SHAWNEE – With seven games completed, the Oklahoma Baptist Bison will travel to Arkadelphia for a three-game GAC series against No. 18 Henderson State this weekend.
On Feb. 18, OBU and the Reddies will play at 4 p.m. before a Feb. 19 doubleheader starting at noon. These teams have played a combined 20 times since April 2016 with the green and gold holding an 11-9 advantage.
The Bison are coming off a 15-14 win at Pittsburg State earlier this week. That result boosted the team's record to 4-3.
OBU's early-season performance has been highlighted by its offense. To date, the Bison check in with numerous high ranks in the NCAA including: seventh in home runs (15); 17th in team slugging (.550); 33rd in scoring average (8.4) and tied for 35th in doubles (16).
Leading the way offensively is a host of players.
Dan Pruitt's four homers are tied for eighth in DII. He and
Alex Schroeder have also driven in 11, a mark that is tied for 37th nationally. Additionally,
Ramon Gomez is the highest-rated GAC player in hits per game. He is tied for 42nd with a 1.86 average.
On the defensive end, the Bison have shown flashes of brilliance at times. But they also do have room for improvement. The team's ERA of 4.73 checks in at No. 43 in DII while its .948 fielding percentage is ranked 127th.
Devin Crawford and
Tyler Frank highlight the Bison's staff's national rankings. Crawford has tossed 7.2 innings, not allowed an earned run and is among 59 players to have a 0.00 ERA. For Frank, his 20 strikeouts are the most in the GAC and are tied for sixth in the country.
Henderson's 8-0 start to the year is its best-ever in the Division II era. Included in that is a 7-0 mark at home. A season ago, they were the GAC Tournament champions.
The Reddies have been awfully impressive on both sides of the ball. They rank 17th in team era (2.74) and 31st in scoring (8.8). HSU has notched 13 homers which checks in at No. 10 while its fielding percentage of .977 is 23rd in the country.
Individually, Henderson has five players that bat over .313 with Alec Lewis leading the charge. He has a .476 average with five doubles. David Vilches leads the team with five home runs and boasts an .875 slugging mark.
Henderson's staff has some depth. Three pitchers, Ryan Galvan, Cade Tucker and Spencer Taack, have earned run averages no greater than 2.08. They each have notched at least 10 strikeouts too.
