GAC announces changes to start of conference baseball play, championship dates

Great American Conference 

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. –  On Thursday, the Great American Conference’s Council of Presidents approved changes to the league’s conference baseball schedule.

In lieu of the weather across Arkansas and Oklahoma, all six of this weekend’s slated conference baseball series – Arkansas-Monticello at Southwestern Oklahoma State, Southern Arkansas at Northwestern Oklahoma State, Henderson State at Oklahoma Baptist, Southeastern Oklahoma State at Arkansas Tech, East Central at Harding and Ouachita at Harding – will be moved to Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8. The original locations remain the same.

As a result of this scheduling change, the GAC also moved its championship dates to Friday, May 14 through Sunday, May 16.

“I appreciate the flexibility shown by our leadership councils to help our baseball student-athletes,” GAC Commissioner Will Prewitt said. “The shifting of this weekend’s games to May should allow for more optimal playing conditions. Changing the tournament date allows our postseason qualifiers a better chance to compete as it removes a long layoff created by the recent Division II baseball format change that delayed selections until May 23.”