SEARCY – Harding baseball qualified for its third straight Great American Conference Tournament and will open competition Saturday at 7 p.m. against No. 4 seed Henderson State at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma.
Harding, a team with only two seniors on its active roster, is the No. 3 seed after finishing the regular season 26-23 overall and 17-10 in GAC games. The Bisons finished third despite playing only five of its 27 conference games at home. Harding had its series against Ouachita Baptist, Southern Nazarene and Southwestern Oklahoma moved from Searcy due to poor weather.
Dr. Patrick McGaha's squad has reached Championship Tuesday in both of its two previous trips to the tournament and finished third both times with 2-2 records. Six of Harding's eight GAC Tournament games have come against either Arkansas-Monticello or Southern Arkansas, including all four games last season. Harding and Henderson State have never played in the GAC Tournament.
Harding and Henderson State have not played since Feb. 13-14 in Arkadelphia. The Bisons won the first game of the series 3-0 but lost both games of the Saturday doubleheader. The losses were the first two of eight straight that included five consecutive home losses to St. Cloud State.
Harding rebounded with wins in 10 of its next 13 games and had a 15-13 record after winning the first of two games of a non-conference doubleheader at Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Bisons then traveled to Magnolia to meet Southern Arkansas and suffered one-run losses in the first two games and dropping to 7-7 in the GAC.
Harding won the third game against Southern Arkansas 10-1, which started a school-record 10-game conference winning streak that included series sweeps at home against Arkansas-Monticello and on the road at Northwestern Oklahoma and Southwestern Oklahoma. The Bisons entered the final series of the season, again on the road, needing at least one win against Arkansas Tech to clinch its first regular season conference championship since winning the Gulf South Conference West Division in 2011. Tech swept the series and dropped Harding to third in the final standings.
The Bisons enter the tournament ranked seventh in the conference with a .282 batting average. At the end of its eight-game losing streak, Harding was hitting .231, but since March 7, the Bisons are hitting .304. Harding had a streak of six straight games with 10 hits or more from March 28-April 4, one game short of the school record.
Harding is sixth in the GAC with a .383 on-base percentage and eighth with a .389 slugging percentage. The Bisons have been hit by pitches 70 times this season, the most in the GAC, and Harding is second in the GAC with 175 walks and 42 sacrifice hits. The Bisons are last in the GAC in only two statistical categories—stolen bases with 18 and double plays grounded into (45).
Junior catcher/designated hitter Davis Richardson leads Harding in all three triple-crown categories, as well as on-base percentage and slugging percentage. A resident of Kennesaw, Georgia, Richardson is hitting .322 with six home runs and 32 RBIs. He has a .457 on-base percentage (5th GAC) and .524 slugging percentage and also leads the team with 16 extra-base hits and 35 walks (2nd GAC).
Junior Harrison Hunter is second on the team with a .309 batting average and set a school record by reaching base in 35 straight games to open the season. Junior Noah Chandler has been hit by a pitch 16 times (1st GAC), one short of the Harding record.
Harding ranks third in the GAC with a 3.89 ERA and fourth with a .267 opposing batting average. Each of the Bisons' three weekend starters finished the regular season in the top 10 in the GAC in ERA. Junior Andrew Fiddler was fourth (2.78), junior Collin Campbell was seventh (2.99) and junior Jacob Stripling was 10th (3.22). Opponents hit only .230 against Campbell, fourth in the GAC.
Junior right-hander Hunter Payne leads the conference with 22 relief appearances.
Harding leads the GAC with a .975 fielding percentage, which would be a school record. The Bisons had a .974 fielding percentage last season. Harding has a GAC-low 42 errors and ranks second with 44 double plays turned.
Henderson State
Henderson State compiled a 24-17 overall record and 16-10 conference mark, just one-half game behind Harding.
Henderson State is ranked sixth in the GAC with a .287 batting average. The Reddies are seventh in on-base percentage (.379) and ninth in slugging percentage (.385).
The Reddies have four batters hitting over .300, but the most dangerous is Claude Johnson, a senior from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and transfer from Arkansas State. Johnson is 10th in the GAC with a .351 batting average and ninth with a .591 slugging percentage. He is also sixth in the conference with eight home runs and 10th with 34 RBIs.
Henderson State's pitching staff leads the GAC with a .254 opposing batting average and is fourth with a 3.99 ERA. The Reddies' 17 home runs allowed were the fewest among GAC teams.
Harding's likely opponent on the mound will be Chris Hunt, a sophomore from Greenwood, Arkansas. Hunt is 4-3 with a 3.18 ERA and .233 opposing batting average. He has struck out 35 in 68 innings.
The Reddies are ninth in the GAC with a .959 fielding percentage.
Harding Batters vs. Henderson State, career:
Zach Beasley (.000, 0 for 1); Noah Chandler (8 GP, .308, 8 for 26, 4 R, 4 2B, 3 RBI); John Chapman (10 GP, .269, 7 for 26, 3 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI); Alan Copeland (6 GP, .091, 1 for 11, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI); Jesse Cox (2 GP, .333, 1 for 3); Grant Guest (1 GP, .000, 0 for 1, 1 RBI); Harrison Hunter (7 GP, .450, 9 for 20, 1 R, 2 RBI); Shane Kinnear (5 GP, .100, 1 for 10, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI); Jaxon Mohr (3 GP, .200, 2 for 10, 1 2B), Kyler Offenbacker (9 GP, .217, 5 for 23, 7 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI); Davis Richardson (7 GP, .105, 2 for 19, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI); Zac Stewart (5 GP, .154, 2 for 13, 1 3B).
Harding Pitchers vs. Henderson State, career:
Collin Campbell (2-0, 0.95, 3 APP, 3 GS, 19 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K); Alan Copeland (0-0, 13.50, 1 APP, 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB); Andrew Fiddler (0-2, 3.78, 4 APP, 2 GS, 16 2/3 IP, 15 H, 7 ER, 7 BB, 13 K); Connor McVay (0-0, 0.00, 1 APP, 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K); Hunter Payne (0-0, 0.00, 3 APP, 1 SV, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K); Andrew Ralston (0-0, 1 APP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB); Reed Roberts (0-0, 0.00, 1 APP, 2 IP, 1 K); Josh Spears (0-0, 0.00, 2 APP, 2 SV, 2 IP, 1 BB); Zac Stewart (0-0, 0.00, 4 APP, 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K); Jacob Stripling (1-1, 0.71, 3 APP, 2 GS, 12 2/3 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), Jackson Ward (0-0, 11.57, 1 APP, 2 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K).
Harding vs. Henderson State Series
Overall: HSU leads 87-66-1
HU Coach Dr. Patrick McGaha vs. HSU: 14-20
GAC games: HSU leads 7-5
