NATCHITOCHES, La. – Championship season has arrived for the University of Central Arkansas softball team as they look to rekindle the same magic on the same field where they last won the Southland Conference title in 2015 beginning Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Lady Demon Diamond.
UCA (26-27, 12-15) will take on Southeastern Louisiana in a battle of two of the most aggressive offenses in the entire country. The Lions took two out of three from the Bears back in Hammond earlier this season with all three games being decided by two runs or less. Each team scored 11 runs in the series.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
The No. 1 team in the country averaging 4.22 stolen bases per game, Southeastern Louisiana (32-21, 17-10 SLC) successes this season can be linked to their torrent ability to swipe bases and score runs. They rank first in the Southland in batting average (.307) and scoring (5.50 runs per game).
Six different batters are hitting above .300 for the Lions who possess one of the most potent lineups from top-to-bottom in the tournament. Ella Manzer (.367, 31 RBI), Jaquelyn Ramon (.348, 58 SB) and Rebecca Skains (.337, 46 RBI) will power the SLU offense on Tuesday while Alley McDonald (13-6, 2.09 ERA) has been the most prominent arm in the Lion rotation this season.
KEY TO VICTORY
Without a doubt, the No. 1 key to beating the Lions is keeping them off the basepaths. That means defense and pitching, something that has drastically improved for UCA over the back half of the Southland schedule, will have to be superb for the Bears if they are to come away with a win.
While the Lions have an impressive lineup, Central Arkansas will counter with an equally productive group. Four players are hitting .340 or better for UCA including
Libby Morris (.366),
Kaylyn Shepherd (.352),
Cylla Hill (.347) and
Kayla Crutchmer (.344).
Those four make up the top of the Bears' order and are one of the most lethal quartets in the Southland Conference. In a game where offense is to be expected, look for contributions from the core group in Natchitoches.
IF THE BEARS WIN…
If Central Arkansas successfully takes down Southeaster Louisiana, they will advance to the winner's bracket quarterfinals where they would take on Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m.
WHERE TO WATCH
The first 11 games of the 2019 Southland Conference Tournament will be streamed on the Southland Digital Network. Live stats will also be available for fans and media members looking to follow the action. For in-game updates, you can follow the Bears on Twitter @UCASoftball.
