CONWAY, Ark. – Having already played 10 games this season, the UCA softball team will finally get to compete on their new home turf on Tuesday night as they host Louisiana Tech. UCA was originally scheduled to open at home last Wednesday against UAPB, but rain forced that meeting to be rescheduled for Feb. 28.
The Bears will enter Tuesday’s game with the Southland’s best offense through the first 10 games. As a team, UCA is hitting a league-best .341 and are averaging 6.8 runs per contest. The Bears rank first or second in nearly all statistical hitting categories heading into the third week of the season. In addition to leading in average, UCA is first in the Southland in on-base percentage (.410), runs scored (68), hits (99), RBI (60), doubles (17), and total bases (112).
It may come as no surprise that the Bears have been so strong offensively thus far, as they have four players in the top-10 of the conference in batting average. Freshman Lissa Avitia leads the Southland in average, hitting a clip of .483. Meanwhile, Kasey Britt is fifth in average at .457 to go along with three home runs, which are second most in Southland, and a league-best 11 RBI. Melanie Bryant, hitting .421, and Stephanie Lasley’s average of .417 rank sixth and seventh in the Southland, respectively.
UCA is coming off a weekend where they finished 1-4 at the Lobo Classic in Albuquerque, N.M. Their lone victory was a 7-3 win over the Bryant Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. The four losses were by a combined seven runs and the Bears held late leads in losses against New Mexico, who has started the season 9-0, and Purdue of the Big 10. UCA comes into the game with a mark of 5-5, looking to improve on their .500 record.
Louisiana Tech enters the contest with a 3-5 overall record. The Techsters have recorded wins over Penn State, UTEP and Southland Conference member, Northwestern State.
As a team, Louisiana Tech is hitting .223 through its first eight games. Leading the way offensively for the Techsters are Janna Frandrup (.438, 11 BB, 8 RBI) and Katelynn Hill (.333, 3 HR, 4 RBI). The Techsters have stolen three bases on four attempts, two of which are by Dacia Hale. Inside the circle, Michelle Jones has made four starts and boasts a 3-1 record to go along with a 1.80 ERA. Melanie Goff has made two starts this season and is 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA.
The two teams have met just three times prior. The Techsters swept a doubleheader in Conway back in 2002 but UCA won the last meeting, 3-2, in Monroe, La. on Feb. 15, 2008.
In addition to being the 2012 home opener, it will also mark the first regular season game that the Bears play on their brand new artificial surface. Admission to UCA softball games is free to the public and first pitch Tuesday night from Farris Field is scheduled for 5 p.m.
