CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team hosts its first ASUN series this weekend, welcoming Austin Peay to Natalie Shock Stadium from Friday to Sunday. The Bears and Govs will play on Friday at 5, then Saturday and Sunday at 1.
The Bears (15-18, 3-2 ASUN) picked up a good win on Wednesday against Tulsa, using five runs in the first and four in the seventh to get up early and pull away late. Central Arkansas racked up 14 hits against the Golden Hurricane, including two triples and a home run.
Central Arkansas's last ASUN series was a three-game sweep over North Alabama on the road. The Bears outscored the Lions 24-9 in the away series, handing the Lions their first home sweep since 2021.
Kylie Griffin and
Kaitlyn Graham both hit .500 in the series.
The all-time series between Central Arkansas and Austin Peay is just 3-2 in favor of the Bears. Last season, the teams played their first three-game series, which Central Arkansas won 2-1 in Clarksville. After dropping game one, the Bears recovered to claim two one-win games, using a five-run fifth inning in game two and a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning of game three to win those games.
This season, Austin Peay enters the weekend with a 27-4 record, and a 5-1 showing in ASUN games. And while 27 wins are the most of any ASUN school this season, the Govs 263
rd ranked nonconference strength of schedule is the second-worst, trailing only West Georgia, who is in its first season as a Division I school. Austin Peay has only played three games against top-100 RPI programs, going 1-2 in those games.
Kylie Campbell leads the Govs with a .418 batting average, putting down 41 hits, of which 18 are for extra bases. Austin Peay has had a great year hitting the ball, recording a team average of .332 with 100 extra base hits. The Governors lead the ASUN in a number of offensive categories, including average, home runs and total runs scored.
In the circle, the team holds a 2.71 ERA, led by Ashley Martin's 2.17. The pitching staff's number suggest that the four pitchers combine for a lot of outings, with just two complete games this season. But, the pitching staff has combined for six shutouts, including two in ASUN games.
Friday and Sunday's games will be streamed on ESPN+, and all games will have live stats available online. Game times are set for 5 p.m. on Friday, and 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
