MONROE, La. _ The defending Southland Conference runnerup University of Central Arkansas Bears open the 2015 baseball season with three games this weekend in the ULM Warhawk Classic.

    The Bears, coming off their second consecutive trip to the Southland Conference championship game last May, will face Grambling State at 2 p.m. Friday, host ULM at 6 p.m. Saturday and Indiana State at noon Sunday at Warhawk Field.

    "We've had a good spring, we've done some good things,' said UCA head coach Allen Gum, beginning his fifth season at UCA. "We're looking forward to playing someone else after facing each other for the past month. 

    'We just want our guys to go out and compete this weekend. That's what we always ask our guys to do, go out and compete and have fun. That's what we want to see this weekend.' 

    The Bears, who won the SLC championship two years ago and lost in the title game a year ago, return three preseason All-SLC players in pitcher Connor Gilmore and infielders Chris Townsend and Nate Ferrell. Other returnees include outfielders Tyler Langley (.259) and Wesley Hoover (.272), both from Conway, as well as catcher Charles Deckard (41 starts), sophomore Joey Pinney, junior Matt Anderson and seniors Austin White and Brad Dillenberger. 

    Gilmore, a 6-foot-5 junior from Little Rock Catholic, will start the opener against Grambling, followed by a pair of newcomers in righthanded juniors Andrew Kemmerer from Edmonds Community College and Brandon Hagerla from San Rosa Community College.

    "I want our pitchers to compete in the strike zone,' said Gum. "We always say the best pitch is a first-pitch strike. We want our guys to battle and throw strikes. And I think we have some guys that can do that on this staff. They don't have to win games for us, but they have to allow us to win games.'

    Four newcomers should see early action this weekend in junior catcher Travis Hull (Chabot CC), junior shortstop Logan Preston, who redshirted at UCA last season, junior outfielder Braxton Phillips (Butte CC) and freshman first baseman Jacob Richardson (Rison, Ark.).

     Ferrell, from Griffin, Ga., was UCA's second-leading hitter at .309 last season and was named to the SLC All-Tournament team and will be at third base. Gilmore went 7-3 with a a 2.98 earned-run average. Townsend, from Batesville, Miss., was also an All-SLC Tournament selection and hit .281 in 50 starts at second base, a position he will man again in 2015. Langley is scheduled to start in center, with Phillips in right field, Hull behind the plate and Richardson at first base. 

    The home opener for the Bears is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday against the UALR Trojans at Bear Stadium.