Harding (15-4, 7-5) vs. Southern Arkansas (19-11, 9-6)
When: Friday, Mar. 27 at 6 p.m. & Saturday, Mar. 28 (DH) at 2 p.m.
Where: Magnolia, Ark. (Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field)
Series: Southern Arkansas leads 109-51
Harding Notes
Two of the top three teams in the Great American Conference standings will battle in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. and concluding with a doubleheader Saturday at 2 p.m.
Harding enters the series 15-14 overall and 7-5 in GAC games, good for third place in the conference.
Offensively, the Bisons rank eighth in the GAC in batting average (.259), seventh in slugging percentage (.363), and fourth in on-base percentage (.382).
Junior outfielder Harrison Hunter continues to lead Harding's offense. He has a team-best .330 average and ranks third in the GAC with a .482 on-base percentage. He has reached base at least once in each of Harding's first 27 games.
Juniors Noah Chandler and Zac Stewart both enter the series with team-best six-game hitting streaks. During their streaks, Chandler has hit .429 (9-for-21, 4 RBI) and Stewart .450 (9-for-20, 5 RBI). Stewart has raised his batting average 69 points to .286 since Mar. 10.
Harding's pitching staff ranks fifth in ERA (4.09) and sixth in opponents' batting average (.262). The Bisons have two of the top 10 pitchers in the GAC in innings pitched. Junior Collin Campbell is sixth with 41 1-3 innings, and Fiddler is ninth with 40 2-3. Fiddler also ranks sixth in the conference with 35 strikeouts.
The Bisons continue to lead the GAC in with a .972 fielding percentage. Harding has turned 19 double plays, tied for fourth in the conference.
Southern Arkansas Notes
Southern Arkansas enters the series 19-11 overall and 9-6 and in second place in the GAC. The Muleriders have won eight of their last 12 games.
Southern Arkansas ranks third in the GAC with a .287 batting average, third with a .445 slugging percentage, and seventh with a .371 on-base percentage. The Muleriders are lead the conference in doubles (62) and triples (11) and rank second in home runs (24).
Carver Rademacher leads the Muleriders with a .321 average. Chase Harvey is hitting .319 and ranks fourth in the GAC with 24 runs scored. Korey Keith is hitting .306 and leads the conference with 23 walks and a .483 on-base percentage.
Southern Arkansas' pitching staff ranks second in the GAC with a 3.13 ERA and a .241 opponents' batting average. The Muleriders lead the conference with 206 strikeouts.
Southern Arkansas has two of the top four pitchers in the conference in ERA. Landon Simpson is second at 2.01 and Timothy Buchanan is fourth at 2.04. Preston Gray leads the GAC with 55 2-3 innings pitched.
Series
Harding and Southern Arkansas met six times last season, splitting the series 3-3. The Bisons won two of three in the regular season GAC series in Searcy. The Muleriders won a non-conference game in Magnolia, and the teams split two games at the GAC Tournament.
Harding Hitters vs. Southern Arkansas: Noah Chandler (.320, 8-for-25, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI), John Chapman (.263, 5-for-19, 4 R), Alan Copeland (.167, 1-for-6), Harrison Hunter (.125, 1-for-8, 3 R), Kyler Offenbacker (.154, 2-for-13, 1 R, 1 RBI), Davis Richardson (.091, 1-for-11, 1 2B, 1 RBI), Zac Stewart (.231, 3-for-13, 1 RBI).
Harding Pitchers vs. Southern Arkansas: Collin Campbell (1-0, 3.48 ERA, 10.1 IP, 6 K), Alan Copeland (0-1, 4.50, 4.0 IP), Andrew Fiddler (1-0, 3.86, 11.2 IP, 10 K), Hunter Payne (0-0, 2.84, 6.1 IP, 3 K), Zac Stewart (0-0, 15.19, 5.1 IP, 2 K).
