CONWAY, Ark. – It's championship season for the No. 3 seed Central Arkansas softball team, as the Bears open their ASUN Championship run on Wednesday. The Bears will face the No. 4 seed FGCU Eagles at 3 p.m. at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama.
Central Arkansas (28-25, 16-7 ASUN) capped the regular season with a sweep of North Alabama, dooming the Lions to the No. 9 seed after sweeping both the home and road series against UNA. And while it was the offense that carried the road series, it was the defense that stuck out at home; the Bears limited the Lions to just four runs across the three games, despite being outhit in all three games.
The Bears ended the regular season hitting .293 as a team, led by
Kylie Griffin's .396 and
Addie Graham's .385. The duo combined for 137 hits, 20 doubles, five triples and four home runs, and scored a combined 80 runs. The pair was a dynamite top-two of the order, and helped the Bears jump out early and often against opponents this season. Then, with
Kaitlyn Graham,
Madi Young and
Lilly Hood behind them, it didn't take much for the Bears to score runs with the speed at the top and the power waiting behind.
FGCU had to win on Tuesday to advance to its first meeting with the Bears this season, and the Eagles did so, controlling the game early against Lipscomb to advance to Wednesday's game. Since reverting to divisions this season, the ASUN Gold and Graphite Division opponents are all facing off for the first time in the championship, meaning that until the later stages of the tournament, everybody is trying to figure out an opponent for the first time.
The Eagles ended the regular season 27-28 overall, and 14-10 in conference. FGCU plays a small-ball system, relying on bunching hits together with steals and defensive miscues to generate offense. FGCU hit only 14 home runs this year, with just three percent of the team's hits leaving the park. With speed at every position, the Eagles also stole 156 bases, with five players in double-figures and 15 players swiping at least one base.
Central Arkansas and FGCU battle for a chance to play EKU on Thursday, as the ASUN Championship continues. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.
