HATTIESBURG, Miss. – After much anticipation, the University of Central Arkansas softball team will open its season 3:30 p.m., Friday with a non-conference tilt against Southwestern Athletic Conference-foe Jackson State at the Black and Gold Invitational in Hattiesburg, Miss.
The Bears will play four games in two days including a 6 p.m. primetime-clash against host Southern Mississippi following the Jackson State game on Friday. UCA will be up early for a 10 a.m. matchup against Ohio Valley Conference-representative Tennessee Tech on Saturday morning and will round out their stay in the Magnolia State with a 12:30 p.m. rematch with Jackson State.
In his 11th season at the helm, head coach David Kuhn needs just one victory for 300 during his time at Central Arkansas. Kuhn already owns the record for most program wins as the UCA head coach and will look to surpass the milestone this weekend.
MEET THE OPPONENTS
JACKSON STATE
The Tigers are coming off a 9-31 campaign in 2018 and are looking to improve on their ninth-place finish in the Southwestern Athletics Conference. Senior Kelsey Smith was named 2019 Preseason First-Team All-SWAC and is coming off a strong 2018 season.
Smith hit .327, driving in 19 runs and slugging 10 doubles and two homers. The Tigers, as a whole, struggled at the plate in crucial spots last season. JSU scored the lowest amount of runs in the SWAC (130) while only hitting eight home runs as a squad. The Tigers will also be looking to improve on a league-low 7.99 team ERA.
Jackson State is led by head coach Kevin Montgomery.
SOUTHERN MISS
Despite some road struggles in 2018, the Golden Eagles were formidable at home and had some success picking up victories in Hattiesburg. Sophomore Destini Brown had an outstanding freshman campaign for USM. Starting in all 55 games, Brown racked up a .333 average at the plate, belting five home runs and driving in 22. Fellow sophomore Karley Nichols is also back to lead a much-improved Southern Miss lineup. The Brandon, Miss. native piled up 35 hits in 41 games.
Southern Miss will implement virtually a whole new pitching staff for the 2019 season. The top four arms from a season ago have all moved on but the Golden Eagles did add four new players to the rotation in the offseason. Freshmen Kaylan Lander and Makenna Pierce along with transfers Abby Trahan and Bailie Springfield make up the pitching staff for USM.
Head coach Wendy Hogue is in her fifth season with the program.
TENNESSEE TECH
The second set of Golden Eagles the Bears will look to tame will be Tennessee Tech on Saturday morning. TTU is led by the power-hitting duo of Raegan Sparks and Hallie Davis. Sparks launched nine homers last season and drove in 29 runs while batting a team-high .295. Davis finished just behind Sparks with .294 BA but led the team in slugging (.606). The duo combined for 70 hits and 30 extra-base hits in 47 games a season ago.
Kayla Hughes is the top returning pitching talent for Tennessee Tech. She appeared in 28 games last season and struck out 60 batters in 123.2 innings. She recorded a 5-12 record while posting a 4.64 ERA, good for second on the team.
Bonnie Graham is leading Tech for the 7th season and has compiled a 135-186 record. She is a former TTU softball standout.
BEAR TO WATCH
It is tough to pick a "player to watch" for the opening weekend, but we are going to go with senior Libby Morris. The selection isn't solely based on her numbers (although they are really good), but more on the fact that she was perhaps the Southland Conference Preseason Team's biggest snub.
Morris was left off the ballot despite hitting a team-high .338 and also a team-high six homers. She had the 10th highest average in the SLC and appeared in all 55 games last season, racking up 52 hits, including 12 doubles. Look for the Grove, Okla. native to take out her preseason frustrations on the Golden Eagles and Tigers during the two-day event.
FOLLOW ALONG
All four games this weekend can be streamed through FloSoftball, a streaming service that provides 24/7/365 coverage of softball. They offer live events, documentaries, training/technique videos and original content through a monthly or annual subscription.
You can also follow along with live stats. Both options are available by following the links at the top of the page. For in-game updates and all things Central Arkansas softball, check us out on social media.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter:
@UCASports @UCASoftball
Facebook:
The Official Facebook Page of the University of Central Arkansas Athletics.
Instagram:
UCA_Sports UCA_Softball
Web:
www.ucasports.com
