Hot Springs, Ark. - The Missouri Southern Baseball team is set to begin their season in Hot Springs, Arkansas at the Dugan Invitational on February 1-4.

Game One:
Teams: Missouri Southern vs #17 Southern Arkansas
Date: February 1 (Thu)
First Pitch: 4:00 PM
Location: Hot Springs, Ark.
Site: Majestic Park
Live Stats
Live Video (Requires One-Time Purchase - Use Promo Code maje-stic for a discount)

Game Two:
Teams: Missouri Southern vs Henderson State
Date: February 2 (Fri)
First Pitch: 7:00 PM
Location: Hot Springs, Ark.
Site: Majestic Park
Live Stats
Live Video (Requires One-Time Purchase - Use Promo Code maje-stic for a discount)

Game Three:
Teams: Missouri Southern vs Arkansas-Monticello
Date: February 3 (Sat)
First Pitch: 1:00 PM
Location: Hot Springs, Ark.
Site: Majestic Park
Live Stats
Live Video (Requires One-Time Purchase - Use Promo Code maje-stic for a discount)

Game Four:
Teams: Missouri Southern vs Ouachita Baptist
Date: February 4 (Sun)
First Pitch: 1:00 PM
Location: Hot Springs, Ark.
Site: Majestic Park
Live Stats
Live Video (Requires One-Time Purchase - Use Promo Code maje-stic for a discount)

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Scouting the Lions
The Missouri Southern baseball program was picked to finish second in the MIAA preseason coaches poll as announced by the MIAA in January, as well as ranked #23 in the NCBWA preseason poll. The Lions are coming off a historic 2023 season, ​​winning the second most games in a season behind the 1991 campaign, and playing in the second most games in a season behind the 1986 team. They finished with a record of 45-17, 25-8 MIAA for a second place finish in the conference. Eleven players received All-MIAA honors, featuring three first-team selections and the Freshman of the Year. This season the Lions will be returning 13 position players and 15 pitchers from a season ago, nine of those being named All-MIAA last season. In total the Lions have seven seniors, 20 juniors, seven sophomores and eight freshmen to round out the roster this season.

Nate Mieszkowski was named a consensus second-team All-American at second base,  finishing with a .374/.455/.634 slash line for a 1.089 OPS. He finished with a program record 265 at-bats, 81 runs scored and 99 hits while chipping in with 19 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 66 RBIs, 34 walks drawn, 11 stolen bases, 138 assists, 95 putouts and helped turn 33 double plays. Henry Kusiak finished with a .313/.410/.550 slash line for a .960 OPS with 249 at-bats as he was named first-team D2CCA All-Region and All-MIAA at shortstop. Treghan Parker was a second-team All-MIAA selection after recording a slash line of .329/.458/.676 for an OPS of 1.134. Ethan Clark was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year and third-team All-MIAA selection with a line of .372/.416/.500 slash line for a .916 OPS.

Scouting the Muleriders 
The Great American Conference announced that defending league regular season and tournament champion Southern Arkansas took the league's top spot as the Muleriders were named preseason favorites for the third-straight year and for the tenth time overall. SAU was also ranked #17 in the NCBWA preseason poll. The Muleriders, under eighth-year head coach Justin Pettigrew, enter the 2024 campaign as the three-time defending GAC regular season champions after finishing 40-18, 24-9 GAC, last season. 

Pettigrew was named GAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career and for the second-straight season, nine players earned All-GAC honors with three all-defensive team selections, five earned all-tournament with the tournament MVP, five were named to all-region teams and four received all-academic honors.

Scouting the Reddies
Henderson State was picked fifth in the GAC preseason poll. Last year was the first time in three years HSU had not made it to NCAA Regionals as it finished the 2023 campaign with a 33-22 record while falling one game shy of the GAC Tournament Championship Game. In the last three seasons, the Reddies have compiled a 100-58 record, which is the second best record in the GAC over that stretch. 

Three of the team's top four hitters from last year return, including fifth-year senior Kaden Argenbright, who has started every game each of the last two seasons for the Reddies and is hitting .343 for his career. At the mound for Hooten and his staff in 2024 will be last season's weekend rotation in pitchers Reese Weaks, Andrew Howard and Ryan Galvan. Howard owned a clubhouse-best 8-3 record while Weaks led the team with 60 strikeouts as opposing batters hit just .216 off him, which led the GAC. Also returning to the mound will be closer Henry Coppens, who was second on last season's squad with five saves as he allowed just 17 hits in 19 appearances while recording 45 strikeouts in 33.2 innings of work. 

Scouting the Weevils
Long-time Boll Weevil Head Coach John Harvey, alongside the rest of the Arkansas-Monticello program were voted to finish sixth overall by the Great American Conference. The Weevils ended the 2023 season with a 31-21, 20-13 GAC, record.

Junior catcher Chaz Poppy took home the honors of All-GAC Second Team. Poppy proved to be a major problem at the plate for opposing pitchers, finishing the season with a .327 batting average and a .545 slugging percentage. Three Weevils were awarded GAC Honorable Mention nominations: junior RHP Connor Irvine, junior infielder Chase Cripps, and junior outfielder Kirk Woolf. Irvine ended the year with a total of 83 innings, 4.55 era and 97 strikeouts. Cripps led the Weevils with the highest batting average on the team, hitting for .344 over his 131 at-bats. He batted in 41 RBI in his 35 games played, stroking 10 doubles, 3 triples, and 7 home runs for UAM. Woolf led Arkansas-Monticello in home runs with 9, completing the year with a .342 batting average over 51 games played and 196 at-bats. 

Scouting the Tigers
The Ouachita baseball team received one first-place vote and was picked to finish third in the Great American Conference preseason coaches' poll. The Tigers are coming off the program's best season in 15 years following the team's second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament in the spring of 2023. Ouachita finished last year at 37-19 overall and 23-10 in GAC games, just one game behind conference champion Southern Arkansas in the regular season standings.

The 2024 Tiger roster features 18 lettermen returning from last year's squad, highlighted by eight returning starters combined between position players and pitchers. Among the top returners for the 2024 squad include All-American outfielder G. Allen, all-region shortstop/pitcher Dustin Bermudez, all-region starting pitcher Cooper Timmons, all-conference catcher/designated hitter Michael Quinones, and all-conference pitcher Luke House.