After over a week off the East Central University baseball team will hope to get back on the field when they travel to Arkadelphia, Ark., to face Henderson State, March 7-8 for a three-game Great American Conference series.  The Tigers will play a double-header, Saturday, March 7 and then a single game, Sunday, March 8, with both days starting at 1 p.m.

Game Notes

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats, live video (if available) on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the baseball schedule page.

Scouting Henderson State
The Reddies are 9-3 overall and 4-2 in the GAC and are ranked No. 5 in the NWBCA Poll.  HSU was able to play two of their three games last week against Ouachita Baptist and split the series.  The Reddies are hitting .296 as a team and allowing just a .215 mark by the opposition.

Claude Johnson and Jordan Taylor are the top producers at the plate for HSU.  Johnson has a .400 batting average, with 12 runs scored, 20 hits and 12 RBIs.  Taylor adds a .357 average, four runs, 15 hits and eight RBIs.

Chris Hunt has seen the most action on the mound, with 23.2 innings of work and a 2-0 records.  He has allowed 16 hits and seven runs, while striking out 11.  Cody Jones adds a team-best 3-1 record, with 18 hits and seven runs allowed and 14 K's.

Against the Reddies
Last year, the Tigers went 2-1 against HSU at Ken Turner Field.  ECU had a strong series at the plate, hitting .372 and only allowing a .198 average by the Reddies.

Seniors Luc Pomales and Nick Spini led the charge for the Tigers.  Pomales hit .556, with five hits and 3 RBIs, while Spini garnered six hits and two RBIs.  Senior Lucas Kaplan threw a complete game win for ECU, allowing just two hits and one run and striking out eight.

The Series
Since 2000, ECU and HSU have met 12 times, with the Reddies earning a 3-9 advantage in the series.  Most of those games have been contested in Arkadelphia, with the Tigers having a 1-8 record when playing HSU on the road.

Scouting Oklahoma Christian
The Eagles are 8-5 overall and will play a four-game series with St. Edward's this weekend before heading to Ada.  OCU has kept their games close, while holding a 97-81 lead in runs scored and a 22-14 advantage in hits.

Ben McKenzie and Caden Cleveland are the top producers at the plate for the Eagles.  McKenzie has a .356 average, with 11 runs scored, 16 hits and 10 RBIs.  Cleveland adds a .333 average, seven runs, 12 hits and five RBIs.

Dillon Endecott has seen the most time on the mound, with 18 innings pitched and a 1-1 record.  He has allowed 16 hits, six runs and struck out 19 batters.

Against the Eagles
Last season the Tigers and OCU met once, with the Eagles earning a tight 7-8 win at home.

Seniors Bryce McKee and David Terrazas each garnered two hits and an RBI for ECU.  The Tigers pitching staff was busy, with both Michael Andrade and Cam McKay each throwing an inning.  Andrade allowed two hits and one run, while McKay struck out two.

The Series
Since 2013, the Tigers and ECU have battled four times, with each earning two wins.  The series is also tied with a 1-1 record at Ken Turner Field.

Making the Regional Polls
The Tigers have had a strong opening to the 2015 season and have earned recognition in the latest regional polls.  ECU as ranked No. 4 in the latest Central Region Poll, with Henderson State ranked No. 2 in the region.

Sweeping Southwestern
The Tigers opened the GAC portion of the season with a sweep of Southwestern Oklahoma State, marking the first sweep of the Bulldogs since at least 2000 and the first sweep to open GAC play.

McKay Pitcher of the Week Times Two
Senior Cam McKay picked up back-to-back GAC Pitcher of the Week honors Feb. 17 and Feb. 24.

McKay locked down a series sweep of SWOSU as he tossed seven scoreless innings in the finale against the Bulldogs. He struck out three and allowed only five base runners in earning the first shutout of his career. The Tigers completed their first road three-game sweep of a conference opponent since joining the GAC.

McKay improved to 3-1 as he threw his second-straight complete game as part of the Tigers' second-straight sweep of a GAC foe. In game two of the series with Northwestern Oklahoma State, he allowed only four hitters to reach base. He struck out five and gave up just one run. His 1.17 ERA ranks third in the GAC and his .156 opponent's batting average ranks second.

Winning Start
For the first time since the 2010 season, the Tigers opened the season with a win in the first game when they defeated Cameron 6-1.  The last opening game win was a 7-2 decision against West Texas A&M (Feb. 15, 2010).

Kaplan Completing Games
Senior Lucas Kaplan came out ready to pitch, and earned his fourth career complete game in the 6-1 win over Cameron.  It also marked the second complete game for Kaplan against the Aggies.  Kaplan allowed three hits, one run, two walks and struck out five.

Bryce Belting Away
Senior Bryce McKee came to the plate ready to start the season.  McKee garnered two hits and two runs in the first two games of the season, including the first home run of the year for the Tigers.  So far in 2015 he has a .390 batting average, 16 hits, six doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs.

Returning Power
The Tigers will be looking to continue the success they started in 2014 and will have a strong chance to do so as they return 22 players, including eight starters from the roster.

ECU saw six members of the 2014 squad earn All-GAC honors, the most representatives in a single season.  Four of those players will return for 2015, with juniors Garrett Donohoe, Luc Pomales, Nick Spini (All-GAC Second Team) and Andrew Ayrado (honorable mention) on the roster.

GAC Preseason Poll
After finishing tied for seventh a season ago, ECU has been picked to finish tied for sixth in the 2015 Great American Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll.

The Tigers, who were 26-23 overall and 14-16 in the GAC in 2014, earned 50 points in the poll and were tied with Ouachita Baptist for sixth.  Southern Arkansas was picked to finish first, with 97 points and seven first-place votes.  Arkansas Tech was a close second with 93 points and four first-place votes.  Arkansas-Monticello was third (76), Southwestern Oklahoma State fourth (67) and Harding fifth (60).

Rounding out the final four spots in the poll are Southeastern Oklahoma State in eighth (45), Henderson State in ninth (34), Northwestern Oklahoma State 10th (20) and Southern Nazarene in 11th (13).

Up Next
The Tigers will stay at home for a three-game conference series against Arkansas Tech, March 13-14.