TAHLEQUAH – The RiverHawks will head to Alva Tuesday for a non-conference meeting with Northwestern Oklahoma to close out a home-and-home series against the Rangers. 

In the first meeting between the two teams, Northeastern State hit four home runs and run-ruled Northwestern 13-3 on April 5.  As NCAA members, NSU is 1-4 when playing the Rangers on their home turf, where they are 13-8 this season. 

Northwestern Oklahoma (18-23) will face the RiverHawks on short rest with a non-conference meeting at Emporia State Monday.  In April, the Rangers are 4-8, dropping a road series at Oklahoma Baptist and Harding; they started the month being swept at home to Southern Nazarene.  Northwestern doesn't have a starter with a sub-five earned run average and has allowed over seven runs a game.   Despite the higher ERA, the Rangers have won four of their last five midweek games (not counting Monday's game at Emporia).  

April has been strong for the RiverHawks, where they opened the month with a ten-game winning streak, its longest since 2000.  Northeastern State (28-13) is in a three-way tie for second place in the MIAA standings but has a tiebreaker over Pittsburg State and Washburn.  With 28 wins, the RiverHawks have matched its winningest season in the past decade (2013, 2018) and closes in on their first 30-win season since 2001 (31).  

The high-water mark for the program as an NCAA member is 38 wins, and 39 set in 1996 is the program high, which was the last time NSU reached a Regional Tournament and was a win short of making the NAIA World Series.

Brock Reller opens the week tied for the national lead with 20 home runs, a single-season program high, and tied for sixth in MIAA history (24 is the record).  Blake Freeman is second nationally with 70 and has 220 in his career.  He needs 19 to crack the top-10 All-Time in MIAA history for career hits.  C.D. White is fourth nationally with 67 hits and has a 16-game hitting streak. 

First pitch in Alva is at 3 p.m.