RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — With three weeks since its last Great American Conference series, the Arkansas Tech baseball team looks to carry its current momentum with it as it picks back up with league play this weekend in a three-game set at East Central.

Due to inclement weather, the games have pushed back to Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game will both start at noon.

The Wonder Boys (11-10, 1-5 GAC) are winners of seven of their last eight games after sweeping Augustana last weekend and earning a split with Harding in nonconference action Tuesday evening. The Tigers (11-5, 7-2 GAC) sit in second place in the conference after winning seven straight to open league play before dropping both games of the series-closing doubleheader to Henderson State last weekend.

The Tech offense continues to pound opposing pitching, scoring at least three runs in each of its past eight games, four or more in seven of them and at least eight in five of those eight tries. As a team, the Wonder Boys are hitting .289, good enough for third in the GAC, and are second in the league in runs scored (130), hits (189), RBIs (114), slugging (.436), doubles (38) and home runs (16), while drawing the fourth-most walks and striking out the third-fewest times.

Senior Bryan Heward leads the league in batting with a .411 average, including a 5-for-5 day last week against Southwest Baptist and a 4-for-5 outing against Augustana, and has posted a pair of home runs, five doubles and 22 RBIs. While he comes in just under the threshold for the conference leaderboards, senior Keenan Jumper is hitting .440 with a team-high seven doubles and is currently on a 10-game hitting streak. Patrick Castleberry is hitting .362 with a league-leading seven home runs, including three in one day last weekend against Augustana, and leads the team and is second in the GAC with 23 RBIs. In all, six Wonder Boys are batting at least .288.

The Tech pitching staff has lowered its ERA to 5.48 after allowing just 12 earned runs over 44 innings in its last seven games. Trent Armstrong, Geofferey Birkemeier and Aaron Johnson each earned a win last weekend by going at least six innings and allowing two or fewer runs.

The Tigers are fifth in the GAC in hitting, with a .283 average, and sixth with a 3.80 staff ERA. Nick Spini leads the offense with a .411 average, nine doubles and 14 RBIs, while Bryce McKee is hitting .365 with three home runs and 15 RBIs. Five regular starters are hitting .290 or better, while the team averages 6.1 runs per game.

Lucas Kaplan and Oscar Gomez are the Tigers top starters on the mound, with Kaplan posting a 4-0 record with a 2.51 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings, and Gomez bringing a 2-0 mark with a 2.81 ERA and 31 punchouts in 32 innings of work. Closer Merrick Ardoin boasts five saves in five chances, and hasn't allowed a run in 5 2/3 innings.

Live stats are available at www.arkansastechsports.com.