CONWAY, Ark. – After 24 games of nonconference softball, the tune-up portion of the schedule is complete. The Central Arkansas softball team now preps for its first ASUN series of 2024, taking on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in a three-game series. The Bears will open the weekend at 6 p.m. on Friday, with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
 
The Bears (8-16) suffered a tough outing against No. 7 Oklahoma State on Wednesday, falling 8-0 to the Cowgirls. The Bears made some plays early, with Renee Christian opening the game with a single and Kennedy Fisher gunning down a runner in the home half of the inning, but the Big 12 foe proved to be too much.
 
Central Arkansas heads into conference season with a .226 team average, led by Kylie Griffin's .406. The junior infielder continues to lead the team in hits (28), total bases (31) and walk to strikeout ratio (2.0). Christian, just a freshman, has also picked up the average as of late, hitting .305 with a double and a triple.
 
Eastern Kentucky starts its path down the ASUN schedule with a 17-4 record, having won eight in a row. This past Wednesday, the Colonels picked up a 2-1 win over Western Kentucky, thanks to a seventh inning home run from Maddi Rutan. Her home run also gave her the win in the circle, her ninth on the season.
 
Rutan, a freshman, has been important for EKU both as a hitter and pitcher this season, leading her team in at bats and innings pitched. The Columbus, Indiana native hits .294 with four doubles, two triples and two home runs, while holding a 1.18 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 65.0 innings.
 
Central Arkansas and EKU did not play last season, but the first meetings in 2022 all went the Bears' way. Playing in Richmond, Kentucky, the Bears outscored the Colonels 20-8 over three games, sweeping EKU.
 
First pitch against the Colonels is set for Friday at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the teams will play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Live stats will be available for all games, and Saturday's doubleheader will be available on ESPN+.