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SEARCY – The Harding baseball team is the champion of the Gulf South Conference West Division.

Thundershowers washed away Harding's scheduled doubleheader with Arkansas Tech on Sunday in Russellville, and the Bisons, with a 14-5 conference record, finished with the best winning percentage in the West Division.

Harding won Saturday's game with Arkansas Tech 8-6, breaking out of a three-way tie for first with Delta State and Arkansas Tech.

It is the fifth regular season conference championship for a Harding baseball team and its first since winning the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference title in 1984. Harding's other championships came in 1932, 1933 and 1938.

By virtue of winning the regular season title, Harding will have the No. 1 seed from the West Division in the GSC Tournament, which begins Friday at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn. Harding will play Alabama-Huntsville at 1 p.m. in its opening round game. The tournament is double-elimination and runs through Tuesday, May 10. A complete tournament schedule can be found at www.gscsports.org.

Southern Arkansas finished second in the GSC West, followed by Delta State and Arkansas Tech.

Harding (37-10) will be making its fourth appearance in the GSC Tournament and first since 2009. The winner of the GSC Tournament earns an automatic berth into the NCAA II South Region Tournament, May 19-23.

Notes of interest: When Harding won the 1984 AIC championship; its best hitter was senior Marty Ninemire, who led the team with a .417 batting average. He is the father of current Bison first baseman Billy Ninemire.

The 1938 AIC championship team was led by starting pitcher Preacher Roe, who is the only Harding baseball player ever to play in the Major Leagues. He had a 12-year Major League career and was a four-time All-Star with the Brooklyn Dodgers.