Zach Klockowski and Bryant Haralson pick up GAC Weekly Awards

GAC BASEBALL CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zach Klockowski, Arkansas Tech, DH, Sr., Tinley Park, Illinois
Klockowski slugged multiple home runs both of Arkansas Tech’s wins against Harding. In the opener, he registered his second four-hit game of the season, hit a pair of home runs and drove in seven runs. In the finale, he recorded his third multi-homer game of the season, including a grand slam, and knocked home six runs. He went 6-for-13 in the series with four home runs.

GAC BASEBALL CPITCHER OF THE WEEK – Bryant Haralson, Henderson State, RHP, Jr., Atkins, Arkansas
Haralson finished off his first regular season with the Reddies in stellar fashion as he threw his seventh complete game of the year after holding rival Ouachita to one run and four hits in 7.0 innings of work. He struck out nine to increase his total to 94, seven shy of Reddie single-season record.

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GAC Players of the Week

GAC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Grant Guest, Harding, 2B, Jr., Tulsa, Oklahoma
Guest carried the Bisons' offense to a 3-1 week as he collected 12 hits in 18 at bats against Ouachita and Arkansas-Monticello. He opened his week by tallying five hits, and reaching base six times in a 10-inning win against Ouachita. He hit .538 as Harding took two-of-three from UAM. He registered a four-hit game in the middle game of the series. He drove in five runs for the week.

GAC BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Kyle Wilson, Arkansas Tech, RHP, Jr., Flagstaff, Arizona
Wilson improved to 7-0 as he stymied the offense of No. 2 Southern Arkansas. He allowed only four singles in his 7.0 innings of work. He struck out four in helping the Wonder Boys claim a 4-0 win in the series opener. Only seven pitchers in Division II have more wins without a loss than Wilson. He lowered his opponents' batting average to .200, the second-best mark in the GAC.

GAC BASEBALL CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Bryant Haralson, Henderson State, RHP, Jr., Atkins, Arkansas

Haralson lowered his ERA back under 2.00 after he tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in a 5-0 win against Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday. He struck out a career-high 12 batters to raise his total to 85, the second-best season total in Reddie history. He registered his fifth shutout and improved his strikeout-walk ratio to 9.44-1.


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GAC Players of the Week

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced the league’s Players of the Week recipients for the eighth week of the baseball season. Arkansas-Monticello’s Brady Weiss earned the Player award and Henderson State’s Bryant Haralson repeated as the top Pitcher.

GAC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brady Weiss, Arkansas-Monticello, C/OF, Jr. Chandler, Arizona
In four games, Weiss made his three hits count as all three left the yard. He homered in all three Weevil victories, a non-conference triumph against Arkansas Tech and a pair of wins against Southwestern Oklahoma State. He also walked nine times and produced a .600 on-base percentage. Weiss scored six runs and he drove in nine.

GAC BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Bryant Haralson, Henderson State, RHP, Jr., Atkins, Arkansas
Haralson picked up his fourth GAC Pitcher of the Week accolade as he extended his streak of scoreless innings pitched to 30 after shutting out East Central, 2-0, on Saturday. He allowed only two hits and he struck out eight. He owns a league-best 1.25 ERA, has struck out 57 batters and walked just four. During the scoreless streak, he has allowed just 11 hits and recorded 33 strikeouts.


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GAC Player of the Week Awards

GAC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Cortland McPherson, Southern Arkansas, DH, Jr., Lukin, Texas
McPherson hit .615 for the week, going 8-for-13 with four runs scored and four RBI. He recorded at least one hit in all four games and tallied four extra-base hits - three doubles and a home run - during the week. He posted a .667 on-base percentage and a 1.077 slugging percentage. The Muleriders have won 11 straight games, tied for the third-longest streak in GAC history.

GAC BASEBALL CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Grant Black, Arkansas-Monticello, RHP, Sr., Newport, Arkansas
Black shut out Northwestern Oklahoma State, 9-0, in Friday’s series opener for his second shutout of the season and his third complete game. He held the Rangers to four hits and a walk while striking out nine. This performance dropped his ERA to 1.91, the fourth-best mark in the GAC. The Weevils swept the Rangers and have won 11 of their last 13 games.

GAC BASEBALL CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Bryant Haralson, Henderson State, RHP, Jr., Atkins, Arkansas
Haralson threw a three-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory against Southeastern Oklahoma State. He faced just three above the minimum. After giving up a single to start the fifth, he retired the final nine batters, six by strikeout - including all three batters in the seventh. He lowered his ERA to a GAC-leading 1.45 and bolstered his strikeout-walk ratio to 49:3.

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GAC Weekly Honors

Southern Arkansas senior right-hander Dalton Algiene has been named as the Great American Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week as it was announced by the league office on Monday.

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University of Arkansas at Monticello baseball player Brian Ray has been selected as the Great American Conference Player of the Week for the second straight week, after leading the Weevils to a 4-0 record.

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For the second time this season, Henderson State right-handed pitcher Bryant Haralson was named Great American Pitcher of the Week for his performance against Harding.

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Henderson’s Bryant Haralson Named GAC Pitcher of Week

Henderson State right-handed pitcher Bryant Haralson was named Great American Pitcher of the Week for his performance against Nebraska-Kearney.

In his first start Haralson struck out 11 batters in recording a 7-0 victory over the Lopers. Haralson's 11 K's were the most since Nathan Eller struck out 14 against Harding on April 16, 2011.

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GAC Players of the Week

GAC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Trevor Rucker, Southern Arkansas, OF, Sr., Prescott, Arkansas
Rucker claimed the fourth GAC Player of the Week award of his career after he hit .462 at the Air Hogs DII Classic – a tournament that featured four opponents that all entered the season ranked or among those that received votes in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll. He homered, tripled, doubled twice, stole four bases and scored six runs as the Muleriders posted a 3-1 record.

GAC BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Chris Hunt, Henderson State, RHP, Sr., Greenwood, Arkansas
Hunt started his senior season nearly as strong as he finished his junior campaign. He pitched six complete innings and faced only two above the minimum. He struck out a career-high nine and did not walk or hit a batter. Only one player reached second base. In his final start of 2016, he threw no-hitter at the GAC Championships against Southeastern Oklahoma State.

NOTABLE NOMINEES
- Grant Guest, Jr., 2B/3B, Harding (Collected a pair of multi-hit games against No. 23 Delta State)
- Parker Jones, Sr., 3B, Henderson State (Hit a GAC-leading .636 for the opening weekend; doubled twice)
- Zach Klockowski, Sr., 1B, Arkansas Tech (Posted a .909 slugging percentage and drove in five runs)

NOTABLE PITCHER NOMINEES
- Dalton Algiene, Sr., RHP, Southern Arkansas (Tossed six scoreless innings against Oklahoma Christian; struck out nine)
- Austin Allen, Fr., RHP, Harding (Held Delta State to one run in 4.2 innings pitched with three strikeouts)


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GAC Pre-Season Picks and Awards

With three weeks until the start of the baseball season in the Great American Conference, the league’s head coaches voted Oklahoma Baptist as the preseason favorite, the conference office announced on Thursday.

In their first year competing in Division II, the Bison made a spectacular debut, posting a 43-15 record, including a 22-11 mark within the GAC. They closed the year with a 15-game win streak that included 10 straight wins in NCCAA postseason play. The streak culminated in a game-winning grand slam by Hunter Heath that clinched a national title. The Bison bring back a pair of All-Conference pitchers – Jinny Parra and Carson McPherson. Parra also claimed the GAC Pitcher of the Year award after going 12-3 with a 2.49 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 108.1 innings. McPherson went 7-3 while holding opponents to a GAC-leading .176 batting average. Heath returns after hitting .356 with 11 home runs and 64 RBI.

Arkansas-Monticello, the reigning GAC Tournament champions, and Southwestern Oklahoma State, the GAC regular-season champion, shared second place. The Weevils won a program-record 40 games last season and advanced to the title game of the NCAA Central Region Tournament. They return Braden Chambers, a First-Team All-GAC pitcher, who went 11-1 along with First-Team second baseman Nick Piraino and reliever Dawson Moser, who registered nine saves and a 1.88 ERA. They must replace GAC Player of the Year and All-American Corey Wood, the GAC single-season record for home runs and RBI.


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2016 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-America & Gold Glove Teams

2016-ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams

OF

Corey Wood

Sr.

Arkansas-Monticello

AR

2016-ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team

OF

Tadarious Hawkins

Sr.

Henderson State

AR

Henderson State’s Chris Hunt

No. 4 Henderson State’s Chris Hunt recorded the first no hitter in Great American Conference Baseball Championship history as he pitched the Reddies past Southeastern Oklahoma State in Friday’s first elimination game from Clyde Berry Field. Hunt recorded eight strikeouts, a career high. Jared Gage homered and drove in three runs as part of a 16-hit attack.

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GAC All-Conference Teams Announced

On the eve of the opening round of the 2016 Great American Conference Baseball Championships, the league announced its All-GAC teams as well as the individual awards. Arkansas-Monticello’s Corey Wood received the Player of the Year honor, Oklahoma Baptist’s Jinny Parra claimed the Pitcher of the Year accolade, Harding’s Blake Coward earned the Freshman of the Year award and Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Zack Saunders took home the Coach of the Year distinction.

Wood became the Weevils’ first conference Player of the Year in the program’s NCAA era (since 1996). He set the conference single-season record with 18 home runs and helped the Weevils finish second in the GAC. His slugging percentage, .782, ranks as the top mark in league history. He ranks in the top 15 in the NCAA in both categories.

In addition to Wood, who earned First-Team honors with unanimous support, three Weevils claimed positions on the First Team. Sophomore pitcher Braden Chambers posted a 10-0 record with a 2.88 ERA and a .201 opponent’s batting average. The double play combination of junior second baseman Nick Piraino and senior shortstop Evan Comeau placed on the First Team. Piraino hit .345 while Comeau led the GAC in walks and recorded a .457 on-base percentage.

A pair of SAU seniors – catcher Justin Buchanan and utility player Billy Germaine filled out the position players on the First Team. Buchanan placed inside the top 10 in average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits, RBIs and doubles. Germaine finished the regular season one home run behind Wood. He also ranked second in runs scored and walks.

Ouachita’s Connor Eller rounded out the First Team starting rotation. He led the GAC in inning pitched, ranked third in strikeouts and ninth in ERA.

Henderson State led the Second-Team representation with three selections – reliever Nick Vanthillo, third baseman Jordan Taylor and designated hitter Hayden Lessenberry. Five schools – UAM, Northwestern Oklahoma State, Oklahoma Baptist, Southeastern and SWOSU placed a pair of teammates on the Second Team. The Weevils landed a pair of seniors – starting pitcher Zach McKnight and catcher Travis Steinke on the Second Team.

Arkansas Tech first baseman Kaleb Warden, Harding outfielder Zac Stewart, Southern Nazarene outfielder Anthony Wiggins and East Central’s Kaleb Matthews rounded out the Second Team.

Coward headed up the Honorable Mention list. The team included three more Reddies - Hunter Mayall, Tadarious Hawkins and AJ Kruzel, two members of the Savage Storm - Dylan Linke and Greg Husnander, two Wonder Boys - Zach Skelton and Colin O’Neil, two Muleriders - Kenneth Tabor and Trevor Rucker and two Bulldogs - Quintin Dougherty and CJ Faddis. East Central’s Kris Molter, Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Thomas Bess, UAM’s Kevin Fitzpatrick and Oklahoma Baptist’s Hunter Heath rounded out the team.
  

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Luke Tebbetts named GAC co-pitcher of the week

GAC BASEBALL CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Luke Tebbetts, Henderson State, RHP, Jr., Winnsboro, Texas
Tebbetts' complete-game shutout victory against Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford helped him garner his first GAC Pitcher of the Week award. The Winnsboro, Texas allowed four hits to the Bulldogs. Tebbetts held SWOSU to a .133 batting average and also recorded three strikeouts.
  


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GAC Players of the Week

GAC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jake Tisevich, Southern Arkansas OF, So., North Canton, Ohio
Tisevich hit .538 (7-for-13) with one double, two homeruns and three RBIs from the leadoff spot in the order over SAU's three games this past week. In each game of the weekend series against Southern Nazarene, Tisevich would have multiple hits. Additionally, Tisevich would rack up 14 total bases as he also had a week-long slugging percentage of 1.077.

GAC BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Connor Eller, Ouachita, RHP, Sr., Sherwood, Arkansas
Eller tossed a complete game four-hitter vs. Harding last week in Arkadelphia. Eller ended up striking out a career-high 13 batters in Ouachita's 4-1 conference win. The 13 strikeouts by Eller are the most strikeouts in a baseball game since David Ward struck out 14 batters against Southern Arkansas. The Sherwood, Ark. native also recorded his 100th career strikeout in his outing against Harding as well.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEES
- AJ Kruzel, Sr., 3B/2B, Henderson State (Batted 6-for-11 (.545); had two hits in all three games; helped Henderson State sweep Arkansas Tech for first time in 20+ years)


PITCHER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE
- Zach McKnight, Sr., RHP, Arkansas-Monticello (Struck out seven batters while throwing 7.0 innings in Oklahoma Baptist's win; had perfect game in the fifth inning)
- Hunter Payne, Sr., SP, Harding (Pitched a complete game, seven-hit, four-strikeout game in 1-0 win at Ouachita)
 - Landon Simpson, Sr., P, Southern Arkansas (Struck out 11 batters while pitching complete game vs. Southern Nazarene)

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Josh Watkins and Kenneth Tabor receive GAC weekly honors

GAC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Josh Watkins, Arkansas Tech, RF, Sr., Hope Hull, Alabama
Watkins posted a .571 average in the Wonder Boys' series with Missouri Western State. In Tech's home opener, he went 5-for-6 with a double and a triple in an 8-7 12-inning victory. After collecting a hit in four at bats in game two, he tallied two more hits and two runs scored in the finale, a 7-6 win.

GAC BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Kenneth Tabor, Southern Arkansas, LHP, Sr., Plano, Texas
Tabor won his first collegiate start last weekend as he worked 6.0 innings of shutout baseball en route to a 7-1 victory against East Central at the SAU Division II Classic at the Ballpark. In those six innings, Tabor struck out eight Tigers and limited ECU to only three base hits.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEES
- Evan Comeau, Sr., SS, Arkansas-Monticello (Drove in four and scored three runs at the Houston Winter Invitational)
- Jakahari Howell, So., CF, Ouachita (Doubled twice and hit .364 in three-game series with Union)
- Jordan Taylor, Jr., UTL, Henderson State (Hit .455 with five RBIs at the Houston Winter Invitational)
- Jake Tisevich, So., OF, Southern Arkansas (Went 4-for-7 in two games at the SAU Division II Classic at the Ballpark)

PITCHER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE
- Branden Bohuslav, Jr., RHP, Arkansas Tech (In two relief stints, threw 3.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts; earned a win)


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GAC Pre-Season Poll

With the start of the 2016 Great American Conference baseball season less than three weeks away, the league announced Southern Arkansas as the preseason favorite, following a league-wide vote of the conference's head coaches.

 

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Collegiate Baseball Div. 2 Pre-Season Poll

14. Southern Arkansas (40-18)

16. Henderson St. (33-21)


Receiving Votes: Arkansas-Ft. Smith, Arkansas Tech

full poll

2015 All-Arkansas Team and Awards

Natural State Baseball is pleased to announce its 2015 All-Arkansas Collegiate Team and Awards.

Henderson State University and the University of Arkansas are the teams of the year. The Reddies and the Razorbacks both reached the College World Series. Henderson State was 33-21 on the season and finished fourth in the GAC, but they advanced as the 6 seed in the St. Cloud Regional and on to the Division 2 College World Series. They won two CWS games and advanced to the national semifinals. The Razorbacks were 40-25 on the season and finished fifth in the SEC. They advanced as the 2 seed in the Stillwater Regional, and defeated nationally-seeded Missouri State in the Super Regional before advancing to Omaha.

Cody Hooten of Henderson State is the Natural State Coach of the Year. Hooten has improved Henderson State's record every year since he arrived in 2011, including a 16 win jump in 2015 and the Reddie's first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament and the College World Series.

The Player of the Year is Andrew Benintendi of Arkansas. Benintendi, a sophomore, became the first player in Arkansas history with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Among the many honors he received this season were being named the SEC Player of the Year, Baseball America's National Player of the Year, and winner of the Dick Howser Trophy for national player of the year. Benintendi was drafted in the first round, seventh overall, by the Boston Red Sox.

The Pitcher of the Year, and the winner of the Natural Award, which is given to the best Arkansan playing college baseball in Arkansas, is Griffin Glaude of Lyon College. Glaude is also the first player to be named to the All-Arkansas team for offense and pitching. On the mound he was 8-1 with a 0.56 ERA. He threw five shutouts and struck out 116 in 80 2/3 innings. He also hit .404 with 13 doubles and drove in 46. Glaude is a junior from Beebe.

The Freshman of the Year is Tyler Tognarine, also from Lyon College. Tognarine was 9-0 in 2015 with a 3.17 ERA and 4 saves. He appeared in 21 games for the Scots and started eight. He threw two complete games and struck out 59 in 82 1/3 innings.

All-Arkansas Team

Catcher - Patrick Castleberry, ATU (.380, 18 doubles, 13 HR, 64 RBI)

First – Zach George, ASU (.399, 22 doubles, 3 HR, 52 BB)

Second – Griffin Glaude, Lyon (.404, 13 doubles, 46 RBI, 7-8 SB)

Third – Ryan Justus, UAFS (.335, 15 doubles, 9 HR, 41 RBI)

Shortstop – Derek Hurst, North Ark (.452, 15 doubles, 55 RBI, 11-11 SB)

Left Field – Billy Germaine, SAU (.338, 17 doubles, 12 HR, 66 RBI)

Center Field - Andrew Benintendi, UA (.376, 13 doubles, 20 HR, 57 RBI, 24-28 SB)

Right Field – Tyler Spoon, UA (.327, 20 doubles, 6 HR, 54 RBI, 10-12 SB)

Designated Hitter – Bryan Heward, ATU (.340, 11 doubles, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 10-13 SB)

Starting Pitcher – Griffin Glaude, Lyon (8-1, 0.56 ERA, 5 shutouts, 116 K)

Starting Pitcher – Landon Simpson, SAU (10-4, 2.66 ERA, 4 shutouts, 74 K)

Starting Pitcher – Marco Blanchard, ABC (7-5, 2.30 ERA, 110 K)

Relief Pitcher – Nick Vanthillo, HSU (6-1, 1.39 ERA, 14 saves)

Relief Pitcher – Zach Jackson, UA (5-1, 2.10 ERA, 9 saves, 89 K)

Pitcher – Connor Eller, OBU (8-2, 2.53 ERA, 3 shutouts, 70 K)

Pitcher – Tyler Tognarine, Lyon (9-0, 3.17 ERA, 4 saves)

Player of the Year – Andrew Benintendi, Arkansas

Pitcher of the Year – Griffin Glaude, Lyon

Freshman of the Year – Tyler Tognarine, Lyon

The Natural – Griffin Glaude, Lyon

Coach of the Year - Cody Hooten, Henderson State

Co-Teams of the Year – Henderson State, Arkansas

Honorable Mention: Harley Faye (Hendrix), Will Nichol (Hendrix), Ryan Ritz (Hendrix), Josh Vanderpool (UAFS), Justin Shealy (UAFS), Ryan Scott (UALR), Kevin Walsh (UAPB), Andre Davis (UAPB), Trent Armstrong (ATU), Cole Fergus (ATU), Kris Ayers (ATU), Colt Harmon (Lyon), Zac Stewart (Harding), Andrew Fiddler (Harding), Kraig Kelley (Lyon), J.F. Matros (OBU), Parker Norris (OBU), Justin Weigle (OBU), Hunter Mayo (SAU), Travis Johnson (SAU), Chris Quinn (SAU), Carver Rademacher (SAU), Trevor Rucker (SAU), Dontrell Brown (ABC), Shaquille Matta (ABC), Guy Halbert (ABC), Connor Gilmore (UCA), Wesley Hoover (UCA), Tyler Zuber (ASU), Alec Naifeh (Eclesia), Michael Sage (Eclesia), Jordan Taylor (HSU), Chris Hunt (HSU), Colton Lorance (HSU), Claude Johnson (HSU), Jordan Taylor (HSU), Lance Fields (HSU), Josh Buczek (CBC), Samuel Buczek (CBC), Nathan Kane (North Ark), Daniel Welborn (North Ark), Drew Fortson (North Ark), Keaton McKinney (UA), Jackson Lowrey (UA), Ryan Shelton (WBC)

Henderson State finishes historic season in Final 4

Henderson State's greatest baseball season in school history came to an end Thursday as the Reddies lost to top-ranked Tampa 5-2 in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Baseball National Championships in Cary, N.C.

The Reddies, 33-21 on the year, began the season 113 days ago with the team exceeding all expectations.

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Nick Vanthillo named All American

Henderson State's Nick Vanthillo has been named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-American First-Team.

Vanthillo becomes the first player in HSU history to earn First-Team All-ABCA honors and only the second player to earn ABCA All-American. Cody Deal was a third-team selection in 2005.

The junior relief pitcher holds the Henderson State single-season and career record for saves.

The Belgium native has 13 saves this season and has made 26 appearances and also sports a 6-1 record with a 1.49 ERA.

In 42.1 innings of work he has struck out 41 batters with offenses struggling having just a .181 batting average.

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Reddies advance to College World Series!

The last time a Henderson State baseball team won a championship was in 1982. That all ended Sunday as the Reddies beat the No. 1 team in the nation, St. Cloud State 8-7 to win the NCAA Central Region title and advance to the NCAA Division II College World Series next weekend in Cary, N.C.

Henderson State, 31-19 on the year and the No. 6 seed in the Central Region, swept through the tournament winning four straight games including two wins over the Huskies.

The script couldn't have been written any better as the Reddies had to overcome a 7-2 deficit to force extra-innings.

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