HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Our entire Red Wolves Family would like to wish everyone and their families a happy Thanksgiving!  We are grateful for the tremendous support provided by our fans, alumni and community, so thank you for everything you do for A-State Athletics and our student-athletes.  We hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving holidays and can join us at Centennial Bank Stadium this Saturday for our football game against Old Dominion to spend some time with your Red Wolves family.

If you haven’t had a chance to read the open letter to our A-State fans that we published last week, you can click HERE to read it in its entirety.  The goal of this specific communication was to begin to explain how we as Red Wolves move our Athletics Department forward during such a critical time of rapid change that includes the inception of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), the transfer portal, conference realignment and ongoing legal challenges that are reshaping the landscape of intercollegiate sports in dramatic ways.

It is because of you that our student-athletes have the resources and opportunities to compete at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics.  Together, we can meet the challenges ahead and continue to excel in the Sun Belt and on the national stage.

FOOTBALL SENIOR DAY & FAN APPRECIATION DAY

Bowl eligible for the second consecutive season, our football team has a lot to play for heading into the final weekend of the regular season.  We hold a 7-4 overall record and 5-2 mark in Sun Belt Conference action as we get set to host Old Dominion Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Centennial Bank Stadium on Senior Day.

Although we don’t have a path to the league’s championship game due to tie-breaking procedures, it’s still possible for our Red Wolves to claim a West Division co-championship.  We’ll carry a seven-game home winning streak into the contest with an opportunity to finish undefeated at home for the first time in 13 years and match our fourth-best regular-season record in 24 years as a member of the Sun Belt.

We will recognize an outstanding group of seniors prior to the game at approximately at 1:30 p.m. with an on-field ceremony.  We hope you’ll be able to join us and help honor these student-athletes who have represented so well both on and off the field.  As always, we encourage everyone to welcome the team to the stadium as well by attending Red Wolf Walk at 11:45 a.m. in Dustin White Realty Tailgate City.  This will also be a big recruiting weekend for us, so we need another great crowd to show their support and help us create a strong home-field advantage.

Saturday will also serve as our Fan Appreciation Day, and we have some exciting promotions in place.  We’ve teamed up with our game sponsor, Coca-Cola, to provide Running Howl t-shirts to the first 1,500 fans through the gates.  We’ll also have a limited number of youth replica jerseys available at the gates, and we have a special concessions combo in place with a hot dog and 20 oz. soda for just $5.

There will once again be many great tailgating options, such as Dustin White Realty Tailgate City and Alpha Pack.  Game tickets may be purchased by calling the Red Wolves Foundation at 870-972-2401, online by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Tickets or via the A-State athletics App.

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY SOCIAL

We are excited to be hosting a social event at Centennial Bank Stadium’s Woodard McAlister Family Club on Wednesday, Dec. 4, when head football coach Butch Jones and members of our coaching staff will recap Early National Signing Day.  Doors for the event will open at 5:00 p.m. and the program will begin at 5:30 p.m.

There is no admission charge, a cash bar will be available and heavy hors d’oeuvres donated and catered by Ray’s Rump Shack will be provided.  Open to the public, A-State fans planning to attend are encouraged to RSVP no later than Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 5:00 p.m. by clicking HERE.

SUN BELT REGULAR-SEASON VOLLEYBALL CHAMPS

Congrats to Sun Belt Coach of the Year Brian Gerwig and our volleyball team on our first outright regular-season league title since 2015.  We also advanced to the championship game of the league tournament for the first time since 2016 and will compete in postseason play for the second consecutive year with a 26-5 overall record.  Our 26 victories are the second most over the last 29 seasons.

We were well-represented on the All-Sun Belt team with junior middle blocker Daedrianna Cail earning both Newcomer and Defensive Player of the Year and senior defensive specialist Sarah Martinez claiming Libero of the Year honors.  They were both tabbed First Team All-Conference, and sophomore outside hitter Kaitlin Whitlock received second-team distinction.  It marked the first time our Red Wolves had three or more all-conference picks since 2017.

MEN'S BASKETBALL OFF TO 4-1 START

Our men’s basketball team is off to a 4-1 start and listed No. 7 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 rankings as we head into the Baha Mar Nassau Championship tournament this weekend, where we’ll face Indiana State, Rice and Hofstra.

We came up just short, 88-79, in a hard-fought road game at then-ranked No. 2 Alabama, while our four victories all came at First National Bank Arena (FNBA) to extend our home winning streak to seven games.  Our fans have been tremendous, showing up in great numbers to support this team and help create a fantastic game-day atmosphere.

In fact, the crowd of 4,610 that saw our victory over Akron was our largest for a home opener since 2002.  Additionally, the 5,187 at FNBA for our win against Little Rock represented our largest crowd for any game since 2017.  Our attendance has reached at least 4,000 fans for all four home games thus far.

Good luck to our Red Wolves in the Bahamas, and we look forward to welcoming them back home on Thursday, Dec. 5, for a 7:00 p.m. contest against Jackson State.  The game-theme versus the Tigers is Pajama Night and there will be special $2 hot dog and $5 combo deals available at the concession stands.  Our full list of home game themes and promotions for our non-conference schedule is available HERE.

Congratulations to senior forward Kobe Julien on being named one of 50 players on the Early-Season Watch List for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the top player in mid-major basketball.

RED WOLVES vs TIGERS

We want to invite you to join us at Soul & Spirits Brewery for a pregame happy hour on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 1:00 p.m., ahead of our 3:00 p.m. men’s basketball contest versus Memphis at FedExForum.

Our staff will provide appetizers and drink tickets at the event at Soul & Spirits, located at 845 N Main St. in Memphis and less than three miles away from FedExForum.  A-State Athletics, Advancement and the Alumni Association staff members will be available to provide updates regarding each area.  You can RSVP to the happy hour by clicking HERE, or by calling the Red Wolves Foundation at 870-972-2401.

You can buy tickets for the game vs. the Tigers by clicking HERE or calling the Memphis Ticket Office at 901-678-2331.  The A-State sections are 211 and 212.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOPS ARIZONA STATE

Our women’s basketball team has collected a pair of early-season wins, including a big 100-96 road victory over Big 12-member Arizona State for our first win over a Power-4 conference opponent since the 2017-18 season.  Sophomore guard Crislyn Rose was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 33 points against the Sun Devils, which included a go-ahead three-point play with 36.9 seconds remaining before putting the game out of reach with two free throws.

We’ll be back in action Tuesday, Dec. 3, with a 7:00 p.m. road game at Little Rock before returning to Jonesboro for our second home game of the year against Jackson State on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 2:00 p.m.  You can check out the full list of themes and promotions for our non-conference home games by clicking HERE.

Earlier this month, we were also excited to announce our All-50 Year Team as part of our year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of women’s sports at Arkansas State University.  The team is highlighted by 12 all-conference selections, six A-State Athletics Hall of Honor inductees, three Sun Belt Players of the Year, two All-America honorees and a WNBA second-round draft pick.

BASEBALL UNVEILS 2025 SCHEDULE

Heading into our first season under head coach Mike Silva, we announced our 2025 baseball schedule that is highlighted by 30 home games.  We’ll play eight of our first nine contests on our new turf playing surface, Slayton Family Field, at Tomlinson Stadium.  Our Red Wolves will begin Sun Belt play March 14-16 with a three-game home series against Marshall.  Season tickets, starting at $75, are available by clicking HERE or contacting the A-State Ticket Office at 870-972-2781.

CSC ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM

We were proud to announce this month that six student-athletes from our women’s soccer team were named to the College Sports Communicators’ 2024 Academic All-District Team.  Aliyah Williamson, Emma Riales, Emma Riley, Gertie Langford, Keelyn Peacock and McKenzie Robinson represented our Red Wolves, marking the third consecutive season we’ve had six student-athletes earn the honor.

PYEATT WINS SBC INVIDIDUAL CROSS COUNTRY CROWN

Jacob Pyeatt led from start-to-finish en route to an individual title, and our men’s and women’s cross country teams both finished runner-up at the Sun Belt Conference Championships on Nov. 1.  Jacob became our first men’s runner since Bennett Pascoe in 2020 to win the individual championship and was tabbed the league’s Runner of the Year.  Teammate Nati Enright, along with Jacob, garnered First Team All-SBC recognition for our men’s team.  Our women’s squad was led by Maja Dzialoszewska, who placed 12th to earn Third Team All-SBC recognition.

Jacob also secured an automatic bid as an individual qualifier to the NCAA Cross Country Championships after placing seventh in the 10K race at the South Central Regional Championships, picking up all-region distinction for the third time of his career.  He went on to the best finish at the NCAA Championships by an A-State runner in over 50 years, placing 102nd out of 255 participants.

WOMEN'S BOWLING WRAPS UP FALL SCHEDULE

Our nationally-ranked women’s bowling team concluded the fall schedule on Nov. 10 at the Ladyjack Classic, completing their first four tournaments of the year with a 38-14 record.  We placed among the top four teams in three tournaments, including a runner-up finish at the Track Kat Klash.  Our Red Wolves return to action Jan. 17-19 in New Castle, Del., at the Northeast Classic hosted by Sacred Heart.  Junior Kaylee Back was named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Month for October.

WOMEN'S TENNIS CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL FALL SLATE

Our women’s tennis team concluded a successful fall slate early this month at Liberty, posting 35 singles wins and 18 doubles victories so far this year.  We’ll kick off the fall schedule Jan. 11-12 in Tulsa, Okla., before playing our first home match Jan. 17 against Missouri State at 4:00 p.m. at the Trim Gym.

PRIDE OF THE PACK SERVICE AWARD

Our monthly Pride of the Pack Service Award recognizes staff members, who by their actions, words and deeds help to make the Arkansas State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics an exceptional place to work.

We’re proud to announce James DeBerry, Director of Ticketing and Annual Giving, as our Pride of the Pack winner for the month of November.  James has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to our department’s success.  His innovative strategies have significantly increased ticket sales and enhanced donor engagement, making a positive impact on our overall fundraising efforts.

CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT

Former Capt. (Promotable) Albert (Al) G. Martin, retired Col. Robert A. Barker and retired Lt. Col. Jerry W. Cheatom were inducted into the Department of Military Science Hall of Heroes this past weekend, and our Athletics Department was proud to recognize them as part of our Heroes Day this past Saturday during halftime of our home football game against ULM.  Their placards were hung in the Hall of Heroes, located in the Lt. Col. Frederick C. Turner Military Science Building.

GET YOUR WOLVES UP!

This week’s #WolvesUp photos feature Hayden McClain in Minneapolis, as well as Will Chamberlin, our Assistant Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement, with Food Bank of NEA Development Officer Chrissy Holbrook.  Thanks to the generosity of our fans at last week’s men’s basketball game, we were able to deliver 1,073 pounds of love to the Food Bank of NEA, just in time for the holidays.

Remember to use the hashtag #WolvesUp in your social posts and tweet your photos to me @JeffPurinton if you have any pictures with your Wolves Up! or promoting A-State.  We will select photos to feature in each edition of State of the Pack.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

View the list of scheduled events, broadcast information, start time and stat links on our composite calendar.  (Note:  All times are listed in Central Time.)  Access live stats from your desktop or mobile device by visiting AStateStats.com.