SUGAR LAND, Texas _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears have fond memories of their last trip to Sugar Land, Texas.

    The Bears won the 2013 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament the last time it was held at Constellation Field, winning five straight elimination games to take the title. 

    Sixth-seeded UCA opens plays No. 3 Nicholls at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the first of four opening-round games at the minor league home of the Sugar Land Skeeters.

    The Bears, who entered the 2013 tournament as the seventh seed, dropped their first game before beating five consecutive opponents _ two on both Friday and Saturday _ to win their first SLC title. UCA, the host team in 2014, reached the championship game again as the sixth seed before losing to Southeastern Louisiana.

    The Bears (27-22, 16-14) enter this year's tournament having won four of their last six games, including a 2-1 series victory over No. 4 seed McNeese State last weekend at Bear Stadium. It is the fourth straight appearance in the SLC Tournament for the Bears.

    The Bears lost their season series to the Colonels, winning the Friday night opener on April 10 behind a complete-game, four-hit 7-0 shutout by junior righthander Connor Gilmore, who will get the start in the tournament opener. Gilmore is 7-3 with a 2.34 earned run average and has tossed five complete games this season. Junior catcher Travis Hull went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI in that victory.

 The Colonels (34-17-1, 18-11) won the next two games 9-3 and 5-3 to take the series. UCA leads the overall series against Nicholls 16-13.

    UCA's offense is led by senior left fielder Wesley Hoover, who is second in the SLC in hitting with a .365 average, No. 1 in on-base percentage (.459) and eighth in slugging percentage (.481). Junior first baseman Matt Anderson is hitting .303, while junior center fielder Tyler Langley is at .298 with a team highs of 38 runs scored, 13 doubles and 10 stolen bases. Hoover and Langley were both third-team All-SLC selections this week. 

    Junior shortstop Logan Preston is leading the conference with nine home runs, while Langley has five. UCA has 25 as a team, more than double their total from last season. Junior Bo Stitch has a team-high five saves out of the bullpen 

    The Colonels are led by the SLC Pitcher of the Year Justin Sinibaldi and Relief Pitcher of the Year Stauart Holmes. Sinibaldi, a sophomore, went 10-1 with a 1.40 ERA, while Holmes, a senior lefthander, recorded 15 saves. Offensively, junior Kyle Reese led the Colonels with a .369 average and earned SLC Newcomer of the Year honors.       

    The winner of the UCA-Nicholls game will face the winner of the No. 2 Northwestern State-No. 7 Houston Baptist game at 4 p.m. Thursday. The losers will play again at 9 a.m. Thursday in an elimination game. The championship game is set for 6 p.m. Saturday. All games from the tournament will be shown on ESPN3. Also, catch the UCA radio broadcast with Steve Owens at ucasports.com/watch and on The Bear 91.3.