Conway – The 2017 season begins on Thursday for a Central Arkansas softball team that is looking to continue a run of success highlighted by five straight Southland Conference Tournament appearances. To reach the SLC Tournament, hosted by the Bears this year, for a sixth-straight season, UCA will have to combine the experience gained by a core group of upperclassmen over the past four seasons with the talent of a group of 10 newcomers

The Bears, who won 35 games for the third time in four seasons last year, said goodbye to the most successful senior class in program history at the end of the season, leaving four starting spots, a spot in the pitching rotation up for grabs. But head coach David Kuhn said his team this year won't be focused on replacing the holes left by Sarah Bigej, Lindsay Elliott, Sam Forrest, Amy Gunnells, Shivaun Landeros, and Jessie Taylor. Instead, the Bears will look to simply improve every day.

"You can't replace the people we lost, softball-wise or people-wise," said Kuhn. "Four or five of them had All-Conference careers, all six of them were just stellar, amazing people, and it just means that we'll be young and inexperienced this season. We might have some growing pains this year, but that's how it goes sometimes."

Leading the Bears on the field this season will be senior outfielders Briana Whisenhunt and Hannah Stirton, who have seen action in every game the Bears have played over their three years in Conway and have started together in 168 of 172 of those games. Whisenhunt is a three-time All-Southland Conference selection who has hit .325 and ranks in the top-10 in program history in eight different categories including stolen bases (3^rd, 66), runs scored (5^th, 111), on-base percentage (6^th, .395), and batting average (9^th, .325). Stirton meanwhile has hit .251 for her career, while reaching base at a .375 clip behind 60 walks (8^th in program history) and 29 HBP (2^nd). She has nine home runs and 22 doubles and has driven in 60 runs while scoring 81. The Bears will also depend on junior infielder Audrey Pratt (82 starts in two seasons), junior shortstop Kate Myers (school-record 158 assists last season), and  senior catcher/designated player Bailey Reynolds (197 career at-bats) to lend their experience this season.

"We definitely have experience this season, despite what we lost," said Kuhn. "Audrey has tons of experience playing over the last two years; Whisenhunt is a game-changer with her speed; Kate gives us a ton of experience at shortstop, which is a key position on the field; Bailey will be a leader for us, and Hannah is a huge asset defensively and offensively. But four out of the eight positions in the field we've got some holes to fills."

On the mound, the Bears return one of the stronger pitchers in the Southland Conference in senior Kayla Gomness, who has lowered her ERA and upped her total wins in each of her three seasons with the Bears. In 2016 she went 11-5 with a 2.29 ERA while setting a program record with just 0.76 walks per game while tossing four shutouts, including a five-hitter at number 25 Mississippi State. For her career, Gomness sits in the top-10 in program history in walks allowed per game (2^nd, 1.21), shutouts (7^th, four), appearances (8^th, 72), and wins (9^th, 16).

"I think Kayla is an outstanding pitcher," said Kuhn, calling her, "one of the best in the league."

Kuhn will turn to a group of 10 newcomers, two transfers and eight freshmen to fill the remaining holes in the Central Arkansas line-up. Ellie Reaves, who went 3-0 with a 4.40 ERA in the circle for the University of Tulsa last season is someone Kuhn is looking towards to bolster the UCA rotation, while Morgan Felts, who scored eight runs in 20 appearances at the University of Arkansas last year, will provide speed and pop all over the field.

"We hope that Ellie can step in immediately and solidify our starting rotation, we think she has the potential to do that, but you obviously never know that for sure until game time," said Kuhn. "Then we've also got a bunch of younger pitchers that we think can step up, whether as starters or relievers. And Morgan gives us some breakaway speed and five tools. We think she can hit for power and average, and she can run and throw and play defense, and she can do it at second base, third base, shortstop, and in the outfield. So if they can maximize their potential, we think they can help us."

Kuhn and the Bears open the 2017 season with five games in Mobile, Alabama against a pair of 2016 NCAA Tournament teams as well as a South Alabama team that won 33 games last season. The Bears will play the Jaguars at 5:00 PM on Thursday evening, before facing off with 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Champion Jacksonville State at 3:00 PM on Friday. After a rematch with USA at 5:30 PM Friday, the Bears and Gamecocks will face off again at 3:00 PM on Saturday, before UCA closes out the weekend against 2016 Southwest Athletic Conference Champion Alabama State at 10:00 AM Sunday morning.

Of his schedule, Kuhn said, "It's front-loaded. We've never dodged competition or played to pad our record as long as I've been here. To get better you have to play people that are going to make you better, and that's not by playing weaker competition. I tell our girls all the time that there are no guaranteed wins on our schedule. The first weekend is loaded and then the second weekend we play LSU and Georgia Southern, so we're going to get tested really quickly."