CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team returns to Farris Field for a midweek matchup with an SEC powerhouse as the Bears host the No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday. The game is sponsored by First Community Bank and they will provide food for fans in attendance.
 
The game against Arkansas will be the first in program history. It will be just the second time in Arkansas history that the Razorbacks will play an in-state opponent and the first time they travel for an in-state contest.
 
The Bears enter Tuesday night's game on a nine-game winning streak. During the streak, seven of the eight games have been run rule games. UCA has outscored opponents 73-4 during the streak and have belted six home runs. The UCA pitching staff has racked up 62 strikeouts over the last nine games. Kayla Beaver leads the pitching staff with a 1.21 ERA and leads the staff with a record of 5-2. She has a team-high 40 strikeouts in 46.1 innings in the circle and has only walked five batters. Rio Sanchez is second on the staff with a 2.00 ERA with a 4-2 record and has tallied 27 strikeouts in 35.0 innings of work. Jordan Johnson is second on the team with 32 strikeouts and has a 3-3 record in 30.2 innings pitched.
 
The Bears are led by Jenna Wildeman, who's hitting .509 on the season with 16 runs scored and seven RBIs. Mary Kate Brown is second on the team with a .400 batting average, with 14 RBIs and 12 runs scored. Cylla Hill has provided most of the power as she has a team-high four home runs on the season and has a team-high 19 RBIs. Kaylyn Shepherd is second on the team with two homers and 14 RBIs.
 
The No. 20 Razorbacks enter the contest with a 16-2 record. Braxton Burnside leads the team with a .443 batting average and has a team-high 11 home runs. Danielle Gibson is second on the team with a .426 batting average and has a team-high 29 RBIs with eight homers. As a squad, Arkansas has belted 45 home runs.
 
The Arkansas pitching staff is led by Mary Haff with a 0.98 ERA with a 9-1 record and has compiled 65 strikeouts. Autumn Storms is second on the team with a 1.94 ERA with a 2-0 record in the circle and is tied for second in strikeouts with 17.

Prior to the game, we will recognize four seniors from last season that were unable to have a Senior Day due to the season being canceled by COVID-19.

Admission is free, but attendance for the game will be limited and will be first come, first serve. Fans are required to wear masks, follow the social distancing protocols put in place, and are recommended to arrive early. The gates will open one hour prior to the 6 p.m. start time.
 
The game will be on ESPN+ as well as Cox Sports Television, which is channel 148 on Conway Corp. Check your local television provider for more details about CST to find the channel in your area if you are outside the Conway Corp coverage.
 
Live stats can be found here. The link for ESPN+ can be found here.
 
From the Coach – Head Coach David Kuhn
"It is a great opportunity for us and it's great for the game of softball. Anytime you are able to play on ESPN, it's a good thing for the exposure for our program. Tomorrow will be an awesome experience for our university to be able to have a home softball game televised on ESPN+."

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