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Hammond, La. – The Central Arkansas Bears will be making their third straight appearance in the Southland Conference Tournament on Thursday. The Bears, who earned the sixth seed in this year's tournament, will face off against third-seeded Sam Houston at 1:30 Thursday afternoon.

The Bears (24-32, 13-13 SLC) are led offensively by a trio of All-Southland Conference honorees. Second baseman Sarah Bigej hit .338 this season with a slugging percentage of .490 and an on-base percentage of .485. The sophomore from Happy Valley, Oregon led the team by drawing 39 walks and was hit by seven pitched while roping 11 doubles and two triples. Third baseman Sam Forrest hit .348 on the year, leading the team with 18 doubles while driving in 42 runs and blasting eight home runs. She slugged a team-high .594 and reached base at a .407 clip. Right fielder Briana Whisenhunt led the club with a batting average of .363 and 14 stolen bases this season. She slugged .475 and turned in an on-base percentage of .417.

Sam Houston (26-25, 15-11 SLC) is led also led offensively by a trio of All-SLC honorees. Catcher Tiffany Castillo, a .294 hitter on the year, hit nine home runs and drove in 32 runs, while shortstop Tayler Gray, who hit .321, blasted eight home runs and 11 doubles while stealing 13 bases. First baseman Sarah Allison, who hit .264 on the year, tied for the team lead with nine homeruns and drove in 28 runs.

In the circle, Central Arkansas will turn to junior Kylee Studioso, who was chosen as the conference's Newcomer of the Year. The righty from Edmond, Washington went 16-11 with a 3.25 ERA. She led the SLC with 212 strikeouts and held opponents to a .248 batting average, a number that dropped to .212 in league play.

Sam Houston State will count on a pair of pitchers during the tournament. Shelby Lancaster and Haley Baros each picked up ten wins on the year. Lancaster had an ERA of 2.98 on the season, leading the Bearkats with 41 strikeouts and a .250 opponent batting average. Baros turned in an ERA of 3.16 on the season while striking out 39 batters.

Central Arkansas leads the all-time series against Sam Houston State 15-10, though this will be the first meeting between the teams this season.

The winner of the game will face off against second-seeded Northwestern State at 6:30 PM on Thursday, while the loser will play the either Stephen F. Austin or Houston Baptist at 11:00 AM on Friday.