Improved Bucs to Visit Wonder Boys

Arkansas Tech’s offensive juggernaut will be tested by a vastly improved Christian Brothers pitching staff when the two sides meet for a three-game Gulf South Conference baseball series at Tech Field in Russellville this weekend. The series will begin with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, and will conclude with a single contest at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 10. No admission will be charged. Radio station KCAB 980 AM will broadcast all three games.

Click here to access an Internet stream of the broadcasts.

The Wonder Boys (20-13 overall, 7-2 GSC) enter the weekend tied with Harding University (29-6, 7-2) for second place in the GSC West Division.

Tech and Harding are both one game behind front-running Delta State (22-12, 8-1) with four weekends remaining in the regular season. The top four teams in the final GSC West Division standings will advance to the GSC Tournament in Millington, Tenn., May 6-10. The Wonder Boys are in the running for a second consecutive postseason berth because they have one of the top offensive teams in the nation. Arkansas Tech ranks among the NCAA Division II team leaders in batting average (11th, .339), slugging percentage (4th, .542), runs scored (T-10th, 296), doubles (T-8th, 86), triples (T-10th, 14), home runs (5th, 42) and stolen bases (9th, 77). The Wonder Boys scored 46 runs in a three-game sweep of Christian Brothers last season, but the runs might not be so plentiful this year. The Buccaneers finished the 2010 season ranked 222nd among 230 NCAA Division II members with a team earned run average of 11.13. Christian Brothers has cut that figure by more than half this season. The Buccaneers’ 2011 team ERA is 5.49. Despite the improved pitching, CBU is still looking for its first conference win of the season. The Bucs are 14-15-1 overall and 0-8-1 in the GSC. Other GSC West baseball series this weekend pit Delta State against Ouachita Baptist (14-20, 3-6), Harding against Southern Arkansas (21-11, 5-4) and Arkansas-Monticello (10-18, 1-8) against Henderson State (14-14-1, 4-4-1).

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