CONWAY, Ark. – Back on the road for one final tournament, the Central Arkansas softball team heads to Lawrence, Kan., to play four games in the Jayhawk Invitational. There, the Bears will play two games against Kansas, South Dakota State, and No. 8 Stanford. The first outing for the Bears is on Friday at 10 a.m. against South Dakota State.
 
Central Arkansas (14-5) enters the weekend having won one of the biggest games in program history, knocking off No. 6 Arkansas in Fayetteville on Monday. The 2-1 win was a microcosm of what brought the team success over the last few years, Jenna Wildeman with heads up baserunning, scoring on a passed ball, an RBI double from Mary Kate Brown, scoring Tremere Harris, and a dynamite pitching performance from Jordan Johnson. Johnson went toe-to-toe with the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year in Chenise Delce, striking out seven while allowing just one run.
 
Monday's win was the highest-ranked victory in program history, eclipsing last season's record of No. 14 LSU. The Bears will go for another ranked win this weekend against Stanford, who ranks eighth on the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Central Arkansas will seek to win multiple games against ranked teams for the first time since 2018, when the Bears swept a series against No. 25 McNeese.
 
Johnson's victory improved her to 6-2 on the year, now tied for fourth in the ASUN in wins. She also continues to rank second in the league in strikeouts, totaling 64 in 12 appearances.
 
First on the docket on Friday is a familiar foe, South Dakota State, now at 12-8 on the year after a 3-2 showing at the OSU/Tulsa Invitational. The Jackrabbits were at UCA a couple of weeks ago, playing in the Michelle Short Memorial Classic. Playing one game in Conway, the Bears took a 7-6 win on a 2-RBI double from Kylie Griffin.
 
Kansas had a tough week at the South Florida Tournament, going 1-3 with losses to USF, Army and USC Upstate. It moved the Jayhawks to 12-8 on the year, as the bats struggled to score runs. The Jayhawks pitching has been their strong suit, with a staff ERA of 2.87, allowing opposing batters to hit just .250.
 
On Saturday, the Bears will play a second top-ten team in the country this week, facing No. 8 Stanford. At 19-2 on the year, the Cardinal has excelled on both sides of the ball, outscoring opponents 111-25. River Mahler leads the team with a .446 batting average, the eighth-best in the PAV 12. But like Kansas, the pitching and defense is where Stanford makes its mark, holding the fifth-best ERA in the country at 1.27, and the second-best fielding percentage in the nation, committing just six errors for a .989 fielding percentage.
 
Among the country's best pitchers, Stanford boasts NiJaree Canady. Canady has yet to allow a run in 44.0 innings, one of three pitchers to allow zero earned runs. She also ranks first in the country in hits allowed per seven innings (1.43), shutouts (6), and is 18^th in strikeouts (79).
 
Central Arkansas opens the weekend on Friday at 10 a.m. against South Dakota State, facing Kansas later in the day. The games will not be streamed, but live stats will be available for each game.