CONWAY, Ark. – Back on the road for another ASUN series, the Bears (19-11, 4-2 ASUN) travel back to Florida to take on the North Florida Ospreys (26-10, 5-4 ASUN) this weekend. Starting the series with a 12 p.m. CT doubleheader on Saturday, the Bears will wrap things up with an 11 a.m. CT start on Sunday.
Central Arkansas takes a four-game winning streak to Jacksonville, Fla., having won the second game against FAU before sweeping Kennesaw State in the team's first home series. During the streak, the Bears have out scored its opponents 31-4, including scores of eight or more in all three games against the ASUN's Owls.
Sophomore
Kayla Beaver earned three of those wins in the circle, allowing just one earned run in 18.0 innings. For her efforts, she was named the ASUN Pitcher of the Week, her first such award this season. Beaver currently holds the fifth-lowest ERA in the conference, allowing 2.27 earned runs on average and is tied for league-high with 12 wins. The Jackson, Tenn., native also sits third in strikeouts with 83, right behind teammate
Jordan Johnson's 89 Ks.
In addition to the outstanding pitching, the Bears have also benefited from stellar play at the plate, with a number of individuals high in the conference leaderboards at the start of April. Sophomore
Jenna Wildeman leads all batters with a .463 batting average and 44 hits. Additionally, the speedster has 26 stolen bases, also topping the ASUN leaderboard.
Leading the conference in RBI,
Mary Kate Brown has had a huge impact on the success of the Bears this season. With 30 runs batted in, Brown has done a terrific job coming up with hits with runners on, helping Central Arkansas to the second-best scoring offense in the conference, averaging 5.13 runs per game. The redshirt sophomore has five games this season with three or more RBI.
Hosting the Bears this weekend, North Florida has gotten off to a great start this season, reaching 25 wins before even hitting 10 losses. Like the Bears, the Ospreys have notched multiple wins over Power 5 opponents, with wins over Michigan State and Rutgers.
Headlining the Osprey offense is Paige Pfent, batting .389 with 42 hits, including nine doubles and five home runs. Inside the circle, North Florida boasts a trio of pitchers with sub-1.75 ERAs. Pitching a team-high 80.1 innings, Halle Arends holds a 1.22 ERA, striking out a team-best 80 batters. Morgan Clausen enters the weekend with a 1.31 ERA, allowing a .211 batting average, followed by Erin Kyle's 1.64 ERA. Kyle, with 72.2 innings in the circle this season, holds opponents to a .236 batting average.
Central Arkansas' doubleheader against the Ospreys will begin at noon CT on Saturday, followed by an 11 a.m. start on Sunday. Links to ESPN+ streams and stats are available at UCASports.com.
