COVERAGE LINKS
 
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State returns home for GAC action on Saturday and Sunday when they host the Tigers of East Central. HSU opens the series with a doubleheader from Dee White Field on Saturday, Mar. 23, at noon and will conclude the series on Sunday with a single game at 12 p.m. 

REDDIES REPORT
HSU (11-17, 3-11) will look to get back to winning ways this weekend after falling in the series at Southeastern Oklahoma State last weekend. The Reddies are searching for their first conference series win this year when they face East Central on Saturday and Sunday. HSU saw back-to-back rubber matches against Northwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas Tech to begin the year, but would fall short in the both series. 

Josie Golden led the team at the plate over the series at Southeastern with four hits and added a run scored and an RBI to her totals. This season, Golden is second on the team in batting average after going 4-of-7, hitting .362 with 17 hits and 10 runs driven in. Emylee Bittinger followed Golden with three hits and two RBIs in ten plate appearances this weekend and now has seven hits in her last six appearances, including three multi-hit contests. Em. Bittinger is batting .400 on the year with 12 hits and seven RBIs. 

HSU's leader in hits, Lily Warren, saw two knocks over the weekend, bringing her to 33 hits on the year. In addition, the New Braunfels, Texas native leads the team and conference with 20 stolen bases on 23 attempts. With the help of Warren, HSU is the third most active team on the base path this season in the conference with 45 stolen bases on 54 attempts and has scored the fourth most runs (121).  

Presley Applegate has been one HSU's best relief pitchers this season after allowing zero runs and just four hits over 6.0 innings in two games against Southeastern. Applegate has only surrendered one run in her last four appearances over 9.1 innings out of the bullpen and has given up nine runs in 20.2 frames this season. Through 28 games, the Reddies have a 5.37 ERA as a team and have allowed 212 hits and 141 runs. 

Saturday's series opener between Henderson and East Central will be the 48^th meeting between the two sides. Last year, the Tigers won a pitchers dual in the rubber match 1-0 to claim the series in Ada. ECU holds the edge in the all-time meetings 31-17 after picking up back-to-back series wins the previous two seasons.

SCOUTING EAST CENTRAL
East Central got its first conference series win this year with a sweep over Ouachita Baptist last time out. ECU's three wins improved them to 5-9 in league action and 14-15 overall. Prior to East Central's sweep over OUA, the Tigers fell to Southeastern Oklahoma State in a midweek doubleheader at home, 7-5 and 10-0 in five innings. 
 
Leading the ECU bats is Elyse LeClair, who is batting a team-high .314 on 105 plate appearances with 33 hits and five doubles. LeClair tallied four hits across the series against Ouachita Baptist and recorded her ninth multi-hit game in the third contest, going 2-of-4. Jami Watson has been ECU's biggest bat this season, with four home runs, three doubles and 19 RBIs on 21 hits. As a team, ECU ranks ninth in hitting with a .262 batting average and 116 runs scored on 200 hits. 

The Tigers rank middle of the pack in pitching with a team ERA of 4.14, having given up 226 hits and 104 runs this season. Taylor Spence leads the efforts from the circle with a 5-6 record through 65.2 innings of work and a 3.20 ERA. Spence is one of two players for ECU with 30 strikeouts, with Lauren HerrNeckar leading the team with 34 punchouts.