CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team prepares for its first NCAA postseason since 2015, facing off with Middle Tennessee State in game one of the Tuscaloosa Regional. Bringing 44 wins to Tuscaloosa, the Bears and Blue Raiders open a regional that will also see Alabama and Long Island play for a shot at a super-regional. First pitch against MTSU is set for 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
 
Central Arkansas (44-10, 22-2 ASUN) open the regional having clinched the automatic berth from the ASUN, winning both the regular season and conference tournament titles. The former came after winning all eight conference series this season, with six sweeps against ASUN opponents. The latter came after five-straight wins in a 52-hour span in DeLand, Fla., defeating North Alabama in a winner-take-all final game of the ASUN Championship on Saturday.
 
Two Bears added some more hardware to their trophy case on Thursday, with Kayla Beaver and Tremere Harris being named NFCA All-Region players. Beaver was voted to the organization's second team in the Southeastern region, while Harris earned a third team nod. Both players were named First Team All-ASUN after stellar seasons in conference.
 
Beaver enters the postseason with the lowest ERA among pitchers in postseason with at least 120 innings pitched, holding a 1.09 ERA. The redshirt junior gave up just two runs across 30.1 innings at the Championship, decimating lineups all week long. She was the lone pitcher in an 11 inning win over Liberty, then needed just 67 pitches to clinch the championships Saturday night.
 
Harris, one of the region's best outfielders, hit .331 this season, putting down 55 hits with 11 doubles and two triples. The Conway native was an absolute blur on the basepaths, swiping 20 bases in 21 attempts, giving pitchers and catchers alike nightmares when she got on base. She scored a team-high 41 runs, and led the team with 15 games of multiple hits.
 
Middle Tennessee State earned its postseason berth after winning the Conference USA Tournament. The final game of the championship, against North Texas, went 12 innings, with both teams locked at 2-2 from the seventh through the 12^th, when the Blue Raiders' Ashley Blevins put a single into left field to drive in the winning run. It marked the second conference championship in program history, both under head coach Jeff Breeden.
 
The Blue Raiders are led by Amaya Harris, who batted .388 this season, followed closely by Laura Mealer's .386. Mealer led the team with 71 hits, 19 doubles, 10 home runs and 51 RBI. She also represents a team-best 28 stolen bases, accounting for 28 of the team's 88. In the circle, Kamryn Carcich had a team-low 2.02 ERA. Gretchen Mead leads the team with a 17-5 record and 114 strikeouts.
 
First pitch against the Blue Raiders is set for 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.