CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team heads to Memphis, Tenn., to participate in the UofM Softball Tournament, with games being played Thursday through Saturday. With the impending cold weather, Thursday's games have been moved to 1:30 p.m. against Memphis, followed by a 4 p.m. game against Southeastern Louisiana.
Also in the tournament, the Bears will face South Dakota and Oklahoma State on Friday, before finishing off the weekend with a Saturday morning rematch with Southeastern Louisiana.
Central Arkansas travels to the Bluff City after defeating Tulsa on Tuesday.
Jaylee Engelkes iced the game in the sixth inning with her second grand slam of the season, helping the Bears to a 9-1 final over the Golden Hurricane. The Bears connected on 10 hits on Tuesday, marking the sixth game of 10-plus hits this season.
Memphis is the second American Athletic Conference opponent of the season for the Bears, after Tulsa, with Oklahoma State being the fifth Power 5 opponent on the schedule, a third Power 5 conference.
The first opponent on the docket this weekend is the hosting Tigers. Sitting at 7-12, the Tigers have put together a challenging nonconference schedule, playing in several tournaments that have featured big-time opponents. Earlier in the year, Memphis took No. 8 Arkansas to extra innings, falling 3-4 in eight innings. The Tigers are led at the plate by Gracie Morton, who bats .412 and leads Memphis in hits and total bases.
Southeastern Louisiana holds a 13-6 record entering the weekend, playing in its fifth tournament of the spring. Most recently, the Lions played a three-team tournament with Marist and Buffalo, winning three of their five games. On the basepaths, the Lions have two players with double-digit steals, with Cam Goodman and Aeriyl Mass each have 13 swipes.
South Dakota plays in their fourth tournament of the season, with a 12-3 record. Each tournament has seen the Coyotes win four games and lose just one. The South Dakota pitching has made its mark this season, with a team ERA of 1.28. Clara Edwards, who leads the team with 62.1 innings in the circle, holds a 0.79 ERA with 47 strikeouts. The freshman allows hitters to bat just .184 on the year.
From the Big 12, Oklahoma State visits Memphis with a 12-5 record, having played eight teams that are either ranked or receiving votes. The Cowgirls took wins over four of those teams, including a victory over No. 19/16 Michigan. Oklahoma State will play Minnesota at home today before heading to the Bluff City and will face each team once over the weekend.
First pitch for the Bears is against Memphis, taking place at a newly scheduled time of 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. Central Arkansas will face Southeastern Louisiana later in the day at 4 p.m. Thursday's games will be against South Dakota and Oklahoma State, followed by a single game against Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday morning.
