ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Fresh off of a series win over nationally-ranked Arkansas-Monticello, Henderson State will make the trip to Searcy this weekend for a three-game conference set at No. 12 Harding. The Reddies will open their series with the Bisons in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 7. The following day, Mar. 8, the two teams will face off in a single game at 1 p.m.
REDDIE NOTES
Entering the weekend, Henderson State has won nine of its last ten conference series against Harding. HSU has had a winning record against the Bisons in every season since 2013. The Reddies took two of their first three conference series this season, including a victory over No. 18 Arkansas-Monticello last weekend.
Reese Weaks recorded his first quality start of the season by striking out nine and allowing no runs on two hits in a six-inning start versus UAM on Feb. 28. The senior from Princeton, Texas, has recorded a win in two of his first three conference starts and is leading the team with 26 strikeouts in 2025.
Payton Byrd secured two saves last week: one on Feb. 25 against Arkansas-Fort Smith and one versus Arkansas-Monticello on Mar. 1. He is tied for the conference lead at four saves.
Cole Rodriguez allowed one earned run in five frames of work against the Boll Weevils on Mar. 1. The right-handed pitcher has thrown five or more innings and allowed two or fewer earned runs in four straight starts.
The Reddies have six qualified players with a batting average above .310 and an on-base percentage of .400 or more through 17 games: Luke Farrar, Luke Rice, Alex Galvan, Jeremy Schork, Tripp Campbell, and Cal Jones.
Jaxson Gregg had seven hits - three of which went for extra bases - in the Reddies' four games last week. He had a hit and an RBI in every contest, bringing his overall hitting streak to seven games.
Farrar had six hits against the Lions and Weevils a week ago, keeping him on top of the team leaderboards for both batting average (.375) and on-base percentage (.467). The second baseman is also second on the team in OPS at 1.076.
Galvan boasts an on-base streak that current sits at 16 games. He has hit safely in each of Henderson's last four games and 15 of the team's last 16 contests.
Schork continues to hold the conference lead for home runs with seven on the campaign. His 1.112 OPS and 21 RBI also serve as team highs.
Austin Scritchfield had a three-hit performance with four RBI in a 12-2 run-rule victory over Arkansas-Monticello on Feb. 28. The former Cabot Panther hit a two-run triple - the first three-bagger of his Reddie career - in the win.
Rice had four RBI in HSU's Feb. 25 game versus UAFS. He followed that performance up with a multi-hit outing in game one against UAM, which included a double and an RBI.
SCOUTING HARDING
Harding starts the weekend in sole possession of first place in the GAC after winning eight of its first nine conference contests. The Bisons also hold the No. 12Â spot in this week's NCBWA NCAA Division II Top 25: the team's highest national ranking in program history. HU is on the hunt for its first conference series victory over the Reddies since 2021, when the Bisons took two of three games in Searcy (Henderson ended up winning three of five overall games against Harding that season).
Collin Helms paces the team in batting average (.417), RBI (20), and on-base percentage (.556) through 18 games. He has been hit by a pitch a conference-leading 13 times. The junior had five hits (including a home run) and drove in three runs in his squad's series at Ouachita last weekend.
Seth Johnson leads the Bisons with an OPS of 1.170. He, too, hit safely five times and recorded three RBI in the OBU series. Two of the Wetumpka, Alabama, native's hits in the series were homers.
Logan Lacey and Colton Doyle serve as power threats, with both men having hit four home runs thus far in 2025. Doyle also leads the team in walks with 15, while Lacey follows close behind at 14.
As of Thursday, Mar. 6, Harding leads all Division II teams with more than 90 innings pitched with a team earned run average of 2.45. Three different Bison pitchers have made five starts and recorded an ERA below two across the team's first 18 contests: Maddox Long, Preston Tabor, and Merritt Jay.
Long was named 64Analytics' Division II Pitcher of the Month for February after recording a GAC-best 0.82 earned run average, 33 innings pitched, and 49 strikeouts in five starts during the first month of the season. In his last two outings versus Southwestern Oklahoma State and at Ouachita, the fifth-year senior threw a combined 14 shutout innings and 23 strikeouts while allowing just five hits.
Tabor and Jay have each recorded 24 or more innings of work in 2025 while punching out 38 and 33 batters, respectively. Tabor had a quality start with six shutout innings and 10 strikeouts in his latest appearance against OBU on Mar. 1 - a performance that earned him GAC Pitcher of the Week honors.
LIVE COVERAGE
To access live stats and live coverage of this weekend's series, please visit hsusports.com.
