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DELAND, Fla. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will open play in their second consecutive ASUN Championship on Tuesday against the host team, the Stetson Hatters.

The Bears and Hatters will meet in the third game of Day 1 at 3 p.m. (CST) at Stetson's Melching Field at Conrad Park. Stetson is the top seed from the ASUN Graphite Division, while UCA is the fourth seed from the ASUN Gold Division.

This year's tournament format is a double-elimination bracket, with the championship game set for noon Sunday. Tuesday's lineup of first-round games includes: North Alabama vs. Jacksonville at 8 a.m. (CST); Austin Peay vs. North Florida at 11:30 p.m. (CST); and Florida Gulf Coast vs. Lipscomb following the Bears' game at 6:30 p.m. (CST).

The first-round losers will play again on Wednesday, while the winners will have a day off before competing again on Thursday. The Stetson-UCA winner will face the FGCU-Lipscomb winner, with the respective losers also matching up.

UCA did not play Stetson during the regular season this year due to the divisional play in the ASUN.  The Hatters (37-19, 24-6) are 6-0 all-time against the Bears, with a regular-season home sweep to close last season and three wins at Bear Stadium in Conway in 2023.

The Bears (19-33, 12-18), who have battled injuries throughout the season, are expected to open with junior right hander Charlie Christensen (4-4) on the mound. Christensen leads the Bears with 72 strikeouts over 15 appearances. He also has ASUN tournament experience, striking out five in 4.2 innings but getting a no decision in a 10-7 win over Jacksonville a year ago.

The Bears won three straight games in the "B" Pool last year to advance to the semifinals, where they lost 6-5 to Kennesaw State after playing four games in four days.

Stetson features the ASUN Pitcher of the Year in senior left hander Jonathan Gonzalez and the Defensive Player of the Year in junior shortstop Lorenzo Meola. UCA had two third-team All-ASUN selections in senior third baseman Bryce Cermenelli (out with an injury) and sophomore left fielder Zeb Allen, along with All-Freshman team shortstop Nate Negre.

The UCA-Stetson game will be covered live on The Bear 91.3 and ESPN+.