CONWAY — With less than a month remaining in the regular season, the Central Arkansas softball Bears will play four of their final seven home games this week as they take on Hendrix College and ULM in mid-week, non-conference contests before hosting Nicholls State in a pivotal Southland Conference series on Friday and Saturday.

With eight games  – or 40 percent – of the conference schedule remaining, the Bears (27-17, 5-7 Southland) are seventh in the league standings just behind the Colonels (8-23, 4-4) for the final position in the conference tournament. UCA also has series remaining with first-place McNeese State (7-1), ninth-place UT Arlington (2-6) and 10th-place Stephen F. Austin (2-8).

Before the weekend series, which will be Softball Alumni Weekend, the Bears will first host Division III crosstown foe Hendrix College (13-11) tonight at 6 p.m. and ULM out of the Sun Belt Conference on Wednesday at 5. The Warhawks (16-16) are 5-2 vs. Southland competition this season, going 2-1 against Northwestern State, 1-1 vs. McNeese State, and 1-0 against both Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin.

UCA continues to lead Southland teams in most hitting categories, including:

Batting Average – .319 (next highest is UTSA at .301)
Slugging Percentage – .453
On-Base Percentage – .386
Runs – 238 (closest is UTSA with 155)
Runs Batted In – 220
Hits – 382 (UTSA closest with 286)
Doubles – 70
Total Bases – 543
Hit By Pitch – 32
Sacrifice Flies – 15
Stolen Bases – 42

The Bears are also second in walks with 109, one behind league leader Texas State.

UCA ranks 20th nationally in batting average, 38th in runs per game at 5.41 and 11th in doubles per game with an average of 1.59.

Individually, the Bears are setting the Southland pace in a number of categories as well.

UCA holds the top four spots in runs scored.
1. Stephanie Lasley – 35
2. Lissa Avitia – 30
t3. Nicole Beals – 28
t3. Melanie Bryant – 28

UCA also boasts five of the league's top six in hits.
1. Nicole Beals – 48
2. Tara McKenney (Northwestern St.) – 45
t3. Melanie Bryant – 44
t3. Lissa Avitia – 44
t3. Stephanie Lasley – 44
6. Ashley Boswell – 43

The Bears' lineup also features the top four RBI producers in the conference.
1. Ashley Boswell – 31
2. Kasey Britt – 28
3. Lissa Avitia – 26
4. Melissa Bryant – 24

(Beals is tied for 6th with 23 and Lasley is 9th with 22.)

Melissa Bryant and Boswell are tied for the league lead with 11 doubles, while Mleanie Bryant is tied for third and Beals fifth with 10 and nine respectively. Britt and Tiffany Roby are tied for 8th with eight apiece.

Britt is second in the league in total bases with 66. Melanie Bryant is just behind her in third with 65. Melissa Bryant is 6th with 61, while Boswell and Roby are tied for 7th with 60. Beals is tied for 9th with 59 and Avitia is 11th with 58.

Lasley is the league-leader in stolen bases with 16 (in 17 attempts) and Kelvon Greer is fourth with nine (in 10 attempts).

Beals leads the conference and is second in the nation with four sacrifice flies, and Roby has been hit by pitch a league-high 15 times.

Britt and Melissa Bryant have accumulated those totals despite missing portions of the season with injury. Britt has missed more than 40 percent of the season, being shelved for 18 of the team's 44 games since being injured in the Missouri State game on March 14. Bryant missed six games before returning last week against Mississippi Valley State.

In the circle, Kelsie Armstrong sports a league-best 178 strikeouts (including a league-high 53 looking) and 16 wins. Cami Newsome is fourth in wins with nine. Kelly Martino, who is tied for second in the Southland in saves, has the second-lowest ERA among league pitchers at 1.57.

The Bears are 2-0 all-time against Hendrix, defeating the Warriors 11-3 last season in their first meeting since 2002. The Bears won that one 13-3. Both games have lasted just five innings.

UCA is 2-1 against the Warhawks, having won the last two meetings. The Bears won 4-1 over ULM last year in Waco, Texas and at 6-2 at ULM in 2009. ULM won the day before that meeting, taking a 2-1 victory in the first-ever meeting between the teams.

The Bears haven't fared nearly as well against the Colonels, going just 4-11. UCA has had the advantage of late, however, winning all three meetings last season. UCA swept that series in Conway 3-0, 8-1, 4-2.

Fans can keep up with the action via live stats and free video streaming at ucagameday.com

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