Southern Nazarene	19
East Central	13