RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Following back-to-back losses to No. 5 Delta State on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys will be on the road this weekend taking on Southern Arkansas in a three-game series. Play is set to begin in Magnolia with a doubleheader on Friday, April 20, at 3 p.m., followed by a single game scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live statistics and video for all three games are available at www.arkansastechsports.com.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Southern Arkansas leads the all-times series against Tech, 102-59. The two teams played a total of five times last year, with Tech taking the first three games and the Muleriders taking the final two. The last loss came in the Great American Conference Championships as SAU defeated the Wonder Boys 11-3 and eliminated them from the tournament.
 
SCOUTING THE WONDER BOYS
Arkansas Tech (26-16, 18-9 GAC) has taken eight of nine Great American Conference series this season, the only GAC series that Tech dropped came in Weatherford to Southwestern Oklahoma State. Tech's latest GAC series came last weekend, with the Wonder Boys winning two of three games against Arkansas-Monticello. The Wonder Boys then hosted No. 5 Delta State on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tech was defeated by the Statesmen, 25-16 in 14-innings on Tuesday and fell 13-6 on Wednesday. Arkansas Tech currently sits in fourth in the GAC standings, three games behind first place Arkansas-Monticello.
 
The Wonder Boys have posted a .310 batting average this season, while hitting .318 in conference play and .334 over the past 10 games. Eight of nine primary starters have hit at least .300 over the last 10 games, as Britt Stroth leads Tech during that time with a .452 average and 13 runs scored. Mark Vaughn has hit .439 in the previous 10 games, including a three-home run game against Southeastern Oklahoma. On the season, Riley Hickerson is fourth in the conference with 59 hits and fourth with 43 runs batted in. Kyle Gibbs leads Tech with 19 extra-base hits, and is ranked third in the GAC with 14 doubles.
 
Hayes Cox and Michael Mueller have pitched the majority of the innings for Arkansas Tech and are both ranked in the top-ten in the GAC in innings pitched, as Mueller is ranked third with 70.2 innings, while Cox is ranked ninth with 64.2 innings pitched. Cox has also posted a 3.20 earned-run average, which is the fourth-best in the conference and Mueller has recorded 67 strikeouts, which is the sixth-best in the GAC. Both Jared Droll and Isaac Hale have tallied a team-high 14 pitching appearances out of the bullpen. Droll has posted a 2-1 record with a 3.24 earned-run average and 23 strikeouts in 25.0 innings of work and Hale has recorded a 1-0 record with a 4.88 earned-run average with 29 strikeouts in 24.0 innings of work.
 
SCOUTING THE MULERIDERS
Southern Arkansas (27-14, 19-9 GAC) has lost three of its last four games, including two losses to Harding last weekend. The Muleriders are third in the GAC standings, half a game ahead of Arkansas Tech.
 
SAU is batting .280 as a team, but has posted a .463 slugging percentage, which is the third-best in the conference. Jacob Richardson leads the Mulerider offense with a .357 batting average, ten home runs, 41 runs, and 51 runs batted in. Jake Tisevich is hitting .323, and Dakota Wright boasts a .287 average with eight home runs and 37 runs-batted in.
 
The Muleriders lead the GAC in earned-run average (4.22), opposing team batting average (.236) and strikeouts (362). Southern Arkansas is led on the mound by the top-two pitchers in the GAC, Kenneth Tabor and Hunter Vazquez. Tabor leads the GAC in wins (8), earned-run average (2.43) and opposing team batting average (.149). Vazquez has posted the second best earned-run average (2.48) in the conference, the third-best opposing team batting average (.215) and leads the GAC in strikeouts with 83. Jacob Stroder is the third starting pitcher for SAU. Stroder leads the team in innings pitched with 67.0 and has 7-2 record with a 3.63 earned-run average and is ranked second in the GAC with 73 strikeouts.