CONWAY – For the first time in two weeks, the University of Central Arkansas softball program will hit the road for a five-game spring break trip, beginning with a 5 p.m. contest at UL Monroe on Tuesday and continuing with a 6 p.m. first pitch at Big 12-powerhouse Baylor Wednesday evening.
UCA (12-16, 1-5 SLC) will look to get back on track having dropped four games in a row for the first time since March 10-14, 2017. For the first time all season long, the Bears are batting below .300 as a team, but are looking forward to a much needed road trip to rekindle some chemistry and continuity as they reach the midway point in the 2019 season.
MEET THE OPPONENTS
UL MONROE WARHAWKS
UL Monroe (4-22, 1-5 SUN BELT) have sputtered out of the gates under first year head coach Molly Fichtner. The Warhawks are batting .225 as a team and are also coming off a weekend conference series in which they were swept at home by Appalachian State.
Despite the record, UL Monroe has some serious pop in the middle of its batting order. Sydney McKay is leading the team, hitting .415 with four doubles and 11 RBIs on the year. Adrianna Chavarria is the usual starter in the circle for the Warhawks. She has posted a 2-6 record having struck out 22 over 41.2 innings of work.
BAYLOR BEARS
A perennial threat to make an NCAA Regional year-in and year-out, Baylor (13-9) has picked up some big wins already in 2019. The Bears have already knocked off No. 10 ranked Louisiana and just picked up a doubleheader sweep at McNeese last Tuesday.
Nicky Dawson is one of three Bears hitting over .300 and leads the team with 11 RBIs. Goose McGlaun and Taylor Ellis are both hitting .349 and have both slugged two homers this season for Baylor. In the circle, Sydney Holman has posted a 3.84 ERA with an 8-4 record. She has struck out 64 in 68 innings.
BEAR TO WATCH
While the UCA bats have cooled off in recent weeks, the pitching staff has needed to step up and keep the Bears in some closely-contested games. Central Arkansas sophomore Rio Sanchez has a career 2.91 ERA and has already struck out as many hitters this season (40) as she did during her freshman year.
The Bears will need to continue to improve defensively and will rely heavily on its pitching staff as the bats look to find their early-season form on this road swing. Look for Sanchez to lead a Bear staff eager to get back in the win column this week.
FOLLOW ALONG
A live stream of the game as well as live stats will be available for both contests. You can also follow along on Twitter via @UCASoftball or @UCAScoreboard.
