HAMMOND, La. – Needing a strong bounce-back weekend, the University of Central Arkansas softball team will regroup and will make a return trip to Louisiana for a three-game set at Southeastern Louisiana beginning with a doubleheader Friday at 4 p.m. and concluding on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m.
UCA (21-23, 7-11 SLC) comfortably remains in the hunt for a bid to the Southland Conference Championship Tournament in May, but a few wins this weekend will definitely go a long way into easing any doubt.
MEET THE LIONS
Southeastern Louisiana (26-17, 12-6 SLC) is home to one of the most prolific offenses in the conference. Having won five of its last six Southland contests, SLU is capping off an eight-game homestand, where the Lions own a 16-8 record this season, with the Bears.
Jaquelyn Roman is setting all sorts of record for Southeastern. Not only is she No. 1 in the country in stolen bases (54), she is also hitting a team-high .369 while having an on-base percentage of .476. In the circle, Alley McDonald (10-5) has racked up a 1.88 ERA over 104.1 innings pitched and has surrendered just two home runs on the season.
TALE OF THE TAPE
| Central Arkansas |
|
Southeastern Louisiana |
| .297 |
Team Batting Average |
.316 |
| 3.83 |
Team ERA |
2.85 |
| 24 |
Home Runs |
13 |
| 93-103 |
Stolen Bases-Attempted |
189-211 |
| .951 |
Fielding Percentage |
.956 |
BEAR TO WATCH
An offense that is need of a spark should rely heavily on its power-hitters in the heart of the order. Junior
Cylla Hill has struggled recently after hitting almost .500 through March and is still hitting .346 for the season.
Hill left several potential runs on base last weekend at McNeese, but don't count on that continuing. Hill has shown the ability to be one of the clutch hitters for UCA and will be called upon again this weekend to pick up timely hits and drive in runs. Look for No. 1 to bounce back, along with the rest of the Bears, in the most crucial weekend of the 2019 season.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats and a live internet feed will be available for all three games. Follow UCA Softball on Twitter and Instagram @UCASoftball.
