CONWAY, Ark. – After a successful weekend in ASUN play, the Central Arkansas softball team will play two more on the road to start Spring Break, heading to Wichita State on Tuesday and Tulsa on Wednesday. Both games are set for 5 p.m. start times.
The Bears improved to 14-17 overall and 3-2 in ASUN play after pulling off the sweep over North Alabama in Florence over the weekend. The Lions had not been swept in a conference series at home since 2021, and both sides of the ball really showed up for the Bears. Offensively, the Bears averaged 10 hits and eight runs per game, mixing the small ball approach with some power swings later in the series. Additionally, patience at the plate was key, as Central Arkansas batters drew 16 walks on the weekend. Defensively, the Bears also played extremely well behind their pitchers, committing just a single error over the 21 innings of work.
Kylie Griffin hit .500 on the weekend, raising her season average back over .400. The senior leads the Bears with 44 hits and four triples, and adds a team-high ten stolen bases. She went 7-for-14 against the Lions, including a 4-for-5 game two that saw her hit a triple off the wall and drive in two runs. Freshman
Kaitlyn Graham also hit .500 in the series, adding two doubles in game one and a home run in game three.
Defensively, it didn't get much better than
Madi Young's weekend at shortstop. She recorded 14 outs, including eight in game three, and was perfect from her position. She backed up a pitching staff that allowed just three runs a game, with a seven-strikeout game one from
Bailie Runner.
Wichita State is 15-15 entering the week, after winning two of three at UTSA. The Shockers won games one and three by run rule, and narrowly dropped an 8-7 final in game two. Lauren Lucas hit .500 in the series, with two doubles and a home run. She leads the team with a .432 average, racking up 38 hits in 30 games, and an OBP of .532. The graduate outfielder bolsters an offense that hits. 280 as a team, and has nine of the team's 34 stolen bases.
In the circle, the Shockers hold a team ERA of 4.44, with four pitchers seeing the bulk of the innings. Ryley Nihart leads the team with a 2.75 ERA in 48.1 innings, recording 35 strikeouts to just 16 walks.
On Wednesday, the Bears will face a Tulsa team that is 17-15 and 5-4 in conference play. Most recently, the Golden Hurricane dropped two of three at UAB, picking up a 4-0 shutout on Sunday to avoid getting swept. Tulsa used home runs in the third and seventh to score, and a seven-hit outing from Maura Moore in the circle helped Tulsa avoid getting swept by the Blazers.
Tulsa's offense hits just .251 as a team, led by Celeste Wood's .302 average. She also leads the team with five home runs and 23 RBI. The top five batters for the Golden Hurricane have a balance to them, with all five racking up 23 to 28 hits on the year.
The Golden Hurricane pitching staff has been headlined by Moore, whose 2.74 ERA leads the team, and she is the only pitcher with at least 50 innings of work, tossing 104.2 innings. The senior has 70 strikeouts on the year, while giving up just 29 walks.
Game times against both the Shockers on Tuesday and the Golden Hurricane on Wednesday are at 5 p.m. The game against Wichita State will be on ESPN+, and live stats will be available for both games.
