RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Great American Conference’s three 2024 regular-season champions - Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas Tech and Harding - as well as defending tournament champion Southern Arkansas advanced out of the GAC Championships best-of-three series and earned spots into the four-team double elimination portion of the event. The Weevils, Wonder Boys, Bisons and Muleriders will vie for the GAC Championships beginning Thursday from Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
The Muleriders and Bisons each needed only two games and secure series victories. SAU, the lone lower-seeded school to advance, won twice at Henderson State. Harding eliminated Northwestern Oklahoma State by rallying from an early deficit in game one and coming back late in game two with a ninth-inning victory.
The Wonder Boys and Weevils both saw their series delayed until Monday due to inclement weather. After losing game one to Ouachita Baptist in extra innings, the Wonder Boys won game two on Friday then took the rubber match on Monday. The Weevils defeated Oklahoma Baptist by run rule on Saturday. The Bison evened the series in game two, which finished on Monday. In a back-and-forth game three, the Weevils scored the clinching run in the bottom of the 11th inning.
In the regular season, the Weevils and Muleriders split four games. SAU won a non-conference tilt on April 2 while the Weevils won two of three to conclude the regular season. Tech and Harding also split four games. The Wonder Boys won a home non-conference game on February 27. The Bison took two of three in the final series of the season.
The four advancing schools all appeared in the latest NCAA Central Region rankings - Arkansas Tech, third; Arkansas-Monticello, sixth; Harding, seventh and Southern Arkansas, ninth.
Dickey-Stephens Park is a cashless facility, and the Travelers have a clear bag policy for all events For more info, please visit https://www.milb.com/arkansas/ballpark/know-before-you-go.
#theGAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Thursday, May 9-Saturday, May 11 - TICKETS
[4-Team, Double Elimination; Games Played at Dicky-Stephens Ballpark]
G1: 5/9 1:00 PM || #1 Arkansas-Monticello vs. #5 Southern Arkansas
G2: 5/9 5:00 PM || #2 Arkansas Tech vs. Series #3 Harding
G3: 5/10 11:00 AM || Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
G4: 5/10 3:00 PM || Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
G5: 5/10 7:00 PM || Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3
G6: 5/11 Noon || Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
G7: 5/11 (If Necessary) || Second Championship Game