Bradshaw gets win as Harding wins ninth-in-a-row

March 6, 2020

By SCOTT GOODE/HARDING SPORTS INFORMATION

SEARCY – Harding baseball scored in five consecutive innings Friday and defeated Southeastern Oklahoma 7-2 in game one of its three-game Great American Conference series at Jerry Moore Field.

The win was Harding’s ninth straight overall and fifth straight in the GAC and moved the Bisons to 16-5 overall and 7-3 in conference games. The Bisons moved into second place in the GAC standings, one game back of leader Oklahoma Baptist. Harding and Southeastern Oklahoma (10-10, 3-7) conclude the series with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

Trailing 1-0 entering in the bottom of the fourth, Harding tied the game on a Connor Kelly single that scored Miles Humphreys.

Harding took the lead for good in the fifth on a Michael Chrisman RBI single that plated Brendan Perrett.

The Bisons took a 4-1 lead with two more in the sixth. The runs came on a Cody Smith sacrifice fly and Chris Witzke’s single that scored Kelly.

Kelly had another RBI single in the seventh to give the Bisons a 5-2 lead. In the eighth, Harding tacked on two more on three consecutive doubles from Owen Martin, Perrett and Chrisman.

Harding starter Andrew Bradshaw (4-2) allowed single runs in the second and sixth innings but worked out of trouble both times, stranding the bases loaded on both occasions.

Bradshaw struck out six and got eight groundball outs, throwing 90 pitches over six innings.

Ryder Yakel came on in the seventh and retired nine straight hitters, six by strikeout. He threw 27 of his 37 pitches for strikes and had 10 swings and misses.

Southeastern starter Jacob Potter (3-3), the reigning GAC Pitcher of the Week, lasted six innings and allowed four runs (two earned) with five strikeouts and took the loss.

Kelly led Harding, going 3-for-4 with a run and two RBIs. He leads the team with eight multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games. Chrisman and Perrett had two hits each.

Harding had 12 hits, the sixth time in the last seven games the Bisons had 10 or more.

Bradshaw earns conference honors for Saturday win

February 10, 2020

By GAC SPORTS INFORMATION

RUSSELLVILLE – The Great American Conference announced the league’s Baseball honors for the second week of the 2020 season. Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Colton Buckner earned the Player award while Harding’s Andrew Bradshaw and Southern Arkansas’ Zach Smith shared the Pitching accolade.

GAC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Colton Buckner, Southeastern Oklahoma State, LF/1B, Sr., Garland, Texas

Buckner reached base 15 times in his 16 trips to the plate the Savage Storm’s four-game series with Northeastern State. He registered three multi-hit games against the RiverHawks and walked eight times. He hit a home run in the opener and doubled in his only official at bat in game three. He scored three runs and drove in three.

Andrew Bradshaw

GAC BASEBALL CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Andrew Bradshaw, Harding, SP, Jr., Heber Springs

Bradshaw picked up his first win with the Bisons after he recorded a three-hit shutout against Southwest Baptist on Saturday. He struck out four and walked just one. He required only 98 pitches in the 4-0 victory and allowed only one Bearcat to advance into scoring position.

GAC BASEBALL CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Zach Smith, Southern Arkansas, SP, Sr., Katy, Texas

Smith worked 8.0 scoreless innings against Missouri Western to capture his second win in as many starts. He held the Griffons the four hits, three singles. He stuck out seven against three walks. In two starts, spanning 15.0 innings, he has registered 17 strikeouts and surrendered only six hits. The Muleriders have started 8-0 for the first time since 1986.

OTHERS NOMINATED

Kaimana Bartolome, INF (Oklahoma Baptist), David Butterfield, 3B (Harding), Audy Clary, INF (Arkansas-Monticello), Bryce Donovan, C (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Clay Lockett, INF (Southern Nazarene), Brett McGee, C (Southern Arkansas), Stormy Taylor, OF (Arkansas Tech)

Colby Carlson, SP (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Ryan Collins, SP (East Central), Livan Cordova, SP (Arkansas-Monticello), Jake Lipetzky, SP (Oklahoma Baptist), Jacob Potter, SP (Southeastern Oklahoma State)

Miller joins staff at Ecclesia College

August 20, 2019

By ECCLESIA SPORTS INFORMATION

SPRINGDALE – The Ecclesia Royals Baseball program is excited to announce the hiring of JR Miller. Miller will be joining the Royals as an Assistant Coach this season. He will be working with the pitchers and bringing a strong knowledge of the game and pitching to the team.

JR comes to us form Searcy where he grew up playing ball. Following a successful high school career at Harding Academy, Miller went to Northwest Mississippi Community College. He would end up spending three years there after an injury caused him to miss a season. In his 3 seasons at NMCC Miller compiled an 8-3 record with a 2.23 ERA in 65.1 innings pitched. JR would earn Second Team All MACJC after Tommy John Surgery while posting a 1.25 ERA and a 3-2 record out of the bullpen.

Following his success at Northwest Mississippi, JR went to NCAA Division II Union University in Tennessee. At Union Miller had a dominant Junior season. He earned 2nd Team All GSC with a 9-1 record and a 3.40 ERA over 82 innings pitched. Unfortunately JR would deal with some more arm injuries his senior year after starting the season 2-1 over 24.1 innings.

Following a strong collegiate playing career, JR wants to continue sharing his love for the game of baseball with the next generation of players, so he has gotten into coaching. This summer he coached the Coastal Stars, a Showcase Baseball Program based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Miller will be beginning his college coaching career at Ecclesia and we are thrilled to have him join the staff.

“JR fits exactly what we were looking for out of a pitching coach. He is a dynamic personality with a lot of knowledge, and a hunger for personal, and spiritual growth. I am looking forward to working with him and seeing how he leaves positive marks on these young men and this program”, said Coach McCue.

When asked about being the newest member of the EC coaching staff Coach Miller said, “This is an opportunity that I’ve been looking forward to since I was a little kid. The game has introduced me to many great baseball minds and even better people. It’s my hope that, yes I can improve these students as athletes and as baseball players, but more-so that I can be a positive influence and teach them how to be better men”. JR and his wife Morgan are both very excited about this new adventure in their lives.

Final Game is Won by Normal

April 10, 1912

Conway Log Cabin Democrat

CONWAY — Going after the with a determination not to allow the visitors to make a clean sweep of the series, the State Normal defeated Ouachita, 4 to 1, in the final contest at Hendrix park yesterday afternoon. The Pedagogues showed a remarkable reversal of form, playing an almost perfect game in the field and bunching their hits effectively. Landers pitched splendidly. While allowing more hits than Sammons, he kept them scattered in all except the eighth, when the visitors made their lone tally. The Ouachita infield was unsteady. H. Muse, their first-baseman, accumulated four errors.

Ouachita … 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 8 7

Normal …… 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 x — 4 5 2

Batteries — Normal, Landers and Sipe. Ouachita, Sammons and Easterline. Umpire — Parker.

The Ouachita team left this morning (April 11) for Russellville, where after two games with the Second District Agricultural School, they go to Cumberland and to Fayetteville to play the Razorbacks.

On account of the unsettled weather, Coach Nixon of the Normal canceled the games today (April 11) and tomorrow with Cumberland College. This team has been playing at Batesville and passed through Conway today on their way home.

Ouachita takes Second Game

April 8, 1912

Conway Log Cabin Democrat

CONWAY — In a contest marked by loose fielding and erratic pitching, Ouachita took the second game with the State Normal, 15 to 9. Neither Savage nor Ellis had any control, the former passing four and hitting three, while Ellis walked nine and “beaned” two. The visitors, however, outbatted the Normal team, and this accounts in the main for their victory. Savage’s wildness was responsible for five scores by the locals in the fifth, when he allowed but one hit.

The Normal team held their own until the eighth, when they blew up and five errors, two bases on balls and three hits were bunched for a total of eight runs. With the game stowed away, the visitors eased up again in the ninth, when a single, a base on balls and a triple resulted in three runs. Ellis showed the effects of his Saturday’s game and was easy for Ouachita, while Savage, barring his lack of control, mystified the Normal batsman. Landers’ catch of Sammons’ line drive to center was the redeeming feature of the game.