ALVA, Okla.- The Northwestern Oklahoma State baseball team will play host to the Weevils of Arkansas Monticello Friday at 6:00 PM to open the Great American Conference tournament. The Rangers will look for their first postseason victory in the Division II era. This game will be a one-game single-elimination game, with the winner moving on to play on Monday in the second round of the GAC tournament. The first pitch for the Friday game, scheduled for 6:00 PM between the two teams. The Friday game will also represent fan appreciation night, where the first 250 fans will receive a free box of popcorn and a bottle of water, with all fans getting free admission.
 

The Rangers enter Friday's game with a 26-14 record on the season, which is the most in a year since the 2012 season. The Red-and-Black are 21-12 in conference play earning the four seed for the most conference wins since joining the Great American Conference. The Rangers will enter the game as the four seed in the tournament.
 

Northwestern, coached by Ryan Bowen, continues through his fourth season with the Rangers baseball program. Bowen holds an 84-78 record with Northwestern. On Thursday, Bowen is the 2021 Great American Conference coach of the year, the league announced Thursday. 
 

The Red-and-Black had six players receive accolades on Thursday alongside Bowen. These players include Marques Paige (1st team), Kaleb Honea (2nd team), Scott Creedon (2nd team), Blake Hoffman (2nd team), Daschal Johnson (2nd team and GAC all-defensive team), and Grant French (honorable mention) to round out the team awards. 
 

The Rangers' pitching staff is led by Scott Creedon, who is currently tied for the most starts on the team with 11 on the year. In those 11 starts, he has posted a 4.41ERA which is eighth in the Great American Conference. He has a 6-3 record on the year after throwing 69.1 innings striking out 44 batters. Ethan Swanson has also made 11 starts on the year, striking out 45 hitters in 48 innings pitched. Kaleb Honea has been the Rangers' best reliever on the year with a 2.65ERA posting a 4-2 record while recording a nation-leading 11 saves. The Queen Creek, Arizona native, has struck out 42 hitters in 34 innings pitched, as opponents are hitting just .244 off of him. He is followed by Connor Gibson, having made eight relief appearances in 10 total appearances with a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings of work, striking out 24 hitters in that span. Austin Thomason is third on the team in innings pitched, having thrown in 12 games, making five starts with his last seven appearances out of the bullpen. Grant French and Dillon Van Oosbree are the two final Rangers pitchers over 20 innings on the year, making nine relief appearances and five, respectively. 
 

Blake Hoffman leads Northwestern's offense as he leads the team in batting average as one of seven "qualified hitters" eight overall over the .300 mark. Hoffman is hitting a league-best .451 on the season with ten home runs and 21-RBI. His 8.33 slugging percentage is a conference-best as well. Grant French is second on the team with a .392 batting average with 14 extra-base hits on the season, including nine home runs along with 21-RBI and an on-base percentage of .516. The third Rangers player is Daschal Johnson hitting .366 with 24 extra-base hits of his team-leading 59 on the season. He has hit 11 home runs, three triples, and ten doubles on the year. Johnson is fourth in the conference in runs scored with 44, fifth in hits with 59, and fifth in RBI. The next Ranger hitter is Marques Paige hitting .347 with 29 extra-base hits, including a conference-leading 18 home runs, with one triple and ten doubles. His 51-RBI tied for the conference lead, with his slugging percentage of .787. Preston Lonadier is hitting .330 on the season and is second on the team in doubles with eleven. Yugo Hamakawa is hitting .320 on the season with ten doubles and six home runs with a .418 OBP%. Dylan Norsen is hitting .300 with his current five-game hitting streak leading the team in doubles with 12 and four home runs and an OBP of .400. The final Red-and-Black hitter is Chase Orrock hitting .310 on the season with three home runs with 11-RBI. 
 

Arkansas Monticello:

The Weevils come into the Friday matchup with a 21-17 overall record on the season and a 19-14 conference record. Arkansas Monticello is the winner of two straight games after taking their final series against Southwestern. They are 4-2 in their last six, dating back to their Southern Arkansas series, along with winning four straight series. Arkansas Monticello comes into the series as the five seed.
 

Arkansas Monticello is led by head coach John Harvey in the middle of his 11th season with the Weevils since taking over the program in 2010. He holds a 440-359 record with the program.
 

The Weevils had seven players receive All-GAC recognition, with three on the first team, two nominated on the second team, one on the defensive team, and one receiving honorable mention.
 

Jordan Johnson leads the Weevils as he is one of six players for Monticello hitting over .300. He comes into the Friday matchup hitting .374 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs. Grant Shepherds is second with a .354 average hitting four home runs with 24-RBI on the year. Dylan Borman is the teams leading home run hitter with 15 on the season while driving in 38 runs for the team. Andrew Piraino is fourth on the team, hitting .336 with 12 extra-base hits on the season. Aaron Gaela and Cade Thompson round out the Monticello offense hitting over .300 on the season with 27 and 20-RBI, respectively, on the year. 
 

The Monticello pitching staff is led by River Hunt, who was one of three players that made the All-GAC first team. He comes into the game with an 8-0 record posting a 3.76ERA on the season in 55IP, striking out 58 hitters in those innings. Jared Robers has made 17 appearances, all throwing in relief for the Weevils with a 4.37ERA holding a 3-0 record with the second most saves on the team with three. Ojani Chacon is the team leader in saves this season, with four on the year in sixteen appearances with the team. Mason Philley is the third-best in terms of ERA, with a 4.83ERA on the season in 11 appearances made. 
 

History:

The Weevils lead the overall series history between the two teams 16-10, dating back to the 2013 season. The Rangers have won five of the last six games against Arkansas Monticello, including the previous two series. 

In the series earlier this season, the Rangers won two out of the three games against the Weevils, along with runs scored combined in the three games 22-17. Thomason and Creedon were the two winning pitchers in those two games.

For the latest news and updates on NWOSU Baseball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on TWITTER or visit www.riderangersride.com.