CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team heads out for tournament number two of the season, playing five games in Troy's home tournament. The Bears get started at 9 a.m. on Friday against Radford, then play Troy at 2 p.m. On Saturday, it's a 9 a.m. meeting with IU Indy, followed by an 11:30 a.m. rematch with Radford. Sunday's 1 p.m. closer against Troy wraps up the tournament for the Bears.
Central Arkansas (3-2) picked up three wins last week for opening weekend. The Bears picked up two wins over South Dakota and one over Crieghton. In head coach
Kayla Lucas's first weekend as head coach, the Bears played like the Bears wanted to: the top of the order was excellent, lots of baserunning and stolen bases, and excellent defense.
Addie Graham and
Trinity Brandon combined for 15 hits, both hitting over .400.
Emma Robertson connected on three home runs, driving in eight runs, and
Renee Christian swiped six bases, which ranks third in the NCAA after the first weekend.
The defense also started off strong, committing just a single error across the first five games. The .993 fielding percentage of the Bears ranks eighth in the nation after the first weekend of the season, and Central Arkansas turned six double plays, the most of any team to start the season.
Radford's first tournament of the season was canceled, leaving the Highlanders yet to play a game in 2026. Radford enters the season with high expectations, after having five players named to the Preseason All-Big South team, including Dakota Redmon's selection as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year. The Highlanders were also selected as the team to beat in the Big South, earning first place in the preseason poll, as well as a No. 23 ranking in D1Softball's Mid-Major Preseason Rankings.
Troy opened its season 4-1, hosting the Trojan Classic to start the year. The tournament featured four run-rule wins, over Middle Tennessee, Chattanooga, North Alabama and Southern. The Trojans hit .452 as a team over their first five games, while holding their opponents to just .245. Troy outscored its opponents 48-15, and stole 17 bases while allowing none.
IU Indy's opening weekend went 3-2 for the Jaguars. After dropping its first two games of the season, the team bounced back with three-straight wins to close the weekend, earning wins over Kent State, Wofford and Monmouth. IU Indy had three hitters at .500 or better, and tallied 56 hits as a team over the first weekend. In the circle, Lily Roush held a 2.52 ERA over 8.1 innings, striking out six while only allowing three earned runs.
The Bears will have live stats available for all games over the weekend. The two games against Troy will be on ESPN+.
