CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas softball team takes to the road for the Texas A&M Invitational Saturday through Monday, before it travels back to Baton Rouge for a doubleheader with LSU on Tuesday.
 
The Bears will face two opponents for the first time ever, Colorado State and Texas A&M. Central Arkansas and Texas Tech will meet for the third time.
 
UCA is coming off of an 0-3 weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at the Tiger Classic. The Bears faced No. 25 Duke twice and Kansas once. Jenna Wildeman leads UCA with a .556 batting average and leads the team in doubles with two. Cylla Hill leads the team with three RBIs and is tied for second on the team with a .333 batting average.
 
The Aggies are led by Makinzy Herzog and Morgan Smith, who recorded batting averages of .414 and .340, respectively. Kayla Poynter leads the pitching staff with a 7-2 record and an ERA of 1.68. The Bears are scheduled to play the Aggies on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m. and on Monday, Feb. 22, at 11:30 a.m. Both games against Texas A&M will be on SECN+.
 
The Red Raiders lead the series with the Bears, 2-0, including a 1-0 victory last season in New Orleans. Breanna Russell led the Red Raiders with a .355 batting average with 17 RBIs and four home runs. Yvonne Whaley posted a .326 batting average and added six RBIs. The Red Raiders also return Zoe Jones, who led the team with 26 RBIs. Erin Edmoundson led the pitching staff with a 10-4 record in 78.2 innings in the circle. UCA is scheduled to play Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 21, at 5:30 p.m.
 
The Rams return Ashley Michelena who led the team with a .300 batting average. Corina Gamboa finished second on the team with a .292 batting average. Taylor Gilmore led Colorado State in the circle with 54 innings of work with a 4-4 record and a 2.75 ERA. The Bears and Rams are scheduled for a 10 a.m. first pitch on Sunday, Feb. 21.
 
Central Arkansas is set to make a return trip to Baton Rouge for a doubleheader on Tuesday, Feb. 23. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. This will be the seventh and eighth meetings between UCA and LSU. The Tigers have a 6-0 series lead against the Bears and all of the games have been played in Baton Rouge. LSU won last season's matchup 3-2, in the season opener. The Tigers are led by Shelbi Sunseri, who is an NFCA All-American and All-SEC team member Aliyah Andrews. Both were named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top-50 Watch List. Ali Kilponen and Shelby Wickersham join Andrews and Sunseri on the Preseason All-SEC team. Both games against LSU will be on SECN+.
 
Weekend Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 20 – Texas Tech 12:30 p.m. Stats SECN+
Saturday, Feb. 20 – Texas A&M 3 p.m. Stats
Sunday, Feb. 21 – Colorado State 10 a.m. Stats
Sunday, Feb. 21 – Texas Tech 5:30 p.m. Stats
Monday, Feb. 22 – Texas A&M 11:30 a.m. Stats SECN+
Tuesday, Feb. 23 - #5 LSU (DH) 2 p.m. Stats SECN+
 
From the Coach – Head Coach David Kuhn
"We have a great opportunity to play some very talented teams. We are also fortunate enough to be playing this weekend, as a lot of tournaments and games have been postponed due to inclement weather across the country. I hope we are able to bounce back from a rough start last weekend and put together a complete game this weekend."

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