RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Coming off their second consecutive series sweep last weekend, the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys will host Missouri Southern for a midweek contest at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
 
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Live statistics, audio and video are available at www.arkansastechsports.com.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Arkansas Tech holds a 5-3 lead on the all-time series against Missouri Southern, despite the Lions defeating the Wonder Boys, 12-4, earlier this season.
 
SCOUTING THE WONDER BOYS
Arkansas Tech (8-6, 6-0 GAC) is off to its best start in conference play since 2013. The Wonder Boys swept Southwestern Oklahoma State in a three-game series, before defeating Northwestern Oklahoma State three times last weekend. Tech is just 2-6 in nonconference action this season, highlighted by a season-opening victory over St. Mary's on Feb. 3.
 
The Wonder Boys are batting .270 as a team this season, fourth-best average in the GAC. Defensively, Tech ranks sixth in the conference with a 5.18 earned-run average, while the Wonder Boys are third in opponent batting average and second in strikeouts.
 
After leading the Wonder Boys with seven hits in last weekend's three-game series, Dylan McDearmon has moved into first in the conference with a .408 batting average. Zach Klockowski ranks ninth in batting average and second in slugging percentage, while he leads the GAC with six home runs and 19 runs batted in.
 
Tech is the only team in the GAC with two pitchers ranked in the top five in the conference in earned-run average. Geoffrey Birkemeier has posted a 1.65 ERA to lead the Wonder Boys, while Kyle Wilson ranks fifth in the conference with a 1.96 earned-run average. Trent Armstrong also ranks 11^th in the conference with a 3.13 ERA.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Missouri Southern (8-6, 1-2 MIAA) is coming off a 1-2 weekend against Lindenwood to open play in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Lions defeated Lindenwood to open conference play, but dropped the next two games to surrender the series.
 
Max Hogan leads Missouri Southern with a .520 batting average, 23 runs, eight home runs and 22 runs batted in. Hogan is the only player in the MIAA with a slugging percentage over 1.000, as he has posted a 1.180 percentage in 14 games this season. On the mound, Dan Hawk leads the Lions with 24.2 innings pitched, while Sean Goostree has recorded a team-low 1.86 earned-run average in 9.2 innings this season.
 
In this season's earlier contest between Tech and Southern, the Lions scored the first eight runs of the game after a seven-run third inning. The Wonder Boys' offense gained some momentum with four runs over the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but Missouri Southern answered with three runs in the eighth to take the game, 12-4. Kyle Gibbs led Tech with two hits and two runs batted in, while Hogan led the Lions with three hits, three runs and one RBI.