SEARCY – With just two more Gulf South Conference series to play, the Harding baseball team is battling for its postseason life. The Bisons continue their bid for the GSC Tournament on Saturday and Sunday on the road at Arkansas-Monticello. Saturday's doubleheader begins at noon, as does Sunday's single game.
Harding enters the weekend with a 21-22 overall record and a 5-8 mark in the GSC West. The Bisons are a game behind Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist for the fourth and final GSC Tournament slot.
Offensively, two Bisons appear in the GSC rankings entering the Arkansas-Monticello series. Redshirt freshman Anthony Guglielmi leads Harding and ranks fifth in the GSC with 15 doubles, seven of the coming in conference games. Junior Jason Nappi has a team-high 29 walks and a .512 on-base percentage, both good for fifth in the GSC. He is also eighth in home runs (7) and 10th in slugging percentage (.642).
Defensively, Harding ranks 14th in NCAA Division II in double plays turned. The Bisons average 1.00 double play per game.
Harding's pitching rotation for the weekend is not set yet, but senior Troy Keith will receive one of the starts. He has been a workhorse during conference play for the Bisons, averaging 6.13 innings pitched per start, fifth in the GSC. Bison starters Kyle Cline (.261) and Hayden Shirley (.268) rank among the conference leaders in opponents' batting average in conference games at ninth and 10th, respectively.
Arkansas-Monticello, in its third year under head coach Carlos James, enters the series 19-21 overall and 3-11 in the GSC. The Boll Weevils opened conference play with three straight wins but have lost their last 11 straight.
Boll Weevil senior Drew Harper ranks third in the GSC with 16 doubles, and senior Brian Johnson is seventh with eight home runs. Sophomore Wayne Hawkins is UAM leading hitter with a .352 batting average. As a team, UAM is 18th in Division II, reaching 61 times on hit batsmen.
Arkansas-Monticello has used 12 different starting pitchers this season, so the Boll Weevils' pitching rotation is anyone's guess. At some point in the series, the Bisons will likely see junior Brett Stewart and freshmen Brent Noble. Stewart is third in the GSC with 21 appearances, and Noble is fourth with 20 appearances.
Team Comparison
HU UAM
Batting Avg. .273 (13) .286 (10)
Earned Run Avg. 6.34 (11) 8.56 (13)
Fielding Pct. .953 (7) .930 (14)
The number in parentheses is the team's rank in the 14-team GSC.
